ChrisD46

All good replies - I have a reel with #30 lb. braid as a mainline and a spools of #12 lb. CXX and #12 lb. FC InvizX which I will try with 5 ft. leaders .... Same would probably work for lipless traps , swim jigs and spinner baits as well .

Thanks for the useful replies ... Anyone tried Gamma Polyflex co-poly line in say #12 lb. to #17 lb. sizes ?

Looking for a line recommendation to use with bladed vibrating jigs (i.e. chatterbaits ) ... I'm thinking something in the #12 lb. to #17 lb. range in either a co-poly or FC would be best - what line are you currently using for bladed vibrating jigs and what do you like about the line best ? Thanks in advance !

Never really considered Lew's for rods however I am starting to see the Lew's Custom Speed Stick Magnum Casting Rod (7'3" MH) being mentioned and used a lot for: lipless crankbaits , small jigs , smaller swim baits , Senkos , etc. It appears to be a pretty versitile rod - your thoughts and experiences ?

To clarify - many lipless crank baits fish similar when reeled straight in but for the "lift and drop" tactic the RES may own that category application ... The 6th Sense may have it as well and possibly the new Storm lipless crank baits (TBD) . To me - that ability to shimmy on the fall makes for more versatile lipless crank bait versus the vast majority which just flop over and fall straight down to the bottom ... What says you ?

With respect to the subject title - what goes into your decision process as to when you use a chrome & blue vs. a chrome & black crankbait ? I had heard that for a sunny day with blue sky is best for a chrome & blue crankbait while the chrome & black crankbait color is better for a overcast or cloudy day ... Your thoughts and experiences between the two color crankbait options ?

The normal , retired gentleman door greeter I am used to seeing has been replaced by The Bait Monkey ... I knew to head straight to the fishing section !!

fishnkamp : LOL - small world ! ... Thanks for the set up information - I have the exact same Berkley rod and will experiment with Braid + FC and Co-Poly leaders . I also have 6'10" Med / Fast and 7' Med Heavy / Fast All Star Classic rods which I will try with straight 12lb. ~ 15lb. FC or Co-Poly lines (all using a BS PQ 6:1 bait cast reels). Not much grass in North Georgia reservoirs - mostly rock , gravel and riprap 'trap applications (until I move to Central FL. to retire , then grass + 'traps will come into play ...)

fishnkamp : what is your line set up on your lipless crank rods (if more than one size - please also list) ... Thanks in advance !! P.S. Formerly from Ellicott City , MD. and married a girl from Towson (upgrade kicker wife) ... Also if you are from MD. we call 'em Rock Fish (Stripers if you are from outside of MD.) ...Terps , O's , Ravens forever :) !

The PQ is discontinued - at $50 they are a great buy as long as you maintain them properly . There are even after market parts such as Boka bearings , 90mm handles etc. to jazz them up a bit if that's your thing ; also 3rd party replacement parts if you look . Yes , the new PQ2 is out but I would only buy if on sale once per year at $50 . While the PQ2 is improved - it is not improved to the degree that Lew's , Abu Garcia , Daiwa , etc. have been making improvements - thus the PQ2 is only a good buy if / when they go on a 50% off sale .

For me , Cabela's is 5 miles away while BPS is 35 miles away ... I would favor the merger IF it meant more BPS goods in the Cabela's store close to me .

Do you know if the Spro Aruka Shad has a shimmy on the fall (like a RES) or does it pretty much drop like a rock ?

*I stand to be corrected - it appears a composite crank bait rod may NOT be the best rod for a lipless crank bait rod (unless using braid) ... Please also list straight graphite models and actions ! ... New Academy & Cabela's opened up close to my house - I'm open to their house brand if acceptable for lipless cranks as well as name brands they carry for comparison .

Looking for a best value composite lipless crank bait rod (7' or over) under $100 ... What are your current recommendations based on experience for ripping lipless crank baits through grass and bouncing off the bottom gravel , rocks , etc. that won't break the bank ? ...Thanks in advance !

Do Cotton Cordell Super Spots have a similar shimmy and stay upright on the fall as do the Strike King Red Eye Shad ? *Additionally any other lipless cranks mentioned previously with a good shimmy on the fall ?

I will mainly use for leader material , I currently have been using P-Line Floroclear for the same application .

Never used the above line but found a nearby source at a reasonable price - what are your favorite applications and experiences with this line ? Thanks in advance ...

So far mono line rules - is the stretch of mono and advantage ?

Quite a few to look into - the Live Target Vibration Trap in Gold Shiner will be on my short list to investigate as well (nice detail) . The Bill Lewis Rat - L Trap , Booyah One Knocker and the Strike King RES have a ton of fans ... Probably no reason to spend $$ on a lipless trap bait with this much love !

As the title suggests - what are your favorite current lipless crank baits as well as top colors ? ... I'm planning a trip to Central Florida in the near future and have little experience with this techniques as the lakes I fish are highland reservoirs with little grass ... Thanks in advance !

As the title suggests what is your current lipless crank bait set up : Rod , Reel , Gear Ratio and Line ? ... Specifically looking to target Central Florida lakes during a near future trip - thanks in advance !

What I have learned : If you move the lure with the rod it' a 7:1: or faster application ... If you move the lure with the reel it's a 6:1 or slower application ! ... In general not bad advise and easy to remember ... Lastly , saw a recent video featureing Aaron Martens : Of the 25 baitcast rod & reel outfits he keeps on his Elite Pro boat - 23 of them are 7:1 or faster !! He goes in depth as to why too - shocked to see so many fast outfits (Aaron does not consider 7:1 as fast - he considers anything 8:1 or faster as fast !!) ... Wow .

Or perhaps another way to look at it : When would you NOT use a bait cast reel with a gear ratio of 7:1:1 or higher ?

Besides bait cast reel companies offering faster and faster reels now (8:1:1+) , the Pros are advocating faster reels for applications unheard of just a couple of years ago . Essentially , a 7:1:1 bait cast reel is the NEW "normal" best all around gear ratio replacing the 6:3:1 which held the formal "normal" spot just (again) a couple of years ago . See more below on bait cast reel gear ratio trends : 1. Deep Cranking : Up until recently a 5:4:1 gear ratio was the norm for deep cranking so you wouldn't wear yourself out due to deep crank baits resistance . *Now you are seeing 6:3:1 and 7:1:1 gear ratios being used for deep cranking . 2. Lipless Crank Baits / Medium To Shallow Crank Baits : Up until recently a 6:3:1 gear ratio was the norm . *Now the 7:1:1 gear ratio is the new norm for these applications . 3. Jerk Baits / Walk - The - Dog - Baits / Poppers / Surface Twitch Baits : The 6:3:1 gear ratio was the norm up until a couple of years ago . * Now you are seeing 7:1:1 gear ratios being used for these applications . 4. Flipping / Pitching Soft Plastics / C-Rig / T-Rigs / Jigs : The "fast" 7:1:1 gear ratio was being used up until a couple of years ago . * Now the new norm are the faster 8:1:1 and 9:1:1 gear ratios for these same applications . Regarding the above : Please give me your current bait cast gear ratios for the applications I have listed above . Next , are you considering moving to any faster gear ratios for 2017 - if so , for which applications and what new gear ratio will you use ? Lastly , provide any comments regarding the trends I have listed above . *We all can agree that to a Pro "time is money" and they have to work fast . Conversely , I am seeing new fishing shows where the Pros are touting the attributes of faster bait cast gear ratios for above applications targeting the week end bass fisherman as well . Do you see advantages to new faster gear ratios ? Do you believe it's just a new technology capability reel makers (spinning too !) have and now they are trying to create a market for themselves ? Are the Pros responsible for driving the higher gear ratios ? ... I want to hear your thoughts and experiences to all I have stated above - thanks in advance and I look forward to your replies !!

I understand that a larger size spinning reel is better if using straight FC line (KVD uses a 4000 series with straight FC for bass) but does the same concept hold true for braided line ? Since there is little line twist with braid I would link a smaller size spinning reel (2500 series) would reduce the size of the braid line coils resulting in smoother / longer casts ? Your thoughts and experiences ?