Hattrick7

For me it depends on what bait I'm throwing. 1/2+ oz I find that i dont touch it until the end. Dropshotting or wacky rig I like to thumb it the whole way. I've only been using it for a month but I fish almost every day. I'm starting to feel more comfy with setting the spool a little looser and not having much brake. I have mag brakes and this is the only BC I've ever used. Maybe a centrifigul brake is differnt I have no idea. I do have backlashes but not as much as before. Sometimes when I'm just trying to get as much distance I watch the spool and I can see the line loosening and think backlash but the line eventually comes off in time before it hits the water. Like your buddy on the heavier baits it may overrun just slightly.

This is exactly what I've experienced from using them.

I do it all the time. I fish my local lake and I just carry one rod and my tackle box. I use a Revo SX, 7' mh rod, 15# mono. It works great. No problems casting a 4" roboworm with 1/4 oz weight. I can get it out a good 10 yards with it which is plenty for me. I like the versatility I have to go from a crank to spinner to drop shotting all within my tackle box. Ps I bank fish so carrying more than one rod is a pain.

Thanks guys for giving me some more confidence with the bait. Looking forward to my first bass on it!

How do you guys work your swim jigs? I'm very new to jigs in general. Do you guys just retrieve like a crankbait? Also, what does the bite feel like?

I've been using a baitcaster for about a month now and I can cast a 3/8 lure about 30yards or so. With the wind maybe and extra 10? I have found a technique that works for me very consistently. I start my cast sidearm then roll the reel over so its now pointing down towards the ground. I also hold the bottom of my rod with my free hand for added leverage. I'm sure the technique isn't new but it sure is a good feeling being able to huck a lure a nice distance. Way farther than my spinning set up. I use a Revo SX (3rd gen) and 7' mh AG Vertias rod 15 lb mono. The reel casts and retrieves like butter.

Freshwater I'm only fishing for bass. Any time I can catch something that's a good day for me. Saltwater wise I love fishing for calico bass. The trips I've been on its usually fish on every cast. Quality is good but just hooking into a fish is what I'm really wanting.

I'm new to a baitcaster as well. I've been using a spinning reel for a while. One thing I noticed is that you don't want to whip the cast. This will cause your spool to turn way too fast resulting in a backlash. Slow your cast down. Learn to cast smoothly at first and don't worry about distance. Get the motion and I think most importantly the release point of your cast depending on your bait used. Make sure your spool tension knob isn't too loose for the bait your using. Lots of vids on using one. It takes practice like anything else and that's really the only way to get through that learning curve.

Not sure what kind but its a shallow diving crank. It's got this funky texture like its made from this cheap plastic. It's has these small grooves that run from front to back. It's a horrible crank. Right outta the box I thought it was made by a mentally challenged monkey with two left hands. I'm very hesitant to get any Rebel baits now.

I use a #4 thin wire circle hook. Regular palomar knot. I would recommend getting dropshot weights since its so easy to attach with no knot needed. You'll want to play around with the leader length. I set the weight about 6" from the bait. The lake I fish isn't very deep. I use 4 or 6" straight tail roboworms and I nose hook it. One thing that I've noticed is to keep the bait fairly active. I shake about 3x then reel one or two revs and then repeat. I like using the circle hooks because they don't gut hook the fish. When I get a bite I let the rod load and simply start reeling and let the hook and fish do the hook set naturally. I've experimented with a senko rigged wacky and caught a pretty decent bass. I'd start with roboworms and the experimenting from there. There's nothing like getting bit on a crank but when the bites tough this usually always gets bit. Good luck!

I know the feeling. I remember seeing my line a little kinked but I kept fishing. I kept pulling in calico bass after another. The very last cast of the trip I hooked into a nice fat calico (could have been a nice barracuda). As I'm letting it fight bam he broke me off very close to my hook I'm pretty sure where it was a little kinked. It coulda been the one that won the boat jackpot. I still think about that one today!

Very interesting! I'm gonna have to give that a shot.

I use 12# mono on my setup and I feel everything. I think the quality and construction of your rod is more a factor. I use a one piece graphite rod with an exposed reel seat and even the slightest tick I can feel it.

For the guys that recommended Sunline I noticed that their diameter to # is very thin. Of course it varies from brand to brand but their 20# line is the same diameter as a 10# line I have. It's amazing to me that thin of diameter and still keeping the strength.

If you haven't tried dropshotting with 4 or 6" straight tail roboworms I'd give that a shot. Set the weight about 6-8" from your bait. Make sure your hook is pointing the right way or your bait won't look right. The man made lake I fish I used to throw everything at em and I'd only catch one bass if that. When i did throw a dropshot i had the weight set much lower from the bait and it got bit once or twice. Today I caught six all on the dropshot. Deadly way to fish. The nice thing about dropshotting is that you can experiment with the weight distance to find that sweet spot. Good luck!

Thanks guys for the responses. I think I'll give that Sufix stuff a shot.

I picked up a Revo 3 SX and a 7' AG Veritas rod for a tad over 200 all on eBay. No sales tax and free shipping. Being my first baitcaster I don't have anything else to compare it to but so far so good. Casts very well and I've taken the setup for some saltwater calico and sand bass action with no issues. I would say if you can go 200 you can save a little more to get the quality you want. I also went with a LH retrieve and it makes my life easier. Just cast and retrieve no switching hands 50+ times.

I have a 7' mh AG Veritas rod with a Revo 3 SX reel and I cast wacky senkos no problem. Maybe your spool tension is too tight?

I picked up my very first baitcaster about a month ago. I chose the AG Revo SX. Being my first baitcaster I don't have any other brand to compare it to. I think I'd like to eventually pick a Curado 300 series for a more dedicated saltwater reel but the Revo has been doing just fine. So far it's been great. It's easy to cast and has a powerful drag system. They have this hole where you can grease the gears without taking the reel apart. Nice little feature. I've taken it out several times saltwater fishing for calicos and sand bass and its been great. Never had an issue bringing them in and calicos are some feisty fighters. I never tried to cast one with a centrifigul brake system but I think that would be more suited to my casting style. In any case the reels been a workhorse and I fish it almost every day. I can cast a wacky senko effortlessly a pretty decent distance unlike my spinning reel I had to really whip it to get it out there. Casting cranks with very little effort gets it out there. I got the AG Veritas 7' mh rod to go with it and the rods been pretty solid as well. I've read some reviews about their rods snapping in weird places but so far so good. AG seems like a decent brand so far.

Any comments on your favorite brand of mono?

I believe it's because of the heat and water temperature. From what I've read as the water temp goes up the lake loses oxygen and so the need for the aerators to keep the oxygen levels up. But I think it's only necessary in relatively shallow lakes/ponds.

I love fishing for calico bass being near the Pacific Ocean. I pulled in a shorty (about 12 inches) and as I'm lipping the fish taking the hook out its faced straight towards me and its eyes were red. Maybe the way the sun was hitting the fish I don't know but that sucker looked pretty ticked off.

Try using a smaller circle hook like a size 4 with that line you're using. Circle hooks are designed to not gut hook fish. You don't set the hook using them. When you get bit you start reeling in line and maybe lift your rod a little but the fish will automatically hook itself usually on the corner of its mouth. In theory even if the fish swallows the bait and because the hook is 90 degrees to the shank it should lift from the fish and then hook itself onto the corner of its mouth. If you try and set the hook, the hook will usually come flying out and you've lost the fish. There's lots of vids on them that will give you a good idea of how they hook the fish. Also if you're C&R them I'd crush the barbs down so if you do gut hook one its easier to remove the hook without the barb ripping out its gut.

Well that's what I figured getting them out of the dollar bin at Walmart. They should actually be paying me a dollar to take them. I'll try to fix them. Thanks

I just picked up a couple from the dollar bin at Walmart and used one so far. How are they supposed run? The one I used ran a little then turned over and repeated. It was weird and I don't know if that's normal since this is my first time using them.