smalljaw67

Don't sell them, in fact if you use them once you won't want to sell them. I say that as I got to use those on a guides boat many years ago, you don't even know you're holding pliers in your hand and the grip it puts on a hook, you don't have to squeeze to hold onto the hook, in fact you won't have a hook slip out of the jaws, they really are incredible pliers, to rich for my blood but if I got them like you did, I'd never part with them.

I agree that a jig is a jig and I never understood why a jig made just for swimming would be better than any other jig until I tried one. Hook orientation is one aspect that really makes a jig good for swimming, most swim jigs have a hook that uses a 30 degree bend, this allows the jig to come through cover and open water with the hook riding level or slightly up, regular jigs end up with the hook riding slightly down from level. The hook angle also make for good hook sets as the bait is moving, this isn't a noticeable thing to most casual anglers, myself included, but was told to me as it was how designated swim jigs came to be. The other thing I really noticed is when coming through weeds and brush, most jigs will list to one side a little bit, swim jigs are very good for running true, and since I started using them I have really come to see how the design elements all work together to make it perform best while the bait is moving. Skirts also tend to be shorter and thinner than other jigs but you can easily fix that part with a pair of scissors so it isn't a big deal. There are a few different kind of swim jigs, you have the California swim jig which range from 1/4oz to 3/4oz and even 10z models are now showing up, then you have your Coosa River swim jig, which ranges in the 1/4oz to 1/2oz range and has a thinner skirt and shorter hook than the California but it is still a stout design, and then there is the Northern style swim jig, these are normally in the 1/4oz to 3/8oz range and feature a thin skirt like the Coosa River style but these use a lighter wire hook than the other two. I use the California style in 1/2oz size for heavy cover with larger swim bait trailers, like 5" models, this is mostly for dirty water with moderate to heavy cover. I also use the Northern style, this is my all around swim jig as I use it for moderate or sparse grass, light brush and boat docks, this is also a good one to use with a 3.8 Keitech swing impact or 4" easy shiner or really any swim bait that is 3.5" to 4", I prefer the River Rock Bait Striker which is similar to the easy shiner and Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer. Choose the swim jig based on the cover you are going to fish and match the trailer to it, Strike King Menace grubs and Rage Craws also make great trailers so try that too and match the color to the forage, it is that simple.

I think I can help you here and provide you choices. There are two separate groups of anglers who use completely different set ups and even among pros it varies. The first group use sharp downward stroks of the rod to impart action to the bait, that group usually prefers a medium power, fast action rod from 6'3" to 6'10" in length, the fast action allows total control of the bait while the medium power offers forgiveness to fight the fish when hooked on treble hooks. The other group of anglers prefer longer, moderate action rods as they use a kind of sideways sweep to impart action to the bait, they don't have the bait control of the shorter, faster action rods but they offer longer casts and better fish fighting ability. I think if you use primarily suspending type bait in cold water, the longer, moderate action rod will work, but if you like working a bait aggressively, a shorter, faster action rod would be the choice. I have several jerkbait set ups, I have a G.Loomis JBR 752C which is a 6'3" medium power, fast action and it is awesome but it kind of struggles with the larger baits. I have a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF for larger 1/2oz to 3/4oz baits, and I have a Fenwick Aetos 6'6" ML-M and that is what I use for the smaller Pointer 78, Twitch Stick and X-Rap size 8. I would say that it comes down to how comfortable you are with your retrieve, if you like to use sharp downward rips then a shorter rod is going to keep you from hitting the water, but if you feel better using the sideways sweep, then a longer rod will be better, it all comes down to how you like to use those baits.

The Matzu worm hooks and drop shot hooks have been know to snap but the jig sickle hooks are different, they are Aberdeen style hooks which are made to bend out straight to free from snags and then bend back again. The small size #1 and #2 sickle hooks stick fish and the new Eagle Claw sickle bend hooks seem to be better.

Lipless cranks are a little more versatile, you can yo-yo them, you can burn, slow roll, and rip off grass and they will work all year but certain times they will be the best thing to use. Square bills work all year as well but they do better around shallow cover and rocks, the lipless bait is best in open water and grass so the type of cover and depth will dictate which bait is better suited to the conditions you're faced with. I disagree a bit with Catch and Grease, square bills are primarily for shallow water, the Bomber fat free shad square bill and Luck-e-Strike Freak are recent additions and while they have a square bill the action is that of a deep diving bait in that you have a tighter, more controlled wobble versus the wide wobble with erratic movement of a normal square bill. The bait and technique was designed for fishing shallow cover fast using a crankbait that would crash through cover more often than getting snagged in it. I know you may like the lipless crank better but it is best to base your bait choice on what kind of conditions you face versus which one you like throwing more, as I said, both work all year but not in the same places.

The power has little to do with casting distance as long as the weight is in the range of the rod, length of the rod and the taper of the rod are what dictates casting distance. If you have a 7' medium power rod that is rated 1/4oz to 5/8oz and you throw a 3/8oz jig with it, you'll probably get the same distance you would with a 7' medium heavy rated 1/4oz to 3/4oz throwing a 3/8oz bait if both were from the same manufacturer and had the same fast taper.

You see a lot of technique specific rods these days but when you really think about it there are two categories rods fall in, and that is jig and worm with the other being crankbaits. The reason you use separate rods for cranks and plastics is because both require quite different actions, in fact they are exact opposites. For plastics you want a rod with a fast or extra fast action that can drive a large diameter single hook the mouth of the fish, so you have a small tip section that transitions quickly into backbone for power. With crankbaits you need a rod with a softer action that will give when a fish runs because treble hooks don't always penetrate, they often are caught in just the skin inside the mouth and if your rod is too still like a jig and worm rod, it will actually pull the small treble hooks out when the fish is skin hooked. Think of it like this, take a crankbait and hook it to a stump and then grab your line and pull, what is going to happen is either you break the line, or you pull the bait free. Now hook the same crankbait to a green, thin willow branch and then just like before, grab the line and pull, what you'll find is that you will be pulling and you aren't going to get free the crankbait or break your line because you pull and the willow branch is going to give and that is why you use a softer action rod for crankbaits, in order to fight the fish and when he surges, he'll just bend the rod as there will be constant pressure to hold the fish yet plenty of give to keep him from pulling out the hooks. There are times when you'll use a stiffer rod for cranks, like ripping lipless baits through grass, a soft rod won't let you do that too well and rod manufacturers have responded by making medium heavy, moderate fast rods, they will allow you to rip a bait free from weeds but still will flex deeper than a fast action rod when a fish is hooked but those rods are still to soft for fishing worms.

To me they are 2 different rods, but for 1 rod go with a 7' medium heavy power with a fast action.

You won't want that for jigs or frogs, I think it would be better as a reaction bait rod as they have a parabolic action. You may be able to throw jig with braided line but even with that it won't be very sensitive.

They are making them in the black platinum finish and they are good, no bad ones in the first 100 unlike Matzuo where I get at least 8 in every 100. I have yet to fish one but they are every bit as sharp as the sickle, if not sharper so I'm expecting the same performance. As for the performance of the Matzuo sickle hook, well the stick and hold, very seldom is a fish lost that is hooked with it. Worm nose and ball heads are perfect for them but they are Aberdeen type hooks and made to bend just like the sickle hooks.

1/16oz hair jig or a 1/8oz silicone skirted jig with small chunk trailer.

When you look for a rod there are some things to consider, first is the lure type, and then size and weight, this will get you narrowed to what length you need and close to the power. The next thing is the type of aeras you will fish, if you are going to be in heavy cover you may want a stout MH or even a heavy power depending on the cover, if you are targeting sparse grass and docks you may feel better with a lighter medium heavy or even a medium based on lure type. If you are talking to someone with knowledge of the product and fishing, don't be vague, give them as much information as possible, tell them the baits you want to use with the rod and the sizes, what cover, and this is one people forget, what part of the country you are fishing in. That makes a difference, those of us in the Northern part of the country aren't going to have large populations of 8' to 10' fish, and we don't have weeds like Florida so the rod choices are going to be much different.

Falcon, G.Loomis, Higher end St. Croix, Higher end Lamiglas and Kistler with the exception of the pro series and carbon steel rods, are the majority of production made rods in America. There are companies like North Fork Composites that make blanks here in the states for Kistler along with custom rod builders but most others are made overseas including Dobyns.

I make my own swim jigs and I found that the pumping deal seems to work with a rage craw while I have more success just slow swimming if I'm using a swim bait type trailer.

I was a devoted fan of Lunker City baits, I got on the Slug-O in late 80s and still use it today. That said, when I started making my own jigs, I was using their Piggy Back trailer which is a chunk type, this was for spring cold fronts and late fall, I used them on 1/2oz Arky style jigs. I got away from them after they were discontinued but when I went back to their site I noticed they had an old secret put up for all to see. The Trailer Bait they make looks like a regular twin tail spinnerbait trailer but it is, the tails are flat and we would bite 25% of the body off an thread them on hair jigs, it was and is a killer presentation at times and I have a lot of them for that reason.

I once heard that Shakespear sells more ugly sticks in 1 month than G.Loomis sells in 2 years combined. That said, we are a niche crowd, most casual anglers would never pay $100 for a fishing rod let alone $300 or more, they really don't understand. We are a very small percentage of total anglers and you can tell by going to other online fishing forums and see a lot of the same people.

Daiwa makes better high end reels but I would not buy a Daiwa that is under $250. Unless you are buying high end from Daiwa you are going to buy a heavy reel, 8oz and it isn't going to outperform the Lews in the same price range.

I use 17'b copolymer for moderate cover when using jigs but in really heavy stuff I use braid and I tie direct, no problems or less bites as I don't think they see or are spooked by line when they are in ambush zones.

I thought they only had a 783 in the new IMX series, anyway, let me know what you think, I've been really tempted as I like the reel seats being used but I've seen mixed reviews on longer models so I'd like to hear how you feel about this model.

Everyone that knows me knows I like Fenwick rods, I was really impressed with the Elite Tech Smallmouth rods and it lead me to try the Aetos and now I have a few of each model. The redesign of the HMG lead me to have to try one and I can tell you that one of the best things about these rods is the sensitivity, it isn't going to be on the same level as a GLX or Legend Elite but you would find it very hard to find that kind of sensitivity for the price point. I use the 7'ML spinning rod for tubes and light jigs and it performs really well but the sensitivity is surprising, very good rod.

I'm not afraid to buy unseen anymore but I try to do as much research as I can. I can say that the last rod I got unseen that I had no clue to what I would be getting was my Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rod, and after I got it I found it fit my style of fishing and since then I've purchased more. One thing that can help you with rod brands you are familiar with is the powers and actions stay close across all lines from the lower end to the high end. St. Croix rods that are medium power are a little more stout that other brands, so if you are familiar with a Mojo Bass and wanted to get a Legend Tournament bass, well you already know what to expect power wise and if you liked the fast action on that series then the chances are you'll like it in the higher end series as well.

That is a tough one, I have a lot of fun dragging a 5/16oz finesse jig over rock flats but I really love pitching a 3/8oz or 1/2oz Arky head jig to laydowns and flooded brush. If I had to choose I'll have to go with the finesse jig, more versatile and gets bites in tough conditions.

Cranking rods have a moderate action meaning they have a deep or parabolic bend or flex to keep pressure on a fish hooked with trebles without it pulling the hooks free. They can be any length and power but most you see range from 6'6" to 7'11" and in medium, and medium heavy powers and while there are medium light and heavy powers I'm giving you the most popular. A jerkbait rod is like a topwater rod, there are some that like shorter rods with fast actions in a medium power while others like a longer length with a moderate action, lengths go from 6' to 7' in medium to medium heavy powers. Jig and worm rods are normally 6'6" to 7'3" and are mostly medium heavy but can be medium also and they are mostly fast or extra fast in action. Pitching sticks can be as short as 6'6" but most are 7' to 7'6" and feature a fast or extra fast action in medium heavy to heavy powers, and flipping sticks are generally 7'6" to 8' and are heavy power to extra extra heavy power and can be fast to moderate fast to moderate in action.

Using any weight ruins the action, you can go with a larger fluke or tie a swivel 10" above the hook, it will help with line twist and give you a little extra weight.

Back in the day when I got into this deal there really wasn't a rod that was light, not close to what we have today. My first G.Loomis rod was like incredible, up until that rod everything I had was heavy, my Lightning rod was my top of the line and the difference was amazing, it was the first time that I realized what light weight rods did, and that was better sensitity, but more importantly, my arms and wrist no longer ached when you were on a spinnerbait bite that lasted the whole day, all 11 hours. Since that time I've tried to keep my tackle light, when reels starting getting light it was a dream come through, I remember my 2nd generation Revo Premier, that reel on my 6'3" G.Loomis jerkbait rod was incredible, I could fish jerkbaits all day without having any problems it spoiled me. Now I no longer just like it but I need it, after battling cancer, my hands are plagued by neuropathy and nerve pain and light weight set-ups are the only thing that allows me to be able to fish power techniques like spinnerbaits and jerkbaits, I do like my glass cranking rod but that is only used for my larger DT-10, DT-14, DT-16 baits which only come into play a few trips out of the year and those days I feel it for a week after.