OkobojiEagle

now, if those explanations are clear as mud... do you understand how the spool tension adjustment fits into the equation? oe

Doug Hannon wrote of this also. oe

Beetlespin or small popper oe

my original question's reference was Owner's All Purpose Soft Bait 2/0 EWG hook... your point is taken. oe

My life philosophy has kept me pretty theft free... "make sure my crap is less valuable than my neighbor's crap" oe

I find myself on the other side of this argument. Having a greater distance between the hook offset bend and the point gives more distance for plastic compression exposing the point. I think using light gauge hooks makes it easier to set the hook but obviously needs to be retrieved more "delicately". oe

Not that a 2/0 wide gap hook doesn't work in the examples given above, but I use a regular gap hook that is slightly longer on thin "finesse" baits. I think what I bought that size for was an attempt to find a hook to work with 4" grubs and 3" & 4" tubes. The shorter length of the 2/0 fits the length of those baits better than the 3/0 I use, but the thickness of those baits pretty much fills the 2/0 gap. I appreciate the responses and think they'll be of interest to many anglers. oe

I spent some time in my garage last night looking through my tackle bag... taking stock of my stock, so to speak. I found I didn't use 2/0 (or smaller) wide gap hooks or jig heads with 2/0 wide gap hooks at all. 3/0, 4/0 & 5/0 had a purpose, but not 2/0 or smaller. What have you found 2/0 or smaller wide gap hooks needed for that 3/0 or larger won't cover? oe

Duct tape over the dial... oe

As long as this discussion is personal preference only I'll add mine. Spinning rods I prefer split grip and length of the handle behind the reel stem to be consistent among all of my spinning rods. The bulbous butt of the rod is my left hand positioning point providing easier/better consistency in casting accuracy (and maybe distance). Positioning of my hands differs with baitcasting reels and I prefer buying full cork grips which I sand down to a concave shape but leave cork covering the entire handle. oe

Plenty of explanation above concerning baitcasting... the same concept with spinning, though the line needs to be "cupped" several inches in-front of the reel (with the hand not holding the rod) and gradually choked (squeezed) during the cast. Using this technique will help control "tumbling" of lures such as jerk baits also. oe

Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110SP oe

Put on a jacket. oe

The only thing I'm sure about a bigger sized reel vs. a smaller sized reel is: the larger sized reel will hold more line and it will weigh more than the smaller reel. The rod length and action, as well as the choker guide size and position on the rod will have a significant influence on casting. I'd be concerned about how well the reel will balance your rod and ultimately how comfortable the rod/reel combination is for you to hold. The last two concerns will contribute greatly to your sense of the outfit's sensitivity. oe

Perhaps you would give us a synopsis of the article. oe

OP... please know there is a size difference in hooks between the Brewer Spider heads. The CLASSIC spider head uses a 3/0 bronze hook as opposed to the Spider head which uses a 2/0 bronze hook. The Classic Spider head's longer shank and greater gap will help your hook-up problem. As mentioned above, baits that are thicker than 1/2 of the hook's gap are going to be more difficult to set well into a bass. When rigging the bait, bringing the hook point completely through the bait then backing the hook into the bait makes it easier to set into the bass. Also, lubricating the hook with liquid scent will help the hook slide through the plastic bait and clear the hook gap more easily. Saliva will work to a degree if you don't have a liquid scent product. Work the scent/saliva well into the plastic. oe

Should you hook a truly large fish, musky, pike, carp, catfish..., you will appreciate having a full spool of line. oe

Bingo oe

OP as you surely would know, measuring a thin diameter line is very inaccurate when depth perception is so limited... oe

Thought maybe better material might transmit vibration better. I have changed stainless steel tip tops for ceramic rings. Leader knots were getting caught on the stainless steel tip during retrieve. Thanks for you opinions. oe

any merit to the idea of changing a rods tip guide (without changing the rest of the guides) to the best available to increase sensitivity? oe

... my thoughts also, but not until next season. oe

... with such popularity, I'm surprised they're still on the market. oe

Those that have used them, give us a review of Culprit's Skinny Jerkbait including how it behaves differently than other soft jerkbaits you've fished. Thanks oe

3 1/2" green pumpkin boot-tail grub