aavery2

For joining the lines look at the alberto and double uni knot, both are very strong, I prefer the alberto as I feel the knot is a little smaller.

I use the left overs from my filler spools of Tatsu and Sunline, works very well, both 12lb by the way. If I had to purchase a spool of FC line just to use as leader material I would probably go cheaper, maybe Seaguar Abazx as it is very abrasion resistant. You could also try something like P-line fluoroclear, an FC coated copolymer, cheaper and still get some of the abrasion benefit.

Your right there are extreme color variations, I caught a couple of the big bull males the other day, they had big bubble heads and were almost black. I am hoping that just having a bright orange color on the belly and some greens and browns in the body will be enough in a moving bait to get some attention.

I would not know, I have never played with that model rod.

Are you asking about 80lb braid or FC?

Thank you, hand tied skirts are usually nicer than the mass produced counterparts, but I am a little color challenged, and it took several tries before I come up with one I was happy with.

We have several variety of sunfish/bluegill in our local lakes and ponds. One of the sandpits that I fish often has them and at times in the year they seem to be the prime forage. I have been trying for a while to come up with a skirt color that mimics the fish and I believe I have a combo that works now. Just looking for your opinions and what you would change.

Why don't you just give it a try and see if it works for you or not, if not it is easy enough to remove a leader. Good FC line tends to break a little higher that it's rated breaking strength. If not breaking off is your only priority put some 80lb braid on and fish away.

I think you got it backwards, fast and extra fast actions are more stiff in the tip of the rod because less of the tip is flexing, moderate and moderate fast are more "whippy" as you describe because they tend to bend much deeper into the rod.

My personal favorite jerkbait is the Megabass Vision followed closely by the LC Pointer. They are not cheap baits but in my experience suspend as well or better than anything on the market.

My suggestion for mono line was in topwater use, you will not encounter many rocks while topwater fishing. FC line is very abrasion resistant, it is an excellent choice for fishing in rocky areas.

I believe the Mojo and the Triumph are made overseas, the Premier and Avid and everything above and still made here in the U.S.A. For moving baits the Premier would be a good lower cost alternative, if you plan on fishing contact baits check out the Avid line for the extra sensitivity. My .02

For topwater use about 6 -6 1/2ft. of mono leader, use as light a line as you feel you can get away with, it will help to impart better action on your bait, For pitching I use 12lb FC in about a 7ft length, just a little shorter than the length of the rod. Practice, practice, practice you knots until you can tie them in your sleep.

Watched the video, thanks for the link. He seems to have figured out what works for him and that is most important. I think his line of thinking defies conventional wisdom somewhat. Typically, sensitivity is the result of vibration propagation, the speed at which vibration can travel from the bait through the line, rod and guides and then finally to your finger tips. Softer/Slower action rods do not transmit vibration as quickly as fast and extra fast action rods, glass is the slowest, so in this respect when you choose slower blanks you lose some sensitivity. Softer action rods do help keep fish pinned there is no doubt about it, that is why they make such good treble hook bait rod., When jig fishing you typically have to move a heavy piece of lead and drive a 4/0,5/0 hook home through gill plates, roof of the mouth and a rod with too much flex tends to hamper this by flexing instead of driving. I read a reply in his comments where he says that Dobyns 765 is an xtra fast or fast taper with a parabolic bend, these terms by my understanding seem to contradict one another. I am not sure what it is that he is trying to describe, but rods with a parabolic bend tend to be rated moderate. At any rate, I am glad that you have found a system that works well for you and your fishing, and thanks for the link and response.

Why do you like a moderate fast tip for jig fishing? What line do you find it works well with? Do you feel like you are still getting good hooksets? What about sensitivity do you feel like your giving some away with a softer tip? What type of jigs are you using this rod with, football, pitching/flipping, swimming, shakey head? Just curious.

I have had good luck using a jerkbait in conditions like this, a little wind to break up the surface and some deeper structure to hold fish, sometimes they will come and get em.

Good Job, bet they wont be the last spinnerbait fish you catch. Now in your off time think about where you used them, the conditions you used them in, and why you think you were successful. Next time similar conditions present themselves you will have a good idea what may work.

I don't see the Spurs sweeping OKC even with Ibaka out. Perkins and Adams should be fine against a less than agile Duncan. You move Durant to the 4 and Butler to the 3, if they can establish some 3 point shooting it will open lanes for Westbrook who I see as a matchup problem for the Spurs. Should be a good series, I go out on a limb and say the quicker Thunder take out the aging Spurs. Keep in mind that Parker has a leg injury that may keep him from playing his normal minutes.

When I purchased my rod and reels for cranking I selected them based on using mono and FC, so I do. The biggest thing that scares me about braid on treble hooks is when a fish makes that surge at the boat, if you don't have a little give in your system somewhere you are going to lose some fish that way.

Learn to tie a good joining knot like an alberto or double uni and you will have no issues at the joint, FC line is also much more abrasion resistant than braid in rocky areas. It takes a little time to learn to tie a good knot but once you learn, it is fast and easy and you have the best of both worlds.

I personally don't think any one company has the crankbait market wrapped up. There are some very good crankbaits by a lot of different mfg's. Some that I have enjoyed and had good luck with are, LC RC 1.5, Norman DD22, the older Poe's cedar baits, Bandit 200 and 300 series, Storm wiggle warts, and the Bomber fat free shad. Many company's with a lot of good baits in different price ranges out there.

I think we are in agreement, a leader in this situation would have been good, better abrasion resistance in the rock and could have broke it off quickly if needed and resume fishing.

I would gladly give up a few feet of line for the 10 minutes or so he spent trying to get a tube back and then to get it back useless.

For me it is as simple as using a good quality FC line. FC line will transmit vibration on slack line, and as others have mentioned watch your line, it is another good means of determining if a fish grabbed your bait on the fall.

So if you bent your hook all to hell as you say, what did you save yourself?