smalljaw67

You've done a fine job by yourself, that is where I would have put them.

Rippin - Lips gave you the word, an all purpose rod is going to be the regular casting rod, cranking rods are for crankbaits. The difference is in how they bend, most cranking rods are considered moderate or slow in action and that means they bend further down the blank and usually deeper. The reason the deeper bend is good for crankbaits and lures with treble hooks for the most part, is because treble hooks won't always penetrate and often there is only one point that is actually holding the fish. The deep bend keeps constant pressure on the fish, think of it like this, say you had 2 lines in your hand, 1 was tied to a stump and the other was tied to a limber willow branch. When you pull on the line tied to the stump it doesn't move, you will continue to apply pressure until the line comes untied or it breaks, that's it but now you pull the 2nd line tied to the limber willow branch, what happens? The willow branch will bend as you pull and the harder you pull the more the limber branch bends but it bends so much you don't break the line like you did with the stump, instead the branch bends and it makes it much harder to get the line off. The reason you don't want that for an all purpose rod is because while it is great with a treble hook bait, The rod will bend too far most of the time making it hard to set the hook on Texas rigged worms, creatures and jigs, the stiffer casting rod will "shut-off" meaning when it hits the backbone of the rod it will bend very little and the power will go through the line which will provide enough force to drive a big single hook through the jaw of a bass.

The Tatula is one that is just too clumsy for me and if you have any time with a smaller, lighter casting reel then you may want to hold the Tatula before buying one. I'm not saying it is a bad reel, but it is just about 8 ounces and the top of the reel tapers out to accommodate the TWS, most reels the frame at that part of the reel tapers inward making the Tatula feel like it is really wide but it isn't. If you don't have much experience with other casting reels then this won't be an issue for you but for a small minority of anglers, including myself, it just feels strange and heavy.

The line stripper works great, it isn't powerful though and you have to back off the spool tension a bit and press the thumb bar down. I've stripped of 30lb braid and 50lb braid off 2 different reels and it did a great job, several seconds but if you keep the spool tension tight or you try stripping off the loosened drag, well then that is another story.

I tried in-lines and what I liked was the control, you can practically steer it in what direction you want to go. The thing I don't like is it seems to draw less strikes than a traditional bait, at least in my waters it happens. Ther are a lot of times when the fish grab the buzzbait from under the water without breaking the surface, that is the "toilet flush" strike we see, well here, when they are hitting a buzzbait like that, you won't draw a strike on the in-line, I attribute that to the fact they have to break the surface to get it and that little deal is what keeps me using a traditional buzzbait because they often will just grab it from under the bait so you want a bait will get bit if the fish are drawn to, but are reluctant to break the surface.

The spinnerbait is my favorite bait, I spent a lot of time with it and I usually work the bait according to conditions. Right now conditions are lining up for a good spinnerbait bite and my favorite technique will come into play, burning it just below the surface. I'm not talking bulging or waking but burning so you are just a little further under the surface with smaller willow blades, the strikes are violent and visual, it is better than a topwater strike!!

I think he is saying that the overall system works for any reel, the difference is the parts but if you follow the video it will get most people through it even if they aren't using a Shimano reel.

I got one of those when they came out, it is well over 10 years now but it is worth every cent and if it broke I'd buy a new one in a flash even at full retail. The line stripper is nice but for filling a baitcasting reel or spinning reel it is awesome, no more finger burns or loose line. After I finish doing a reel it looks like it was put on by a machine, nice and even and tight, it is a very good tool and works very well.

It depends on the type of grass, where I live we get eel grass that grows in big heavy clumps and a good method to get big fish out of it is to take a jig and pitch to the holes between the clumps and hop it and then swim it through the tops and lit it fall in the next hole. For fishing that grass I like the Snootie jig from Do-it, that wedge head seems to be made specifically for that, it comes through the grass tops better than any other jig I've tried so that is how I fish that type of grass with a jig. For other types of grass I use a T-rigged worm as it does come though cover much better than any jig can.

This is why you take advantage of sales each and every time!! I got 2 dozen Xcalibur one knocker lipless crankbaits at Cabelas as they had a blow out price on them, $1.99 each and I was lucky as they had 2 colors I really wanted. I don't use them all the time but when I do I know that at least 2 are going to be consumed by toothy critters and at least 2 more will fall victim to the deep water snag and that is what I average, about 4 lipless cranks a season so having all those baits at such a good price makes it much easier to deal with as I have to loose 3 or 4 to get to the retail price of 1. The same thing with plastics, I have a boat load and a half but I know that I go through a ton when a good worm bite is going and one of the worst things that can happen to us is to run out of a certain color worm when a good bite is on and then find out the local shop doesn't have any of the size, or style, or color of the one that is hot at that time so even if you have to get more than you think you need, it will pay off, sales are the key to actually keep the cost of what we lose lower than normal.

Well now that I've read through I'll post because I no longer feel bad. I have boxes like Munkin, it is an entire closet that my wife gave me as we have 3 bedrooms, the 3rd bedroom is my man-cave where my rods and fishing stuff in general is stored. I won't guess as to how many hard baits or even plastics, I know that if I fished everyday and we on a good worm bite, without exaggerating, I could probably go for at a minimum 2 years before I'd have to buy worms and that is assuming I go through them at a normal pace. I'm happy that I'm not the only one that has a hording issue!!!!

The fall is great for wake baits and topwaters, once the water temp gets a little too low for them to hit top on regular basis, that is when the spinnerbait and square bills come out.

I laughed at my buddy for buying it and he has been using it all year and hasn't had any break-offs or any other problem with it, he is a regular power pro user. He told me his only problem is finding it because the local walmart only has 10lb and 50lb and he like the 30lb, I use the 832 Suffix but I only use it for frogs and flipping which I don't do a lot here so maybe it would be something to look into.

Braided line will make even a Berkley Cherrywood feel as sensitive as a GLX, yeah, I know, I'm exaggerating a bit but it does increase sensitivity by a lot. I only use braid for flipping super heavy cover and for frogs but the feel of even a heavy power rod is very good, on normal bottom contact rods it really adds to the sensitivity. Don't always go by price.

What happened to you isn't weird or even uncommon, you were basically walking the frog but it didn't have the side to side movement, for some reason there are times tht the fish want the frog moving and you were moving it. There are two baits made for just the scenario you found, the Yum Money Hound and the Manns Ghost, the ghost has been around a long time and it walks easier than the money hound. They are hollow body baits just like a frog but in the shape of a spook and they walk well and more importantly you can fish them in heavy cover and they get bit. I have both and have fished them a long time, Manns has discontinued this bait only to bring it back and I believe Yum has discontinued the Money hound but you can still get them, they are worth it.

I wouldn't even bother because of a few things, the first of which is that Loomis hasn't sold a blank to builders in a long time so the rod is pretty old. The next thing is the rod is a custom but the person who got it has no knowledge of the guides or the blank???? That sounds funny to me. Not being able to get pics to you would be the final straw, I would have to say respectfully, thanks, but I changed my mind. Seriously, if someone took the time to find a builder and then go through the process of getting a custom, they would have an idea as to the blank and guide train used. Just some food for thought.

The problem isn't just the hooks but the rod itself, that heavy frog rod is stiff and with braid you will simply pull the hooks free no matter what hooks you put on. That said, if you are going after muskies with that rod I would go with a heavy mono with a steel leader, the new titanium leaders out are thin and flexible and are the rage where I fish because we have a lot of waters with good size musky and guys like using treble hook lures for them. There are musky rods that have a softer tip for trebles but seriously, if you are using that rod you need to leave the braid off of it because hooks are going to be pulled out and if you go too big the action on the bait is going to suffer greatly.

This is the same thing with the Cabelas walking bait but that bait seems to work very well, the main difference is speed. I have a Sammy and I have a bunch of Cabelas walking baits that I switched the hooks out on, the Cabelas walking baits are fantastic but when you run a quick walk the dog they have a tendency to roll over. The Sammy has a better finish, better hooks, and is overall a quality bait and that is what you pay for but you won't find many Sammys that don't walk perfectly and they do so at any cadence. I'm happy with my cheaper knock-off too as they serve a purpose, when the fish are responding to a left - right - left - right cadence the knock offs do fine, but when the fish need the left-right-left-right fast paced movement then the Sammy is second to none!!! Remember, there is a reason why the clones are less expensive.

I have yet to get these but I was out with a friend and his ran horribly until he used it with a different set up, the difference.....Line, plain and simple. He was using straight fluorocarbon and why it made such a difference I don't know but mono and braid seemed fine with no issues but it didn't work very well on the fluorocarbon but it was straight, not just a leader.

I'm not sure if I can help but I had a bunch of Mag Divers in the Frenzy line up and they dove to 5'. I also have some brand new never used Frenzy shallow minnows in threadfin shad. I purchased 2 dozen of them when I found out they were being discontinued. I sold some to other guys but I have 6 that only get used during the post spawn, the time when fishing is tough is when this this is on and I haven't found anything that works as well but it seems to be only the shad color.

There are a lot of no-name cheap cranks on the market and to tell you the truth most of them, not all, but most are junk. There are a few models that offer good ones like the old Renegade baits sold at Wally World, they were cheap but they ran true and caught fish. Matzuo baits are cheap and they have a few that work but they have a QC problem that can't be covered up. If you want cheap cranks that perform well out of the box look to sales and look to see which ones are going to suit your fishing, for example, you aren't going to want a deep diving Rapala DT-14 if you are fishing from shore. Some cheap brands that really work are Manns, Norman, Storm, Vicious, and Strike King just to name a few.

I have a custom I had done a long time ago, it is a split grip with cherry wood grips, it was made on a Rainshadow blank. I had it done with wood grips because I had some severe carpal tunnel at the time and a friend told me that he had the same problems and that the BPS power hump grips on their rods were better to hold. So I talked to the rod builder and he suggested that a hard material would look and feel better than an oversize cork grip and that a split grip was needed to cut down on weight but I wanted a split grip anyway so it worked out. The wood grips were awesome in hand and it made my day much more enjoyable but in the cold and/or wet, forget it as they are slippery and they get like that too in really cold weather but other than that I liked it but they were also turned on a lather to fit my hands because getting to proper diameter of your natural grip is important because too large or small will make it difficult to hold.

I've been making my own since '98 because the ones off the shelf didn't work the way that I needed them to. The you tube clip with Shaw Grigsby had a really good tip in there, and that was about the blade size being too big and it will make the bait roll over at faster speeds, this is very true. If you cast the bait out and reel it in at a 45 degree angle instead of directly at you, it will appear as if your bait is listing to the side when it really isn't, to find out make sure you reel it right to you straight on and you'll be able to tell if it is tilting to either side. Now, if your bait is leaning does it make a difference, the answer is yes, I made a bait list to one side purposely just to try it out but I did it on a day the fish were smacking spinnerbaits. The spinnerbait is my favorite bait and I tried a lot of experiments with them and here is my take on why it seems to make a difference if it is leaning. What I've noticed fishing in clear shallow water is that 95% of the strikes come from the side, the other 5% that come up from behind but when the bait is leaning a bit they don't seem to want to hit the body but instead they hit the blades or just roll on it without hitting it, whether this is due to the look of it or the way it is vibrating I don't know, but I do know it really limits the amount of strikes and hookups you get so make sure your baits run as true as possible.

It doesn't have to bounce but it helps, last week while fishing for river smallmouth I was working a square bill over rocks and just about every time I hit a rock the fish would hit the bait and it will happen to you one day also. You'll get you square bill hung in grass or a small branch and you will pull on it and it will pop free and you hurry to reel in the slack and all of a sudden a fish will slam it, that is when you realize how reaction strikes occur. I'll also echo what the others have said, if you aren't able to hit cover then stop and go or speed reeling for a few seconds during a normal retrieve will help in producing reaction strikes without hitting cover.

That is it, it is the same bait as a baby 1 minus only it has a square lip and it goes down to 2' to 2.5' instead of 1' like the 1 minus. I think it being the same bait as the baby 1 minus is what makes it so good, something about that size that appeals to better than average fish.