Big Bait Fishing

that was my thinking when i had my dream rod made for swimbaits , i have a St. Croix Big Nasty , a 9' heavy powered rod that is rated for 3-8 oz, but that is waaaay off as it will throw the Mattlures 13'' dead twitch trout which weighs a little over 14 oz. , it's rating should be 4 - 15 oz. as a ROF 8'' hudd barely loads into the blank . a rod that is pretty good for a factory rod is the Dobyns 807 , a 8' rod with a lure rating of 3-10 oz . has a nice handle , designed by Mike Long .

the M1 maxes out at around 6 oz. , the USB 800 H can throw up to 8 oz. without the rod feeling taxed out . weird with the same rating , same company but that's how it is .. keep the M1 for small baits like the S-waver and similar sized baits and get a heavier set up for 8'' hudds , Deps 250 , & other bigger baits

also buy going with a custom , you could bling it a little with gold thread highlights in the wraps to match that Conquest ...

this is my opinion , sell the M1 and get a Phenix Ultra Swimbait rod , the USB 800H , has the same 2-8 oz. rating but will throw that 250 great as it's a little more stout . swimbait rods are one technique rod that are best to have custom as i have found everybody has there own unique preferences which you rarely find in factory rods . most noticeably the short handles on factory rods !! i prefer a pretty long handle at 18'' , you need the extra leverage for making long casts and it also eliminates wrist fatigue . another option is to look into using a musky blank as they have them in longer , more powerful blanks , like 8'6'' and 9' blanks , once you use one you won't want to use an 8' or shorter swimbait rod ...

good review !

there is no right/wrong sizing of reel to rod , it's about what works for you (line capacity, weight, balance , comfort, etc..) i use a 1000 size reel on a 7'8'' rod and it works great for me , all answers to your question is opinions ......

yeah, that's a score !!!!

about your last sentence - i would have never known that..........

it has nothing to do with the brand or model of reel seat , it is their positioning of the reel seat on the blank ( distance between the pieces of the two piece reel seat like the SK2 )

you would of been better off with the Elite Tech 7'11'' heavy ...

getting the knot to not unravel is just not worth it to me , sometimes it won't , sometimes it will . tying the Surgeon's Knot is simple and very easy to tie and the knot is very strong . for me it's about consistency in a small , compact , & strong knot i can tie right every time and have confidence in , the trade off for a knot that is a tiny bit smaller and is hard to tie where it won't come undone is not worth it ...

why not the '' all tackle record '' ?? seems you could use whatever line , Manu used 25 lb. Toray Super Hard Strong flouro

i usaully tie an Albright for my spinning line ( 10 lb. Sunline SX1 & 6 lb. Sunline Sniper ) and yes , i am running 3.5 mm Fuji micro guides on the rod !! to be honest , i think the Surgeon's knot is just as strong if not more stronger than the uni -to -uni and Albright knot , give it a try

try it , it's like i said the easiest knot to tie ans strong , i also usually stick to tried and true knots i've been using for a long time but i'm glad i tried it cause i like this knot better than more difficult to tie knot's and i have to use small connection knots cause of micro guides ..

was looking at different knots on an animated knot guide last night and checked out the Surgeon's knot , looked very easy to tie and was touted as 100% knot strength . i tied it a few times and i'll tell you , the simplest knot to tie !! it compacts very small and is very strong , needless to say this is gonna replace the Albright knot i've been using . and before anyone mentions the FG knot , that knot is not worth tying as it is a hit or miss and difficult to tie on the water . any one else using the Surgeon's knot ?? this is a picture of the knot tied using 30lb Sunline SX1 & Sunline Sniper in 14lb. ( it's very compact besides the fluff of the braid on the left of the knot )

it's about having good bearings where they count ...

ne neither , that's what the drag is for and why i use reels with good smooth drag ..

http://www.vimageoutdoors.com/strike-king-red-eye-shad-banshee-1-2oz-smokin-hot-shad/ it looks like the '' blue gizzard shad '' , but with the black dot , i'm also thinking they are the same as the regular red eye shad , just called different as strike king does not have them on their website .

i have no idea but the '' simple shad '' color is looking very good !!!

Owner Cutting Point's are all you need , i really think you are over thinking it ...

good point , always get the best reel you like that your budget can afford . even though i use long rods ( my spinning rod is 7'8'' ) i don't worry about a rod being tip heavy as one should always look into a light rod

i'm with you on the 1000 size reels !! the Pflueger Patriarch 9525 made that decision for me ...

i don't agree with the reel being twice the weight of the rod !! i guess most people end up buying a 7 - 9 oz. spinning reel . my reel weighs 5 .6 oz. the rod it's on weighs 4 oz. , it's a light smooth set up , wouldn't think of getting a heavier reel .

i have a Pflueger 9525 Patriarch spooled with 10 lb. Sx1 , i hate line twist ! to me , braid is mandatory with a leader of 6 lb. Sniper . the reel is super light (5.6 oz.) and a buttery smooth drag ...

does the pond have any emergent grass or tules ?? a lot of the places i fish don't have structure either but always has weeds . try a texas rigged worm through the grass or along grass edges , that's where the bluegill will be !! i would also try a shakey head with a 6 - 7 '' worm like a Havoc bottom Hopper or something similar with a high floating tail with good action , good luck ...