Bass2124

Yah, living in the cold sucks!! I start off flyfishing fishing for salmon and brook trout until the start of June when the Bass fishing starts to pick up. From that point on it is all Bass fishing. Hoping to start up earlier this year but have no clue when the smallies start to get active in Maine. The nearest lake that there is Bass is 2 hours away so I havenn't really experimented much in the early part pf the season due to the long travel.

Ok. Just got my new crankbait rod (7' Abu Veritas medium action) along with my new bait caster (Lews speed spool) and was eager to try it out. Found some line laying around that I used last summer for attatching leader to my braid ( 12lb Viscious Flouro) and spooled some of that on it. Put a 3/8 oz crawfish crankbait on and took it out side in the snow and started casting. One thing I noticed right off the bat compared to the only baitcaster that I have ever used before ( BPS Pro Qualifier with Abu Vandetta 6'6" medium fast) was that this setup was much lighter. Backlashed the heck out of it until I got it dialed in. Had the breaking system set on 7 before it stopped backlashing. Now I am a self admitted average caster on a good day, but I hardly ever backlash anymore but I struggled with this set up. I also used 30lb Spiderwire braid on the PQ all of last year so throwing straight flouro reminded me why I stayed with braid. Once I got it dialed in and started casting accurataly, with out backlashes I got out the tape measure. The furthest I could consistently cast was 65'. Longest cast was 72'. The temp was 35* and no wind to speak of. So the question- is this an average, below average, or above average distance with this setup in this environment?

What do people use for line when crankbait fishing? I have heard pros using mono, flouro and braid. I have always use 30lb braid with a 4' leader of 8lb flouro. This is mainly because I used everything from crankbaits to Jigs with this setup because I only had 1 rod. Now that I have an arsenal of rods and reels this year and have 1 rod strictly for crankbaits and jerkbaits, what line is the best for this set up?

Both are on sale for $79.00. I have a lews and need 1 more baitcaster to add into the collection. The President was 149.00. Is it a better reel? Speed spool is a great reel but thinking President due to its price may be a higher end reel. Any feed back would be great!

What type of action is best suited for skipping.....and.... any suggestions on a rod that you prefer when skipping. I am a novice when it comes to this technique but want to add that part to the game plan this year.

I have heard that some anglers tying their braided line directly to their lures especially crankbaits and jerkbaits. I have always attached 3 to 6' of flourcarbon leader. Does it really matter or is it personal preference?

Why use conditioner if the line is coated? Isn't the whole purpose to cast further? Why not just buy coated line?

Now I just need a nice rod that I can save a $100 on to go with it !

Well I called Pinnacle directly and got a sales rep on the phone immediately. Very Helpful and knowledgabel and pretty much sold me on the reel. He said that the XLT and the XT are the same with the exception of the external gold plating that the XLT has. He said that the XT is a closeout being replaced by a newer model that has the same internal structure as the XT and XLT. Went ahead and bought one for $83 bucks from united outdoors on ebay with free S/H! They have good reviews so I hope they are true on their description. The rep at pinnacle said some vendors just get rid of older models to make room for new inventory and take their losses. He assured me that as long as the product was new the warrantly would be valid and there are plenty of parts for the XT if need be. So basically as long as I get the described reel I will have saved myself over a $100+ bucks. First baitcaster I have purcahsed that has retailed for that much. $100 reels have always been my cut off line. Interested if I will see the difference between my Lews speed spool and Bass Pro shop ProQualifier which I both got for under $100.

Is there much difference between the 2? Don't know much about pinnacle? Could care less about the name. I just think the quickflip is something that would be useful and for the price it isn't too bad considering their website has it retailing for $179. I really like the lews speed spool. As far as quality and life a little apprehensive when it comes to pinnacle since there is not much for reviews or press.

Here we go again! Another closeout reel that seems too good to pass up. $179.00 down too $103. I can get another Lews speed spool for $99 (have one already) but I like this quickflip option. Seems like it could come in handy while flipping. Anyone have one?

What are the best spinnerbaits on the market? Where, (like most), I can't go high end on rods and reels, having top of the line fishing tackle might be the answer to catching more fish. I have defaulted to this thought anyway. I have found the KVD line of spinnerbaits to be good quality but not sure if there are any better? Thanks for the input!

These are on sale for $59 from Bass pro. Normally $99. Junk or worth the buy?

Thanks guys for the responses. Sounds like I made a sound purchase!

Just purchased a Minn Kota edge 70 lb thrust bow mount 24v trolling motor today to replace my 55lb powerdrive. Just stopped running on my last bass fishing trip in November but it is 10 years old (i have only had it for 2...came with my starcraft starfire 190). Probably would have cost me over $100 or more to repair if it were the lower unit so I said frig it and went with a new one. Not sure what the life expectancy are on those but 10 years seems pretty old??? I am hoping this edge is more user friendly than the powerdrive. I hated the foot pedal on that thing and fighting to get in and out of the water I certainly will not miss. They said it is cable driven rather than electric. The guy seemed like he preferred the electric over the cable. Not sure why? Not a high end trolling motor I know but for $500 I hope it does the job. Anyone have one?

What is the best approach to fishing smallmouth in early spring. I normally am targeting salmon once ice is out but now with the bass fishing bug that I have been contaminated with would like to know what strategy to start with. I have heard some say smallmouth doesn't really start picking up until the spawn which I believe in Maine is in early June? Any advice would be great!

Shows you how much I know about bass tournaments.

I know it sounds crazy and the few bass fisherman I have told "sniker" and I can tell by their responses that they think I am full of Sh**. But I'm telling you it is absolutely deadly when I do it. If I don't troll with s turns it is not nearly affective. I am trolling at about 1-2 mph. I nail most of them after it has bounced off of some sort of structure but have also caught many suspended fish using this tactic. It is an absolute blast reeling in a 2-3 lb smallie from 150' out on a flyrod. The fight on a 5wt is absolutely amazing. Often times they do swallow it but I have caught many in the mouth as well. All I know is that it works and I have almost been reluctant to share this secret because I think I could win a tournament using this tactic !

I am relatively new to bass fishing and really got crazy this past summer buying every plastic under the sun. Some worked but most did not. I have read that each lake and region has its prefered bait and presentation and obviously time of year and conditions require different strategies but the one bait I always can go to in virtually every lake in every condition I have fished is using a 4-8" lizards. They always seem to work for me. My favorite thing to do, especially when the fish are not biting, is to cover alot of area S trolling a carolina rig on my 9' flyrod and let it out 150'. As crazy as this sounds I always land fish and 9 times out of 10 catch my largest fish of the day using this method. Unconventional I know but deadly. I don't know if it is a confidence thing or what but when I have used any other plastic baits- senkos, creatures, and other plastics they are not nearly as effective as using the lizards. By the end of the year that was the only plastic I would use. So my question is why are they so effective? Is it me or are they the best plastic lure out there?

Never going to give up the flyrod. My favorite fishing is flyfishing early morning/ late evenings using poppers. But I must admit catching fish with a baitcaster has been very enjoyable. Really do not like using spinning gear but it is easier for the kids and wife who come with me often although my daughter is starting to get the hang of my baitcaster. I just see many pros using spiining gear for finessse fishing and I though that It must have its place. I currently have a BPS pro qualifier baitcaster and a 6'6" Abu Garcia Vendetta MH with #30 spiderwire ez braid with a 10 lb 6-8' flourocarbon leader and have thrown everything from 3/4 oz jigs to small crankbaits and have caught bass on a regular basis. I am not advanced enogh to really feel the subtle differences in strikes. I am looking to purchase a Lews speed spool baitcasting reel for myself and a couple Pfluegar President/cabela tourney trails that I have often seen go on sale for $69 for the kids. I have felt that combo at Cabelas and it seems like a nice setup????

Thanks guys for some great suggestions. I have much to learn about this sport and I think that this forum is going to be a great resource. You will be seeing many questions from me in various parts of this forum. I know trial and error are at times your best learning practices but getting a few steps ahead of the game can certainly eliminate many unnecessary headaches. Unfortunately for me, being so far north I have another 4 months waiting before I can start in again. In the mean time, I am going to try to get as educated as I can about techniques to catching mainly smallmouth (not many largemouth in my neck of the woods) as I can.

New to this forum and Bass fishing in general and have switched from my beloved flyrod to baitcasting and spinning gear last year. This is something I thought I would never do as I had been a die hard trout flyfisherman for years (I ihope I don't get stoned in here for saying the word trout) but am now slowly coming out of the closet and admitting my true love for bass fishing. This year I have finally crossed over to the otherside and gone to more modern methods of catching bass. I would never admit that however to my flyfishing buddies. Although catching a smallmouth on a baitcasting rod will never replace the feeling of throwing a popper with my 9' 5 wt and landing a lunker, I have come to realize that catching bass with baitcasting and spinning gear yields a much higher return. My question here, and I am sure it hs been asked sveral times in this forum, is what should I spend my hard earned dollars more on...... baitcasting or spinning gear???? I was also at one time a fanatical golfer (finally came to my senses and returned back to fishing) and realized that you need several wrenches to get the job done. In year one in my new quest for catching bass, I had one baitcaster (which I finally learned how to use without backlashing) and one spinning rod and found myself using my baitcaster much more often. The problem is that changing lures all the time became a pain so I have realized that more wrenches are needed. As more experienced anglers, which wrenches do you carry more of and why?