smalljaw67

I got'em too and they catch fish!!! You need to fish it a little slower and not into cover like a normal square bill. I throw it around stumps and weedbeds like the normal square bill but instead of running it into the stums or ripping it through weeds I fish it close to but in the cover. You'll like the bits you get, what is fun is you reel it at a normal rate, not fast or slow but as you get clost to cover just stop reeling for 2 seconds and then give it a couple of quick cranks, the fish really come off the cover to whack them and they seem better in clearer water than a normal square bill.

I'm a spinnerbait guy so that is my first choice but if there was a lot of pressure I'll throw the Square bill as a different look. If the fish are in a neutral mood or lethargic I'll use a fluke or slug-o.

What baits do you use the most that require a moderate action? Look for a M or MH that covers the 1/4 to 3/4oz range, I used both because some manufacturers call that medium while others call it medium heavy, anyway that will cover most of what you need. Now if the rod you want is rated 1/4 to 1/2 or 5/8 then you need to ask yourself what are the weights of the lures you throw most that requires a moderate action and then base the rod off the answer.

My first casting reel was an Abu Garcia 4300C I believe and all you had was a spool tension control and your thumb, that is what I learned on. My first "low profile" casting reel was a Shimano Bantam and it had a very primitve magnetic set up that didn't do too much so I used my thumb. With that said, any of those reels, the Lews Tourney speed spool or the Shimano Citica should be relatively easy to learn on, just spend 4 or 5 hours practicing in the yard or where ever to get a good handle on casting it, the last thing you want to do, and one of the reasons some give up on it, is be on the water when a good bite is on and you end up spending an hour picking out a backlash.

The Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth you would want for drop shoting could be one of 2 , either the 6'9" M-XF, or the 6'9" ML-F, both will work but in my opinion I'd say go with the medium power, extra fast action, and the reason is the rod is a little more versatile and since you got a 2500 size reel you could easily go from drop shotting to throwing senkos or tubes or even 6" Flukes or other soft jerkbaits without any drop in performance. I got that rod for light jigs, tubes and shaky heads and was really impressed at how well it handled the smaller lures I was using but was super impressed when I began using it for super flukes, it was nothing to launch the bait and working the bait was effortless. Now, if you want to go with a drop shot only rod the medium light, fast action may be more to your liking. I will tell you my honest opinion on them, I got the 6'9" M-XF spinning set up and after fishing it I got a casting version, a 6'10" MH-MF for larger crankbaits like 7/8oz traps, 5/8 and 3/4oz wake baits and square bills and found it to also make a great jerkbait rod. It feels great in hand is pretty light for a MH rated to 1oz, on my local butchers certified scale the rod weighed 3.83oz and I was able to get it on Amazon for a very good price. I plan on getting at least 2 more and I can't understand why these rods weren't priced a lot higher, I glad they weren't but don't be fooled by the price, they are quality sticks and I wouldn't have any trouble paying more for one. BTW, I paid the $129.99 for my spinning rod as I got it when they were first released and the only place I could find them was directly from Fenwick but now Cabelas has them so I just go there to look at and handle the other rods in the series so I know which one I want. Trust me, if you get one you won't be sorry. Check the link I put in here, a good price for the rod. http://realrecreatio...h)-3896103.html

There are also anglers that love their BPS KVD and Strike force and Caius, the point I was making is that those reels are in the same catagory, they are value priced reels, and while most perform well enough to fish the internal parts aren't the best which leads to a higher amount of failure compared to higher priced reels. While it is true that you can get a bad expensive reel or a great value reel, the odds of that happening are rare, and I don't mean that the value reel is doomed to failure, it is just they are designed to get 1 or 2 seasons due to the use of cheaper bearings and gears. Do you think an 8 ball bearing $200+ reel has the same bearings as a 10 ball bearing $79.99 reel? If they did the manufacturers would never be able to sell an expensive reel.

Power, action and length all affect the rods performance and they all need to be considered in choosing a rod. The action refers to how much the rod flexes, a fast action rod only the top 1/3 of the rod flexes, a moderate fast action about half of the rod will flex and a moderate action about 2/3 of the rod will flex. Power ranges from UL-ultra light to H- heavy and everywhere in between but the power of the rod is going to determine how heavy the lures you are going to use but this is a greay area as there is no industry standard, on company will make a rod that is a medium power and has the same specifications as another company's medium light or even medium heavy. Length is mostly about casting distance and personal preferance but it does aid in certain applications like flipping and pitching. In general crankbaits along with most treble hook lures are going to be better fished on a rod that has a moderate or moderate fast action, the length can vary and so can the power depending on the size of the bait being used. Most lures using a single hook are going to be fished on a rod with a fast or extra fast action with a variety of different lengths and powers and again, the length and power will be dependent upon the size of the lures being used. Now this is just a general usage explanation, I'm sure you can find an article explaining it better than I did.

Those I lump in the Abu silver max, Diawa strike force and laguna, Shiman Caius, Corvalus,and th Pflueger Criterion, these are all reels that will put a bad taste in the mouth of anyone unfortunate to use one after owning a good reel.

If you're using 1/2oz spinnerbaits you need a MH, The Recons are very nice rods but the ML is more of a finesse baitcaster, I would say they are close to a medium power spinning rod. I think they are rated to 1/2oz so that is the upper limit, you would be putting a pounding on that rod for whay you are wanting to do.

What kind of rod is this if you don't mind me asking? If you're missing that many on a shaky head and you are using braid there are 2 possible problems. The first could be the jshaky head is junk and the hook isn't penetrating, or the rods fast action with braid is causing you to set the hook too early resulting in the fish only being lightly hooked. I think it is the first reason myself because to have it happen once or twice is one thing but 10 fish...You need a new shaky head. BTW, while the set you have is fine I think a moderate action helps when using braid, an extra fast action is what you want for using mono for shaky heads.

A lot depends on the size spinnerbaits and senkos you're throwing, if you find the you are using 3" and 4" Senos most of the time and 1/4oz spinnerbaits and the occasional 3/8oz you may be ok but if you are throwing 5" and 38 and 1/2oz spinnerbaits I'd say return it. Another thing to consider is the fish you're after, I remember watching guys fishing in current using some type of light rod and catching big smallies and one guy was fighting his fish for 20 minutes, an hour later I see theis beautiful 4lb smallies floating down the river, and right away I thought about making sure you have the right tackle for what you are going after. In warm water fighting a fish more than a few minutes is fatal for the fish most of the time. I like to fight the fish too but I also want to get him to the boat before the fish is totally spent.

I still use motor oil worms when I fish the Potomac! All you need to do is put them is a bag and add some worm oil and good as new...If they were straight in the packages, I had some worms over 2 years old that I stored and some were bent, those I gave to a guy that does his own pouring because it is a paint to try and get them straight again.

IFirst of all I'm going to apologize if I offend anyone as I don't mean too. I saw a spool on one of my reels that looked EXACTLY like that, and it wasn't caused by any corrosive. What happed to mine ( Which was a Pflueger Patriarch for those interested) was after I trailered the boat I was putting my tackle away and I dropped my rod and reel and the reel smashed off the side of the trailer and when I say it looked exactly like that I mean if that reel in the pic didn't have the rainbow deposition coating on it you would not be able to tell the difference. I have reels from 3 different brands and they all have some boat rash but that isn't wear or boat rash or even saltwater use, that reel was dropped on something hard like a trailer or perhaps a concrete ramp, it is chipped, wear doesn't make aluminum chip.

ClackerBuzz, the wire diameter I use depends on what kind of bait and what size I'm making, a normal 1/4 or 3/8oz spinnerbait I'm using .035 wire, occasionally I'll use .032 piano wire, for a 1/2oz bait and larger I like .040, that is the biggest I use.

Msolorio and Jig Man are both correct, you do have a slight advatage making your own because you can make that special color and the fact that what you are going to make and fish will be something the fish haven't seen much if at all.. Jig Man is also right and his assesment is about perfect and I would say you initial investment for jigs is closer to $200 if you don't try to go really cheap on the melting pot and skirt tools. Same thing for plastics but initial start up is even higher, I like to tell people that if you want to do this as a hooby and a way to deal with cabin fever then by all means have at it. But if you happen to be in the "save money" crowd, forget it, it will take years for you to even break even if you sell a few here and there or if you lose like 50+ jigs a year, that is the only way. If you proceed you'll find a rewarding hobby that will take up a lot if not all of your free time, for a lot of us it has be come an odsession, the constant looking to see what we can do to make our creation even better than the last batch, and the thrill you get the first time you catch a fish on a lure you made from scratch at your home, well it is a feeling that is hard to describe.

To me, the biggest difference between the two besides color is the guides, either rod will be fine, I have a Vendetta and was very pleased and it is the lowest price rod I own but it goes out with me every trip, it is versatile and a fantastic caster with a lot of backbone. Whatever you choose will work.

Every brand has its flaws, I like Quantum reels and Pfluegers and Abu Garcia. Shimano left a bad taste in my mouth with 2 bad Symetre spinning reels in one season, the first one the bearings went bad, the second one had bad bearings and the bail spring broke and I was told my Shimano to buy a better reel in their line up...That was my last one but their upper tier offerings are great reels but I have a bad taste in my mouth over the problem with the Symetres that I refuse to buy Shimano. What kills me is how a brand loyal customer will bash a reel for being rough during the retreive or if it is heavy but they defend their brand to the hilt if they happen to make a reel just like they hate about another reel. A perfect example of this is Diawa fans, I love Diawa reels but most of their reels under 270 with a few exceptions like the Tierra or Advantage, aren't very good. The problem is I've heard a few of those people really hammer Quantum for having heavy reels and then what do you know, Diawa comes out with a $600 Z2020 that weighs 10oz by itself and that is ok, it is great or how about the complaints on the "geary" feeling of the $400 T3, I have heard Quantum getting bashed for this on a $150 dollar reel but it seem exceptable on a much higher priced reel. And then we have the " made in Japan" crowd, I swear you could put a turd in a box and have "made in japan" printed on it and charge $350 dollars for it and it would be the greatest thing on the market. Every brand has its problems and successes, it is why I use multiple brands, and the part of Quantum that appeals to me is I can get a high performance, all aluminum light weight reel for a reasonable price in what is called the Smoke, I like the Revo Premier also but it was $80 dollars more retail when it came out. I tell everyone about my mistake symetres but I also tell them about the good reels they make but I had a bad experience so I shy away from them, I try hard not to bash.

I'm not a fan of glass rods, too heavy so I would opt for the crankin stick but why not the Falcon BuKoo? The 4-14 is rated for lures up 1/2oz and is a pretty decent rod for the price and is less the 4oz.

X3 !!!!

Most rods over 7'2" are tip heavy, epecially the ones with split grips. Certain techniques I actually prefer a rod that is slightly tip heavy.

Practice in the yard, used 3/8oz and 1/2oz old lures without hooks to learn how to cast and make adjustments. And like the others have said, get a decent reel, it doesn't have to be $300 but you don't want a 49.99 dollar special so stick with a reel around the $100 range.

For 20 dollars the regular speed spool is way better. The Laser MG is an all graphite reel while the normal speed spool has an aluminum frame. As for performance I don't know about the Laser MG but the speed spool is a great reel at that price. A friend of mine in the bass club has a Lews Tourney Pro and he bought his son a Speed spool, we took it out so he could get it set up for the kid and just kept using it and let me use it, I was amazed it was only 89 dollars at that time and so was my friend, he gave the one he was fishing to his kid and went and bought 3 more, he said the performance was identical to the pro with the biggest difference being the weight. I have to admit that it was a fantastic reel and at that price it is without out a doubt better than any reel close to it in price by mile. I really want a Tourney pro but I've been fighting with myself wondering if I should save the cash and get the speed spool because I already used both and I know that the smoothness of retrieve and casting performance is identical or very close to identical in both reels, and I put a reel really close to the weight of the speed spool on the rod I want a new reel for and it balanced just fine, so I'm torn but if I had to choose between the laser and speed spool it would be a no brainer just because I've had a bad experience with graphite framed reels in the past so I stay away from them.

First of all slow down, being new to this and just looking at everything is overwhelming. I'm going to try to make this easy as I can so it will be less looking and more doing. 1. Plastics - Don't look at individual lures, instead look at catagories, you have 1. worms and grubs - 2. craws - 3. creatures 4.- Tubes. When you begin my advise would be get 2 packs of 7" or 7.5" ribbon style worms like the Berkley powerbait worms and also a few packs of stick worms like Gary Yamamoto Senkos or Yum Dingers. After that get yourself some worm hooks, this can be very intimidating also as there are different types but for now lets just get a normal offset worm hook or an EWG hook, both will work fine. Get them in sizes 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 as these you will use most and you can also get a pack of size 1 octopus hooks, these are good if you want to fish stick worms wacky rigged. With the internet you can find information on everything you want to try but what I told you to get is going to help you not only catch fish but give you a starting point that will get you out on the water while you begin to learn. A medium spinning rod will be more than enough so you can save to get that but before you know it you'll be like the rest of us that have been doing it a long time and have rods just for certain lures...lol. 2. Hardbaits - Same deal, catagories before individual lures. 1. Crankbaits (lipped) 2. Lipless crankbaits 3. Topwater 4. Minnows (jerkbaits) Topwaters for warm water, I'd say over 62 degrees and you can catch them on top, and your crankbaits you'll want to focus on those that are shallow diving, smaller lures. These will draw more strikes and help you not only learn how to use them but also gain confidence at the same time, once you feel you know how, when and where to use a bait then move on to another lure in a particular catagory. 3. Wire Baits - Not too many catagories here but there is a ton of baits just like the rest. 1. Jigs 2. Spinnerbaits 3. bladed jigs (chatterbaits) I would begin with the spinnerbait, this is the easiest to use and not only that but the jig is the easiest to fish but one of the hardest baits to learn. I would say a chatterbait will work along the same lines as the spinnerbait so concentrat on those, move to the jigs after you have fish a lot with worms and have confidence in detecting bites and setting the hook on fish. I didn't include swimbaits or subcatagories in order to keep it simple but if you are looking at lures I suggest go to tackle warehouse first, not to just buy but look, they actually break down the items they sell by catagory and do it with hardbaits and softbaits seperately so if you want to fish with a plastic but you want it to be a finesse bait, you can go there and actually look under finesse or drop shot and find lures to use or try. Good luck.

What is everyones favorite technique to catch smallmouth? I have 2 that are very close, burnning a spinnerbait just under the surface but not quite waking it and fishing a jerkbait. The spinnerbait deal is so exciting in clear water and the hits you get are ultra violent, there really is nothing like burnning that bait and seeing it coming toward you and then in an instant you see a swirl, the bait disappears and the rod feels as if the fish is trying to rip free from your hands! But then you have the jerkbait, you make a cast to a point and you crank the bait down to depth and give it that first little jerk and then stop, you wait for 5 or 6 seconds and give it 2 or 3 jerks in a row and stop, and as you are about to repeat the process the line gets tightr and the rod doubles and the fight is on! And on the days when the water warms up you make the cast and beging the jerk-jerk-jerk- quick pause and repeat, you're working a fast cadence with a shallow running, floating style jerkbait, the bait is moving left and right, up and down at an ever maddening pace and then it happens, just as you start again after the quick pause a giant smallie comes literally out of nowhere and grabs the long slender offering and tries its best to free itself from being reeled in by you, the angler but to no avail! Like I said, it is hard to choose as both ways are super exciting.

There are some who dislike Quantum reels and thats ok but don't let it discourage you from a Quantum Smoke, My 150 7.3:1 is on my jig and worm rod but also gets used when I burn spinnerbaits and the reel is a machine!! It also has the added benefit of giving my combo that nice stealthy look. The 100 size Smoke is also a really nice reel, and in my opinion is the best reel Quantum ever made.