smalljaw67

I prefer the 6'3" to 6'6" for shallow cranks, I've been using a 6'10" that has been awesome but if I was going to buy a rod for a single purpose of shallow cranks it would be a 6'6" as it is more versatile for me as I could use it for mid depth cranking as well. I really like a 6'3" model as well, that is what I like when using nothing but smaller 1/4oz to 5/16oz baits that dive 3' and less, the 6'3" medium cranking rod is a killer deal for Manns baby 1 minus baits on the river, you can make the precision casts up under overhanging trees with ease.

They are a good bait when conditions call for it. I only use the Balsa Extreme minnow so I can't comment on the other models. This really shines as shallow, warm water jerkbait and if you have clear water it can be amazing but clear water is a must for it to be effective.

Read the description, anything Lews that has the word "laser" in front means graphite frame which means NO, especially when you can get the Tournament MG for the same price. That model is a better version of the regular Lews Laser speed spool, it is still a graphite frame so stick with the Tournament Mg.

The Tour Edition rods that you have were the ones with Alconite guides, the new ones which are now discontinued use Pac Bay Hialoy guides but they were made on the same blank so they do have a similar feel. The super lights I feel were really under rated, it was Quantum's first and only rod over $200 until this year, the spinning rods like the casting rods are really sensitive however the casting rods use double footed guides, and a lot of them, throughout the length of the rod making a good balanced 6'6" rod but a very tip heavy rod over 7' and I don't mind tip heavy but they were too much even for me. I got a 6'6" M-F super light spinning rod, I will never sell or trade it or get rid of it, I didn't pay full price but I would have no trouble if I had to, the sensitivity is just remarkable even with mono, this is one of the few rods in my arsenal that I like as much as my Fenwick rods. I can also say similar things about my 6'6" MH-F casting rod, it would be considered a light medium heavy now as it is rated 1/4oz to 3/4oz, it is my dedicated spinnerbait rod as it is deadly accurate but in close quarters it is a very sensitive jig and worm rod when I don't want a lot of rods with me like on the jon boat. I liked it so much I got a second one and broke it when putting my buddy's boat back on the trailer but the lifetime warranty kicked in and even though it was my fault Quantum replaced it but since the rod was discontinued they sent me a Smoke of my choice. I got a 7' MH-F and that rod is very light, extremely balanced, and is really strong for how light it is, mine weighed in a 3.79 ounces yet I was able to set the hook and land a 54 pound snapping turtle for 12' deep that I was sure would snap the rod with how much pressure I was putting on it. All that said, I do like the new Fenwick rods more than those rods for the most part but after my super light rods and then getting the Smoke rod, that made me think that there is probably a lot of rods and reels out there that are under the radar but actually very good in the way of performance, it is why I am not a brand loyalist and I look at rods and reels with an open mind. I also tend to get brand loyalists mad as I call them as I see them but, we are all different, I talked up the Fenwick offerings after I used them for a time, the reason is I was so happy because I like to fish good quality equipment and after some complications with my cancer treatment occurred, I found myself on a fixed income and I thought I was doomed to having to sacrifice performance for price and the performance on the ET Smallmouth rods far exceeded the price to the point I was so happy I had to let everyone know. Not too often does it happen where you find a piece of equipment that fits your style of fishing and your feel to the point the rod becomes part of your arm but this is what these rods have been for me, and that is the final nail in my belief that you have to get price out of your head (for the most part) and look at tackle with an open mind.

That is done and for that kind of rod it isn't worth fixing it, as the others have said, get the right size Berkley Lightning rod and you'll be fine.

Cranks are just like jigs in that you can really get into different levels, for jigs a lot of guys get premade heads and tie skirts on and others go a step further and by unpainted heads and skirt tabs to make their own and then you have the full monty guys who pour, paint, and make and tie their own skirts. The same deal with cranks, you can buy blanks and paint them yourself, or you can buy carved wood blanks and then seal the wood, add the lip and hook hangers and paint, or you can go all in and design your own or buy or make a mold and pour your own plastic resin or carve from wood. Look at Harbor freight for a compressor for an air brush and then you can look at most of the lure parts vendors like Barlows Tackle, Lure Parts Online, Janns Netcraft, and Lure Craft. Check those places out and you'll find all different levels of equipment to get you started.

I think you are getting shaky head mixed up with a bass jig, very easy to explain. Typical skirted bass jig is a round or specialty head like and Arky style head that has a rubber or silicone skirt on it and it usually has some sort of soft plastic craw or creature attached to the hook as a trailer. A shaky head is a round, football, or specialty type head with a long shank light or standard wire hook and some have a screw or barb on the head in order to attach a thin plastic bait like a straight tail worm in order to rig it weedless. There are also shaky heads that have a barb on the hook shank to rig in the same manner. For the areas you fish I would suggest an Arky head in 1/4oz or 3/8oz with a craw type trailer, a smallie beaver would work but Seibert Outdoors would be the place to go as they can provide you with the perfect jig and a trailer to match. Once you get a jig and trailer you will want to let it sink to the bottom and then you have to use trial and error in order to determine the mood of the fish. If they are aggressive a hopping retrieve may work or in a negative mood you will want to crawl it slowly on the bottom, follow movement with pauses of a few seconds but eventually fishing it in that manner you will learn to use those types of jigs in short order.

I don't walk the dog in pads, what I do is I "chug" the frog by giving short upward pops and concentrating more on steering the frog to those small openings as well as the flat pads for the frog to sit on while I pause it. When I pause the frog on a pad, I wait 5 seconds and I give it a quick hop off the pad, I have had more success doing that instead of easing it off like some but I work the frog like that until I hit open water and that is when I begin to walk it.

When you rig a drop shot you tie a palomar and leave a long tag end, the tag end hangs down and you attach the weight to that and the hook will hang out the side but you have to run the linethrough the hook eye from the back side of the hook otherwise the hook will be point down on the line. Now as for rigging, I would use a shaky head for the finesse worms, a weightless Texas rig or wacky rig for the Senko, and a weighted Texas rig for the lizard if I'm fishing from shore. The only way I use the drop shot is in the boat but that is just me, I do better using a drop shot in a near vertical position by making a shot cast and letting it sink into deep water, if I'm trying to search for fish across a flat I feel the shaky head is a better option, drop shot is more about being on fish than searching for them as you would be from shore.

I haven't used the little john but I am a fan of flat sides. The Poes 300 flats were the first ones I used and those taught me that flat sides work in cold water but I found them to be excellent after a front as well. I like the DT flat 7 and flat 3 and Kopper live target bluegill crank shallow diving matte finish, the shape with the flat sides makes it look like a bluegill with the way it swims. I like to use flat sides in the summer around rip rap, if you go through an area and don't get bit on a square bill, go back through and slow roll a flat side, I bet you get bit, the tighter action seems to draw strikes for some reason.

I use a palomar knot, I haven't had any problems with it.

I tried my 7' MH glass rod for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits and I didn't lose a single fish once it was hooked but I did miss 2 that hit in the grass and I never got the hook to penetrate. I'd say glass would be great if you are fishing bare banks, rock points and ledges but if you are going to in vegetation or wood then I wouldn't use it, just a little bit of grass was able to make a hook set a problem or me. The other issue is I just like the feel of graphite, when I stick a fish I know it is on but glass will work.

There was a killer color spook that was unbeatable but was only available in the saltwater version until a few years ago, and that is nickel! It was around for saltwater and all I did was change out the split rings and hooks, but now the super spook and super spook jr. come in nickel so no need for the saltwater version. The Yo-Zuri banana boat is a killer that not many know about, I have a stash that I bought up when they got discontinued. I have the 1/2oz and 1/4oz jr. model and you wouldn't believe the strikes it generates, much different action than a spook or Sammy, I'm surprised at how many never used it.

Good info to know since I have a few of those...LOL!! BTW, which 6'9", was it the medium, extra fast spinning or the medium light, fast spinning? I ask because my medium is killer for shaky heads too but I was going to get the 6'9" medium light, fast for drop shots and small hair jigs but the medium throws the light stuff so well I just never got the medium light. So far so good, I hope I don't have to use them but it is nice to know they do take care of their customers.

California style swim jigs are bigger, they have fuller skirts and heavy wire hooks, Coosa river style swim jigs use a slightly smaller skirt with a heavy wire hook, and the Northern style swim jigs tend to have a thinner skirt with a lighter wire hook than the other 2.

I'm with lmbfisherman on this, at retail they aren't worth the money, $120 isn't bad. I wanted to like them when they came out with the redesign, then I got to check them out at Cabelas and when I picked it up I was disappointed, for $200 the rod was heavier than most rods in the $100 - $150 range and it uses old school aluminum oxide guides which are good for bass fishing but not on a rod that cost this much. The good part is you paid a decent price and the handle feels great and having comfort will let you feel more just because you won't be focused on how your hand feels. What really gets me is the full retail price is only a few dollars less than a GL3 which is a much better rod but if anything, the Loomis is well made so it should last you for a good long time.

This year I've only been out 3 times and one day it was a jerkbait, one day is was a hair jig, and one day was a shaky head but we have had a cold and unstable spring so far. The hottest bait for me the last 2 seasons has been a 1/4oz swim jig, spinnerbaits are my favorite bait but the swim jig has been the absolute best producer.

I'm not buying the line shy deal when it comes to bass fishing, I don't like fluorocarbon line so I substitute clear copoly and I have not had any more or less of a catch rate. I hear guys talk about using fluorocarbon not only because of sink rate but because it is clear and then go and tie on an umbrella rig with .040 wire attached directly to the bait. Don't over think, using a leader makes you use another knot which then adds a second weak spot to the line, just tie direct and don't think about it, LOL!!!!

Made for fishing catfish mostly, to heavy and bulky for bass fishing but very tough and very similar to an ugly stick.

I'm with WW2Farmer, I always split the tails because when I use them I want it to fall with a little more movement, that seems to work better here in the northeast.

While I don't use the Bomber, I still have a lot of success with floating jerkbaits all summer. Once we get into late May here the water gets too worm for a suspending bait, unless to go to a shallow model like a flash minnow or something like the x-rap that is right at hoe when being worked aggressively. I actually won money with a Smithwick ARB 1200 series Rogue, that is the shallow diving version and can be worked really aggressive or it can be worked slow and then it becomes a topwater bait. I have had success last season with the Bagley Bang-O-Lure in both sizes as well, the only thing you need is clear water, I have tried using these baits in dirty water for years and you need at least 2' of visibility for them to work well but 3' of more is optimum.

How light? If you are good with a casting reel then with the right rod you should be able to throw something that is around 3/16oz with most casting reels but to get down around 1/60, or even 3/32 you won't find a reel for under $300 and it will most likely cost more than $400 for one. I use a spinning reel for light finesse, but if I would be going the casting route I'd probably grab a Pflueger Patriarch with a Fenwick Elite Tech 6'10" M-F casting rod, that set up will let you cast a bait that is 3/16oz and the rod can handle 1/8oz weights but you need to be pretty good with a casting reel and using your thumb, if you rely on brakes then save up and get a Daiwa PX68.

What price range are you looking at? Cabelas has a new line of rods with a jerkbait/topwater rod, 6'9" M-F, but the thing with this is you will get a ton of different answers on this. Jerkbaits and topwaters are tough because there are a couple different thoughts on what is best, some anglers, like myself, like to use a shorter fast action rod, to control the action of the bait better, in a medium power, for the forgiveness needed to keep from pulling small treble hooks out of the fish's mouth. Then there is another type of angler that treats these baits like a crankbait, and those anglers normally like a rod of 7' or slightly longer to make long cast, and a moderate action to fight the fish while not pulling the treble hooks free. There isn't a right or wrong way, but both sides have to make compromises, for example, anglers liking the shorter, faster rods will sacrifice a few lost fish which will happen because the rods don't have the parabolic action to keep them pinned on small treble hooks. Anglers liking the long, parabolic action rods will sacrifice strikes because of a little less control, it all depends on which way you lean.

I throw them all year long but there are differences. For hard suspending jerkbaits, I'm using them in 40 degree water until 60 degrees, after that I begin to use a floating style jerkbait like a shallow diving Smithwick Rogue or Bagley Bang-O-Lure. I won money in July on a clown colored rogue fishing it aggressively over submerged weed beds, but if the fish are following you stop it and let it float to the surface and retrieve it with short twitches like a topwater bait. If I need to go into grass or around tree limbs then I will use the soft jerkbait like a fluke.

Wait for Memorial day sales and also, if you don't mind the wait, after ICAST. Every year new lines are brought out and tackle dealers discount old stock to bring in new stuff. I would keep my eye on amazon, and Fish USA tackle, I got one of my 6'10" MH-MF casting rods from amazon for $77.49 with free shipping but that was over 2 years ago. Stay patient, the price will drop.