ChrisD46

My pet peeves for off the rack non - custom rods are : * Crooked rod blank tips * Uneven Guides * Poor guide wraps * Poor application of epoxy

What WRB & FinCulture said ...Also consider Sufix Elite 8lb. - 10lb. mono . 15lb. to 20lb. braid plus 8lb. to 10lb. FC or P-Line CXX for leader are good candidates as well .

Tips : - For typical 2500 series try to stay with .011 inch diameter (or less) line size for mono. - Go to TW , look at their mono line selection and pick out one you like (I recommend : Seaguar Senchi in 12lb. size , Sufix Elite in 8lb. size) - Brush up on a You Tube video on spooling line on a spinning reel and after a cast also ALWAYS close the bail by hand after pulling slack line out first. If above still doesn't work for you - then give YZ Hybrid super soft a try ...Just thought to offer a less expensive option first !

ww2farmer : What size weights do you like with the VMC (spinning) and Revenge (Baitcasting) wacky jigheads ?

tcbass : Do you use a small drill bit to drill through the tubing first so you don't roll / dull the hook point ? If you are simply sliding the hook point in between the senko and the tubing (parallel to the hook point) - how is your hook up ratio ? Any special tactics / tips to slide the tubing on the senko ?

Rippin-Lips: Thanks for the feedback ...Looks like it would help protect the stickbait a bit better in order to get a few more bass from one bait . I also like the hook orientation as it should provide a better hookup (compared to o-rings)... In less than 12 - 15 ft. I believe 1/32nd oz. and 1/16th oz. sizes should be the ticket with the 4" & 5" stick baits I prefer to use .

I just saw these on the TW site - anyone have experience using these ? ... They come in weight sizes 1/32nd to 3/16th , I'm guessing for a Stick bait to "pulse" properly a lighter weight such as approx. 1/16th size would be ideal - your thoughts and experiences with this product ?

Spool braid tight and be mindful of digging - retrieve with some line tension too ! I throw some crappie / bluegill 1/16th oz. tubes on an UL spinning outfit with #5lb. PP , a Ned Rig ML spinning outfit with #8lb. PP , ML spinning outfit with #10lb. PP for Drop Shot and a M spinning outfit with #15lb. PP for Shakyhead ...On my baitcasters I won't go any lower than #30lb. PP !

I did not like the short rod butt on the few that I handled ... Decent quality components used though .

The Motive is faster and possibly lighter - otherwise similar.

^^This^^ however just use cheap 30lb. mono from WM.

The new Daiwa Revros at $49.00 is going to be a hot reel - I have an Exceler and President which I love but after trying out a new Dawai Revros I believe the Revros beats anything in it's price point up through the $75 range .

Thanks for the replies - I agree for rod tip down lures / retrieves a slight tip down is desirable , for tip up lures / retrieves I use the rod balancer to achieve a neutral or slight tip up balance which just feels better to me . While it may just be a placebo effect - the rods where I use the rod balancer to achieve a neutral or slight tip up balance seem to feel more sensitive as well . I'm sure a rod builder (DVT) has a good reason why changing the rod balance point can give the sensation of increased sensitivity .

I will also state that having an understanding that the Veritas 1.0 is stiffer across all flexes than is the Veritas 2.0 version . Still a number of people state that the Veritas 2.0 is still a little stiffer still than competitors offerings in the same flexes , so better to error on the side of say a MH instead of a H flex , a M flex instead of a MH flex , etc.

I have used the rod balancer butt cap system (from BPS) with success on spinning outfits with success - have you used (or feel the need to use) on baitcast outfits ?

Wait for the new version 2 *** coming out , long full cork grip with an even better rod blank . Unless fishing in tighter quarters - I would opt for the new *** 7'3" MH as being ideal .

A-Jay & ww2farmer : What size VMC Powershot EWG hooks do you like with your set up - 3/0 , 4/0 or 5/0 ?

Best time to buy ? ... When your wife leaves for a few days to go stay with her mother !

Nice tactic ! ... By rigging a 5" stick bait wacky style I use a larger size hook and dropshot weight - but it still is a basic drop shot setup (just a litle more stout) . What A-Jay and ww2farmer are doing is THE powershot set up - I'm impressed !

For me it begins with a 6'6" MH rod and 6:3:1 baitcast outfit and InvizX #12lb. FC line , 1/4th oz. drop shot weight , #1 VMC Spinshot hook and a 5" Senko type bait rigged about 18" above the weight where I cast out horizontal in less than 15' ft. of water - then drag and shake ... Deadly in the Summer to entice a bite . What's your favorite Powershot set up ?

Not to get off topic - but the king of dropshot (Rich Zaleski) who was a long time advocate of FC line for dropshotting recently switched to Seaguar Kanzen #8lb. with a FC leader ...He now indicates this setup beats his previous FC main line drop shot set up by far in every way (except one extra knot) ... Still , there are those who have tried both line types who believe they get bit SIGNIFICANTLY more on the drop shot using straight FC mainline for dropshotting ...What do YOU think ?

Lew's new LFS (at TW for $99 vs. $149 for Tatula) ... the Lew's has two ~ three more ball bearings and is approx. 1 oz. lighter than the Tatula .

Choporoz : That light of a weight - just curious if a 1/16th oz. bullet weight (easier to find) would not provide the same result as a mojo slip weight (mojo out of business ???)

For the Sunline FC Sniper #7lb. users : What size spinning reel (i.e. 2500 series ) are you using it on ? Any line managment problems (coiling , twist ) to report with your set up ?

Woah ! - 12lb. FC is too big to spool on a 2500 series reel and will spring off making the line hard to control ... You need to keep the FC line to 8lb. or less