ChrisD46

Thanks fishinkamp - very useful information ! ... I will look at the boats you mentioned - currently I keep coming back to the Xpress 19 and 18 .

Yes Tom , as an example the 18 ft. aluminum boat us usually 150 HP rated while the 19 ft. model is 200 HP rated . Interesting to note that usually the beam and width measurements are the same while of course one is a foot longer than the other ... Besides ride comfort perhaps side to side stability comes into play between the two lengths ? ...A more expensive trailer may be required ? ...Any up charge for insurance or state boat license between a 19 ft. and a 18 ft. bass boat ? ... Or from a 150 HP up to a 200 HP engine (i.e. hidden cost adders ?)

For an aluminum bass boat , say from : Crestliner , Xpress , Ranger , etc. where both a 19 ft. and 18 ft. models are offered in the same series - what are the finer points to consider (besides budget) for a novice looking to decide between the two bass boat lengths ? The easier more obvious part is saying : "The 17 ft. model is too small while the 21 ft. is too long" - so that tougher decision between the 19 ft. and the 18 ft. length choice comes into play ... *For those with exprience having either had both a 19 ft. and a 18 ft. aluminum bass boat before (or friends / relatives) who do - what are the finer points that determined your decision between the two lengths ? To add , in the Xpress series I believe the X19 has a dfferent / better hull than the X18 ? This perhaps would be an example of eliminating the X18 due to X19 better ride ...Thanks in advance for replies !

Not to thread jack - but the main choices in aluminum bass boats appear to be : Crestliner , G3 , Ranger , Tracker and Xpress . Perhaps the tougher decision (where offered) is : 18 ' or 19 ' version within the same series ?

The aluminum bass boats are getting nice !!! The Xpress , G3 , Crestliner , Ranger and Tracker aluminum boats running a 115 hp engine loaded can be had for les than $30K while a fiberglass boat loaded is now north of $75K !! ... Just yesterday talking to tournament buds they cited FLW and Elite guys who run loaded out aluminum boats now citing no issues with demanding use.

Forgot to add - for a braid + leader set up I would use #10 Power Pro hi-vis yellow with Sniper #7 lb. FC line... I have #6 lb. and #8 InvisX FC line now in stock (for clear water) which could be replaced with the one Sniper #7 lb. FC line for drop shot , shakey head , etc. According to A-Mart , he pulls up large pieces of branches , logs , etc. with the Sniper #7 lb. FC line - (supposedly amazingly strong for diameter) .

Many good and varied replies !! I thought I might see the new finesse FC lines made by Sunline and Seaguar mentioned ? ... The braid to mono camp and straight mono or FC camp are still alive ! A couple of experiments I plan to run are the new co-poly lines that are thin for diameter , have low stretch and handle better than FC line (Spiderwire #6 lb. or #8 lb. Ultimate Mono) ... Another newer aproach are the guys that run a braid mainline + a FC leader - however that FC leader is now like 15' to 20' ft. in length (not 2 to 3 ft. as before ) . Apparently you get better FC performance (less line twist issues on spinning ) , plus the advantage of braid mainline on spinning and lastly keeping that hi-vis braid line far away from the fish on the drop ... Kind of reminds me of fly fishing (short fly line length then the backing line) .

I bought a All Star split grip casting rod that is a M Fast 6'0" length for jerkbaits and top water walk the dog type baits used with a low stretch co-poly line . Academy had it on sale for $49 (reg. $79) - they also have a jerkbait rod in a slightly longer 6"4" length ... I choose the shorter rod for making short , crisp jerks of the rod to keep the lure in the strike zone longer as a longer rod takes up too much line with each jerk - however there are times when a longer length jerkbait rod can be beneficial (for working a lure fast and covering water !)

As the title states , what is your drop shot line set up for a casting a more horizontal drop shot technique in 12 ft. of water or less : Straight FC or Co-Poly , Braid mainline + FC leader + FC dropper ? ... What #pound test lines are you running ? ... Have you switched lines in the last year ? In lieu of a lot of newer finesse type lines being introduced - just interested to see what everyone's drop shot line choice is these days ... Thanks in advance !

For a good $8.00 experiment : Try #8lb. Spiderwire Ultimate Mono using a small #30lb. Spro swivel 18" or so up from the Fluke with 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook . You will get a nice fall rate of mono but lower stretch of FC for setting a larger single hook ... Ultimate Mono is a mono line that responds much like FC but handles like mono plus is very thin for each line rating .

Altough I have not used the PP in #3 lb. - #5 lb. I do see it at places on-line (google is your friend) ... *For a non - braid or FC , I have been experimenting with Spiderwire Ultracast Ultimate Mono in #6 lb. test : It's very thin , strong and has low stretch - it's similar to FC without the line twist / handling issues .

I can see where a 1500 series to 2500 series reel would be in the Ned rig range - then it becomes a factor of rod length and achieving the best balance to determine reel size ... Good comments !

Thanks - I ask because I have read where some folks are having less mono / FC line twist with the slightly larger spool of the 3000 series (which I don't own) ... Doesn't sound like it is enough to be concerned with though as I should be fine with my President 2000 series ... *I'm just looking for an excuse to say I need a new Daiwa Revros spinning reel (lol !)

Would the below be accurate for choosing a Ned Rig spinning reel size ? 2000 / 2500 series : If using braid + leader (i.e. #10 lb. braid + #8 lb. FC leader ) 3000 series if using straight FC , co-poly or mono line (i.e. #6 lb. ~ #8 lb. FC) *I'm thinking the larger spool 3000 series would handle light FC , co-poly or mono line better where as the 2000 / 2500 series is better suited for the braid + leader set up ? ... Thanks in advance for replies as to what spinning combo reel / line you use for the Ned Rig .

So far , the best 2 piece , ML , Fast spinning rods I could find are a TW (banned) 6'10 ML , Fast , Fenwick HMG series 7' ML , Fast and the above mentioned St. Croix Triumph 2 piece ... In 1 piece ned rig spinning rods there are more options - I like the Lew's 6'7" ML spinning rod specific for a Ned Rig but as previous posters stated , just about any 6'6" to 7'6" ML / M , Fast / Extra Fast spinning rod would work ... Looks like I'll be heading to the local Cabela's to check out the two piece St. Croix Triumph spinning rod !

Thanks for the updates - just read where the new Fireline 8 strand was the 2017 ICAST line of the year - perhpas this is the #10 lb. "fused braid" to consider instead of Nanobraid ?

I should have stated for spinning reel only ...

I'm interested in the Sufix #10 lb. nanobraid for finesse applications - anyone tried or have experience with this line ? ...Curious how it compares to other popular #10 lb. braids (i.e. Power Pro , Seaguar , P-Line , Sunline , etc. ) in terms of handling , distance and strength ? ... Thanks in advance !

Thanks for the replies ... Based on what was shared , TW has a few that would fit the bill and Cabela's has a St. Croix Triumph series that would work .

As the title states , I need help finding a good : 2 piece ML F / XF 6'10" ~ 7'3" Spinning Rod for Ned Rig under $100 ... I need as a travel rod for keeping in my car trunk - thanks in advance !

Thanks Mike for the update - always interested to see the advances in skirt colors and the like to give us new jig color options !

+1 ... What Scarborough817 says !

Thanks for the replies - I would like to think that the thin braid + FC leader would be a good line option in winter as well as not impede any action to the Ned bait combo ?

*Glenn mentions a straight #6lb. co-poly line for the Ned Rig - for those that have replied , what is your choice of line ?

Yes , I vow to learn this technique over winter when the bite can be a little tough after fronts , etc. so a few different retrieves to learn are in order ... On deck are a new 7' ML fast action rod , 2000 series spinning reel with #10 lb. braid + #6 lb. FC leader . Today while visiting my favorite local tackle shop to wish them a Merry Christmas - they just got in the new Roboworm 3" Ned Worm so I picked up a pack of a green pumpkin variant to have along with some 3" TRD's I recently bought .