greatone1210

I have been adjusting my control but when done according to proper tecnhique (as shown in the how-to video and so on), I still don't get a great cast at all. The one problem I am finding with my Lews is that it only has one set of brakes. I really should have gotten the dual braking system. I am noticing a ton of backlash which I did not experience before. Maybe more practice is all I need.

I love my new Lews Speed Spool but have been noticing that my casting distance is much less than before with my low-end Shimano Caius. When I say much less, I mean my distance has probably been cut bewteen 25% to 50% at times. I have it spooled with P-Line CXX 12 lb. Considering I fish 99% of my time from shore, my ability to gain a bit of distance is advantageous. I have the reel set on a MH/Moderate St. Croix Mojo rod. The lightest bait I throw is a 3/8 oz and usually it is a spinnerbait, crank (lipped or lipless), and maybe a weighted T-Rig Senko. Everything else is thrown on a Spinning combo with 8 lb fluro. Any ideas on what to do for greater casting distance? I was thinking of switching to a braided line and using a fluoro leader as needed. Just not sure which way to go. Thanks, DU

I am using a St. Croix Mojo MH/Mod and it seems to be working well. I may purchase a Mojo MH/F though in the future.

So today I bought some Skippy Fish (which are soft plastic jerkbaits since it seems a lot of people have not heard of them). Anyway, I really like the design and the action. Tail is extremely active and the colors really remind me of a shad coming to the surface and then back down to the bottom. My question is how am I supposed to fish these with my spinning gear. I am using an AG Cardinal and AG Vengeance rod with P-Line Fluroclear 8lb. I seem to have a ton of slack in my line and it is very tough to keep the line in a good spot so to properly work the bait. Is there something I am doing wrong or is it something else?

I got the MH/Mod because I do have a lot of treble lures, cranks, and spinnerbaits. It throws a 3/8 War Eagle spinnerbait a decent distance but not as far as say a 1/2 squarebill crank. But I also know I need to work on adjusting the reel and getting overall more comfortable with the set up. I didn't buy any conditioner but am seeing the need to. I had probably four or five nasty backlashes that come from either the line or not being used to the real. My last BC I could throw a country mile compared to this one. Of course I was only throwing a 3/8 spinner on the Lews. Will see what happens with more tweaking and practice.

So my trip was a success, though plans did change a bit. My purchase today was . . . Lew's Speed Spool Left Hand Retrieve for $99 St. Croix Mojo 7' Medium Heavy Moderate Action for $100 Spooled with P-Line CXX 12 lb Lures included Rapala X-Raps, Skippy Fish Flukes, GYCB Shads, and some In-line Spinners for my trip down the river tomorrow. Any thoughts on how I did??

My folks offered to buy me a late graduation gift and I am now taking them up on it with a trip to Cabelas tomorrow for a new rod/reel. I mentioned in an old thread that I bought a lower tier BC and while I really like it, I am extremely accurate and just overall more comfortable with my AG spinning combo to throw 1/8 to 1/2 soft plastics and lures. I am looking for a spinning setup that can throw 1/4 to 3/4 lures including cranks and spinnerbaits. I fish mostly from the shore of rivers and lakes. Mild to moderate vegetation. Good line recommendation is welcome as well.

This one will be king of the sticky threads, usurping the almighty senko thread!

Only hypothetical sir. I don't fish tournaments either. The only qualification to answer is having an answer.

So I have noticed a large number of threads on soft plastics but most of the time we are forced to go through a ton of them just to find the information we need or want. I would like to change this and make a thread that could end up as a sticky. So the question is as follows; You're in a tournament but only allowed soft plastics. You are allowed ten different soft plastics. Please list the ten soft plastics you would choose. Also include how you rig them, what situations you throw them in, what brand/type hooks and anything else you think would help would be fantastic. Thank you for playing this game and I hope this thread grows and becomes a go-to source for fisherman looking for a comprehensive soft plastics thread.

Yeah I live in Mt. Pleasant. I see you are in West Newton. Drove through their the other day and have heard of some good fishing on the Yough down that way. Greenlick is okay but I had to fight my way over to a spot with some downed timber to get a few bites. Always looking for a fishing partner.

Will this cast weightless senkos and more??

This is all great advice, thanks to everyone. Of course the most important thing is I am catching fish on soft plastics. I definitely like them more than hard baits at the moment.

My line is brand new. Can you use a snell on a jig head though? I was fishing a tube when this happened with a jig head up into the tube and the eye through the tube skin. I would think the only way to attach it to a line is via palomar knot. Am I mistaken or is there something else I can do? The more I think about this the more I think too weak of line, too big a fish, and prob a toothy son of a gun.

I am thinking it is my knot and to be quite honest, I think I need a better line. I was using p line cxx and had great success on my baitcaster. Maybe I will switch to a copolymer on my spinning gear. Of course, there is a chance I snagged a walleye or something with some really sharp teeth. Or maybe it was too big for my line. Just disappointing.

So today I was out at my local reservoir (Greenlick Reservoir to anyone in the SW PA area). It is known to have LM, Walleye, Crappie, and Channel Cats. I walked down to the shore and found an area that had some rocks and a downed tree. I thought this would make an excellent place to nab a bass or two. The tree and surrounding area were about 30-50 feet from shore. On my spinning outfit (AG Vendetta 6'6 med fast with 10 lb Suffix mono) I had tied a green tube with 1/4 oz jig tied on with a palomar knot. My second pitch out I felt a nice little tug and set the hook. He fought a little bit and then *SNAP* !!! Fish gets away with a mouthful of hook and lure, I reel in empty line. I think it was a LM because it really fought like a bass. Fast forward and I cast out with a new tube and get a bite. I set the hook and this fish takes off parallel with the shore like a bullet. My line never had a chance. I think this may have been a cat because it just bolted like a sprinter. But needless to say, lost another tube and hook. What the heck am I doing wrong? I typically fish stained or muddy water, many times with significant vegetation. Should I switch to a low weight braid? Also just wanted to mention since I started fishing senkos and other plastics, my catch rate is increasing. Much more so than using anything else. And I keep trying spinnerbait but absolutely nothing! Thanks DU

Thanks for all the comments and welcoming atmosphere. Sam: I am assuming that many of your questions are rhetorical. And I appreciate that more than you know because it pushes me in the right direction of becoming a better bass fisherman. If by "balance" you mean use my setup with appropriate line weight and lure weight, then yes I am following recommendations as listed on rod and reel. Regarding knots, I use a palomar and improved cinch frequently. I will investigate the trilene knot. New2BC4Bass: While I may be the exception to the rule it is only because of the advice on this forum and pouring over videos. In my job, I must learn something quickly and put it to use even faster. Please don't take it as arrogance. You can teach a monkey to use a baitcaster but you can't teach him all about lure selection, technique, and so on. I have a lot of work to do before I will consider myself even a semi-average fisherman. In general, I will be purchasing a new BC for next year. I cannot really afford a whole new combo but I am fairly please with my St. Croix Triumph 7'0 Medium Fast. It seems to be a fairly competent "do it all" rod. But a better reel would be fantastic. But right now, and over the winter, my main concern is learning more basics. I will be learning more about bass themselves, picking where to fish, knot tying, and lure selection/use. Thanks again to everyone!

Bought myself a brand-new Shimano Caius and St. Croix Triumph 7'0 Medium Fast with 12 lb PLine yesterday since almost everyone on here uses one and recommends one. Here are a few thoughts. 1. Using a baitcaster is NOT as scary or hard as some make it out to be. I watched videos on youtube and checked out the forums and articles to make sure I was well prepared to set the reel up. I had no problems with it whatsoever. 2. I only had probably three moderate backlashes during twelve hours fishing from shore today. I was able to pinpoint my casts where I wanted and cast about 20-25 yards most of the day. 3. Baitcasting does not work well for light baits. This stinks because I get less tired using a BC. 4. However, right hand is a bit sore from the pressure put on it while casting sidearm. Holding rod too tight perhaps. 5. Quemahoning Rsv in Somerset, Pa is good but I really need a kayak to fish from so I can catch more bass. 6. I need to work more on lure selection and how to fish them and when. 7. I must figure out how to cast a bit further with the BC. I may need to drop my line to a 10 lb and while my reel is very nice, it only has 3 + 1 bearings and is not very smooth. I bought this one because it was the only lefty in my price range ( I can right hand and retrieve left hand). 8. The one smallmouth I caught had some mighty sharp teeth. Ouch. Overall a productive day. DU

So I went out today and picked myself up a nice Abu Garcia spinning combo (7' Med Fast) and put some 10 lb fluorocarbon on it. I used a 1/4 oz Lectric Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Trap and on my third cast from shore, caught a nice 12 inch largemouth. First time I have ever caught anything on a crank. I was excited. Little bit later, caught a 8 inch smallmouth. Still pretty cool. Later walked over to where some others were fishing and positioned my self on the opposite side. Said they hadn't caught a darn thing all day. Fourth or fifth cast with same lure and I hook a real nice bass, looks to be close to 14 inches or so. These guys can't believe it. Well I am trying to get this lunker in and my line snaps, fish takes off with my lure. I don't understand? So my question is, what did I do wrong? Do I need a different line? Baitcaster? I used a palomar knot so I know it was secured well. Any thoughts? I know I will be picking up some more Rat-L-Traps. These things are great.

So if I put say a 4" zoom worm on, can I rig it so the hook is weedless?

I have almost always fished cranks and topwaters but would like to move into soft plastics such as zoom worms, etc. My question is can I rig them with just a regular jighead, say a ball style? I know how to set up the texas rig but I am not sure if this method would work equally well. Thanks! DU

I am actually from Fayette County so I border Morgantown.

I am looking for a good setup and hope you folks could help me out. I fish mostly for bass from the shores of lakes and rivers in SW Pennsylvania. I am purchasing an angling kayak in the near future. I have used a lightweight spinning combo but find it lacking much of the time. What I really would like to get is an all-purpose casting combo that will allow me to use cranks, topwaters, spinnerbaits, and soft-plastics. I know that there is no combo that does all these perfectly but with a limited budget ($250) I am sure there is something out there that will let me do all these things well but not top-notch. I prefer fishing shallow cranks and am learning how to fish soft-baits if this info helps. Thank you so much for this great site! DU

What a great site. Thanks for having such an informative and entertaining forum. I am a twenty-something college student who fished a ton during high school but lost touch with it once college started. Lately though I have been picking back up especially after spending three days in NY fishing on a big ol' lake. I prefer to fish for bass, small and largemouth, and sometimes some panfish. I have always used a spinning-combo but am working out what my next step is. I like to fish shallow and top-water cranks, poppers, spinnerbaits, and some deeper cranks. I am just learning how to fish soft-baits mostly using the texas rig. Most of my fishing is done on the shore of lakes and rivers. I plan on purchasing an angling kayak by next spring. On a more personal level, I am studying biology/physics at the University of Pittsburgh and applying to medical school in the near future. I am a big college sports fan and a huge Pittsburgh Pirates fan. I look forward to becoming friends with all yinz! DU