islandbass

I am assuming you are using a spinning reel, the type with a bail you have to open to make a cast. There are a few things since you have what I first started out with not too long ago that affect casting distance. For lures as light as you are describing, 10# mono is not going to cast it as well as 6 or 8# mono. It could also be your rod. If it isn't rated for the lure's weight, this is another thing that can hinder casting performance. Is this a rapala minnow type lure? Well they don't cast that well on 10# line anyway, but you can get around this by carolina rigging your lure. If you use about an 18" or longer leader, the weight will be far enough to not affect the lure's action. You will only need about 1/4 oz weight to cast your lure far. My original rig used a 3-way swivel. One to the main line, one for the weight and the other to the leader and lure. My first bass when caught this way and I came up with this as a newbie because I was trying to figure out how in the world could I cast those light baits? In essence it is a carolina rig in that the weight is ahead of the lure. A traditional C-rig is much easier and more convenient to prepare. Another thing I see many anglers do in trying to maximize distance on the cast is to quickly cast in a way that they do not allow the lure's weight to load the rod. They're already moving forward while the lure is still going backward. The end result is a poor cast and the hearing of a whipping sound. Allowing the lure to load the rod is one way to achieve optimum casting distance with little effort. I am not certain a baitcast rig is going to fare better unless you have a reel like a Pixy, Presso, or Chronarch or other like reel. Something that light is birdsnest city if the wind kicks up. Good luck!

one thing that will really help a beginner is to use a duo lock snap. the flexibility it will provide will make learning easier and faster for newbies vs. a direct tie to the lure. I will also agree that walking a sammy is definitely easier than a spook, but that is not to say a spook is difficult to walk. It isn't, but sammies are easier. Also I think learning with a bigger one might make it easier for you. Look out. Topwater strikes rock! Oh yeah! Don't forget about the Rapala Skitter walk. Despite being small, it is pretty easy to walk.

I bought my little girl the D-shock 6' casting rod (2piece) and I must say I was quite surprised how it performed for a $12.99 rod. On its first outing, my daughter headed for the playground since she didn't catch anything after 15 minutes. I casted it out and on about the 7th cast caught a nice bass. She was a little upset since she's looking to catch her first bass (she's a trout catchin' machine though) but at least she had fun at the playground. If you want to see what products Daiwa makes, I strongly advise you to hide your wallet. Words like Pixy, Alphas, Zillion and Steez will enter your vocabulary and bring you one step closer to the "dark side". ;D

Hang in there. It is just a matter of time before you get accustomed to using one. I started fishing with spinning gear 4 seasons ago and my first experience with a bc reel was $#@$$ less than ideal. ;D But I am glad I didn't give up and wonder how I went through most of my first season without bc reels. While bc gear can handle most bass applications, it is my preferance that I love the vertical fall I get with a spinning reel with certain lures that the bc reel cannot duplicate. Many times, to get something relatively close, one has to strip off line. But other than that, I use both reel types and love them both. Hope you will too.

It depends. I think you can get a lot of reel for the money for a spinning reel at the Shimano Symetre so according to your listing. However for a baitcast reel two hundred is about as high as I'm willing to with the exception of a Pixy I want to buy.

I have read posts on another forum and the people are very happy with their rods. I think they have a buy one get one free offer right now and it seems legit and tempting. I need another two rods like I need a hole in my head. ;D

I can relate to you. I started fishing just 3 seasons ago and I fought and was opposed to having more than one rod and thought it was ridiculous to have so many rods, let alone "technique" specific rods to boot. Then, as I gained experience, I realized that my first rod, a med light action (actually a darned trout rod)walmart special rod, while I used it for everything from a rooster tail to a senko, worked okay for the lighter things, but its performance suffered with heavier lures and single hook lures. Yes, I could use it, but I realized it just was not ideal. So while technique specific rods aren't necessary, they can be useful for those who have developed a passion for particular techniques. These rods just provide you more options. Think of it this way... You can use a butter knife to fastened a flathead screw and it will work, but a screwdriver will get the job done better. Ultralight rods are awesome to fish with, but it most certainly will not be my first choice to fish heavy cover. You can use it, but it will not be the best option. -ib

The position of your rod can vary somewhat proportionately to the distance the lure is from you. It will be "easier" to work it when it very far away from you with the rod tip in a more elevated position. As the lure gets closer to you, it will be "easier" to work it with the rod tip in a lower position. You can also pop and twitch it from either side too. You can start your retrieve after all the circles dissipate from the splash or start the retrieve as soon as it hits the water. You can use a motion that will make the lure travel horizontally (twitches I suppose) across the water, or you can intentionally make the lure's nose dive down into the water to go sub-surface. Heck, you can even just dead float for as long as you're willing to bear such insanity. It is entirely up to you. Good luck! If you have never felt the explosion of a topwater popper strike, you are in for a treat. There is no other strike like it. Check your blood pressure and hold down. Warning! Top water strikes with a popper are addicting. ;D

I did some experimenting in my lab last night and discovered that if you add a flux capacitor to your equation, you would alleviate the problems caused by the flow of the tachyon stream, which undoubtedly influences the line's drag. It would also enable the electrons to jump from a lower state of activity to a higher one, thus eliminating the line's drag altogether and therby adding action to the lure independent of the angler's input. It will also allow the angler to recover line proportional to the inverse square of 1/X^2. I am going to get some sleep now and put away my quantum physics book. ;D

Which knot are you using? I have also experienced this, but when I can get away with it, I will use fewer wraps and therefore it makes for a smaller knot. For example if I use the albright knot, and I would normaly wrap the line about 10 times, I will wrap it only 5-6 times. A smaller knot is the result and a smaller knot will flow through the guides more easily. It seems to be just fine for bass fishing and even fishing for pink salmon. However if I were to target bigger fish, I'll take the risk of a backlash and tie the knot as it should.

My findings this past winter were quite the opposite, river fishing for salmon and steelhead. I found Evolution to be quite abrasion resistant for the 12# test I was using in my rocky bottom rivers. In addition, its castibility was beyond superb. My only concern when I bought it was because it is made from nylon, the line is probably going to acquire memory and it definitely will. I was able to toss a small homemade inline spinner on a rod that has no business tossing a lure that light, but I think my 201 Curado D combined with Evolution's castibility enabled me to toss my little spinner about 75-80ft. without so much as a loop of overrun. For its castibility, I could care less about how much it stretched. I also found Evo to transmit information to me quite well in sub freezing weather and numb fingers. ;D Here is the little spinner I was tossing with 12# Evolution and a heavy action rod rated for 1/2 - 1 3/4 oz lures!

I guess that would be a decent "power" drop shot rig to fish heavier cover using the drop shot technique. I am willing to bet when most people think of drop shotting, they're thinking 4-10# test, probably 6# most likely and a spinning reel and some med-light action rod with a soft tip. I think it's cool you're thinking out of the box so to speak. 8-) I have drop shotted with a bait cast reel and the biggest thing I noticed was that the decent of my lure had to be "helped" sometimes by stripping line off and I thought that was extra work on my part. I like the fall my lures got on my spinning DS rig much more. It's not a good or bad thing, just an observation.

Reelmech, Someone showed me that on another forum and I really like their concept. I am still going to finish mine since its purpose is to keep my rods with me (on my back or floating with a leash) while I wade and thus keeping the rods I don't use off the bank and away from potential thieves. Thanks everyone!

I had been keeping the design of one to meet my needs as a bank and wading angler on the back burner for too long. The need to finally design one came out of necessity and not wanting to suffer the threat of or loss by theft when wading. I would be so ticked if I were wading out of sight of my rods on the shore, even if I hid them in the brush. The idea of leaving a Curado D in the bush with a Shimano Crucial or whatever rig that could easily be lifted by some punk did not sit too well and if I were out on the water, my chances of pursuit are greatly diminished. As a result, I felt that this rod quiver had to stay on my back even while fishing. I designed it to accomodate 3 rods for transport. The pics here are just the premliminary model with the top and bottom being constructed out of foam poster board. The final version will be made of wood. It is triangular in shape. Here it is upright. Straps will be added to make it wearable like a back pack. This is the part that made me a bit nervous in that it looked alright on paper and I was a bit worried that I might have trouble with the reels because a possible cause of the rigs not fitting into the quiver. Whew! Both triangles will be worked on to better fit and accommodate the rod butts and upper halves. I will also make certain that the rods don't move or bounce around. Transport via hand. With it on my back and centered on my back, I should be able to still fish with it while wading and hopefully switch rods on the fly. If a thief wants to steal my rigs, they'll have to come through me. Any thoughts, comments as to what I can do to improve it are definitely welcome. Thanks! I can't wait to put finish this project! -ib

From a relatively new perosn here myself welcome!! This is an awesome site!

Dude, Thanks! I've been watching his site like a hawk, but he's out of stock for lefties and righties. :-[ He seems to have the cheapest non ebay price.

You might lose some distance, but not really that much. I bought my 7 year old daughter a 6' Daiwa rod for $12 and although it did take a little more umph, I was pretty much able to toss lures about the same distance as a 6'6" rod. So the other advantage of a longer rod is making a cast as that with a shorter rod but with less effort. Leverage and line control are other advantages, but if a mega long distance cast is not needed, shorter rods are slightly lighter and therefore should be less fatiguing to use for a long period of time. Bottomline, go with what is comfortable. Length is also a relative thing. 7' is "long" for a bass rod, but compared to a steelhead rod, they are short. Even at 5'5", I use 8'6" and 9'6" rods when salmon fishing. ;D And there are folks in Canada who make those rods seem short by fishing with 12-14' rods!

If you looked up the word sweetness in the dictionary, there would be a picture of your gear there! 8-) BTW, where did you buy your Pixy? Me wants one.

DodgeGuy, My first full on FC line was Seaguar Invizx in 6# test for my drop shot rig. I liked this line from the get go. At 6#, it is limp supple and it transmits info to me quite well. I also noticed a higher catch rate. Glad to see you too have found it to your liking.

I'm in the same boat! Darn stinkin' jointed shad rap. ;D

That is some might fine work! If only I can paint like that! :'( ;D

Marabou is great, but don't overlook white chicken feathers. I usually replace stock trebles on my poppers with personally hand tied trebles with a little flashy stuff and white chicken feathers.

I've been meaning to try and I even bought steel ball bearings. I just haven't had the chance to hand carve any. harshman, that is mighty fine work! 8-) dampeoples, I sure would like to have a lathe too! I know it isn't necessary, but it would make the work a heck of a lot easier . When I made my first wooden plugs, all I hand was sand paper, a 3M sanding block and a little elbow grease. Okay, I cheated a bit using a forstner bit to make the mouths of the poppers but everything else was handcarved. Dev Con was my choice of coating too. 8-) I can't wait to make my first spook! -ib

For Shimano Rods, there is a little more to the graphite used for each series. For the most part, the guides improve (ie, they get lighter and more more durable, per say) Convergence - IM6, Fuji Aluminum Oxide Guides Clarus - IM7, Fuji Aluminum Oxide Guides Compre - IM8 Fuji Hard Loy Guides Crucial - IM9 Fuji Alconite Guides The rule of thumb is the higher the modulus, the less graphite is needed to create a rod with the same characteristics of a graphite of lesser modulus. This translates to a lighter rod of thinner diamemter and as a result, more sensitive. THe IM# in and of itself is meaningless. A rod made of IM6 by a good rod maker can still be a very sensitive rod. I have been told that lighter guides contribute to a better overall feel and can enhance sensitivity, but to be honest with you, I think these weight differences are probably in grams and since I am not an expert, I am not certain I could really feel the difference. I settled on a Clarus model after a lot of personal debating between it and a compre for my two-piece rod that will serve me as my trunk rod. It feels okay, but I'll tell you that my crucial feels way better. It's kind of hard to go backward! I am considering returning it for the 2-piece Compre, but the other side of the coin is that I don't know if I want an $89 rod kept in the trunk only to have it stolen. A $59 rod being stolen is far easier to swallow. -ib

7' Lamiglas Certified Pro "Drop Shot Special Rod Rapala 6Sxi Size 20 Spinning Reel 6# SeaGuar Invizx FC line Baits: Various Hooks: Usually Gammy Split Shot/Drop Shot Hooks or Mosquitos if I need to go weedless. This is a very sensitive rod that has the perfect blend of power and line protection. I would love to get the casting loomis ds rod and pair it up with a Daiwa Pixy