Hattrick7

I heard about that and I've tried it but I'm starting to think its a bunch of baloney.

How's this for accuracy?!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oV8BCp_6MA

I'm sure both rod and reel have something to do with it but I think it's more angler than anything else. The angler is the one that'll release the line during a cast no matter what rod/reel combo you have. It's all about the release point relative to bait thrown. When I throw a senko I had to learn to release the line literally when my rod is perpendicular to my body to get the bait to land in front of me. If I release at where I think it needs to be released, the bait ends up about 10' to the left. If I want total accuracy I cast overhead with a BC and then control distance with my thumb. I spot the target and then cast on that same line/trajectory. Distance I cast sidearm. It's still accurate but not like overhead. But ultimately its where I release the line.

Thanks guys for saving me money since I was planning getting a couple but after reading the reviews on TW and here the crank sounds like an overpriced, over hyped product.

Leader length, IMO, depends on how deep the water is. If its fairly shallow I think it's best to go with a shorter leader. Deeper the water you would probably want to go longer leader. The lighter weight I think will give the bait a little more action. I dropshot a lot in the lake I fish. The lake is like 10' feet deep max. When I first tried dropshotting I used like a 12-14" leader and got nothing. Being inexperienced with it I didn't think to shorten it until one of the regulars suggested I cut it down in half. Bam that was the magic solution. I've also noticed that some days the 6" roboworm gets bit and the 4.5 doesn't and vice versa. But I've also found that when the bite gets really tough that smaller usually will get bit more often then the larger plastic. Just my opinion and experience though. I've got a Long road to get to where Aaron Martens knows dropshotting.

Yes definitely. I've been using my freshwater bass set up in saltwater also and I always rinse with water and re oil/lube the reel after each session.

Sounds like the 300ej might be the way to go. Thanks for the info. I actually use a spinning set up for bottom fishing. I do prefer BC for calicos or that top to mid water column bite. I would mostly be throwing live chovies and I've found the BC easier to manage since I have the reel out of gear to feel my bait with my fingers on the line. When calicos bite they just take off with it and having used a spinning set up I found it more difficult to close the bail. I imagine that yellowtails are a similar bite.

I have a 7' mh casting rod and so far so good for about 2-3 months of solid fishing. And even some saltwater bass fishing. Very lightweight and good backbone. The rod's very sensitive. I can feel everything. Exposed reel seat is nice.

Circle hooks are the way to go with live bait.

Crankbaits and drop shots work for me. When the suns still pretty high, probably not the best time.

A buck and a half for a reel? A bottle of soda costs more than that.

I wouldn't worry about distance at all. That will come naturally when you really start getting the hang of it. I know it can be a little frustrating at first and I've only been on a BC for about two months now. Now im really comfortable getting casts out there. It's like learning to golf. Get the right technique down and the distance will come in time.

KVD 1.5 sexy shad (I think that's the name) is my go to crank. Kinami crankbait (yellowish sides black top).

Drop shotting from the bank is pretty deadly especially when the bite is really tough. The lake I fish I like to throw crankbaits a lot but when nothing's biting I always go with the dropshot. I think leader length of the weight makes a big difference. That's something that you're gonna have to find that sweet spot. Try a 12-14" leader. If you're not getting any bites cut the leader down an inch until you find that sweet spot. Also, make sure your hook is pointing the right way. This usually requires you to thread the leader back through the eye. I like roboworms. 6 and 4.5" straight tail. I've even caught one with a senko wacky rigged. This is where it can get expensive because you can experiment with whatever plastics you want to try. I use bold bass and Aaron's magic for roboworms and the bass can't handle them. Weights I use the simple round ones for dropshotting. No knot needed very easy. Check out glenn's dropshot vid. Very good starting point. Good luck!

The G series says it's approved for saltwater. I'm presuming the E series is also just not noted. I'm looking for a low profile reel that'll reel in calicos, sand bass and possibly a yellowtail if they are in the area. The yellowtails can be anywhere from 7-20+ pounds. I'd rather have the low profile than the conventional round reel but the conventional round reel just may be the better choice since you never know what you're going to hook into in the ocean. While fishing for calicos, this kid hooked into an 80 lb black sea bass and reeled it in. He had a conventional round reel. If that was on my setup, I don't think my reel would of been able to handle it.

Sorry guys I know this is a bass fishing forum but maybe some of you who fish saltwater may know.

Has anyone used or know if this reel can handle catching yellowtails?

I thought it was the knot breaking but you said that it's about 10" from the knot. I don't know what knot you're using but it sounds to me like that area is where you grab the line to tighten down the knot. You might want to try and use a little less force when you tighten the knot down so you're not putting an unnecessary kink in it. From other responses it sounds like that line isn't very good. Maybe it's gotten a little brittle?

I typically am. After buying and using a product and being either happy or unhappy with it, it does affect my decision on other purchases. I don't want to buy something and be "stuck" with it if I don't like it but if the retailer's return policy allows me that option I'm open to trying other brands. One example is the KVD 1.5 crankbait. It caught me bass And a catfish! I've used others but don't have the same results and I don't know why that is. So now when I'm at the tackle shop I'll be more apt to buy the other colors that model comes in because I know that the other one just works. Then I buy this Rebel crankbait for $1 at walmart and the thing is horrible. Horrible. But what do I expect for a $1 crankbait. So now I look at Rebel baits as junk/bottom of the barrel lures. Why would I spend $6 for a Rebel crankbait when I can buy another KVD one for the same price?

I have a Revo SX and the manual says to rinse the reel and oil/grease it after each use. I think that's a little obsessive unless I'm out catching calicos. Freshwater fishing I usually wipe down any excess water. How often do you guys rinse, oil/grease your reels?

Heck yeah it does!

It very well could be your line. 8# mono, even though it's XT, probably gets a little stretchy. Imo even the slightest relief in line pressure to the fish they have that opportunity to shake the hook out of it's mouth especially if the fish is barely hooked. I would try moving up to 12+# on mono. XT is pretty thick from what I've compared other brands to. But with that heavier line there should be less stretch and so you should be able to keep constant pressure on the fish. What kind of reel are you using?

Black Senko rigged wacky. With lots of action.

If you're using live worms I'd also recommend circle hooks. One thing to know about circle hooks is that you don't want to "set" the hook. If you do, the way the hook is designed, the hook will just pull out of fish with no hook set. You will wait for the bass to load up on your rod then start reeling. The hook will automatically hook onto its mouth area. Lots of YouTube vids. If you gut hook the bass chances are you'll end up ripping part of its guts out trying to unhook which usually means death. I would use size 4 circle hooks. If youre catch and release I'd also crush the barbs down so unhooking is super easy.

If you got em new you got a smokin deal. I don't know about the reel but I have a 7' mh Veritas rod and its been very solid so far. Extremely sensitive and lightweight with Plenty of backbone.