TheHammer84

7' Loomis IMX Heavy 7:1 Curado 200E7 65 lb Fireline Tracer Braid 3/4+ ounce Jigs (NO FOOTBALL HEADS) Like mentioned earlier, do this for a while and your shoulder and back muscles are going to get a serious workout, but if you're catching fish, the quality of bass you pull out is usually worth it.

50# braid for jigs 10# fluorocarbon for plastics

good to hear...I just ordered some 40# Tracer from TW, should get it Monday

Heard it's a madhouse there. Are there a lot of pleasure boaters?

Honestly, Berkley should've named their braid something without "Fireline" in it since Fireline seems to have a lot of negative attitudes attached with it. I used the original Fireline and I wasn't very happy with it either.

Agreed with the guys above, don't get Fireline...get Fireline BRAID.

Shimano guy Was a Loomis guy, but starting to gravitate to other rods.

-1/16 ounce - 1/8 ounce shaky head -1-16 ounce - 1/8 ounce bullet sinker, 3/0 T-Rigged

For those depths, I'd go 1/2+ ounce jig. I like 40-65 pound braid. If the water is clear and there isn't a lot of heavy structure, I add a fluoro leader.

What kind of rod do you have and what depth? "Deep" is relative. You can't go wrong with a black and blue jig, and I honestly don't really focus on rattles too much unless the water is murky.

5" Senko, watermelon w/blk flake

Quantum PT SS "Biffle" 7'6" Heavy Casting Rod

I agree, no doubt the Senko is a great lure, but in a shallow river, I'm going to be tossin' a floating Rapala and spinnerbait first (my river is mostly in the 4-6 foot depth range). If you're new to fishing soft plastics, the current of a river may make it hard to pickup strikes, I'd try fishing them in a lake or pond first to try and learn what a strike on them feels like, and get a few hookups to build your confidence. Also, I'd recommend a Fat Ika. They can imitate a crawfish, and rivers are loaded with 'em.