ChrisD46

Seems 7'3" is the "new" 7' in bait cast rods .

*Fury 733C. with chatterbaits and #40 lb. braid mainline could be about perfect .

In Georgia I'd say when water temps dip below 55 F.

This ^^ ... I replaced some horsehead underspin blades that were too large and interfered with the soft plastic paddle tail trailer I was using with down sized size #1 willow leaf blades . Now with the smaller willow leaf blade the horsehead underspin works as it should .

*What about using BG's baby shad on a Ned Rig setup " 1/24th oz. ZMan TRD jig head with #4 hook , ML to L / F spinning rod , #8lb. braid mainline to #4 lb. ~ #6 lb. FC leader , using one of the six recognized Ned Rig retrieves ? ... The "UL Ned Rig" ! I already have such a set up using tiny Beetle Spins , so all I need to do is switch out the Beetle Spin for the tiny 1/24th oz. #4 hook ZMan TRD jig heads (already have) and add one of the countless little crappie soft plastics (already have) ... While being fun for numbers - could be a disaster for any bass over 3 lbs. (lol !)

*I have come to the same conclusion and have now settled on the Gamakatsu Drop Shot/Split Shot hook, size #2 as being the gold standard for dropshotting the small Robo Worms I use the majority of the time .

*Now rethinking FC as a main line based on replies and further reading from Pros : The phenomena of FC line weakening when it gets stretched causing breakage approx. six feet up the line certainly raises an eye brow (per cranking guru David Fritts) requiring stripping off six feet of line at a time for re-ties is expensive / disconcerting .

*The "wild card" is in the type of line you use for a chatter bait : Braid , FC or mono ? You either build in stretch (i.e. "give" in your line) or you create give in your rod choice to give bass a split second longer to get a chatterbait good in their mouth . If I'm not mistaken Brett E. is a braid mainline guy , so he builds in the required chatterbait "give" via his rod choice (i.e. glass , moderate MH action) . I prefer graphite MH /F ~ F moderate with Yo Zuri Hybrid #12 lb. line.

*Agree 100% !! I have just stayed with the pearl and green pumpkin colors and they work well with surprising durability ... One of my favorite bladed jig trailers . I'll be adding more to my collection .

*Tom - I read a good many FB jig fishermen who swear by the GY twin tail grubs . I don't see them locally and even though they are a bit expensive I'll order from TW next sale to try out (GP/BLK).

Why would the action of the two Foggy designs (tungsten vs. football ) be much different from one another ?

*You are on the right track : The RES may be the best lipless crank for the yo-yo retrieve due to how it falls on slack line . The RES is also good on a straight retrieve or with a few slight hesitations added to each cast. Lastly , many will opt for the 1/4 oz. RES in early Fall as that best matches the shad hatch from the previous Spring - then switch to the larger 1/2 oz. & 3/4 oz. late in the Fall when bass are feeding up for Winter (You could probably skip the 1/4 oz. version now and pick up a few later for early Fall 2021) . I also believe the larger RES better match larger shad that were lucky enough not to be eaten as well as to better match the larger Gizzard shad that bass will key in on when feeding up for Winter . I like the Chrome Blue color or any RES color ending with the word "shad" such as Green Gizzard Shad , Tennessee Shad , Chartreuse Shad , etc. then for late Winter into Spring I switch to any of the red , orange , red / orange colors such as: Rayburn Red , Orange Craw , Chile Craw , etc. craw colors in the 1/2 oz. size ... I hope this helps to guide you which RES's to pick up now and then the ones to add later .

Looking for a good general purpose 3 power M/F bait cast rod for weightless Senkos , Flukes , Square Bills , Top Water , etc. under $150 ... What is your favorite ? Thanks in advance !

What is your favorite football jig + trailer combo ? Also colors and weights you throw ... Thanks in advance !

All useful replies ... Makes me curious to perhaps try a touted low stretch mono / co-poly like Sufix Advance Mono or Spiderwire Ultimate Mono to test sensitivity .

What techniques do you consider using FC main line a must versus using braid , mono or co-poly main lines ? ... I'll go first : T-Rig Worms & Creature Baits (#12 lb. - #17 lb. FC) Wobble Head , Pitching Jigs & Football Jigs (#12 lb. - 17 lb. FC) C-Rig (#15 lb. - #17 lb. FC) Crank Baits : Lipless , Square Bill (#10 lb. - #12 lb. FC) *The above applications are the only ones I feel reasonably sure about using an FC main line for - other techniques such as : Swim jigs , jerk baits , flipping into cover , drop shot and shaky head could go either straight FC main line or some other kind of line ... Your thoughts ?

*You get a passing grade from me - nice thinking out of the box ! I'd say (and Ned himself would concur) that essentially any soft plastic under 3.5" with a 1/16th oz. jig head , #2 or #4 size hook qualifies as a Ned Rig . I'd twitch your minnow / chartreuse jig head set up just above the bottom occasionally letting it kiss the rocks and then - hold on !

Anyone have the 7' Veritas M/F or the 7' Veritas M/M Winch model which they use for top water and / or general utility applications ? This (and the newly announced next generation Veritas) seem popular with Justin Lucas and other Pros (i.e. 7' M Veritas) ... *Not sure which model M/F or Winch would be best in the 7'M action (most likely will use #30 lb. ~ #40 lb. braid) with it for Spooks , Sammy's and other top water walking lures and poppers ... Thanks in advance !

Favorite Fall retrieves for the Ned Rig - or do you bother changing anything at all ?

*Here I am thinking that matching socks and under wear to my tungsten worm weights colors was just a Southern thing ? Glad to know our Northern bass'n brothers are in on the fun as well (lol !!) P.S. My T-Rig fishing confidence grew once I added the matching Green Pumpkin , Watermelon Red and Junebug socks and under wear ... *Don't be afraid to mix the colors up you wear as well - just like jig and trailer color combinations !!

Bass Pro Elite series angler Stetson Blaylock uses Tac 40 bait cast reels and rods in Bassmaster tournaments . I would imagine if he had any problems he has several new boxes of reels at his disposal for every tournament . He must like them because he keeps using them and as a pro he fishes them hard !

While Fall can present less fishing pressure and a great time to be fishing for bass - Fall can be a challenging time of the year to get bit (even watching Pros fail with their favorite 4 or 5pet lure techniques) . When bass are scattered , not chasing shad and not biting your favorite Fall baits - it could be a good time to cover water with a Ned Rig (especially post frontal Fall blue bird sky days) . Any thoughts on the above as well as who is having success breaking out the Ned Rig when the Fall bite becomes perplexing ?

*Great information - Thanks ... I'm thinking for now I can spool up #50 lb. PP on my only Fuego CT 8:1 and using either straight braid or adding a #12 lb. ~ #20 lb. FC / Mono leader would be good for most things. Ideally , I would like to add another Fuego CT and spool with #65 lb. braid and the other one spooled with #40 lb. braid (or straight #17 lb. ~ #20 lb. FC line) . Tough to have only one Fuego CT - right ?

*For those that favor a 8:1:1 gear ratio baistcast reel - do you own more than one ? If so , how do you have them rigged (i.e. line & rod ?)