islandbass

That’s what I do too and I believe it really helps minimize trouble.

Thanks for all the advice!

Hope you do. It just looks so “bassy” if you know what I mean. I did have one major strike and a big bass pulled down hard, but I was like a deer caught in the headlights... paralyzed. I didn’t even set the hook, lol. I could have sworn I heard the bass say, “Dude. You didn’t even set the hook.” Wah, wah, wah, and this bass angler cried all the way home.

Yeah, this monkey has been on my back for so long. At least this one isn’t related to the bait monkey, lol.

Nope. I have not one but two nemesis lakes. Both are known for big mama bass. One is the hallowed lake Fenwick rods is named for. I’ve seen big bass caught in it that’s been posted even on you tube and I can’t buy a strike. Never caught a fish from it. The other I’ve caught other species but never a bass. Going on 17 years, lol. Granted I might visit both lakes maybe 5 times per season if at all, so the 17 year drought is a bit inflated. It still hurts, lol. I already targeted that non fenwick lake once this season and nothing. I go to another lake ten minutes away and catch two bass within 10 minutes. Come on, man ??? Call me Ismael II, lol.

I love them! I had practically forgotten about them until this thread. Unfortunately, they’re getting harder to find locally and if a store has them, they’re not the size I want or need. I guess I’ll need to look online.

I love discoveries like that, especially when what you find out in nothing you would have expected or suspected. ?

That’s the thing. Sometimes what might be intuitive to us or what we perceive as true is 100% wrong. You want the rod to be as light as possible and yet still have the backbone. This is a very general statement and there will always be exceptions the lighter rod the greater its potential to be very sensitive. If you do a search for posts about very high end reels and are very light, sometimes the “feel like a toy” instead of a “real” reel but rest assured, those will function as advertised or people wouldn’t buy them. And then you’ll have the inexpensive reels that feel cheap because the are indeed inferior. Just keep up your exploring and researching as you have done and you’ll be well on your way gaining knowledge and developing your personal preference. ?

That was for the line alone unless I misunderstood what was in the package. It’s really not a lot, but I would imagine to buy 1 floating and sinking line each and two reels (unfortunately no reel) for each, say $100 (just a guess as I reckon they could be more or less) each and the ding dang bait monkey done smacked me down for $300 and I didn’t even buy flies or fly making materials, lol. Thanks for the line and other recommendations. I really appreciate it. ?

I’ve been told the same thing about an 8 weight being good for bass. after doing a little spring cleaning, I stumbled upon a rod tube in the garage and in it I found a 4w fly rod. I don’t know how it came into my garage. I’m guessing someone must have given it to me and I simply can’t recall when or why. I’ve been afraid to try FF because I fear my conventional gear might start collecting dust, lol. I guess I’ll need to give it a try soon but still would need to find line and decide on on a floating or sinking line. One thing and this is my perception, but it seems to me that some of the FF gear is freakin’ expensive because it’s FF gear. Not hating or liking that, just noticed it. Just earlier today I looked at some lines and they were starting at like $49 up to nearly $90. Ouch!!!? Luckily I’m still in the learning and exploratory phase but guaranteed I will not be paying anything I think is overpriced, lol. I am also going to start making Woolley buggers and streamers for bass and some small flies for trout. This had better not be a rabbit ? hole.

What RW said!

First, I’d switch to mono for the sake of learning, anywhere from 10-14 test. Second, assuming you have properly set the reel, you need to work on your casting timing and mechanics. The mechanics are the same between spinning and casting rigs but NOT the timing. Your thumb comes of the spool of a casting rod EARLIER than your forefinger does on a spinning rod. More on that later. Also your mechanics are more critical with a casting rig than with a spinning rig. You can be sloppy and whippy with a spinning rig and still get a decent cast. Not so with a casting rig. Distance will suffer. If you don’t or haven’t noticed this yet, learn to allow the weight of the lure to load (ie, bend the rod back) the rod and allow rod to spring back. This is the key, honestly, for any cast. picture yourself in the middle of a clock face with 12 o’clock directly above you and 9 o’clock directly in front of you and 3 o’clock behind you. The ideal position you let thumb comes off the spool is somewhere between 2 and 1 o’clock and 12:30 at the latest. Yes, that early. 1) Ensure the rod gets properly loaded by the lure’s weight. 2) Release in the specified time frame and you’re golden. I’m telling this to you from my own experience, including choosing 20# braid, getting line dig to boot, my first go at learning casting gear. Worse yet, I even bought a reel with the handle on the wrong side, lol. 50 yards is a pretty darn good cast if you ask me, that’s 150 ft.

Sorry to hear this. Someone probably damaged the rod before you bought this or it got damaged in transit. I have the 7’ version and this is one of my favorite rods. I hope you contact them. They should take care of you. This is an excellent rod for its price and I’ve had mine for over 10 years.

I’m thinking the poor customer service was more that your wife found out and that is funny as heck, no doubt. You could always use the line that it was anniversary or birthday gift for her if either date is close, lol.

You will definitely need to have the lures turned but you do not need to go through the expense of buying a fancy lure turning machine. You can make one yourself. I have a simple method that I devised that doesn’t need a motor and is deal for small scale work (doing 1-4 baits at a time and I usually do 1, lol). I used to make cranks and like baits and use devcon 2T and this is what I do. First, don’t overcoat them. also, this only works if your line tie and hook ties are already in place. Next, all you need is a 12-16” of fishing line and a paper clip. Fold out the paper clip to make it form an “S”. You can tie one end of the line to the paper clip or create a loop at the one end for the clip. tie the other end of the line to something and ensure there is enough room for the line and clip to move in a pendulum motion. Now that the line is tied to something attach your devcon covered bait to the other side of the clip and let it hang vertically. twist the line as much as you can between your thumb and forefinger. Think the nastiest twist up akin to a bad spinning reel or those old school balsa propeller plane where you twisted a rubber band to make the propeller spin. release the line and watch the lure alternate spinning clock and anticlock wise. As it is doing that, push or pull the line to begin the pendulum motion. repeat for the next 12-15 minutes. this is remarkably effective and how I do it and it’s 100% fool proof. Now if only I knew how to paint better. I suck at painting, lol.

Straight mono for me, preferably 10 pound if the conditions allow. Line diameter as already mentioned can influence the depth it will travel as can the speed of your retrieve.

Sometimes they win, even if you did everything right. And yes, it can really suck. Just tip your hat to them and move on to the next catch.

You created a monster now, lol. Great job. The DS is one of my main weapons and has also helped me get others into fish as you have.

As a fellow bank angler, I pick either what you’ve already thought OR go MF spinning or casting. This would handle the “lighter” single hooks like senkos, smaller jigs and treble lures like small to medium cranks, poppers, hard and soft jerk baits, etc. I’d probably lean toward spinning since you already have two casting if it is okay for the cover you typically encounter.

You get a lighter rod and usually that translates to increased sensitivity. In addition you usually get better components too. Keep in mind one thing. You can have the most tricked out rod and reel, but it isn’t going to magically catch bass. The rod and reel are just tools. The angler, is the weakest link in the fish catching chain. what higher end gear tends to do is make the fishing experience more enjoyable. As already mentioned, you are just spinning your wheels if you haven’t already decided what you want this new rod and reel to do for you. After you do, find the rod that meets that need. Many casting reels will get the job done except at the extremes and ultra specialties for most techniques. Doing this first should really help to provide you the clarity to sift through the mess of rods and reels out there. Keep us posted and good luck!

My thoughts too on the cat if not caro.

Right on! Glad you know already. Wish I did when I bought my first bc reel. LH Forever!!!!! (Wakanda reference, lol)

Woh... It just dawned on me... if this is going to be your first casting reel forget the reel brand. Which hand do you retrieve with right now? If it is already your right hand, then proceed. If it is your left hand as most spinning anglers use and you are right hand dominant and haven’t had your brain reprogrammed like some anglers are rh dominant but started with rh reels because that was all that was available back then (yep, I’m ribbing them, lol ?), you might actually prefer a reel with the handle on the left side. if you are not sure, go to a store that sells casting reels and try. One side will feel more comfortable to you than the other. This will save you a lot of hassle and from my post, you should surmise I’m speaking from experience... Doh, lol!! LH for life!! Lol. Just kidding. But I did train my brain to fish both LH and RH but when given the choice, I prefer LH reels.

It can for sure, so short from trying a different knot, the improved clinch (IC) knot just has to be tied well. I’ve been using the IC knot for a long time and it works with any line. I know that some braids are pretty slick, especially when new. If I get the gut feeling it might slip, I will increase the number of wraps. The base number of wraps is 5 and I will increase it to 7-9.

I learned the same lesson. First time with a casting reel and I spooled it with 30# power pro. First cast the practice weight smashes into the ground. Did I mention my thumb got off the spool too late? Then “thuwupp” instant mega birds nest. It was so bad I had to cut it off. Coming from a spinning background, I thought goodness gracious. That sucks. That braid never touched water and lasted only one cast. My fault. User error, lol. I didn’t get a chance to experience line dig yet. when I finally got the mechanics down, I put on 20# braid since they were out of 30#. This was when I discovered line dig, lol.