mjseverson24

i do feel the bait better with the ML when using the light weights, but i also use 10 lb braid with 15' 10-12 lb floro leader, use tungsten dropshot weights in the pencil shape. the feel should be just fine as long as the wind and waves are not too bad, the braid and tungsten make a big difference. Also with the 1/8 oz weights you can let the bait free-fall longer, and just line watch, the weight is light enough the fish rarely drop the bait because of it. dropshot is probably the only technique that produces for me every single time out, total confidence bait for me. Mitch

I like the *** a lot pretty sensitive for the price range and an overall good quality construction. the only issue I have is the reel seat is a little uncomfortable after fishing for a while. for a rod in the 100 dollar range about as good as it gets. I personally like the shimano compre in this price range, as the reel seat gives maximum contact with the blank just food for thought... also try the BPS pro qualifier... Mitch

I like the ML for light cover because often times with a dropshot you only skin hook the fish, the ML reduces the tension on the fish when it makes a run. also with a ML if you are shaking the bait in place, and a fish picks it up the tip is much softer and will not alert the fish if you dont set the hook right away. with the medium i have lost fish from shaking the bait and not recognizing a bite early enough. now if i am fishing in deep water or rougher water with heavier weights i will use the M in these cases, but most often I use 1/8 oz and less weights and that is perfect for a M/L. its personal preference, but it seems to be a good recipe for success in my boat. Mitch

I have three dropshot rods all different actions, i have one st. croix triumph 7' ML/F great for light cover, a 7'6" ML/F triumph, a little more power, and better for longer casts the last is a st. croix mojo 7' M/F for heavier weed cover. the ML rods work great as long as the weeds are not too thick. Mitch

Hey everybody my name is Mitch, I am from st. cloud, i am currently a student at scsu. I just started fishing bass tournaments two years ago, I fish many of the more popular bass waters within an hour and a half of st. cloud including tonka, clearwater, green, minnewaska, alexandria chain, mille lacs, the cold spring chain, osakis, sauk, leech, and a lot of other non typical tournament waters. I have been on the site for a while, just thought I would finally introduce myself and say hello. Mitch

I Dont think color has as much to do with success as fall rate, vibration, and sound. after these three I will decide on a color. either brown/ green or black they all work. I prefer natural colors... Mitch

light to medium weeds and wood 15 lb mono works. I like to use floro for flipping usually 15-20 lb depending on the cover. I use braid for heavier cover sometimes, but you can use 20 lb mono or floro for these applications too. Mitch

I love my skeet 7' s-glass cranking rod, but the shimano clarus or compre crankbait rods are great as well. Mitch

I like the skeet rods, as well as the st. croix lineups, but for now all of my purchases will be shimano rods. the reel seat on their new set up is the best on the market for sensitivity. Mitch

use a shorter leader like 3-4 ft unless you are in very clear water then try to learn how to use all floro at least for this one rod. Mitch

Try either a shimano compre or clarus. these lineups have good sensitivity especially with the new reel seat which is in my opinion the best seat for transmitting sensitivity to your hand from the rod blank. they have a great warranty program,so you can fish with confidence, they are a bit tip heavy, but not uncomfortably heavy. around 100.00 these are great options for future setups. for a reel it sounds like you enjoy your PQ i would stick with that, if you want a small step up try the citica. Mitch

if I had to choose 1 it would be Segar FC. the only techniques you have a hard time doing would be topwater which mono or braid do better in. either way most of the tournaments i fish are won by guys fishing jigs or t-rigs or some other bottom contact presentation, which is where FC is advantageous. but really I have over 20 combos with when fishing and only 5 rods with straight FC the rest have mono or braid. one line cant do it all but FC would be my choice Mitch

I use FC for most of my finesse presentations (dropshot/ weightless plastics) usually 6-12 lbs depending on the lake. I also use FC for lighter jigs and texas rigs usually 12-17 lb. But I also find a good use for it casting swim-jigs in cover and crankbaits on glass rods as the sensitivity is just a little bit better. The biggest advantage of FC is the invisibility factor, but also the semi-slack line strike detecting is very useful. it is a confidence thing for me I like stealth when I am fishing highly pressured waters. I think the difference between FC and mono is best realized by tournament anglers. when the couple extra bites throughout an 8 hour day that FC might give you means the difference between cashing a check or not, I believe it is worth the cost and sometimes frustration. for the recreational angler FC is probably more of a headache than anything else, the backlashing and lack of manageability combined with the poor knot strength if not tied correctly. The biggest factor for me is that is FC didn't have an advantage over other lines in certain situations you would probably not see top professionals using it and winning with it. Mitch

I would say it is more the rod than anything else. If your rod Shakespeare rod is bending too much it will not have the ability to recover quick enough to keep tension on the fish if it decides to come towards you all of a sudden. I would assume this is your problem since the fish just get off after a while. longer heavier rods and heavier line with good sharp hooks will definitely help the cause. good luck. Mitch

I think sensitivity in rods is relative. My philosophy is don't let your equipment hinder your ability to catch fish. what i mean by this is get a rod and real that match your fishing ability. if you are a beginner don't buy top of the line stuff, because you will not be able to use the extra information provided by top of the line gear. on top of that you will probably not know how to do proper maintenance on your equipment and you will not get maximum lifespan out of it. if you are very experienced, then get a rod and reel that will allow you to maximize your abilities as a fisherman. I personally use reaction rods from $70.00-$100.00, sensitivity is not as important, the proper length, action, power, durability are most important. in my bottom contact rods I use from $100.00-$180.00, would I like to use higher end rods? Yes i would, but I personally beat the crap out of my rods when I fish tournaments so these "mid-priced" rods do a great job for me, If i didn't fish tournaments I would invest in high end custom built rods. Mitch

if you got the fish that close to the boat i would assume the hook-set was good enough to land it. the problem is probably in your technique. either you are allowing the fish just a little slack, you change the rod angle quickly, or put too much tension on the fish. my advice would be to get the fish to the surface and real your heart out, keep it on the surface skiing towards you and you should be able to land it just fine. mitch

there is a reason you do not see the professionals out there flippin t-rigs into brush, and weeds with light powered rods and 10 lb braid. these are not the right tools for the job. your technique may not be perfect, but with the proper equipment it does not need to be. if you want a good fight and catch more fish get a 7' medium power baitcasting setup with 30 lb braid or 12-15 lb floro. this set up will give you power when you need it but still feel like it is a fight when you hook a fish. Mitch

I would go with wither the compre or the mojo bass rod and probabily a 7' medium. both of these are good rods very durable, with great warranties so that you can fish with confidence. I like the real seat on the compre, it gives maximum contact with the blank to your hand. the veritas is a great rod as well a lot lighter than the others with better balance, but apparently has issues with breaking for some people. really cant go wrong in your selection. Mitch

all of the rods you have mentioned are great rods. Personally for dropshot rods I like 7'-7'6" ML fast action. the ML action allows for the nice soft tip that lets you work the bait nicely and also detect bites without the fish feeling much resistance. I find that using a 10-15 lb braided line with a 20 ft 6-12lb floro leader greatly increases sensitivity of this set up. personally I would not spend the kind of money you are talking about on a drop shot rod, there are a lot of good rods in the $100.00 class that will work really well. some of these are the st. croix triumph for $80.00, fenwick HMX $90.00, W&M skeet 7'2" micro honeycomb shaky head rod $100.00, *** 7'1" ML $100.00, abu veritas $100.00, shimano compre $100.00. just a few options... Mitch

It depends on how heavy the cover is. If you are in really thick stuff I would go with the heavier action rod also at a minimum of 7'6", 8' would be better. this will give you better distance on your casts and also a better angle to get the fish's head out of the slop and skiing on the surface. if you are in medium cover and or wooded areas a MH rod works great the length depends on how accurate you need to be with the cast. Mitch

Your budget of 200-300 is quite high for a begining spinning combo. I would suggest getting two combos for this price. combo 1: 6'6" medium power ugly stick ($30.00) shimano sonora 2500 ( $50.00) 20 lb power pro braid ($12.00) combo 2: 7' medium light st.croix Triumph ($80.00) shimano sonora 2500 ($50.00 20lb power pro braid the rest of spool from combo 1, and 10 lb berkley vanish for a leader of about 15'($11.00) use combo 1 for all horizontal presentations like cranks, spinners etc... use combo 2 for all bottom contact and finnesse presentations. both of these combos for about $230.00 would cover a lot of different techniques very well. Mitch

I have only broke one rod in the last few years and it was on the hookset, much like you describe. I have sense made sure to load up the rod before I set the hook, some people call it a "reel set" but it definitely works to not only hook the fish but reduce impact on the rod. usually when I see people break them on the set it is about two to three seconds into the rod being loaded, when the break occurs, and at this time in the set you are trying to pull the fish immediately out of cover. in my experience this is where the problem lies, try reeling down and keeping the rod away from a vertical/ almost vertical position. good luck Mitch

1 oz football jig for a search bait, dropshot or large shakeyhead for the slow presentation. another option is the bottomdweller spinnerbait by strike king, get the heaviest model and fish the extended points. with the gizzard shad this might be a good option. Mitch

I think the tournaments I fish are within 50' of any other boat is off limits, but it is up to the director to interpret the rules appropriately, and there is always the catch all clause of proper sportsmanship. that being said whenever there is a tournament on the water I will usually ask if someone pulls up near me if I am on one of their waypoints, If I am I will leave and let them fish their spot. I do this because often enough people do that for me in tournaments as well. Mitch

try the st. croix triumph 7' m for 70-80 bucks it is a great lightweight and sensitive rod. for the real both are great options I would only suggest the fastest gear ratio you can find. Mitch