Big Bait Fishing

i checked those reels out at a bass tackle show a few months back (bass-a-thon)and those are some sweet reels !! i was skeptical too when i saw how it was built , but they feel solid . a very nice reel , i might get one soon . anyway , don't be fooled by the neck bolts on this thing , i think you will like the reel .

if your looking for a good , strong ,and manageable line for a spinning set-up , i would highly suggest using P-line CXX in 6# . another person also recommended it and he is dead on with this line cause it is very strong and is all i spool on 2500 size reels . i use it for drop shotting , weightless plastics , and very small crankbaits (for crappie). i actually use it for trout fishing also , i use power bait dough on a treble with just a split shot to get the bait down . this line is very versatile and the moss green color makes it blend in with most water , enough so that 6# line does not shy away trout , much less bass !!!

when you are dealing with swimbaits that small (under 3 oz. ) , most flipping sticks will be fine . when you need the moderate taper on a swim bait rod is when you are using bigger baits and the mod. taper will allow the rod to load up and help you cast big baits a long ways . also if you are throwing big swimbaits , you are gonna need a stout rod to throw them , so by having a moderate taper , you will be able to fight a fish better and not injure the fish by tearing it's mouth up . anyhow , i guess none of that pertains to you if you are gonna be using baits under 3 oz. , cause they will fish just fine on a flipping stick ....

i have the 6" kicker trout , the 8" kicker trout , and the 5" kicker sunfish . as for the 6" trout , i have the wake/floater , these baits are excellent dead sticking baits especially when you are up current from them and they will sit there and slowly wag their tail ever so seductively for a bass to come up and crush !! as for burning them , these baits roll a bit to the side when burned . so i just primarily use it for dead sticking like i mentioned .....

Owner beast hooks are the best weighted hooks , period ...............

if i were you , i would go with the CX premium . CX is stronger than floroclear and is pretty much the same in it's sink rate but CX's strength puts it above floroclear , in my opinion

they are a thinner sized SIC ring that is more cupped to the frame inorder to hold up better , they are very good guides , i might use them on some casting rods i will have built after i get some swimbait rods made ... as for both the medium and the medium heavy having the same lure rating , the medium is 1/4-5/8 oz. and the medium heavy is 1/4-1 oz. here is a better list of specs for them - http://www.hookeduptackle.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=Okuma%20EVx%20Casting%201pc%20Rods

sorry , but that is one of the ugliest reels i have ever seen i would of tossed it back in the lake ;D ;D ;D

would be nice if they were longer (handle length ) i have a revo inshore , a revo toro , and a revo sx(w/a skeet reese handle) and would not go back to shorter handles , even if they look better than the straight ones !!!

get the Okuma EVX-A . it has the best components and one of the best warranties out there !! and to top it all off , it costs only $90.00

You make some really good points... unfortunately I don't know anyone who lives close to me or who is really good at custom building rods... and since I've never owned a custom rod or fished with a custom rod... I don't know what custom materials are really good... I've always used stock manufactured rods from the main rod companies... naturally as I got older and my finances improved over time... I finally could afford to upgrade and try higher end rods like GLoomis and St. Croix... but I'm afraid I have to admit that I'm a newbie when it comes to this custom rod stuff... but that is all about to change soon I hope... the BAIT MONKEY has put his foot down and is demanding that I try a few custom rods... ;D Thanks for the information... I can use all the helpful advice anyone has in this matter... and I need to do some research... So what is the better materials to look into... brands and such... research is the best thing you can do right now , take a look at http://www.acidrod.com/ and http://www.mudhole.com/ . look at the rod building section where they list guides , reel seats , thread wraps( to get an idea of colors ) and grips ( cork , eva , hypathalon , etc..) . as for me i'm gonna go with Fuji concept guides in either the SIC or alconite . for reel seats , i love the Fuji ACS reel seats , and for grips , i like EVA in a split grip .as for thread wraps , with a graphite colored blank , i like all black ( the rods i am gonna have built are gloss cobalt blue so i'm gonna go with the same shade blue) . you just have to look around at rods and handle as many as you can , you preferences are maybe alot different than mine , you just have to make sure of what you like and what is gonna work for you . for instance , as far as reel seats , i love the look of split reel seats (like on carrot stix) but they are not as comfortable to me as say the FUJI ACS reel seats , and yeah , they look good and feel very comfortable cause of the way i palm my reels . so for me it has to be the ACS reel seats and that's what i'll get on my rods . it is all a matter of WHAT WILL WORK FOR YOU AND YOU ALONE !!!!

i am looking into throwing bigger than average swimbaits soon (soon as this rod(s) get built) so with that being said , i am gonna get a St.Croix 8'6'' big dawg rod blank rated 4-10 oz. (4M86XHF ), i amtold that it is WAY underrated ( the guy throws 12-17 oz. baits on it with no problem ) and since i'll be throwing 12-15 oz. baits with it it is perfect even tho it's a little pricey . i am also gonna get the the other St.croix 8'6'' blank that is rated 2-6 oz. (4M86HF ) , this rod will be for medium sized baits (6"-8" baits) .

try to find a rod builder close to you is probably the first step . i am gonna have a few more swimbait rods built soon and want to actually see that every thing is exactly the way i want it ( these rods are kinda pricey , $260-$265 each just for the blanks ) so i want to be there to be in on the process !! but , if you chose to go with someone who is not local , be sure to go over EVERY DETAIL !!!!! make sure you are on the same page . if you are going to have a custom rod made , you want it custom made for YOU , not the builder so you have to convey that to him(or her) so you get exactly what you want . do alot of research as to what components you want , as in guides for instance , if you wants ALPS guides , make sure he will use ALPS guides and the kind you want and the color you choose . check into what grip materials you would like and how thick or narrow you want them , how long of handle , what kind of reel seat you want . i think you get the drift of what i'm saying . just be prepared for the questions that the builder is gonna ask you for each phase of the build ( he should be asking these questions , cause if they are not you should think twice about inlisting their services !!) try looking at C&M custom tackle and building supplies and also Mudhole.com for components ( guides , thread wrap , reel seats , grips , blanks , hook keepers , and decals ) hope you get the rod of your dreams ......

P-line CX premium 10-15 lb. line ....

the XL - for fishing open water where abrasion is not a concern. the XT- where abrasion is a concern.

i use the improved clinch knot for everything , yes, including braid , the only other knots i use are the uni-to-uni for joining two lines together (leaders) and the palomar , for drop-shotting .

i have fished these before , try using a slow retrieve , just fast enough to get the action you want . also use a weighted hook , i use Owner weighted beast hooks in 6/0 (for the 5.5" magic shad) . if you want to run the bait shallow , just use a WIDE gap ewg hook , the Owner beast hook (unweighted) is the best wide gap hook for the magic shad . hope this helped and welcome to the forum

i use this rig as a search tool , usually only get dinks to hit them . been using 4" flukes tho . seems they only like to run on top of the surface or only a foot or so below the surface. really want to upsize them and fish them deeper . gonna get some 7" super flukes and nail weight them or use a Owner weighted beast hook on them , should be good then . definitely a good set-up . i saw Tom Mann Jr. use them in a FLW tourn. and tried them some time later and am hooked on using them every time i go out ...... btw , i really twitch them alot on the retrieve making them swim franticly , as oposed to slow twitching and pausing(letting the fluke glide on the pause) as i would when using a single fluke .

are you thinking about changing the color ?? cause that's what i would do if i had that reel !! it is definitely a reel that i want , but that paint scheme has got to go . wish Abu would offer that reel in either all silver ( like the revo s , revo inshore , etc..) or all black (that would be sweet !!!) was thinking that maybe if you take it apart (maybe when getting it serviced) you can have the yellow stripped off and heve it painted black by an autobody shop , cause when i get one of these , this is exactly what I'M gonna do

you should have no problems getting your wiley's ....

2-10 lb. i use P-line cxx , anything above that i use Izorline XXX . gonna try P-line CX soon .

type in "custom hand poured worms" in your search engine (google, yahoo,etc..) and you will find a bunch . here is one i found that you might find something you like - http://www.kbbaits.com/

for me it is a 7'-7'6'' heavy powered , fast tip rod , the brand of rod is up to your liking . just get the best rod you can for your budget , lately i have been using my 7'XH Carrot Stix for throwing frogs , this rod is super light and has ALOT of backbone with an excellent fast tip that can really sling the bigger sized frogs a long ways .... btw, weight is always a factor when throwing reaction type baits when you make repetitive casts ........

x2 on atleast a 1/2 oz. weight to practice cast , i would even suggest using a 3/4 oz or 1 oz. egg sinker and cast in an open area . as soon as you get the heavier weight down , start to go lighter and ease off on the spool tension knob till you can cast 1/4 oz. weights proficiently ....

i have the shimano clarus 6'6'' L XF , i use it for crappie , blue gill , and trout . this rod is perfect for those species . has a soft extra fast tip but has suprising backbone . if you can handle one at a store , you will really like it . it also has shimano's life time warranty and they cost around 60-70 bucks !!!! btw , i also drop shot with it , a very versatile rod for sure