G3Steve

Prespawn is in full swing at a local lake and we've spotted many males preparing beds. They are located in protected coves, with grass in deeper water. We saw lots of bigger 5lb+ females cruising near the first dropoff, at the weedline or over the weedbed. What lures/techniques would you use to get the bigger females to bite? Water temp was 58-60 degrees, with about 12ft visibility. We tried swimbaits (middle of the column as well as slow rolling), a-rig, dropshot, jigs, etc. but the fish would just swim away. Would you go for the reaction bite or throw big, slow moving baits? Let's hear your thoughts!

I've never heard of tying I the wiffle spool. What I do is spool on 12lb mono, about 20 yards, then fill the rest up with braid. Don't worry about the connecting knot. If your just fishing bass you'll never get spooled to the knot. Use a mono or fluoro leader, your choice. If fishing topwaters, use mono. 6' is perfect, just so the knot doesn't go into your reel. More for your thumb tban for the reel.

You can do this with a straight handle too... Just use your middle finger to catch one of the tines of the drag star and give it a spin. Nevermind hitting your knuckles, how do you keep the other knob from hitting your hand when you turn the handle? LOL

I use 30lb ss8 for small to mid cranks and 40lb for heavier cranks and spinnerbaits. Awesome sensitivity, and I feel that the smoothness helps in further casting. Be sure to use a mono or fluoro leader for the shock absorption when fish surge at the boat. With a leader, color fade is a non-issue.

I cant recommend the BOSS hubs and o-rings. The groove in the hubs are too shallow, causing the o-ring and skirt to keep slipping off.

Your 735C could work. It really depends on the kind of a-rig you throw and how you rig it. In California, we can only have 3 hooks. I've only fished the rig in relatively shallow water, so I use 1/8oz jig heads on a smaller size rig. Weighs about 1.5 oz with baits, maybe a little less. One of my homemade rigs weighed 2ozs with 3 1/4oz weights and baits. You might be able to throw up to 2 ozs on the 735C, but I would feel more comfortable with something that could handle more weight. I personally use a 795ML SB, and sometimes an 805Flip for the a-rig.

I'd say it depends more what you'll be throwing more often. I have the ML and yes I do wish I had the MT when working lunker punkers. The main reason hangup is when positioning the rod tip down after the cast... the butt sometimes gets caught up on the side of my shirt or jacket. Not a big deal really, just a minor annoyance. On the plus side, I like being able to use the longer handle for more leverage when launching heavier baits. Plus, it tucks under my arm when retrieving tip down and allows me to really hold onto the rod for solid hooksets. Now that I think of it, maybe I should just get the MT and have the best of both. Good luck with your decision.

As I mentioned in your other thread, that is the best rod, actually the only rod in the dobyns lineup, that you need for those baits. The 806 and 807 are too heavy. Any other rods will not be swimbait specific, but can throw those baits - 805flip, 765 or 764. Stick with the 795ml.

I have the 795MLSB and it is fine for baits down to 1oz. Still launches them as well as it does heavier baits. Lightest baits I've thrown on it were 6" weedless hudds, shellcracker and s-wavers, so you won't have a problem at all. DEFINITELY not overkill for the baits you've listed. In fact, the tip is light and I wouldn't be surprised if you could go down to 3/4 oz weights plus plastic, like California swim jigs.

Simms Sun Gaiter. It's comfortable, breathable, and light. I also use the SunGloves and Sunsleeves. All made from the same material. Not only blocks the sun, but when you sweat the material wicks it away and a slight breeze will help cool you.

Thanks again Dave. You're gonna love the reel. It'll be in the mail tomorrow!

Dobyns 735 Savvy or Champion. Perfect for pitching, among other things.

x2!

No problem. Matt is a great guy and an awesome guide. If you really want to learn and not just get on fish, then he is the man to hire. One of the things that impressed me was that he doesn't fish unless he's experimenting with a new bait or technique. He won't use the same bait as you off the front of the boat and hog prime spots like another guide I've hired. If you ever come out to Cali you should give him a call. Surprisingly, many of his clients are from out of town. We just hired him to help us with our tourneys at Clear Lake and we plan to hire him again next year to help my partner and I learn more about our local waters. On another note, two of the fish in my avatar were caught on the Cali Swim Jig at the lake where they were conceived, Clear Lake, CA. Matt says that he catches fish as small as 1-2 pounds on the bait, but I've never caught anything smaller than 3.5lbs on it!

I went out on a trip with Matt Allen a couple of weeks ago to practice for our TOC, and he said that he's now using the Keitech Swing Impact Fat for 3/8 and 1/2 oz swim jigs. He still uses the ~5" version (4.8), but my guess would be that the smaller versions would work well on the lighter jigs for a smaller profile. You might be sacrificing the thump of a bigger bait, but that would be my recommendation for a good, smaller sized swimbait.

FYI the Bird's on sale right now at TW for $9

I was out fishing with Matt Allen last weekend and right now he recommends using the 4.8 Keitech Swing Impact Fat for 1/4 and 3/8 Cali swim jigs. He said the more subtle action of the Keitech is more suited for the lighter jigs. For 3/4 jigs, go with the Robo EZ Shad. Your rod will work ok for the swim jigs up to 3/8. Keep in mind that the swimbaits have some weight to them, and will probably get the total weight up to the max rating of your rod, so you may have some trouble if you plan on crashing the bait through weeds. Remember that the jigs come with a super heavy hook, so you'll need to have some backbone in your rod. I suggest you step up your line as well. With the kind of fish that this bait attracts you'd be better off with at least 15lb test for the lighter jigs, and 20lb for the 3/4oz. You might want to consider stepping up to braid though... My swim jig setup: Dobyns 735C with 50lb PP. I tie direct if fishing weeds, otherwise I use a 20lb mono/fluoro leader. HTH Have fun with this bait. When fish hit it, they annihilate it!

Dobyns Savvy 735 or Champion 735C on sale at 20% off. If you like a little longer, take a look at the Champion 765 flip. The Dobyns 4 power rods would work too if you're working sparse/light cover.

The 734 is very versatile, but tubes might be pushing it depending on weight and rigging. I usually use my 734 for 1/4oz+. Anything lighter goes on my 733.

I haven't tried the Extreme, but like SoFla, I like the 5 power as well. I'm using a Champion 735C and it's perfect for what you want to do. As for split vs full grip, the full grips balance slightly better. Comparing a 734 in both grips, the full grip balances about an inch closer to the reel seat than the split grip. Does it matter on the water? Maybe not, but I like having balanced setups. Less strain on the wrists. Split grips look cool, but I prefer full grip for all day fishing.

Any rod you use is going to bend on the retrieve. By nature, DD22's have a lot of resistance on the retrieve due to the large diving bill. That said, if you're going dedicated, you'll want a rod that was made for DD22's. And that would be the 805CBRM. This rod has awesome sensitivity, length for casting, and a good parabolic bend to keep fish buttoned during the fight. Good luck! BTW, the 765 glass is great for deep divers, but based on your replies I'm guessing it would have too soft of an action for what you want.

Just an FYI... Zona's shark knot = double clinch knot.

I use a Dobyns champion 736 for frogging, but a lot of guys like the 735 too (champ or savvy). I use my 735 as my jig rod and love it.

Another recommendation for straight braid. Pitching to dense vegetation - straight braid also. The grass will help to camouflage your line. If flipping, you should snell a straight shank hook. If you're just asking for a knot when not punchin/flipping, then tie a palomar.

Yeah, not too far. I'm about an hour away in San Jose. I'm fishing the Delta/Wine region of the BBT. I think the Central region goes down around where you're at. I'm pretty sure they do Nacimiento and San Antonio.