Jay Ell Gee

I will completely agree here. I use a 6'8 M/XF or 7'0 M/F rod with 20 lb braid and an owner wacky hook with weedguards or the gammy finesse wide gap hook. Buckeye weighted wacky hooks also produce well. I simply take up the slack and pop the rod upward, no monster hookset and no sweep. Pops them right in the roof of the mouth. I honestly can't recall ever losing a fish this way. Toss some 10lb braid on that reel and slam them!

Depends on depth, current, and wind. #6 or 4 is a good start though!

If you haven't seen it, it's new to you! Try using a 4.5 inch Roboworm curly tail behind one after the salt releases. Why did I just tell you that!?!?!

I use floating plastics behind a split shot rig all the time. Flat out lethal, isn't it? It can give a worm a crazy amount of action. A local guy here turned me on to some floating beaver type baits that are killer behind the SS rig as well! Keep sore-lipping' those chilly bass!

Just a heads up. Posting in your regional board will probably be a bit more fruitful. The lake being fished, the conditions, and more are all needed to make suggestions. You will be more likely to find assistance from locals that way. There are also a ton of articles in the articles section about seasonal bass patterns. Make sure to read those. It's always tough to call. I caught a bass full of eggs a few weeks ago and in that body of water they have already spawned. The bass in my gigantic work pond That I regularly fish on lunch haven't even entered pre spawn yet. This is roughly 20 miles away. Local advice would be your best bet.

I agree wholeheartedly. Great color. Make sure to try the redear as well!

I do like the KVD 1.5, but also the H20 express cranks (mainly for their color schemes) and am also a big fan of the Norman Thin 'N!

There is no digging of any type happening. This braid just isn't thin enough to cause that problem. Those who have it will know that. I removed the spool and the reel cranks like butter. Go figure. I'm guessing that I just overspooled the reel.

I am quickly becoming a fan of a suspending jerkbait thanks to Mr. Kent (RoadWarrior) but split shot rigs, dropshotting, shaky head, lipless cranks (ripped off the bottom and allowed to fall) and square bills are pretty high up on my list as well. I caught quite a few on a jig early on during the winter, but now they seem to be moving away from that bite for some reason.

I appreciate it. I have never had a rod that nice (aka expensive) and I am a bit worried about spending that much on one. I have multiple 100+ dollar rods, and recently picked up a Dobyns Champion 703 spinning rod and was loaned a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 6'9 ML/XF to try. I haven't really played with the Dobyns yet (will Tuesday and Wednesday) but I was absolutely dumbfounded with the sensitivity of the LTB. Blew my other rods clear out of the water with 8lb Yo-Zuri. Nothing I own comes near it's sensitivity. I can only imagine that the Xtreme can be nothing but better. Would it make a nice bottom contact rod for light t-rigs, split shot, etc?

How much was shipping, if I may ask? How much was shipping for you guys? Seems like a great rod for small plastics. I am trying hard not to buy one, lol.

Don't mean to get off track but may I ask what rod you got? I assume it was from the bargain cave? I only ask because I'm looking at getting the 6'10 M/XF myself. Do you like it? Sensitivity as unreal as they say?

Have not had time to test the solutions yet, but I will agree that it cast VERY well. I was more than impressed. I really hope that I can figure this out and keep using it.

In all fairness, it's not a "total" seize... The reel just gets sticky. I will test it tomorrow, though this reel has never given me cause for concern. Heck, it spooled the braid up just fine. I am aware of the damage that can be caused by reeling, but it wasn't anything that felt damaging. A little pressure on the handle and voila, smooth reeling again for a few turns. Thanks for the input Rooster. Light cover as in grass and floating vegitation. Some laydowns but I wouldn't fish the lighter braid in it unless it was pretty small limbs. The spinning reel will also be used for skipping.

Hey all. After using nothing but mono on my Shimano Sahara 2500 spinning reel, I took advantage of the Tuff-Line Supercast offer but after seeing so many people use 20ish lb braid on their spinning gear, I decided to go that route as well. After spooling up the braid (mono backing), I tied up a small Suffix Siege leader and started tossing around a fluke on lunch the next day at the work pond. What I immediately noticed is that my reel handle is now "sticking" on the retrieve. It seems like the whole reel just seizes up and I am forced to reel through it to get the line in. This braid seems pretty thick for 20lb, so I am probably going to try tossing it on my Chronarch 50e instead. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about the braid OR the generous offer from TL, I am beginning to wonder if the diameter is simply too much, or if something is wrong with the way I set my reel up. I am mainly blaming myself for not taking the time to check into it a bit more. If I were to go out tomorrow and buy some Power Pro, would 20lb test work well? 30lb? The rod is a St. Croix Mojo 6'8 M/XF Wacky and it is used primarily for wacky rigging senkos, flick shaking, and tossing weightless senkos. I fish stained rivers and ponds almost exclusively, so do I even really need a 6 foot mono leader? If so, would Suffix Siege be a decent leader? I'm not going to spend the money on fluorocarbon simply to use as leaders in stained water. I just can't see the point. Also, a buddy of mine regularly flips and pitches to light cover in the same rivers that I fish on a MH baitcasting setup using 30lb braid. Would this be fine for all but the heaviest of cover, such as flipping pads and tossing frogs? I already have a rod with 65lb Power Pro set up for that, but the heavy braid really has a negative effect on pitching distances. I would really like one more setup that can get some extra distances, as I do a LOT of pitching while river fishing. Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I really appreciate it! Joshua

I can confirm that DSI or side imaging can NOT be used through ANY hull. Not aluminum, not fiberglass. Just not possible. The DSI setup is definitely nice, but keep in mind that the beam is incredibly thin ,as opposed to a sonar cone. In deeper water you can see an update while sitting still, yes. Sonar, in my opinion, does it better. DSI is best used while moving at a constant low speed (nothing over 5pmh will be usable). I use it as a search tool, using it to waypoint structure to fish later. If I am fishing directly above fish, I prefer the sonar. It also has some limitations in very shallow water... but so does most sonar.

My number one finesse presentation is absolutely the split shot rig. #6/4/2 split shot 12-18 inches in front of your plastic of choice. I am a big fan or Roboworm 4.5 inch curly tails, Zoom dead ringers, Roboworm Zipper grubs, Zoom UV speed craws, finesse worms, etc. 3 inch Senkos also do well. You can also get into small floating plastics. Something floating only a couple of inches from the bottom is simply something that most bass never see.

I am fairly certain that they make a smaller grass pig. It would be good on your 1/4 oz swim jigs. I use standard grass pigs on chatterbaits and they rule. Edit: For what it's worth, the Rage Tail Rage Grub makes an excellent swim jig trailer.

Without a doubt the first thing I would throw is a split shot rig. Small curly tail roboworm, finesse worm, fluke, zoom dead ringer, or even a roboworm zipper grub drug 12-18 inches behind a #4/6 split shot will catch just about anything that swims. It would be my go-to. Drag it along, slowly reeling in typical split shot fashion. Once I located fish, I would hit them with a shaky head before I left that spot.

Definitely going to be dedicating some time to my finesse fishing, namely shaky heads and the split shot rig. Treble hook lures in general I could use some practice on. Namely lipless cranks and jerkbaits.

I was recently loaned an LTB from a board member here and I was absolutely disgusted with the sensitivity. Makes fishing a split shot rig feel like cheating with 8lb Yo-Zuri.

Your friend needs to man up and invest in some W&M S-Glass series rods. Ninja cranking action on the cheap, on clearance at TW!

I personally got my first spinning reel last summer and recently picked up a new Dobyns Champion spinning rod so I'll be needing another soon. I'll be picking up the same reel for it as I do for the one I already have, a Shimano Sahara 2500. Tough to beat for the money!

I am also a fan of the 2500 size Shimano reels. I have used that setup with 8 lb mono for wacky rigs, flick shakes, shaky heads, even drop shots. Like RW, I recently got my Supercast in as well. Actually spooled it up last night. Mine is 20lb with a 12lb suffix siege leader. Finally tried Yo-Zuri for the first time recently as well, 8lb test on my 50e. If I don't like the braid setup, that will be the next line to fill my spinning reel. That stuff has some strength to it... Nothing like 8lb Stren or XL.

Congrats on the PB! I pulled my personal best pond bass out of the water with a crankbait myself a couple weekends ago! Gotta love those shallow cranks in winter time.