ChrisD46

For those that use a braid mainline - do you believe you could still have an effective shaky head set up using a ML/F or M/F vs. a M/XF spinning rod ?

To clarify : Your typical 3/32nd oz. ~ 3/16th oz. Ball Head Jig ; Trick Worm / Finesse Worm Shakey Head ... Could also be used for Neko Rig or weightless Senko duty .

Moving into the hotter months where a shakey head may save the day from getting skunked ... What is your current shakey head rod , reel and line set up ?

Fill 2/3rds with #8lb. mono then the last 1/3rd with #15 lb. braid (or roughly 65 yrds. with braid) then tie on a #8lb. co-poly or FC leader... That #35 series reel would be good for a shaky head , weightless Senko , etc.

*Setup should work great ... The Veritas MH is still closer to a H in other lines and should work well horsing out a bass from cover .

The new Lew's Mach Crush spinning & bait casting reels (ugly orange & black) are heavily advertised on fishing shows I watch - anybody seen or tried one ? ... If so , your thoughts ?

If you have a rocky to semi rocky bottom lake you could use the stiffness of that rod to your advantage throwing a Biffle Bug / Swing Jig setup ... Great deflection that way .

Thanks for the updated replies - previous concerns are most ball heads are 2/0 hook size - great for most things but not for a 2.8" Keltech (1/0).

*Thanks John - I think of most swim baits as the size used for swim jigs (4" ~ 5") ... The Seibert round ball jig heads look ideal in the lighter weights but I may have to stop at the Keltech 3.3" Fat Swing Impact and hope a spot is willing to "upsize" a bit - that 2.8" Keltech Fat Swing Impact is really small !

Spots where I live are currently gorging themselves on 2" ~ 3" thread-fin shad ... I would like to try a 2.8" Keltech Fat Swing Impact Shad but have no idea how to rig a swim bait that small ... Your thoughts and suggestions ?

A friend gave me a new pack of pearl color trick worms - curious if anyone has used a pearl color trick worm before on shad lakes ? ... I thought of either wacky rigging to imitate a dying shad OR use them T-Rig on a VMC drop dead hook to also imitate a dying shad ... Any luck with pearl (or even white) trick worms in post spawn ? *Might also be a Fall deal when the shad are bigger (i.e. 6" trick worm is a longer profile) .

Thanks for replies ... Changing up a bit - then who has better technique specific rods under $100 that you like OR enough different rod options to cover most techniques such as : *Top Water / Jerk Bait * Jig / C-Rig *Worm *Crank Bait *Frog

I noticed Brent Chapman had a deck full of the yellow W&M Skeet Reese technique specific rods - curious how the performance & quality are as looking on TW they have about every technique covered for under $100 each ?

If using a VMC spin shot drop shot hook then I assume I could just go with a Alberto knot to join the braid main line with the FC leader and forgo the micro swivel ?

*I like the Ochos for these reasons : Good weight , soft , pliable , nice rich colors , 8 sides create good action on the fall as well as shimmer due to the flat sides catching light which causes metal flake colors to flash . Conversely , due to their softness it is wise to use an o-ring when wacky rigging . The Ochos also are good on a sstandard T-Rig with a offset round bend worm or EWG hook ... Try the 4" Ocho on a shaky head to drag & hop on the bottom and the big 6" or 7" on a 5/0 1/8th oz. VMC drop dead hook to fall naturally on ledges. Lastly , the coffee scent is a given , the green pumpkin variations are excellent - ditto for the white / glacier shad colors .

I will state that "at times" a BPS Stik-O worm can be good - my biggest issue has been that I have encountered bags with off colors , sometimes two or three different shades of the primary color I ordered ... I now would only consider to buy BPS Stik-O worms in person at a BPS store where I could inspect the merch first before buying ... I prefer Senko , SK Ocho and Yum Dinger (in that order) .

Thanks for the replies - the micro swivel is a good idea to deal with line twist ...

For those that use braid plus a FC leader for drop shot - what braid mainline , knot , and FC (leader length too) do you use ?

WP110 Set Up : 7' MH spinning Rod , 3000 / 4000 series Daiwa spinning reel , #30 lb. braid : It's a straight cast & reel in deal so spinning is fine plus you can bomb the casts to cover max water on each cast ... Try this set up and you won't use a casting set up for this one specific tactic .

Daiwa spinning reels - even the sub $75 reels have been very good with enhanced features !

*Watching saltwater big game fish guys tie a Bimini twist or securing wire leaders makes me complain less regarding any freshwater knot I may tie !

*Thanks Tom - figured there might be a west coast angle to it ... Thanks for the replies - Brent used 9 braid wraps (SX-1 #12 lb. ) over his #8lb. Sunline FC leader.

I saw Brent Ehrler tie the RP knot (braid main line to leader) however to me it looked very familiar to the Alberto Knot ... What am I missing ? ... Which do you prefer ?

Anybody tried braid under #10 lb. for finesse tactics such as a Ned Rig , ultra light crank baits / top water , etc. ? I notice Power Pro has braid sizes down to #3 lb. then there is Gliss with super thin similar line sizes and a couple of other braid manufacturers who have braid offerings down under #10 lb. now ... For bass using a Ned Rig on a ML spinning outfit I would consider #8 lb. Power Pro where I'm trying to get some distance with a 1/32nd oz. to 1/16th oz. jig head - but honestly would be afraid / nervous to try a lower weight braid - your thoughts and experiences ?

Not to threadjack but I've had trouble finding decent two piece rods for bass : Abu Garcia Veritas are direct only I believe - ditto for St. Croix . I believe BPS has lower end 2 piece rods available - have not seen anything else ?