Silas

Bomber Mud Bug, with metal lip! My first really deep diver. We trolled with it, and still break it out for fun!

Those 2 baits brought great memories down in South Louisiana. With a name like "Bayou Boogie," we had to, of course, think that it was made by and for the Louisiana fisherman. The only hang-up about those baits is that we have mud bottoms with lots of wood on the bottom. If you let it touch bottom, you were singing "Bye Bye, Boogie!"

About 60 years ago.....a Heddon RIVER RUNT!! And the cool "trick" at the time was to "notch" the front line- tie eye with a file, up high so that when you tied the bait on it would run DEEPER! Of course, deeper in those days was about 6-8 feet But to a Cajun in South Louisiana , "Cher, dat's deep, yeah!" Our depth finder was our fishing pole.....we stuck it in the water and if we couldn't feel bottom....that was Deep!

I certainly wouldn't have the choice of centrifugal or mag breaks stop me from buying a reel. I grew up on only one kind of braking....the centrifugal brake. I got used to it and cast it well. My Calcutta round reel...200GTB has the centrifugal brakes and, as you say, you just set it and leave it pretty much. Except when I was casting with it, and started pitching with it. Had to re-set it. Not a problem. My Curados are very happy casting with a variety of settings Then i got 3 Daiwas and they all have the mag brakes. The first one was a TD-X 105....that was a dream to set. The Sol and Pixy are becoming very easy to guess a correct setting. Took me about a week to figure them out, but when I did, it was very easy to change setting with that little round knob on the sideplate. And it worked well, also. I cannot say that I liike one better than the other. They both work well for me. Perhaps some specific reels with mag brakes don't do as well, I don't know....maybe I've been lucky. I'm wondering if we become attached to the one we've used for years.

I don't have the spinning rod, but just today ordered the Smoke PT Micro Guide SKC665F casting rod , 6'6" MEDIUM action, fast tip. I held a lot of rods in my hand today, putting a Daiwa Pixy that I brought with me. That one seemed the lightest and most sensitive of all of them. I was looking at G. Loomis also. Found it for $117 shipped to my door. Seemed to have just the right action for such as a weightless 4inch wacky worm( I actually strung it up and cast it a couple of times at Bass Pro.)

I think there IS a lighter Smoke rod now...the Smoke PT Micro Guide 6'6" medium, fast. I played with one at Bass pro today and ordered it this afternoon! Feels extremely light and should pair up nicely with 50E or Daiwa Sol or Pixy. Been looking for a light rod to cast those small baits, for awhile. Price at Bass Pro about $150. On the web, to my door for $117. I can't find a deal like that.

Thanks, Sarcazmo! I just fired off an emai to *** to ask what their absolute lightest power/action casting rod is, and to tell me a bit about it. I have a lot of pretty light casting rods.....just looking for something extra light to use with lighter lines and smallest reels. I'm eagerly awaiting their reply. just got a reply: Said 6'10" is their lightest rod. OBC610M.....for my purposes. They are now working on a more ultralight rod because their market in Australia uses a lot of those. Won't be ready for another year. Oh, well, the search continues. Sarcazmo....did you consider the 6'10 OBC610M ?

I,too, am interested in how the new one performs. I'm looking for a finesse rod to cast weightless worms and wacky worms, with a Curado 50E. Please let us know.....I may order one also.

Just found this section today. Seems I live about 20 miles from Cajun Flipper, in Springfield, Louisiana. I fish the Natalbany River (actually it's really a small bayou!) Most bass here are small and hit smaller baits. Went out the last 3 days and was catching small bass on a Rick Clunn Chartreuse Squarebill deep diver. About 4 ft deep off points. A front is coming in tonight so this morning I used shaky head worms and caught a few. Also some on Rage tail Craw on Moaner hooks. After front today, nothing will be biting for a few days. Best times to fish the Natalbany are with a WEST wind and falling tide from Lake Maurepas. EAST wind is the worst.....water backs up from the lake, goes into woods, and makes fishing tough.

I fished the Space Monkey today, right before a cold front, on a 1/8 oz Moaner keel weighted hook. I caught 6 nice bass.....they wouldn't touch anything else. A young guy was passing by on the river when he saw me fighting a fish and stopped to watch. After boating the bass, I struck up a conversation with him.....he hadn't caught a thing. I told him they were biting on a Space Monkey. He looked at me strangely, so I rigged him up one with the Moaner hook and gave it to him. I think I made a friend, for sure. Off he went to try his new bait! I was getting bit by casting a foot into the lilies, and just as I dragged it into open water, I SAW them come up and dive for it! I missed 2 because I was so excited I set the hook before they had it! It slides off the lily pads well and only ocassionally hesitates as I hit the V where the stem is.....but if I let it slip back down and pull up again, it slides off. Great bait!

Well, the "experiment" is over!! There are just too many negatives with this pitching with my right hand and reeling with my left. So, after today's issues, I put the rod/ree/ set up aside and caught bass on my Calcutta 200GTB with a keel weighted Space Monkey. A cold front comes tonight and the fish bit today! After I got home a few minutes ago, I REMOVED the Shimano Curado 100B (which is a really good caster!!) and replaced it with an old Team Daiwa X 105 reel, right handed. I told my brother he could use the 100B, but to my surprise, even though he is left handed he reels with his RIGHT! So, I'll probably put the reel up for sale or trade.....I wish it were the Curado 100B....the right handed model. Maybe someone will want to trade for one. So, now I will begin another experiment.....pitching with my LEFT hand, and reeling with my right. And if that fails, then back to pitching AND reeling with my right. Found the Powel Diesel rod a great pitching rod in the process.

I have both the Curado 50E and the Curado 200E5. Both are great casters.....the 50 for 1/8 jigs and shaky heads.....the 200E for crankbaits. Wonderful pair of reels! Now you can start experimenting with different lines for each. Will change the characteristics of each reel; you can then pick the combo you like.

Good to know! I just happen to HAVE a Dobyns 702 Drop shot finesse! Have the Curado 50E on it at the moment. Thinking of getting a custom Phenix as Vince Borges suggested. Waiting for an answer from Bob. Bob must have been too busy...so I ordered a JBCustom "Baby Snake" custom rod instead from John Barlow. He called back and it was mailed today! Will try the SOL, 50e, and Pixy on it and see which is best.

Did just that yesterday! A Daiwa Pixy Liberto, slightly used, coming from Japan.....an Airy Red Pixy! I believe the Red has a slightly lighter spool than the yellow or silver....I believe it's a 2005 model. What 6# flouro are you using and what ML/XF rod did you pair yours with? Also, just as an experiment, today I ordered 12# Tasline from Paul in Australia. It's a white 6 strand braid with a very small diameter. Will spool that on the Pixy.

I did the same with the bargain Tournament 6'9" and 50e. You are SO right.....I'm running 10# yozuri hybrid at the moment; I may go to 6# just for fun! I think my rod was $115. (Thanks, Capt. Bob!)

I've got one of these.....makes a good all around rod. I've used it for frogs, spinnerbait, crank and senkos. While it does ALL of those things fairly well, I find it doesn't shine in any one area. Of all the rods I have, I have designated that one as a "spare rod" and at present am trying several reels on it. At present, I have a Team Daiwa-X 105 for spinnerbaits. I feel it is more a "utility" rod. But one I would never cherish. It does well for $100, but not well enough for me to buy another one. ( I know.....this is FAINT PRAISE!)

We do a lot of pin point casts to cypress trees and stumps, lots of following the bank casts. With spinning reel, I often overshoot and miss my target.....sometimes hanging up in good spots, so the baitcaster is most used for that spot on cast. When the sac-a-lait start biting (crappie) I pick up the spinning rod and cast Sliders and little tube jigs. Usually don't have to be too accurate with them. Also, a deadly combo here is a wacky rigged 3 inch Yum Dinger (hard to find today.) Use 6# line and small wacky hook. The guys I fish with bring 3 or 4 baitcasting rigs and maybe 1 spinning, but 95% of the time they use the baitcaster. When bringing a kid or inexperienced fisherman with me, I often bring an extra spinning rod for him.....or a Spin-cast, like an Abu 170 or Daiwa. Of course, when we fish the marsh, which is brackish and salt, there are NO trees or stumps, so we fish for speckled trout and redfish with heavier spinning gear. Saltwater casting is all about distance here, and sometimes high winds. Not a good combo for several baitcasters in the same boat!

Currently trying 20# Fireline tracer braid with 15# Seaguar Invizx. Seems to work ok. I also have another spinnerbait set up with 12# Yozuri Hybrid. The Yozuri seems to cast a tad smoother. I haven't been able to get a bite ratio as the water has been high in my area.....fish not cooperating. Now that fall is coming and I'm switching to Colorado/Indiana blades instead of willow leafs on my spinnerbaits, I am appreciating the slower ratio of my Curado E5. The heavier gearing gives more leverage with the additional drag on the bait due to the wider blades.

Looks exactly like the bayous of Southeast Louisiana, except for the bayou taking a turn every hundred or so yards. Just follow the bayou and chunk for short distances. Spinnerbait country! Also shallow running squarebills, and wacky worms. Jigs do well, too. Just replace those trees with Bald Cypress and Gum! And a few raindrops,like you have in your pic make for a pleasant day. That is, if it isn't lightning!!

Wow! Guess I learned something this time! I've fished flukes for a couple of years and always had them with the hook point hidden in the belly slit. So I guess it rode upside down. I always thought it would be easier to slide the bait through lily pads with the hook that way. I've caught lots of fish with them this way and had no problem in hook ups. I'll have to try it the other way, with the hook shank folding into the belly slit and then skin hooking it on top. For those of you that have tried BOTH ways, which do you find more effective?

I've been trying the P-line Hi-Vis 12# copolymer on my Curado 100B for pitching. It works ok, but tends to dig a little into the spool after catching a bass that I have to haul through the slop. But not enough to bother.....seems a tad stiff, also. I like it because I can see the line as the jig sinks. The YoZuri Hybrid 10# I have on a Curado 50E and find it casts well....no digging problems either. seems to bring out the best in the reel. Also have it spooled on a Curado E5 for crankbaiting. Very sensitive and stronger than I expected. I like both lines.....the P-line for when I have to see the line.....but my preference for flat out casting performance is the Yozuri 10#. Got the YoZuri Hybrid on ebay for about $8 for a 600 yard spool....great buy! 10# ia .012 diameter. P-Line 12# is .0148 diameter. Naturally the smaller diameter line casts further than the larger one.

I've had a 723C Medium Heavy Extra fast Powell Diesel 7'2" rod now for a couple of weeks and have fished with it 3 or 4 times. Am trying it out as a PITCHING rod for jigs and Rage Craws, mostly. So far, I am well pleased. It seems like this would also make a good crankbait rod.....may try that in the future. I'd really rather a CORK handle, but the foam one is fine....no problems. Although I like it, I really can't say that this particular one is anything "special." Other than it's a great buy. Of course, the 3 other rods on the deck of my boat are a G.Loomis, St. Croix Legend Tournament, and a Dobyns Champion Extreme. It would be unfair to compare the low budget Diesel to such rods. But, all these rods are light duty for casting finesse and plastics and small crankbaits. The Diesel is a much more stout rod. And much better for pitching. Also I can see it for a frog rod.

Well, to continue the experiment, I got the Curado 100B this morn, placed it on a Powell Diesel 7'2" med-heavy extra fast rod, spooled reel with 12# P-line and went to dock to try. (Oh, and the guy sent some of those funky camo reel grip covers with it...put those on and they actually helped me "find" the handle grip faster!) First couple of pitches, my left hand kind of bumped the sideplate, but that went away shortly. Then, I found that if I had an "over run" I would have to awkwardly switch hands to put tension on the line as I reeled it in.....definitely a problem. I expect ot have fewer overuns soon. But, the reeling in became smoother in about 15 minutes.....maybe I could do this! At first, it was "jerky" as if I were pushing the handle in and out, but that went away too. Then, while practicing....with a 3/8oz swimjig with Rage Chunk trailer, I actually had a HIT and caught a bass right off the DOCK!! Alright! Setting the hook seemed ok. Maybe later, I'll experiment with BRAID and Flouro leader, but for now wanted a HI-Vis flourescent mono to check it out. So now, I have to see what EXTENDED pitching will do as far as fatigue. So, to conclude, from the 45 minutes of pitching with right hand and reeling with left, I have to say there is great potential for this to remain on my deck as my pitching set up.

So, what reel do you have paired with the Powell Diesel 7'2"? I just got one and was trying to PITCH with it and am not quite satisfied. But, as you say, it would make a good FROG rodd! I'm waiting for an old Curado 101B to come in and will initially try pitching with it. If that doesn't work, I'll designate it as a frog rod.

Well, the beauty of this situation for me was that if I don't adapt well, it's October and my brother's (who is left handed and has only one casting rod/reel setup) birthday,and it will make a great birthday present!! And for $50, I think I can't go wrong with the quality of the reel.....just a couple of cosmetic scratches on it.