smalljaw67

I have a lot of confidence baits but my main 2 are the spinnerbait and jerkbait.

I have a lot of rods and I have rods that are $70 up to $300+,and I haven't been as happy with a rod as I have been with this series. I ended up with cancer and had some problems from the treatment that didn't let me return to my job and I found myself on a fixed income and I was worried I would really end up hating the cheap rods I'd be stuck using. When this series was released I jumped in blind, I got one literally 3 days after the official release and I had to order directly from Fenwick as no retailers had them yet. I can still remember when I opened the tube, I was shocked as I never picked up a rod at that price point that was that light and had such a crisp feel to it, but then I worried it would be fragile so I held my enthusiasm until I got to fish with it. Once I got to use it I was really happy, I knew that if, and when I needed a new set up, these will fit the bill nicely and I won't have to save up for 8 months to grab one, I'll also admit it isn't a GLX or Legend Extreme but the actions are perfect for my fishing style and they are incredible light yet still strong with a lifetime warranty and I don't sacrifice a ton or performance, they work for me and I'm happy that you like your rod.

I use smooth finish blades 99% of the time because I have confidence with the flash it produces. The difference between a hammered willow and a smooth finish is flash, when the smooth blade is spinning you get a bright brilliant flash over and over while a hammered finish you get multiple little flashes, sort of remind me when you watch the first pitch at the World Series or the kick off at the super bowl and you see all the camera flashes. There is also a small difference in spin speed but it isn't enough to notice and I don't think the fish do either but there are times when the multiple flashes are more productive than a single large flash such as clear shallow water, that is where I think a hammered blade will do better but other than that I use a smooth finish blade and an occasional fluted blade but that too is a clear water blade. The smooth finish is going to work better in stained water and I also think it shows up better at distance which is why I like that blade better and use it most of the time.

I never use a trailer on a spinnerbait or a buzzbait, the reason is I believe they cause short strikes, I used a 4" ribbon tail grub for years as a spinnerbait trailer and when I stopped using it I noticed I had a lot less short strikes. Zoom flukes, or most soft plastic jerkbaits for that matter, are killer, they are incredibly versatile because they can fished in so many ways. In the summer I rig weightless and work fast so it breaks the surface and then I stop it and let it sink for 5 or 6 seconds and then work it with quick twitches again until it breaks the surface, if fish are in the area they will hammer it. I also like to rig the fluke on a scrounger jig and simply reel it close to the bottom like a swim bait and stroking it off the bottom in deep water on the scrounger is another good technique. The Storm swim baits work pretty good, they are simple to use but I found that they work best in mid spring but if you can locate fish they have potential to work any time, vary retrieves to see what the fish want but most often with swim baits is a simple slow steady retrieve.

I don't know about the soft but I would also include them, so far the swimmer has worked, the regular Storm Kickin' Stick, the Swimmin' Stick with the lip, the Luck Craft Smasher and the Cabelas Rad swimmer, all of those I have caught fish on ever since fishing using them more like a jerkbait. The one thing I noticed is the fish can't seem to stand any of these baits when you give them a rip and the stop, that sudden stop makes the bait turn almost sideways and that is when the fish get ready to hit, I have some hit it once it is stopped, and I've had them hit it as soon as I twitched it after the pause and that is why I do the slow reel after the pause, you will not even get the bait an inch and they are on it. I still find it hard to believe that was all I had to do but since fishing them more like a jerkbait has been the ticket and it has saved me some cash as I got these and was going to give them away, and I ended up with some cheap baits that work as I found the Cabelas Rad swimmer on sale for like $3.99 and all of the Storm versions I got in those Walmart Rapala Treasure cheast bins whear they are all $2.96 and to be honest, the lipped version, the swimming stick, that has been the best producer, they seem to make more noise and that makes them better suited for the stained water.

The Mike Murphy rods in Denali's lineup seem too soft for my liking, I've seen the videos and those rods have serious flex. As for everything else, they seem decent and have a good following, I know 2 guys who really like them, in fact a friend told me to get a Jadewood cranking rod when I was looking and if I didn't like it he said he would buy it from me, not to shabby of an offer but I didn't do it.

4" would be my pick and I too target smallmouth most of the time. My normal range is 3.5" to 5", 4.5" is the size of bait I fish more often but there are times when you need to down size and that is why, if I'm only allowed to have 1 size, I would choose a 4" because I have been able to get bit using a 4" jerkbait when they are hitting the smaller size baits but I never was able to get them to take the larger 4.5" so you stay with a size that has broad appeal, the 4" is the clear winner.

I decided to post this because I was getting tackle ready for a trip next week and a friend stopped by and was talking and watching me get my stuff organized. I just finished my spring finesse box and began getting my spring power fishing box together and I had 2 Storm Swimming Sticks along with a Sebile Magic Swimmer and a Lucky Craft Smasher and as I was lining them up my friend made a comment that he never caught any fish on those types of swim baits and everyone he talked to never did any well with them either. This made me look and it does appear there are a number of anglers who haven't done well and so I thought I would make a post to help those who gave up on these. I'll admit I wasn't good with them and I quit using them but I got to fish with a guy that really believed in them and taught me when, where, and how to use them. The first thing is the best time is spring, but not in the early stages, right when the water hits like 55 to 58 degrees, right before fish begin to bed, that is when it is on!!! The biggest mistake is treating these as actual swim baits, instead look at them more as a jerkbait, they are slow sinkers but work best around 2' to 3' and the best retrieve I found so far is a slow cranking retrieve for a few feet and then give it a jerk-jerk and then pause, start slow reeling and repeat the jerk-jerk-pause again, this is a killer in the exact same spots as jerkbaits. During the warmer months this bite does fade but if you have the right spots it can be good all year, the right spots are clear water with submerged weeds, you can keep your rod tip high and work it just like a wake bait, this is an excellent presentation when topwaters can be used, and I know, why use anything else when a topwater is going to work and I agree with that except if you are looking for big fish because the one constant is I end up getting larger than average fish on these baits. I like the magic swimmer and the LC smasher when I'm fishing over tops of weeds as they don't have a lip and are better for the wake type retrieve and they also work much better when the fish aren't super aggressive. I like the Storm swimming stick if there is color to the water but still clear and when the fish want it a little faster, the lip causes the bait to dive a little but it also makes it roll and therefore displaces more water which I believe is why it works in stained water. I hope this helps, after I explained it to my friend he is now going to give it another shot but as I said, treat them as a jerkbait for all seasons, I just don't know if they would be good in real cold water but I know in the mid 50s it is a real fish catcher.

You used an extra fast with a soft tip, most extra fast rods are very stiff. The Quantum Dean Rojas frog rod in their Tour Tactical series is a 7' MH-XF and it has a limber tip but only about 8" or 10" and then it hits the backbone. On the other hand is a St. Croix 7'1" MH-XF and if you put the max lure weight on it you'd be lucky to get it to bend more than an inch. There are rods that have the same extra fast rating that ae totally different.

I have some 4" Guido bugs in black with chartreuse claws, these are one of the few craws I Texas rig and pitch to cover. The reason I do it is the bug isn't good on a jig but it does work great in thick weeds, especially in clear water, it is a big fish bait and in clear water I prefer a T-rigged plastic over a jig most of the time.

The water temps should be in the upper 50s, maybe close to 60 if you get a warm rain that means the fish will be looking to move up in a big way. Since you are in the back of the boat you have to depend on the boater for location but if you have clear water a jerkbait would be a good selection as would a flat side crankbait, Rapala DT Flat 7 and flat 3 are perfect for those conditions. The flat 7 is excellent if the move out to the first break, with the temps you reported they may only move out to 6 feet or so but if you have dirty water they will move pretty shallow so the 3 will work there. The other baits I think you should have is a spinnerbait, 1/2oz with either a double Colorado or an Indiana/Colorado tandem like is used on the Manns classic spinnerbait, a chatterbait and trailer is also good as is a hollow body swim bait, any of those can score. If your boater is "back boating" you, meaning he isn't letting you get any casts in at cover or where the fish are at, then grab a lipless crank and fan cast away from the bank, that is the best search bait at this time of year, good luck.

A 3/8oz is a good size for casting and dragging, since you are shore bound it will help you find cover and structure that you can't see. I think black/blue is also a good choice as it will work in any water clarity but I think a few jigs in 1/4oz would have been something to grab, I make my own jigs and I make 1/8oz and 3/16oz finesse jigs to use on days were the fish just won't take a regular jig and trailer. The smaller 1/4oz jig will draw more strikes as it appeals to smaller fish but this will help you gain confidence and learn how a jig bite feels but you did right as a 3/8oz black/blue jig will work in most situations.

River Rock Baits Jointed jerk or Lunker City Slug-O.

The pro series Kistler is just the $99 Carbon steel with different guides, truth be told you would be better off getting something different, the carbon steel rods are heavy, they feel strong but heavy and would think there is much feel to them. If you go with Kistler then start with a KLX, that is built on a really good blank and the components are all good. The only problem with the Kistler line is if you have a problem it is like pulling teeth to get them to honor a warranty, which is basically 1 year but most rods break from user error so unless you throw your rods around and step on them I wouldn't worry.

I'm glad that you like it so far, the best part is fishing with it, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I only use 3 plastics until the spawn is over, and that is a 4.5" straight tail finesse worm on a 1/16oz to 3/16oz shaky head for cold water, a 5" senko, and a 3.5" tube, that is all I need until the warm water season hits.

You say multi purpose with spinnerbaits and crankbaits, so that is all you are going to throw or are you going to try Texas rigs or jigs too? I ask because you can get a decent rod for cranks and spinnerbaits but it won't be good for bottom contact baits at all, and if you are only using it for the spinnerbaits, what size spinnerbait and how deep for cranking? My suggestion is to get any brand you want at the price you want to pay but get it in a medium power with a fast action, it will have enough backbone for 3/8oz spinnerbaits and light texas rigs and jigs but it will still have enough flex to fish a DT 6 or square bill. The only thing with it is you can't go too big with your baits or get too much of a deep diving bait.

The new Kistler pro series is nothing but a Carbon Steel with Kigan tangle free guides, you'd be better off getting the Carbon Steel with the American Tackle stainless steel guides with the nanolite inserts, they are pretty good guides compared to the Kigan. So save 20 bucks and grab one of those, and as far as reel seats go, do you care for any of the skeleton reel seats like the Fuji SK2 or Pac Bay Minima? Right now blanks are about as light as they are going to get unless some radical new technology shows up but it isn't likely to be anytime soon. So with that being the case you are seeing more and more manufacturers going away from the ECs reel seat, Dobyns is one of a few higher end companies still using them and the St. LTB is using the Fuji SK2 now, I think the Avid series still has the ECS but personally I didn't care for the ECS, the trigger is too wide, the ACS and the Fuji SK2 are both good reel seats.

I'll echo Bluebasser86, if you don't have at least 2' of visibility then a jerkbait isn't going to do well, this is a visual technique for the most part. The other important factors are water temp and in which direction that temp is going, that will give you an idea of where to find fish at. I'm in PA and we still have a lot of lakes with ice yet but I'd say that if you are looking at 43 to 46 degree water temps and it is getting warmer, then find a flat near sharp breaks, the fish will stage there before moving up. If you get a cold front that drops the water temp a few degrees then try longer pauses with a deeper running jerkbait, I like to use something that runs in the 3' to 5' range for the warming water as the fish are looking to move up to flats and feed but I also have deeper running baits that run 6' to 8' and those are used when the fish back off to the first drop off. In the eary part of the year, like right now, the most important aspect of your retrieve is the pause, I normally try to get the bait down and then pause for 5 second and then give 2 small rod movements and let sit for 5 seconds, if this doesn't work then try both shortening the pause length and extending it but keep at it, jerkbaits are incredible at this time of year and remember, when you rip or jerk the bait, do so on a slack line, this will give you the most erratic action.

This is tough as I actually have favorites for certain situations or seasons but I'll give you my most common. Square bill - Rapala DT Fat 3 : Honorable mention - Bomber Square A and Cotton Cordell Big-O. Lipless - Xcalibur XRK50 one knocker : Honorable mention - Cotton Cordell Super Spot and Bill Lewis Rattle Trap. Jerkbait - Rapala X-Rap : Honorable mention - Smithwick Rattlin' rogue and Lucky Craft Pointer 100. Topwater - Storm Rattlin' Chug Bug : Honorable metion : Heddon Super Spook Jr. and Rebel Premium Pop-R.

I won a tournament in the early 90s on the Susquehanna river throwing a Luhr Jensen Krocodile spoon. It was post spawn and the fish were scattered but I heard some splashing and turned to see a small fall fish jumping out of the water with a big smallmouth right behind in hot pursuit so I was going to tie on a rattle trap when I came across the spoon and deiced it was a good minnow imitator that I normally used late in the summer in deeper pools but I tied it on and every fish I caught was a keeper, all decent fish and I was the only person using a spoon. The only downside to them where I fish is the Musky really like them and it is why I stopped using them, I would catch 1 bass and the next 5 bites were all mucky and I'd land the smaller one while the larger ones were biting through the line. Good deal with the spoon, may have to throw them as the fish don't see them too often anymore.

The choice depends on what you are used to, at least that is what I will tell you because I so wanted the Tatula when it came out and I heard it was a little wide so I waited until I could get to hold one and after I got the chance I was disappointed. The Tatula is a tank, it is bulky and no way I could use one for any extended period, I have a Smoke, a Lews Tournament pro, and a Revo Premier 2nd generation and after using those reels for most of my fishing and then trying to use a Tatula, it just feels big and the weight isn't to well either. I used to love Daiwa but man, it seems like every company can make a durable, high performing reel in the $150-$200 range yet Daiwa has a hard time getting under 8 ounce reels once the price gets below $300, I just don't understand. I just got a chance over the weekend to check out the Pflueger Supreme XT casting reel, at $150 it may end up being my next reel, light, solid feeling and the hinged side plate with the cam lock is an awesome feature not seen on a reel in that price range. That said, for your choices I'd go Curado all day.

I make the exact same style as Bluebasser86 and I use it with and without a blade and his way of fishing them works, it really isn't a secret. I tell those not experienced using them to think of it as a spinnerbait, it is the same thing only without the wire and blades and the bladed swim jigs is the same deal only it has the added attraction of vibration, flash, and sound. There is really no wrong way to use it but I found that a steady, medium paced retrieve is the best way when using a swim bait type trailer and a little faster when using a fluke type or better to say a medium retrieve with a trailer that has a lot of action and a faster pace with a trailer that has less action.

Shimano has a reputation and a name among older river anglers in my area, they call them "shimbindo" . The reason being is when they get wet they bind up, I believe they solved this problem on the newer reels made in the last 8 or 10 years but the older Stradics were really bad in a light drizzle, 30 minutes after the first rain drops hit it you couldn't turn the handle, if you were wading and slipped and the reel got dunked, your day was over unless you had a spare with you. So, did your reel get wet at some point during the day or is it bone dry and just got hard to crank? If it didn't get wet you may have a bad set of gears. BTW, I'm not bashing Shimano, they are the premier manufacturer and the binding problem was a years past event but some of the lower end reels might not have the same water tight drag and may still be subject to binding.

I have a bunch and they all have a specific condition in which they get used. Cotton Cordell super spot, royal shad or royal chrome and blue shiner, these are the best when you need a bait to vibrate at slow speed. Rapala Clackin' Rap in silver or gold, these are loud one knockers that do well in cold water when it is clear. The Xcalibur one knocker in lemon lime or tilapia for stained water in late spring, and a few others for good measure but these are my work horse baits, and the rattlin rapala is one that works really well in certain area for me as well.