smalljaw67

This depends on the person but I feel like I'm good enough to catch fish with any tackle but I prefer quality set ups as it makes my fishing more enjoyable and in certain circumstances easier which results in more fish. I like a light rod, a light rod allows me to cast repeatedly over and over during the course of a day without getting tired to quick. The only rod I have that is heavy is my glass cranking rod but even though it is heavy the action makes up for it as it requires very little effort to sling a crank a long way. Reels are different for me, when it comes to reels I want them to be reliable first and smooth second, and normally a good reel is smooth but a value priced reel will also be smooth for a short time so in order to know what you're getting price is a factor that will tell you what to expect from a reel.

I make my own swim jig and I like the rage craw as a trailer or a Lunker City swim fish.

Spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, as well topwater and jerkbaits as KevO has already mentioned. I'm sorry if you want to hear of people using them to fish worms or jigs with but not many anglers would do that, you would miss a lot of fish with a soft rod trying to set the hook using a Texas rigged plastic, just not enough backbone.

As with all hooks, there may be a few that didn't temper as well and what happens is the hooks either bend easily or break or the points roll over, it has happened to most of us at one point or another. The reason I say this is I really like Mustad hooks but the Owner deep throat hook is about as stout of a hook you can get without being a straight shank flipping hook. If you are using any type of jig that features a heavy flipping hook and the hook bends or breaks, it is more than likely from a batch that didn't get fully tempered, they temper thousands of hooks at a time so to get a hook that is not tempered correctly can happen.

I usually give my jigs a coat of Devcon 2 Ton epoxy so I also use it to glue the weedguards in place. The 2 part epoxy is great because it is super strong and water proof, plus it dries clear and doesn't wick up fibers in the weedguard. There are some drawbacks like the 24 hour cure time and the mixing part but I don't mind those types of things for what it does for me. If I'm not using Devcon 2 ton epoxy to coat the jig then I use Loctite super glue gel, this is strong and more importantly, it won't wick up the fibers of the weedguard which is what happens if you use regular super glue.

I make my own spinnerbaits and I make my own skirts for them and I've been using translucent colors ever since they became available. In a river I fish during the summer, the water level gets low and is gin clear, early in the morning you can get smallies to hit a chartreuse spinnerbait and a white one too but as the sun gets up it eliminates the chartreuse and then eventually they will not hit a white bait either. For a long time I just assumed the spinnerbait bite was done and then after a lot of different patterns and colors I found that by going to baitfish type patterns I could still get smallies to hit a spinnerbait even at mid day under sunny skies. What is funny is that white and pearl while similar offer completely different hues under sun light in the water, I've had smallies ignore my white spinnerbait and then crush a pearl one and I was finding that to be the case with largemouth in lakes also. You didn't waste your money, your translucent skirted spinnerbaits will pay off.

I got into a rut with a spinnerbait, it has been my favorite bait since the first time I caught a fish on it at a young age. My problem was knowing it wasn't the right bait for the conditions but still not being able to put it down but I have learned how to be able to get away from the one lure rut as I call it. You need to look at the lures in your box the same way you look at the tools in your tool box, you may have a favorite saw but you aren't going to use it hammer nails and the same with lures. If the fish are hitting the one lure you're hooked on using then it may be the right tool for the job but when they stop biting it you need to look and find something else and when you catch some on another bait it will give you confidence in something else and give you more to choose from.

For what you want to do I think the perfect rod would be the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'10" M-F casting rod and go with the Pro Qualifier reel to stay in budget. I often recommend these rods as they are, IMO the best rods in the $130 -$200 price range. What makes the 6'10" M-F the rod you need is the fact it can handle the smaller plastics with ease yet still fish the normal 3/8oz to 5/8oz range of lures without being overpowered. St, Croix's ML is right in line with what the 6'10" M Fenwick is going to be and it will come in a little less expensive yet still provide you with a quality stick and allow you to keep your budget. Check it out, it may be what you have been looking for.

My largest smallie came by Zara Spook, the original spook that was 3/4oz and used hook hangers, and I still use it but it is not a numbers bait. The Zara puppy was a good bait but exactly the opposite of its big brother the spook, great numbers baits but it dosn't seem to draw bigger fish. Enter the Super Spook Jr., this is the exact bait you're looking for, it is 1/2oz and cast really well but the design is perfect, wide but not long, it has an ability to appeal to a lot of fish but will also draw big fish. Walking baits are the best producers for smallmouth for me with prop baits like a dying flutter or a Heddon Torpedo a close second. I use the prop baits on river smallies when there is a breeze and the slack or slow current areas have some ripples, the walking baits work great during still times, throw the super spook jr. into a pool at the end of a riffle and after letting it sit for 5 or 10 seconds begin walking and don't pause until you reach the end of the pool, more often than not it will only get a foot or so before getting crushed.

Years ago if you used anything under 10# mono on a casting reel you would run the risk of having it fall between the frame and the spool and that would lead to an entire spool of line gone, you learned quick. Todays reels have tighter tolerances so it isn't as big of a deal but it can still happen on the more inexpensive casting reels so be careful. The rerason you don't see too much light line is because spinning does an great job of the lighter stuff while casting gives you more control and a much easier time handling bigger lures.

Those techniques will take a toll on equipment, I suggest you wait until you can go over $250 for the combo and that would be the very least. You can get a lot of good rods and reels now at good prices but for heavy techiques like frog fishing and swimbaits you need something that will take the abuse but will let you work your bait. Since you want to fish jigs and swimbaits along with frogs look for a reel in the 6.4:1 up to a 7.0:1 gear ratio, it will give the speed for jigs and frogs but can still be controled to slow down for swimbaits, anything with a 26" to 28" IPT would be optimum. For the rod you will be looking at a heavy or extra heavy depending on what kind of swimbaits you want to use. I suggest starting out with smaller ones around an ounce to 1.5oz at the biggest, this will let you get a rod that can handle that as well as jigs and frogs.

Some anglers prefer more refined gear. I often say that a Quantum Kinetic, Accurist, Shimano Citica, Lews Speed spool can all be had for $100 and they are what I call "work horse reels". That means they do what you need them to do effectively and will last but they lack the creature comforts of more expensive offerings. Some of those comforts are advanced braking systems, better bearings which makes for a smoother reel overall, bearing supported knobs that again offer a more smooth and refined feel. The best way to put it is going to a car dealer and you can buy the plain jane no option truck that will tow your boat and get you around just as well as any other, or you can pay more money and get the truck with 4 doors, alloy wheels, premier sound system and a fancy paint job. Now don't take that the wrong way because out of those trucks, even the plain jane has to have a tow package with a tranny or oil cooler and a tow/haul mode and that is like bass fishing reels, any less than the typical work horse reel and you end up with the budget reel that will still get the job done but it will wear out pretty quick if you use it more than just a day or two a month. Is there a difference in performance between a normal 100 dollar casting reel versus a Steez? Yes but how much more? The answer is different, some need that refined feel and anything less doesn't give them confidence while others will say that it isn't enough to justify the price and both answers would be true, it just depends on the angler. I have some high end gear but most of my tackle is what I call mid tier level, rods in the $100 to $250 range and reels in the $120 to $270 range and that is what works for me so yes, $200 per set up like a PQ and mojo is a good set up but for some it doesn't have quite enough in the way of refined performance.

I used quite a few, the Trigger X 5" spade tail worm was good, the 5" Powerbait shaky worm, not the gulp, was another really good one but I found the one that I prefer and that is the River Rock Baits 5" Drop Shot worm, it is labeled a dropt shot worm but it works really well if not better on a shaky head.

That is a little vague, you basically have $200 per outfit and there are a lot of good choices but you need to point out things like prefered length, and maybe even brands that you would consider as there are some who have brands they don't even consider. I can tell you though that you are going to get an all purpose type set up and a cranking set up, it is just how it is when you want to be able to do a little oferverything effectively.

Cranking is something that will serve you well with the kind of water you fish and a jig is something everyone should learn as it will catch fish in cold or warm water and in any season. I would keep it limited until you get confidence in a new technique, use smaller 3/16oz or 1/4 oz finesse type jigs and step up to 3/8oz and 1/2oz once you get confidence and know the best places to use them.

I never fished a tournament of anykind that didn't have an officical launch so that kind of thing doesn't happen. Everyone starts at the same time and whoever has the fastest boat wins unless there are enough boats that you go out in flights and if you have the early flight you have the spot but being able to launch an hour before the start doesn't sound fair.

I don't want to bust your bubble but you are needing two rods, the jigs, spinnerbaits and plastics is all good but then you throw cranking into it and it while you can use a fast action rod to crank with it isn't the best choice and it will cost you fish. Now you can get a versatile set up for cranking and spinnerbaits but trying to jig fish with a moderate action rod that is anything less than a heavy or extra heavy power isn't going to work. I think you get a good MH-F for jigs, plastics, and spinnerbaits and buzzbaits and get a seperate cranking rod or you can get a spinnerbait/buzzbait and cranking set up and buy a seperate jig and plastics rod.

They are going to get sued for that. There is a small lure company called "Vinner Baits" , they have been making a lure called the "wacky stick" with the insert or o-ring for a few years and I believe he has a patent so if you like these from big bite baits you better buy them quick as I know a cease and desist letter has already been sent.

Perfect scenario for a square bill crankbait. I have a Koppers Live Target Bluegill crank, it is 1/2oz mat finish and dives 3' to 4' and it is a killer when the bluegills are spawning. I remember when I got that crankbait, I was fishing a lake in mid July and it was calm and every once in awhile you would see a swirl on the surfce well luck would have it that it happen close enough to the boat to see what the disturbance was, bluegills were going to the surface to eat some kind of fly hatch and if it was near a hole in the weed bed a bass would come up and eat it. Well I tied on the Live Targe Bluegill and the very first cast I got 3 or 4 cranks and it got crushed, my buddy was catching them too on a perch colored big-o but the hits were nothing like I was getting on the Koppers.

This kind of thing is what brand loyal people do, the OP is shimano brand loyal and what happens is anything competetive make a brand loyal person go and try to find fault to justify their position that their chosen brand is best. For years I heard about quality bearings from Shimano users as a way to explain paying over $100 for 3 bearing reel but now that other compaies have good bearings in their reels I hear the "why do you need it" argument.......Please. The best I heard was a guy talking about how great and lightweight his Core reel was and when Diawa introduced the Steeze the same guy said being that lightweight means it is probably made cheap with plastic and being light doesn't make a reel great...Really? If you like Shimano and you are a brand loyal person then there is no harm saying that you really trust Shimanos product and you feel it is proven and you like the feel of reliability. That is what you say instead of trying to justify why your brand is better because from an outsiders view like mine, since I'm not brand loyal, I'd have to say the the Lews Tourney pro has more features, bearings, and is lighter than the Chronarch and has a better profile and more comfortable than the Curado. I agree with the audible click spool tension knob, I have 2 reels that have it, a Pflueger Supreme casting reel and a Quantum Smoke 150 casting reel and I go by feel not clicks but the dual braking system is something that I like and I have on my Pflueger. You can set you brakes and adjust the spool tension and you are done, then if wind kicks up or you go from casting to pitching all you do is turn the magnetic dial and you are in, I happen to really like that. Anyway, the truth of the matter is that one is only better than the other to the user, if you don't use dual braking then you lean toward Shimano if you do use it you lean Lews. The reason there are a lot of brands that do well is that not everyone agrees Shimano is the best or Lews is the best or Abu Garcia, etc. etc. I'm a person who buys what fits my needs and budget at the time I buy something and not being brand loyal really helps as it gives me so many options and having those options is important to me and the next reel I buy might be a Shimano if they happen to have what I need at the time or it may be a Lews for the same reason but if you are brand loyal there is no shame in saying so, it actually gives you credibility and makes someone looking for that brand want to reach out to you as you know the product and can offer insight others don't have so be happy with who you are and stop trying to validate your feelings, we get it.

No problem, and if I run into any from my suppliers I'll give you a shout and let you know but I'm afraid it will only be the mag willow style.

The rod you got will work great for shaky heads and drop shots, it will also for for tubes and small jigs but you need to understand it is a ML but since you already plan to go with 6# line you already know that. So use whatever you normally would use with 6# line and you will be fine but shaky heads and drop shots will be fantastic on that rod. Warning, after using it you will want another, I was going to get just the spinning rod and after I used it for a bit I wanted to try a casting rod and now I'm on my 3rd, so be careful, you may like them as much as I do.

Now you understand why I tell those who say you can buy them that it just isn't so, what you see turn up at Janns netcraft from time to time is old stock from outdoor innovations. And when Terminator was owned by them they only had the oklahoma or turtle back blade, they didn't use the beveled willow leaf blade you see on them now. I know the company that manufacturers the blades and I contacted them and I was told that those blades are patent protected which is why you don't see other places copy those blades and Terminator or Rapala continues to pay a nice sum of money every 10 years to keep them exclusive to Terminator and that tells me they get quite a few request from us do-it-yourself tackle makers to purchase their blades. The only reason I contacted them for you twas to show some people that they are not on the open market and while the mag willo is a good substitute for the oklahoma blade there isn't any for the beveled willow. I also tried to get the Nichols shattered glass blades and they too are exclusive.

There are no "rubber baits", they are soft plastic and depending on your location in the country, smallmouths in June could be just getting on or off of beds or could already be finished the spawn and have gone on to post spawn. But no matter I think you best all around bait would be the tube, it is a smallie killer.

You use it the same way as any other hook, now the straight shank flipping hooks are a different animal, for those I like to use ones that have a keeper on the shank. The only other thing is the hook eye, some flipping hooks have a larger gap were the eye meets the shank and make sure you set the hook a tad bit harder, while most hooks are really sharp, the stouter ones use thicker wire so naturally they need a little more pressure to fully penetrate, other than that no worries.