Nibbles

Was thinking about getting one if I can't find a backup for my OG Cielo dropshot rod. What's this thing with the tip? Does it have a reputation of having a softer tip? I'm used to dropshotting with an XXF/XF action tip - my current one literally has a titanium tip like some panfish rods.

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Pulled out the BFS casting combo to play with today. Conquest 50S w/ polished/tuned spool shaft, ABEC-9 ceramic spool bearings mounted on a Major Craft Days DYC-682L/BF bait finesse rod. Lots of fun to fish this one.

I have had very good results with PlusCBD's Gold Formula in gelcap form - it is a good quality full spectrum extract. This stuff is legal OTC. I get mine from the local food co-op but they are legal to order online as well. Doesn't irritate my sensitive stomach, and definitely helps with muscle/joint pain and insomnia.

Probably small finesse tubes, rigged weedless "stupid tube" style so I have an easier time jerking & ripping them through milfoil/coontail and so that they glide rather than spiral on the fall. I use custom poured 1/8 oz ballhead tube jigs that use 60 degree line tie EWG hooks and leave the hook texposed. I forget where I got em from - bought like a 50 pack from someone offloading them on this forum 8 - 9 years ago and still have a handful remaining. Wish I remembered which luremaker they got em from! Will be sad once they're all gone.

He got me today too! Had to reload on some Keitech jigheads and swimbaits, but of course he had to whisper in my ear that I had to get some extras for reserves in case they sold out later when I ran out.

Anyone have recommendations for BFS spools that will fit the OG Zillions/Fuegos and Alphas? I've got a few OG Zillions, Fuegos, a couple of Alphas Itos and an old Alphas R+ I'd like to breathe some life back into by re-tuning them for more finesse applications. Well, maybe not the R+ since that spool is already decent for BFS, but the others for sure. Only got back into bass fishing recently after a near decade hiatus and man a lot has changed for sure. The old setups hold some good memories though so I'd like to hold onto them and keep using them for as long as I can, even if I have to tune them up a bit to "keep up with the times"

Sometimes those spool bearings have minute traces of grease in them too if you got it straight from the factory. One test is to remove all the line from your spool, turn the spool brake all the way down, and then flick the spool with a finger to see how long it stays spinning free-floating. If you get less than ~6 seconds I would flush them with acetone and re-lube with the bantam oil your reel came with to see if that improves things any.

I could probably wire tie some skirts onto some Keitech tungsten ballheads (non weedguard variant) and join in the fun. Anecdotally Ive been hammering Northerns with the 3/32 oz ones with a #3 or #2 hook tied with a shad/silver/white 1.5-tab skirt that is then cut finesse-style Usually tipped with a pearl/smoke Charlie Brewer 2 1/8" slider minnow or 3" slider grub. Catch plenty of bass on them too.

Btw you can rent a rowboat there through the Three Rivers Parkway system - I was ecstatic when I found out about it as someone who doesn't own a boat. Probably makes for slightly better fishing than from a canoe. There's only 1 available and you have to reserve ahead of time online, so might have to plan it out a few days or a week ahead of time. Take a look and select the Lake Auburn Campground option to see what boats are available. You have to select the day in the search and do it day by day which is a bit annoying, but overall it's still pretty convenient https://www.threeriversparks.org/page/watercraft-rentals

I mean I still keep buying more so... ?

Yep they're great for the most part, but I've a few observations after several outings where I used them nearly exclusively. One thing to note is that they're made from a tungsten-resin compound, not pure tungsten. So the ball heads themselves are not actually noticeably more compact than lead heads. Furthermore the bait keepers are made from the same composite material. While relatively resistant to abrasion and impacts, it does not seem very resistant to torsion (twisting force perpendicular to the base of where the hook meets the jig head). This means if your jig is smacked hard by a big bass (or mangled by a pike), a crack may form around the base of the the bait keeper from the torsion, and it will eventually fall off (the rest of the jig head seems to stay intact and appears to be resistant to chipping/flaking) Minor annoyances, but at ~$1.30 apiece it does get annoying. On the other hand, it really says something about the hook quality when I'm able to horse 26"+ pike into the boat on several occasions using these tiny jigs with light wire #2 or #3 hooks. I like them in 3/32 oz weight with the #2 Katsuiichi sickle hooks, seem to have a better hookup ratio than their #1 and 1/0 round bend ones. Definitely heavy enough to throw on ML/M spinning setups, or a L/ML casting setup.

Closing the bail just came naturally since my free hand was right next to it pinch feathering the line for manual braking right after I launch my bait. So the process just went cast with right hand -> brake with left hand -> let go of line after lure hits water -> close the bail since my hand is literally an inch away

Dug around my storage closet back at the parents house to get rid of old tackle and stumbled upon some hidden gems I must've bought back in college forever ago... Talk about jackpot. Oh and also found this baby. Still mint! Probably wont ever get around to adding it to my regular rotation at this point...

I did this and was very glad I did. I have the JDM Ballistic 2000SS-XH mounted on a Major Craft Troutino TT-722PE/LX (7'2" Light Power, Fast action, rated for 2g - 10g lures) and find the balance and ergonomics of the combo to be very satisfactory. Am considering getting a 2nd one now...

The "flat" knobs tend to mold/fit better to the contours of your fingers when pinched between them which makes them more ergonomic in my opinion

Hit up Lake Waconia today. Mostly dinks, nothing over 15", but between myself and a buddy we must have caught over 20 of them between 10AM and 3PM They were really active busting baitfish up in the shallows among the weedlines despite the warm water temps and sun. Caught several within a few feet of the boat as they chased lures right up to the boat before smashing them. Mostly caught on 1.5 - 2" pearl or smoke slider grubs and 4" flukes.

Owner ST-36's might be light enough to make em not sink slowly?

I get mine from Keitech. I like to get a bunch of their 3/32 and 1/8 tungsten ball head jigs without the weedguard and hand-tie skirts on them. Mix of #3 and #2 hooks if I want a sickle hook, or #1 & 1/0 if I want a standard one and want to use a slightly larger trailer. Don't seem to have an issue with hooksets despite the smaller hooks.

Owner Ultraheads w/ the bullet style are decent. I personally like the Gamakatsu Offset Hook Finesse Jigheads. They're more of a mushroom head, but out of all the finesse EWG jigheads I've come across those are the only ones that have a fully recessed hook eyelet (which can make clipping off old knots tricky at times, but well worth the hassle IMO) Can't get much more weedless than that. Kinda pricey at ~$1.50 per jig considering they're not tungsten but I don't see any other finesse EWG jigheads with a line tie like that.

Gonna echo what some of the folks already mentioned in this thread. It's a bit expensive but IMO there is almost no better way to learn how to feel for bites than with a 2" or 2.5" Keitech swimbait rigged on one of their 3/32 tungsten jig heads, either #3 or #2 hook (trust me, theyre sturdy enough, have caught several 26"+ pike on these things) The tails are prone to getting bitten off by bluegill, but given the hook size it should still help your buddy detect different kinds of strikes, build up hooksetting reaction muscle memory, and build confidence since even setting the hook on sunnies/crappies with a jig is good practice for catching bass on jigs. For a more cost effective option, the Strike King Crappie Slabalicious grubs on some 1/16 oz jigs w/ small hooks work almost as well as the 2" and 2.5" Keitechs. The colors tend to be funnier looking though. Also on the topic of jerkbaits and senkos, I've found the SK Caffeine Shads to be pretty much an ideal hybrid. Might see if weightless T-rigging one of those would work for your buddy - he can hop it, jerk it, and also fish it just like a senko without having to swap out what's on his hook. Could be a good way for him to practice different ways of imparting action on his lure while still having a fighting chance at catching some fish.

Managed to get out on Minnetonka yesterday, seemed to be hitting pumpkin and gill colored wacky rigs and shaky heads on the drop around weedlines surrounding point buoys. Also caught a nice one on a long cast into some shallower flats by a cove.

Anyone looking for a weekend coangler to split costs with? I got plenty of tackle, but no place to store a boat/trailer living in the city ?

Contextual targeting, likely the result of a tracking cookie. You didn't think Google acquired Doubleclick just for giggles, did ya?

Hah, if only my life had gone according to plan. Was in a similar situation to yourself - was on the fast track coming out of high school, got into a great university, and then disaster struck. Dad got hit with cancer my first year, and passed away the next. Hit me pretty hard, and there was certainly a bump in my education career. Graduated, and couldn't find a job I was happy with within my field (Advertising). A little over a year later, and I'm now working as a web designer/developer hybrid for a financial services startup. Took the graphic/user design proficiency from my education, and combined it with self-taught coding skills. Talk about doing a 180 - went from wanting to be the "idea guy" to working as the "implementation guy". Didn't reach where I am without many bumps in the road and countless hours dedicated to self-education. You just gotta pick something and stick with it for awhile - fail early and often, until you finally stumble upon what you're truly passionate about and good at.