smalljaw67

I will say ML as well, I like the Avid X, it feels more responsive than the regular Avid.

This is the best advice you'll get young man. You gain experience by trying different things, I see far to many guys saying they don't like brand "A" and when I ask why, the response I normally get is " I heard it was..." and that is wrong. There are a lot of good rods available in your price range that will work with topwater baits, the best thing you could do is look at an online retailer who carries a large assortment of rods and look for rods in your budget from EVERY manufacturer, this will help you but if you stick to Shimano only products you may be missing the boat on something that would work perfect for you at your price range. I'll tell you what we're talking about, Shimano, Dawia, and Abu Garcia all make great high end products, but when you get into what we like to call the "workhorse" range, the $100 - $200 range, there are a bunch of products that hold their own and even beat the big 3s products, you just have to have an open mind and don't limit yourself.

Take a look at the parameters of your crankbait fishing and it will let you find exactly what you need. I'll make a list of the things I look at to determine what I need. 1. What - This is for the type and size of crankbait. 2. Where - Is the areas, depths, and cover I intend to throw the crankbait. 3. How - This has to do with the way I'm going to present the crankbait and is often affiliated with where I'm going to use it. Those three things help me, for example when I was looking at getting a special rod for finesse cranking, the 3/16oz to 3/8oz size bait, I was looking at 2 rod, both have the same action, one was 7' and the other was 6'6". I used the parameters I set to make my decision, not based on brand loyalty even though it worked that way, and the reasoning was where I was using these small cranks. I was using this rod to fish the small baits in tight, target situations so I needed more accuracy but I still had to consider the distance and in the end the shorter rod was the choice because I could easily cast the distances needed with the shorter rod and I could do it with a higher degree of accuracy. If you ask yourself those questions when you come across a situation in which you need another rod for a situation, you can really narrow your choices and make a better decision.

When I started using snaps I would remove the split ring, nobody ever told me why, I remember seeing it or reading it somewhere and it stuck. Then, while out fishing square bills with a friend, I noticed he was using a snap but he connected it right to the split ring, and when I told him he should remove the ring he asked why and I couldn't give him an answer. BTW, he caught a lot of fish that day, and it didn't seem to hurt the action at all. I do a lot of direct tying and I do it to a split ring but this time of year I like using a snap because it may take me 3, 4, or sometimes 5 different baits before I really get things dialed in and the snap saves time but I may just try using the snap on the split ring to see if I notice a difference my next time out.

I make mown spinnerbaits, I bend my own wire forms and pour my own heads and it allows me control of the components. I'm telling you this so I can help you decide on what kind of spinnerbait you should get. The reason you can find cheap spinnerbaits for a dollar or two is because they use a low grad stainless wire, cheap hooks, and either crane or cheap roller swivels and for the most part they will work and catch fish. A good spinnerbait has a good grade of stainless which means you have a better strength to diameter ratio so a lighter wire can be used with the same durability as the cheap one and it will put out more vibration. It will also have good hooks and a high quality ball bearing swivel, these catch fish as well, the difference is how each catch fish. If the fish are a little deeper, say 6' to 8' and in a neutral mood, well you may want to use a different bait if you are using $1 spinnerbaits because in order to slow roll a 3/8oz or 1/2oz spinnerbait in that depth, you need a swivel that is going to spin at a very slow speed, this is where you find out what difference that good swivel makes, I can creep my spinnerbaits along extremely slow and the blade will still spin, you can't go that slow with a walmart special. My advice would be to use what will work for you, if you only use spinnerbaits when conditions are absolutely the best, well a cheap model will work, but if you like using them in a variety of different presentations, well then a better bait is what you would want. Don't get me wrong, those cheap $1 baits do work and can work well but when the fish need to be finessed a little with a slower moving bait, well that is when a good spinnerbait is a must have.

Is the tip section soft or is it pretty stiff? I know the Aetos rods have a lot of sensitivity but I was wondering if the rod would be to stiff for my liking as a jerkbait/small topwater rod.

I had quite a few jerkbait rods, I was using a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF for my larger jerkbaits and it was great but I'd still end up hitting the water at times so I went back to what works for me. I now use 2 rods as it is the best solution for me, my large jerkbait rod, 1/2oz and up is an old Cabela's XML medium power, fast action, it is rated 1/4oz to 3/4oz but it has a soft tip. My other one is a Fenwick Aetos 6'6" medium light power, moderate action, it is rated 1/4oz to 1/2oz and I find that 3/16oz to 7/16oz is more like it as I can throw a #5 shad rap with it as well as a size 10 X-rap. The reason I got that rod is for finesse cranking but I discovered something by reading these forums, I saw a lot of guys liked the Pointer 78 and similar size jerkbaits, I would only use them as a last resort but as I read I found that most were throwing them with cranking rods, I've tried cranking rods for larger jerkbaits and I didn't like it as I fish them aggressive and the slow action left me feeling like the I had no control. Well I decided to try my finesse cranking rod with a smaller jerkbait and it was awesome!! I was overpowering the smaller baits with the fact action rod so they didn't really work well for me but with this moderate action rod I found I liked using that size bait and now I use them about 50% of the time. So for me, using baits that weight 5/8oz and 2 that weight 3/4oz as well as using baits that weigh 1/4oz and 3/8oz, I find that 2 rods are the best for me but if I was forced to have one rod and I'd be getting a new one, I'd say a 6'6" medium power with a fast action but it would have to have a soft tip.

If you are at the $100 budget then a Pflueger Supreme is the ticket! The 30 size reel will hold 130 yards of 8lb line so it will probably hold around 100 yards of 12lb and it weighs in at 7.5oz. I have the MGX model which is basically the same model, that reel has been excellent for me.

I have thought about that rod for the very same thing!!

I'll be the one that has a different opinion and to me the main factors are depth, cover, and season. For your situation it depends on how active the fish are, if they are hitting it when you burn it then it is pretty much a reaction strike and in those depths I'd be looking at 1/2oz to 5/8oz. If you need to go slow to entice a strike then 1/4oz to 3/8oz will fit the bill, for me I use a Cotton Cordell Super Spot when slow reeling a 1/4oz lipless crank, they seem to work at slower speeds than any other brand I tried. If I'm getting bit at a simple moderate speed on a straight retrieve, then 3/8oz will work better in those depths. If I have to Yo-Yo a bait, it is usually in depths of 10' of more with a 5/8oz to 3/4oz bait, the smaller is for 10'12' and the larger is over 12'. Shallow sparse grass flats are custom made for ripping a bait and depending on how sparse the grass is you may be able to get away with a 3/8oz but most of the time a 1/2oz bait will serve you well for that and the same thing for throwing directly in the grass, even 5/8oz would work, but just going along along a weed line or edge I'd actually opt for a 3/8oz bait because you can reel it slower and it will maintain that 3' or 4' depth naturally without burning it because you don't have the need to rip the bait since it is running along the edge.

Owner makes the 5326 cross eye hook but only in a 4/0. If that mold takes a 4/0 32798 Mustad then the Owner should work.

Jerkbait, Rapala #5 Shad Rap, hair jig, in that order!

My square bill rod is a moderate fast, that little bit extra backbone is nice to pull baits over rocks and through light brush. On deep cranking rods it has to do with handling the resistance of a bait with a large bill and it also gives it extra backbone to help drive the larger hooks home. When you get into 2/0 size trebles, you no longer need a cranking rod because the trebles are large enough to fully penetrate the mouth of a fish so there isn't any danger of pulling the hooks out with a stiff rod.

I like my Abu Garcia Premier, Lews Tournament Pro, and I really like the Pflueger reels but I have a Smoke 150 and that reel is fantastic!! I don't have too many brand prefrences, I keep and open mind and I won't bash without trying for myself. The Smoke 100 is a very good reel but the 150 is just better in my opinion but I have the first generation Smoke so I can't help with the new model but if you find new a new "old stock" 150 I'd grab it, I really like mine.

I make my own as well but if I was buying them it would be a Jewel Baits Eakins jig or the Booyah Pro Boo Bug.

This is an excellent point!!!! My mid depth cranking rod can handle a DT-10 and after that it becomes tough as the resistance really pulls. Another thing is casting distance, you will have to launch a deep diver much further to get it into its effective depth and keep it there for most of the retrieve, so you are looking at a 7'6" minimum but in reality a 7'9" to 8' is what you will want in a stout MH or H power depending on which type of deep divers you're talking about.

I agree with you, they will eat them all season but one thing we've noticed in the waters we fish is that large silicone skirted jigs do better in the warmer months. When I discovered hair jigs in the late 80s, I used them all the time but we can never leave well enough alone so we would do side by side comparisons to see what was better when and where. We found that hair jigs work well in warm water just like cold but we caught more and larger fish on the silicone and we figured is the fish eating the bigger bait consistently when its metabolism is high. I love fishing hair but I keep it confined to cold water mostly because other baits come into play and seem to get better numbers of larger fish for us, and in the cold water, skirted jigs don't do well even though you can still get them to bite one, hair will work better so we use what gives us the best chance of getting more, and larger fish and for me, in my ,waters, it is silicone and rubber in warm water and hair in color water.

The 1.5s and 2.5s and they now have them for $6.99 but they are selling out fast. Anyway, I don't thing there is any cranks that deflects better than a square bill and one with a high floatation is even better.

I can't really help with brands but if you are concerned with bills breaking, look for cranks that have circuit board bills as they will hold up better. I will also add some food for thought, the only times I ever had bills break from banging rocks or the bottom has happened in cold water, I had it happen to a LC Pointer and I was told that the cold water makes the Lexan, that is used to make the bill, very brittle, and I was told this by a rep from Lucky Craft and they did replace my bait. So now when it comes to jerkbaits I try not to hit rocks and with cranks I look for heavier billed models or circuit board bills.

I agree with Cueball, I'd go with the 6'9" ML-XF Avid X. I have used both the Avid and the Avid X side by side and you'd never know the rods were made with the same blank for the same price. If I didn't know any better I'd say the Avid X would have been at least $50 more as it is that much better. The guides along with a perfectly balanced split grip really made the blank come to life, the 7' ML-F is going to be my next rod. The model is the same by the same company for the same price, it is a no brainer!!

If you can't tell the difference between a Revo SX and a Black Max it is because your mind is telling you to justify using the less expensive model. Now, just because one item cost more than another doesn't always mean it is better but when it comes to reels, what you get for $160 versus $50 is head and shoulders better. When you say "messed around" I'm assuming you just picked it up and handled it and cranked the handle a few times and I'm guessing the reel was on one of the little rod handles when you did that. The first thing is the weight, the SX is 1/2oz lighter, it isn't much but if you used the black max on your rod for an hour and then used the SX on the same rod, you'll notice that 1/2oz and it will feel like it weighs a lot more. Not just the weight but also cranking the reel under load from a fish or a lure like a spinnerbait, you'll notice how much better the gears are in the SX compared to the black max, because the 9 bearings versus the 4 is really going to make a big difference as the bearings and gears are going to be better in the SX because you are paying for better materials, the reels have to be made and when you buy a reel a lot of the cost has to do with features and material and every manufacturer is going to use a much better selection of materials in the $160 reel versus the $50 otherwise how would they get people to fork out that much more money if the one for $100 less was only marginally better?? Believe me, even if the Black Max was the best $50 dollar reel on the market, and it may be, it still isn't even close to the SX.

Hair jig season is just about here and I've been getting a lot of questions about what kind to use and where to use them so I decided to do a post on basics. In the picture, the jigs on the right hand side are for clear water, the top jig is a 3/32oz marabou jig, the 2 under it are both buck tail jigs with one having a weed guard and no trailer and the other with no weed guard and a rabbit strip trailer. The marabou jig will be worked by swimming it slowly or hopping it along the bottom, no trailer is used but on this one I have 2 feathers tied in to give it a little extra. The buck tail jig without the trailer is 1/8oz and can be used as it is or a small trailer can be added like a trout worm or tiny chunk, it can be used in a swimming type presentation, hopped or crawled along the bottom and even dead sticking works with it. The 1/8oz buck tail with the rabbit strip will be used as is, the rabbit strip will give this jig a little more action and it will bulk the profile up a bit, it can be used in the same manner as the other buck tail but I normally use it when the fish are a little more active so it is either swimming or hopping most of the time. The jigs on the left hand side are more for stained water, less than 2' of visibility is where they shine because of the added bulk. The top two jigs are 1/8oz football heads, the top one has buck tail tied in with deer belly hair tied over top and there is a little more hair than in my clear water jigs. This jig is going to be crawled along the bottom slowly with a chunk style trailer, a 2" tiny Paca Chunk works great for this jig and it is going to fished primarily on hard bottom or rock covered areas. The other football head is going to be pretty much the same as the previous one, the difference is that it is tied with a heavy collar made of fine round rubber, and that is not only going to make the jig stand up, but it also provides a different profile, pretty much like a Sculpin so we will often slowly swim this along that bottom without a trailer and it works surprisingly well at times. The last one of that side is what I call the creeper jig, it is 1/8oz round head with a rabbit hair body with some longer silicone strands in for some added action. This is one that is always going to have a trailer and it is always a chunk type trailer and it depends on the size of the jig but one of the ones we find that works well on this is the Ron Yurko finesse chunk by Venom Lures. This jig is crawled along the bottom or slow hopped and dead sticking also works well with this jig and this is what I'll use if the water is only slightly stained as the rabbit hair will offer more visible action but it won't have as large of a profile as the others making it a little harder to find in dirtier water. Now these are all small sizes meant to be using in water 10' deep and under, I usually only go as high as 1/4oz for the waters I use them in so if you need a faster fall or need to get deeper than you can adjust the weight but remember the appeal of these is they offer the fish a small, easy to catch food morsel that they don't need to spend any energy to get so you don't want them moving to quick. I tie a ton of different kind of jigs as well but these are what I learned to fish hair jigs with and they can be tweaked size and color wise to match the conditions you face. I hope this helps those of you who are curious about hair jig fishing in cold water, if you experience water that dips down below 40 degrees in the winter, it will benefit you to learn how to use these types of jigs as they are often the best lure to catch them on.

I think the rod you want will work for you really well. I understand where you're at, there is a guy in our club that only uses Falcon rods, the actions are a little different and he told me once you get use to fishing them it is very hard to go to other rod brands.

2' of visibility at the very minimum, any less and it is a waste of time. Now, I have watched my buddy catch one on water with less than 1' visibility but he only caught that one and has never been able to duplicate it.

I have the exact rod, it is strange because it is heavier than other MH rods, I'd venture to say it is close to a heavy power. For myself, I use it as a dedicated pitching stick but I found it to be awesome for swim jigs and I can throw frogs with it in heavy grass, not complete slop but close. The reason I like it for pitching is because it is stiff, a 1/2oz jig loads it just enough that getting a good pitch for distance and accuracy is almost effortless and the sensitivity is just remarkable for a rod at that price point. Even though it is my pitching stick, I still had to find other uses as it is too nice to put down when I'm using it, but to be honest, the thing slings swim jigs great, it will throw a Senko with no problem and I also use it for hollow body swim baits when I'm throwing them on a 1/2oz to 3/4oz jig head, it really does a lot of things well but all of those things are heavy baits, I won't throw Northern style swim jigs with it, only ones with a heavier hook and the same for the Senko, it is when I use them in nasty cover, that is when I like to use this rod because it has a ton of power. A great choice based on what you want it for.