smalljaw67

It depends on where the tail is cut, on a 3.5" Gitzit or Cabin Creek tube a 3/0 would look like the bottom tube in the picture Felix posted.

I've been making my own and I'm happy with them, I can 1/8oz heads with a 3/0 or 4/0 hook and wire keeper up to a 7/16oz. I like using them by with a single swim bait but they work on the A rigs too. I tried a bunch of these before making my own as I just used regular ball heads and swim jigs without a skirt but a head designed for swim baits are much better.

I do the same as you Felix and I probably fish a tube more than most as I use the 3.5" most of the time and I use it T-rigged with a 2/0 EWG style hook the way you have it and I use it on an inside jig head. The inside jig head is when I fish them on the river for smallmouth, you don't get snagged by weeds or brush but instead the head usually wedges in rock so we use as light of a weight as possible and hang ups are minimal. For the lakes with smallmouth I use the T-rig just like you, the only time I go with a 3/0 EWG hook is when I use the 4" flippin style tube but you got it down, the way your friend does it with the oversize hook works too but I've had them come back to the boat with the tube resting on the bend of the hook from bringing it through cover that I just stopped doing it and with a good hook there isn't any drop off in hook up ratio.

Adding any weight absolutely destroys the subtle action, think a stick with a prop at each end. I messed with it and here is what I can tell you, if you use braid you will need a leader, the hooks are designed for use with light line and with zero stretch you'll pull the hooks out for sure. Forget ultra light set ups, these are 3/8oz, I used it with 8lb mono, and fluorocarbon as well as 6lb mono and fluorocarbon and there is a significant difference that can be seen in the action, I didn't believe it so that is why I tried it and I saw it with my own eyes, go 10lb fluorocarbon or mono and you may as well put it back in the box. From what I observed is these baits are very precisely balanced, anything heavier than 6lb line and the subtle roll you see goes away, it also lifts the bait quicker which I knew it would a bit but it had a bigger effect than I imagined. I believe 5lb is what they recommend because 4lb is really light for 3/8oz bait but using on 4lb is when you really understand why the light line, it has a distinct roll and going up to 6lb it still has the roll but it is less, and 8lb it almost eliminates it altogether. The only difference I got from fluorocarbon to mono was the bait was able to stay deeper on the retrieve, using mon the bait would come up quicker and it was a noticeable difference. I hate fluorocarbon but I think with the spinbait 80 or any other spy baits that it is an absolute must, even braid caused it to rise unless we used 20' of leader, and yes, 20 feet, I know it is exaggerated a bit but we stopped at 4' of leader and figured what is the sense of even using braid at all, so this is a fluorocarbon only technique, at least to make it work the way it is designed.

Hair jig, that is number 1 unless the water is above 41 degrees then I like a suspending jerkbait.

I tried a lot of different rod, 2 things I found that are no-no's for me are 7' rods and cranking style rods, 7' rods have me splashing the water and smacking the side of the boat and cranking rods make it tough to control the bait, the recovery time is to slow, especially with an aggressive retrieve. For a long time I used 2 rods, my main one was a G.Loomis Jerkbait series rod, the JBR752C, 6'3" with the perfect size handle and the perfect action, fast tip for working the bait but forgiving enough to fight a fish once it is hooked. The only problem was the larger baits that were 1/2oz and over, for those baits I would use a Cabelas XML rod that isn't made anymore, it feels as light and very close to my Loomis JBR, the rod is 6'3" and medium power with a fast action but it had a little more power as it could handle the larger baits. Now I changed up altogether, my weapon of choice is the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF casting rod, it is THE best rod I ever used for jerkbaits, topwaters, and square bills. It took me a bit to get used to the extra length but once I di it was game on, this rod allows me long cast but the action is a true moderate fast, it isn't a soft parabolic bend I see in other morderate fast rods, instead the tip is like a regular fast action rod, I can work a jerkbait aggressively with no problem and the best is when I hook up, I'm fighting the fish and get it to the side of the boat when all of a sudden the fish turns and surges deep, instead of the hooks just pulling out like what happens on normal fast action rods, this one gives, the extra flex becomes evident when pressure gets applied and it keeps the fish pinned. That rod is so good I had to get a second because I use floating jerkbaits during the summer if there is clear water and I often have a square bill rigged too and it is just so perfect for both those baits that I found myself just cutting off one bait and then tying another on because I didn't want to throw the square bill on any other rod.

I have 2 worms that I use when I'm finesse shaky head fishing, these are small worms, 1 is 4.5" and it has a flat side and the other is 5" and fully round and there are times when 1 is catching and the other isn't. Like Bluebasser86 said, the one with a flay belly will not fall straight down, it will have a bit of a glide to it, as for the molds, I don't see why one would be much more unless the cavity size is larger or one has more cavities, a lot goes into the price of the mold and it isn't just because one has a flat belly and the other is fully round.

I don't own any Dobyns rods but I know those that do and I have fished with both a champion and a savvy, from what I've noticed is even the graphite cranking rods are all too soft for jerkbaits, it is just the way it is. If I was going to use a Dobyns rod for jerkbaits it would be the 682C, and that is just my preference, the graphite cranking rods all seem too soft as I said, even the medium heavy models have too soft tips but the 682 should be close to perfect.

You got it!! Close quarter spinnerbaits, you could use it for worms and jigs but the sensitivity on that rod isn't great.

This is easy, for me the Manns Manipulator worm or the Dragin' Worms are 2 discontinued items that I still keep a stash of but it is getting small. I'm still happy they make the auger tail worm, that is one of the best, if not the best worm for a left and drop presentation, a different action than anything available on the market!!

J Francho is spot on!!! I turn my brakes up and set the spool tension loose, this is the best way to do.

There are 2 reasons, as some have said, marketing ploy, but the other is because of the lengths and actions are what is common place for a lot of smallmouth fish which the majority of it takes place on rivers but they also make a 7'4" spinning rod they call the great lakes rod. Go to most northern smallmouth rivers and areas other than the great lakes and you'll find a lot of the lengths and actions you see in the series, long rods over 7' are still relatively new to river smallmouth guys, in fact you still see a lot of hardcore guys with 6' to 6'4" rods with few if any over 6'10". I believe Doug Stange and possibly Daryl Black were asked to list what lengths and action they would use to fish for just smallmouth on every body of water including the rivers and this is in part how they came upon the smallmouth series. The same thing for the Walleye series.

I typically use 42 to 45 strands on a typical 1/4oz jig, it varies because if I use 2 different types or different manufacturers of the material then there will be a difference in the width so I'll use more or less based on the material itself. The same thing on larger jigs but I'll use around 50 to 52 strands on a 3/8oz jig and 54 to 56 strands on a 1/2oz jig and larger, the difference between 55 and 60 doesn't seem like much but if you saw both jigs together you'd notice which one has 60 strands. Rockchalk06 and Bluebasser86 are spot on with their assessments, adding skirt strands will make for a bulkier jig and slow the fall significantly, it also moves more water, I like using the bulkier jig when I need a big bite but it also is great when the fish are active as the added bulk and water displacement will call fish from further away.

The price they are at now is a good deal, they are decent but a lot of Daiwa fans were disappointed, looking for a little better but it is worth the sale price for sure.

Hair jigs would be my number one choice!!!! The Susquehanna river that I fish is probably similar but the Susky is big but that kind of depth I would use anywhere from 1/16oz to 3/16oz hair, going maybe to a 1/4oz jig if the flow is high with faster than normal current. optimum hair jig size would be 3/32oz or 1/8oz, that is what I would be using but don't forget tubes, just drop down to 2.75" or 3" max on a 1/16oz to 1/8oz max jig head, you need to have the jigs falling slowly at that water temp.

The *** Black from *** gets a lot of love, for me, well it depends on the length and action but Fish Tackle USA has the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth for $99 shipped, I have never used a rod with that much sensitivity that was under $200 and I'm serious. The other model is the new Fenwick HMG, again this is a $100 dollar rod that looks, feels, and fishes way beyond the price point and add in the life time warranty on both and you have a win-win situation. The Falcon BuCoo rods are very nice as well, super light and a ton of performance, a lot of really good rods at this price point anymore.

I have the shallow diving matte finish Live Target Bluegill crankbait, and when the summer hits and the bluegill spawn, the Koppers bluegill is awesome!!!! I'm talking the crank and not the square bill which I bet is good as well but the crank, it has a round bill and what I do is throw it around the first break off of a flat where I see bluegill beds, the bass can't help but kill it!!!

For what it is worth, there isn't any jerkbait on the market that will suspend perfectly in all water temps, you'll get some that are perfect and others not so perfect, it has to do with the manufacturing process, even paint has some affect on the bait. For me, I can live with a bait that doesn't suspend perfect, if it rises slowly then I consider it good but you really have to check at the lake and all different water temps. I've had some that didn't come close to suspending until they hit 5' deep, I had some that couldn't suspend at 42 degrees but at 48 and 50 degrees it was really good. The RC STX is a good bait, and there are reasons some baits cost more than others, Japan has the same wage scale as we have here in the states so anything produced there will be more expensive but they also do a ton of R&D plus the exchange rate and all but one bait I think comes close to being worth the premium price is the Pointer. The reason is the suspending properties, Pointers suspend better out of the box in a wider range of water temps on average compared to others but if a bait is less expensive doesn't mean it isn't good.

I tie a smallmouth jig that uses the rump feathers of a pheasant, the jig is brown over orange buck tail with a single pheasant rump feather tied in hackle style as a collar. The teal hues on it gives a natural appearance to the jig but tying a jig with pheasant feathers as a main component is not for me, there really isn't much action to be gained from it. I use pheasant tail fibers to tie in as the mouth parts of a craw on my craw jigs, it also adds a little bulk but again, not really used for action. Marabou make a great jig and can be tied a number of different ways, I'd post a pic but photobucket doesn't work here anymore, but that is what I would do, pheasant isn't a great material to tie with unless you are tying small flies.

When you are out and the fish are chasing and swiping at the fluke but not getting hooked really well or not at all, that is a perfect time to use the floating jerkbait. It is also a better choice on fish that are neutral because you can get a reaction strike by working the bait fast, flukes like to come to the surface. I mentioned this to you because I used suspending jerkbait all spring and then went to a fluke or a crankbait. One day I was using a fluke on the river and the fish were chasing it but then when I stopped it the fish would stop and then turn away, so I added a small bullet weight to the line to try to keep the fluke down but the fish weren't reacting to it as the action changed so out of curiosity I tried a floating rogue, it was 1994 or '95 and I was still using a floating rogue with lead wire to make them suspend. Anyway I used the floating rogue and really worked it aggressively using hard and fast rips to get it to go side to side and I was pausing it either, the fish didn't hit the fluke on the pause so why would I try it again, well they hit the rogue, on the first cast and then every 2 or 3 cast after. Ever since I've been hooked on using that, I even won a tournament using that technique.

Rattlin' Rogues are awesome but you have to make sure you get the right ones, if you are confused then get them from lure net, they have them separated. The rogues you was are the ARB 1200 series or the ADRB 1200 series, the ARB series dives to 2' and floats back fast and the ADRB series dives to 4' and floats back up. Another good one is the Rapala Flat Rap, this I really like because the action is entirely up to the angler but river smallmouth kill it, look for the size 8 and 10. The Rapala original floater has always been great and last year I became a fan of the Bagley Bang-O-Lure in the 4.25" and the 5.25" size, these are like the Rogue but no rattle and a more side to side action were the rogue has more roll. EDIT: I use these all summer if I have reasonably clear water, 2' or more visibility, when ripped over submerged weeds you get ferocious strikes and a lot of big fish, it is a bait and technique that the fish don't see too often.

On the waters I fish I don't need to bat to get down 2 deep but I'll use a deep diving jerkbait in the lakes when the fish are suspended at about 12' to 14' over 20' to 30'. My favorites are the Xt3 deep which is discontinued but you can still find a few if you look, the X-Rap deep, and I'm beginning to like the perfect 10 rogue, but I didn't get a lot of time with it. I also give a shout out to the Ima flit 120 and the Staycee 120, those are truly deep divers that work but I don't list them as my favorites as there maybe only 2 or 3 days I get to use them.

I use the Elite Tech smallmouth 6'9" M-XF spinning rod as a drop shot rod but it is really versatile so I use it for shaky heads as well. If you wanted something in that length as a dedicated drop shot rod then the sister to the rod I have is the 6'9" ML-F spinning rod also in the Elite Tech smallmouth series. I know a few people that use that rod as a dedicated drop shot rod and I can see why, these rods have crisp, lively actions with a lot of sensitivity which is probably due to how light they are and the reel seat feels great to hold. I use casting rods the majority of my fishing but when I'm using a finesse technique I really have a hard time putting the rod down, now remember, I have a few of these so I'm biased but that is because I don't think you can do much better and I also would be saying the same thing if they were priced the same as the Aetoe, which I have 1 of those too.

It depends on 3 things, cover, depth, and water clarity, if the water is stained and added vibration may help fish get the bait then I'm using the crankbait, the same thing with depth, if I me going deeper than 5' I'll use the crankbait or if the cover I'm fishing is sparse or rock, in all those instances I'm using the crankbait. If there are weeds I'm going to go swim jig or in water less than 5' deep but there are always exceptions.

Awesome setup with the all thread and box for a jig rack, you just gave me an idea for a new curing rack, excellent stuff Will, excellent!!!