smalljaw67

I don't really care for Dobyns rods but I know they are a good rod, a little overpriced but a ggod rod still the same. Anyway, what are you using it for? a 5 power rod is pretty stout and depending on what you are using it for could make a difference. From researching the rods and knowing some people that use them I would say that this rod is pretty much a worm and jig rod and perhaps a 4 power would be more verstile, it could be that you may actually be overpowering the fish and pulling the hook free.

I use a trailer on my finesse jigs but unlike bigger jigs the trailer really has to be balanced as too heavy or bulky platstic will make the jig useless. Here is a pic of a finesse jig I'm making and I've been doing fantastic with it, this one is a 1/8oz head but I will use 3/16oz and 1/4oz depending on how deep I'm using them or wheter there is current or not. I alike using them the best in shallow water around lay downs, places that hold fish but the skinny water makes the fish a little spooky, places like that are perfect for finesse jig and so are docks. A lot of people make a few casts to docks with a worm or regular jig and don't get bit and just move on but sometimes the fish don't want a big offering and you can go back and use the finesse jig and clean house, they are always on a rod when I go out.

That is the same kind of line, the fluoro coated nylon and no matter the tag end it will give you fits. You made need to try using the san diego jam knot, for some reason the coating on those lines is slick to the point of the palomar slipping.

If you have the budget for a St. Croix or Loomis then take a look at a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth, these are very good rods for the price.

Tubes are great for all bass species and it is why you see them made from 1" up to 8" and it is versatile. I fish tubes a lot for smallies and largemouth so I may be able to help you. In a lake where you will be fishing laydowns and other forms of cover you need to use a 3.5" to 4" tube, these sizes make it easy to texas rig which is how you want to rig them. Try to use the lightest weight possible, so if you are fishing shallow lay downs use a 1/8oz bullet weight pegged and texas rig a 3.5" tube with either a 2/0 or 3/0 EWG worm hook, make sure the hook is through both sides of the tube and then just skin hook the point of the hook into the plastic to keep it weedless. The same deal for the 4" tube only you will want a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook. The bullet weight is good but if you can get them you can find a product called EZ Tube, it is a weight that goes inside the tube and it has a hole in the top and the side so you can texas rig the tube through the weight and the offset on the hook holds the weight in place. Only use the easy tube on tubes that don't have solid heads, a lot of tubes have the first half inch or so of the tube solid to better hold a hook but it keeps the EZ Tube weight to low to rig so you need to use a bullet weight with those tubes. Once rigged you fish them more like a jig than a worm, just make the cast and let it fall, give it a shake or two and then lift and drop again, the reason is the tube is really effective as it falls. good luck and be sure to try the tube. EDIT: I almost for got, you want to use colors like natural pumpkin or green pumkin when the water is clear or at least 3' of visibility, if it is darker try black, black/blue flake, or black/red flake (black neon). I know you said the lake is fertile and green but it can have good or poor visibility.

The Palomar is one of the few knots that is easy to tie and has a low failure rate, that said I usually trim it close and leave a little less than 1/8", it is close to 1/16". What kind of line? The reason I ask is I did have problems with the Palomar on one line, and that was P-Line CXXX, for some reason it would slip to the point I would have to leave almost 1/4" on the tag and retie after every fish, needless to say the line was history after two trips.

The #5 and #7 shad raps are great in cold water and I have them just for that reason. My favorites are the X-Rap, The DT Fat 3, and the DT series in general with the DT4 and DT6 the most used. I've also become fond of the DT Flat 3 and Flat 7 as well, These are great in cold water but in warm water when the fish aren't biting much or around wood and rocks, the coffin bill really kicks the baits over limbs and rock and the Flat 3 has also helped me catch fish as a finesse square bill. I've had fish flash and swirl at a square bill but not take it and so I would switch colors or brands and change sizes and the fish either left it alone or would just swirl at the other baits but the tight wiggle of the flat 3 would get those fish to bite. So now if they Don't hit a square bill or I'm getting them on the back hook I'll go to the flat 3 and it has been money so far.

I'm going to help you out here, and a lot of people will laugh but I found line that is fantastic and cheap. The downside is it has become hard to find so I have to get it online but at least I can get it. What I'm talking about is Cajun Clear lightning, it is terrible on spinning reels and it is intended for casting reels and it says so on the packaging but some tried it for spinning and it got a bad rap. Anyway, unlike the red lightning this is super clear, they claim to do away with impuities that cause other lines to be cloudy and while I'm not sure whether I buy that or not, one thing I can say it is clear, almost like flouro. The other thing is the stretch on this line is minimal, in fact I remember using Seaguar carbon pro and that had more stretch than the cajun clear lightning. Abrasion resistance is also great, I'm amazed not many use it, and for me it what I use for jigs and worms in cover and spinnerbaits. I believe it is like 9 or 10 bucks for 1000 yards or so of 14lb and it really reminds me of flouro but it does handle a little better, so check it out but remember, it isn't the clear cast which is made for spinning reels, what you want is clear lightning, I think it will work for you.

I would call it MH also but not enough to throw frogs with. Well if not in heavy cover or slop then I could see doing it but it does make a great topwater or jerkbait rod.

I would say the Premier from St. Croix is of the same level as the GL2 of the Loomis rods, it no way approaches the GL3, sorry. I own 1 GLX, an IMX a GL3 and a Jerkbait series rod and the GL3 I got over an IMX due to the fact I liked the handle on the GL3 and it is a SJR or spin jig rod. The weight and blank difference between an IMX and a GL3 is very minimal were the difference between the GL3 and GL2 is a world apart. I'm not knocking the Premier but it isn't a GL3, a GL2 yes and if you doubt it pick up a GL2 and compare side by side with the GL3 at your local tackle store and you'll see a huge difference and then compare the Premier to the GL3, not even close as the GL3 has a much more crisp lively action as compared to a premier, and I have fished a Premier.

I have mostly mixed set ups but I have a few rods matched up to reels of the same brand. This doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is whether the rod and reel feel good together and work well together, looks are secondary.

The Creme pre rigged Scoundrel came with a little prop and some beads on a leader that you tied to, it didn't need any weight and was a killer bait in 3' to 6' of water. The best way to fish them is to let them sink over weedbeds and slowly reel and I do mean slowly. I don't know why these things catch fish but they do but the problem is they are notorious for snagging. A great bait I don't use anymore as if it even gets close to cover it finds a way to get hung up but if you got a place with little cover to fish them they do work.

Hey Mike, I'm just a little north of you near a town called Pottsville. I do a lot of fishing for smallies on the Susquehanna river , I also fish the "Dead Sea" aka Blue Marsh Lake that is in Berks County. I'd gladly help you out anyway I can. Welcome to the board!

X2 !! Captain Hooks is the place to go without a tax i.d. number. I will add Zeiners Bass Shop, depending on the hook they are sometimes cheaper, I know they have a better price on the Mustad 91768 hooks than Captain Hooks so be sure to check around.

This is great information and I agree with it 100% but I'll add a little bit to it. If you are catching fish on worms but not jigs it is the mood of the fish, you either have to downsize and fish a finesse type jig in the 1/8oz or 3/16oz range or upsize to a 5/8oz or 3/4oz jig. I know the upsize thing sounds strange but there are times when the faster fall will trigger a reaction strike, it doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to give it a try.

The reason you didn't like them is probably because they are glass rods, glass feel completely different from graphite. For 100 dollars look at the Falcon BuCoo model 5-17, it is a 7' MH rod with a moderate fast action, this will be good for the deep divers you want to throw, the 4-17 is a little too moderater for deep diving baits.

I have a Grandson that I got into bass fishing and now he even helps making lures and I asked him what was the most fun lure he used and it was by far the old Beetle spin. The nice thing about the beetle spin is it catches all kinds of fish so it keeps them interested, it is easy to learn to cast and they will know when they get a bite. This is how my grandson learned to use spinning tackle at the same time and the fact that he was using a bass spinnerbait just like me made it even better and if the bass weren't biting he would still catch crappie, bluegills, and even a catfish on the beetle spin. Try it, your kids will love it!.

X2 !!! When it comes to plastics and jigs your rod becomes more important, save on the reel and get the best rod you can.

I have baits that are coated with Devcon 2 Ton epoxy that are crystal clear and that is why I use it because it was the only epoxy I found that dried clear. I think it also states that one of its uses is as an encapsulant. Yes, I know too well about epoxy turning yellow, I've been making tackle for over 15 years and tried many different products and Devcon is the best I ever used, just make sure it is the 30 minute. BTW, you need to brush Devcon on, it is too thick to dip and when you brush it on don't worry about brush marks, it is pretty much self leveling so all you need to do is use your drying wheel and it will come out perfect.

I agree 100% with DVT, more than likely you are around the weight limit for the rod with the size jig you are using. If you are set on spinning rod for jig fishing let the board know what size jgs you use, this way you'll get recommendations for a rod that will fish well and not break on a cast. I would tell you right off to look at the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rods, I have a 6'9" M-XF spinning rod that I use to fish tubes, shaky heads and light jigs and the last 2 outings I've been using it almost full time as I'm doing really well with finesse jigs in 1/8oz ans 3/16oz but the rod will handle over 1/2oz however I wouldn't make a snap cast with anything over 3/8oz even though the rod is rated higher and has a lifetime warranty.

If you look at it in shallow water it looks like something alive, that said I was using them on a 1/8oz football head jig in 3' of water and if there was a fish close by they hit it, that is a great bait for sure.

Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy, it dries super clear and is not only tough but water proof and fully cures in 24 hours. If you go with Devcon just make sure you get the 30 minute because enen the 30 minute will get thick and hard to use in a short time and I don't think the 5 minute is as clear after it cures.

If you have a medium heavy spinning outfit you should be fine using it for jigs. I use casting gear for that size jig but lately I've been fishing finesse jigs 99% of the time as I'm slaying them and I use a spinning set up for those but it isn't in heavy cover, only sparse grass and around docks.

Personal preferance as mentioned above but I use both spinning and casting when I use finesse techniques the size to the bait is usually what determines the set up. I love finesse jigs from 1/8oz to 1/4oz, for the 1/8oz I use a spinning setup and for the 1/4oz I'll use casting, 3/16 and it depends on the cover, light cover I'm using a spinning outfit, thicker weeds and grass and I'll go with casting.

Really nice design and color, especially the splatterback!! The head on those is really going to move some water, I bet the vibration on them is really strong, great job!!