smalljaw67

I normally wouldtell you to go over to tackle underground and the guys there will give you very detailed answers. If you are doing this with a parent then fine, but I don't recommend pouring molten lead when 15, just too much that can go wrong. Do as Munkin suggested, get some raw heads, weed guards, paint and everything else and build your own jigs first and then decide if you want to take it further and invest in stuff to pour. Now, to give you a cost, my buddy started last year, he decided on using powder paint, 2 colors he got, black and brown. So he had to get a toaster oven to cure the jigs and a heat gun to heat them up, he got a 100 pack of weed guard, a single mold, 50 hooks and 120 tabs of silicone, 40 tabs in 3 different colors. his entire load came to $218 and change, he saved $30 by going with a small pot and a ladle but he just ordered a bottom pour as the ladle is giving him fits. And you need to remember, if you don't have access to good lead it will run you about $2.00 per pound when buying from a place that sells lead.

Normally I like fast action rods for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits and I like the length to be shorter as I target cast with them. That said, I think I found the best chatterbait/spinnerbait rod I ever used, at least for now and by the fall I'll have a better handle on it. I got a 6'9" heavy power Hammer rod, the thing is very light with Winn Grips and it is stout but has a mod fast type action, I've only caught 17 fish on it so far, 5 of a spinnerbait and 12 with the chatterbait and not a single fish lost. It doesn't sound like much but I never have caught 12 fish in a row on a chatterbait without losing at least 2, so that really made me happy. I purchased the rod for fishing larger topwaters in the 5/8oz to 1oz range and pretty soon I'll get to try it but right now it has become my goto spinnerbait rod. The make a 7' heavy that will work for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits from 3/8oz and up, the reason you go heavy is they are like a 1/2 power lighter than other rods, the heavy is like a stout medium heavy while their medium heavy is what Kistler would call a light medium heavy, I honestly never thought I'd be recommending those rods but I've been impressed with mine. The downside is they use micro guides and if you use braid with a leader it may not be for you but I'd go graphite in the Tatula as the glass is a little heavier weight wise and softer too, more backbone in the graphite model.

Out of the 3 rods the HMG is the one you want, I have a 6'6" medium power Vendetta, 1st generation and I can tell you it is nice for moving baits of soft jerkbaits but the sensitivity is average, the HMG is better by a good margin. The HMG isn't bad in the sensitivity dept. when comparing it to other rods in the same range but it isn't going to wow you either, it is just a good rod that is great for the price point.

For my waters, wake baits come into play as soon as fish are coming to the surface.

In my opinion you need at least 2 separate rods to cover all the things you want to. Crankbaits don't go well with a medium heavy fast action rod, you want a moderate or moderate fast for those. The treble hooks on topwater will also cause you problems, you either have to go to a medium power or use a rod with a moderate fast action, but jigs, T-rigs, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be fine with a medium heavy, fast action rod.

Allen, I have to buy the size 1 directly from Owner, the 1/0 I can get from LPO at a better price,

I use a lot of tubes and it depends on how and where I'm using them. For me if I was using 1 rod, it would be between a 6'8" to 7' medium power rod with a fast action, extra fast is good if the rod isn't a drop shot specific model. I have a 6'9" m-XF Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rod, it is absolutely perfect for fishing tubes because it is stout enough to throw 3.5" to 4" tubes on jig heads up to 3/8oz but I never go beyond 1/4oz. The rod is also light enough to throw a 2.75" tube on a 1/8oz head but the action is stiffer than it is on a drop shot specific rod. I got a St. Croix Avid X, my drop shot rod was short at 6'6" so I upgraded to a 7' ML-F, it is soft enough for drop shots but not too soft that I can't use it for other things, and tubes are one of the other uses. The tubes I use with that rod are specific, 2.75" or smaller on 1/16oz or 3/32oz heads in water 10' deep or less but if I had to, my medium power can do it but it is a little overpowering so if I was going to get 1 rod for tubes, it would be a medium power, fast action between 6'8" and 7'.

There are an awful lot of expensive jigs on the market using Mustad hooks. The reason is bang for buck, and with a flipping jig you want a heavy wire diameter hook. Try finding a commercially made jig using an Owner hook and the bet is that it will be a smaller manufacturer or a custom guy like myself, the reason is Owner treats everyone the same, you don't get a big price break until you hit a really large number of hooks so smaller places that use them have to charge a lot as the cost is often north of 50 cents per hook depending on model.

Arkie makes a good jig, nothing wrong with them at all, they just aren't flashy. The hooks I believe are Mustad, at least in a few different kind of their jigs. When you get into Dirty Jigs, Peppers Custom and the like, what you are getting paint jobs that are baked on with a clear coat and special colors in the skirt, as a jig maker I can tell you that the silicone used by the custom manufacturers is a lot more expensive than basic but when you are throwing a jig, it is often in water where it matters very little. Nope, nothing wrong with the Arkie, and just so you know, they make a hair jig called a "Muddler collar" hair jig that inspired me to tie something similar as my buddy had a great day pitching that jig to laydowns in 4' to 6' of water whit a 49 degree water temp and he used it with a simple chunk style trailer and he thumped 7 good ones.

First of all, when it comes to reels like an Abu black max or any of the other max reels that retail for less than $100 new, don't buy them used, that is like throwing your money away. I would stay away from combos, there are plenty of decent rods and reels that aren't going to break the bank. My suggestion is to save your money and wait for a Bass pro shops sale and get a pro qualifier reel and a 6'6" medium power BPS cranking stick, on sale it should be less than $150 and you'll have it a long time. If you can't wait, go to Fisherman's Factory Outlet, FFO, and for $42 you can get an Abu Garcia black max reel and for $19.00 you can grab a Berkley Amp rod in a 6'6" medium power, moderate fast action.

I love it!!! It allows me to use a good line that has a little more memory than others lines I use. I can have my reels spooled for a month and all it takes is a hit of KVD L&L and I'm good to go. The way I use it is when I get to the water, I give my reel spools a couple of spritzes, I do each reel I have starting with the one I'm going to use first. When I do that I'm good for most of the day, occasionally I may have to give the line another spritz but very seldom. I got my first bottle in a grab bag I bought for $2.00 at a fishing show and it sat in my home for about a year and one day my line was really bad so I decided the next trip I'd take this stuff and give it a shot, and after that one time I now make sure I have it all the time. I will tell you that it did help fluorocarbon line for me but I really hate fluorocarbon to the point I don't use it at all anymore. I never saw the need to use it on braid so mono is what I use it on and it works just as well on Big Game as it does on any other line and the best part is I don't get the oil slick when my line hits the water like I get with reel magic.

Chalk that up as a learning experience and keep it logged, clear water and overcast skies with rain. Things like that don't happen often but when they do it can make your fishing a lot better. In the 90s I wasn't into chartreuse colored cranks until my buddy did the same thing to me, hammered them on a chartreuse pearl Big-O, ever since that day I buy whatever square bill model in a natural finish as well as a chartreuse or chartreuse/black back version.

For me, crankbaits I use a snap when I'm trying to find a bait and color that is working but once dialed in I will direct tie. Everything else is direct tie and as others have said, no snap swivels. The only time I use a snap swivel is when I'm throwing small spinners on my ultra light for trout.

It depends on the model but there are good jig and worm models in that line. The 6'8" Medium power, extra fast action and the 7' medium power, fast action, if you fish a T-rigged worm with a 3/16oz weight then you'll be well within the 1/4oz to 5/8oz range. I have a spinning rod in the Avid X line, I think you get a great rod for the price, I really like what they did, much more responsive than the regular Avid series.

Yes, you can do it but you have to use a sideways motion and it does work, just not was well as the proper straight down technique. I watch a friend use a 7' 1" rod and he catches fish with the sideways rip, not as many as I do but it does work.

Epoxy is a must, super glue offers only a light surface bond and won't hold up to the type of pressure put on a diving bill. A good 2 part epoxy that is water proof, Flex Coat makes a lure epoxy that will work for that purpose.

It is the Cotton Cordell bait bonanza as I just saw that very same one yesterday at Wally World. I have a ton of Rapala baits and never saw a bill like that, plus the fact just about every type of lure in the bait bonanza brand has that color scheme in it.

What makes a tube so deadly is the fall, and the profile, alter both of these things at once and it becomes less effective. While it will probably catch a few fish just as a skirted bass jig will without a trailer, I find there are better trailers to maximize the presentation. I also find that a tube is deadly enough all by itself and there are enough ways to rig it that you don't need to use it as a trailer. The same thing for the bitsy flip, I make my own jigs but I make one similar for river smallmouth, I use it in place of a tube when the water is high and the bass move up on the bank in flooded water willow, I make short pitches and a few quick hops like a craw scooting along and it works but I use a small chunk trailer because it offers a better profile than a tube would.

Surflon 7 strand, if you get it uncoated you just head the end up and dip it in powder paint, that will seal it and keep it from coming undone.

Based on what you are using the rod for I actually thing the Avid would be a good choice, I prefer the X but not with a leader. Another one to consider at that price point is the Falcon Cara T7 in a 7' Medium power, fast action, those are two I'd look at as they are going to have a little more power than other spinning rods in the same class which will allow you to get good hook sets on jigs with hooks of a larger wire diameter but it won't over power like a MH would.

For those that like to wacky rig with casting rods and heavy line here are my HD wacky jigs. The ones in the picture are 3/16oz with a 1/0 hook but they come in 1/8oz, 3/16oz and 1/4oz and use either a size 1 or 1/0 Owner 5304 deep throat jig hook. The wire weed guard is made from braided wire and much bigger than normal thin wire found of other types of wacky jigs. I just finished making these for my an a friend for those days we have to finesse but going to do it with larger baits and heavier gear in grass and brush so I wanted to make sure we had a good hook to handle the heavier casting tackle.

What weights are you going to fish and what techniques do you plan to use and line type and strength? It may sound strange but all of those will play a part, for example, if you use braid with a fluorocarbon or mono leader then you won't want a rod that has micro guides. If you plan of drop shot fishing most of the time the Avid, Zodias, and KLX are out in a medium power because they are too stiff in the tip section for that technique. So depending on the specifics it is possible to eliminate certain rods based on their specific characteristics and properties.

I understand your needs and there is one problem, hollow body frogs. Frogs are so heavy that you can's throw them on a MH rod but if you are throwing them in heavy milfoil the MH isn't going to help if you have a nice fish on with 6lbs of grass added to it and that is why most use a dedicated frog rod or flipping stick. If you don't think you are going to be fishing slop, then the 7' MH-F rod in just about any brand you like will be fine, the Avid will work with a 5" Senko but if you are using other brands of stick worms that aren't as heavy as an original Senko, well it may take a little finesse type casting but it can be used with it. There are a ton of great rods out there in your price range and my suggestion is to get one in a 7' MH-F that you like and you'll be fine.

I'm looking forward to trying the Movement 80X this fall, it should be a killer!!!

Well it depends on the cover you're fishing and the line being used along with the weights. In looking at the rods I'd say if you are fishing in any kind of cover with the T-rig I would go the mag medium heavy with the fast action. If you are fishing more open areas and you aren't going to be throwing anything over 1/2oz I may go with the medium heavy, mod fast because that rod is more like a medium power the way it is rated and I prefer fishing flukes with a medium power rod but I do throw them on a medium heavy when in cover. The other thing is the medium heavy fast is more in line with medium heavy specs, it is rated to 7/8oz which tells me it is more stout and would handle a wider range of lure weights, so that is which way I'd go.