SoMinnBass

Hey all. I am looking for a very specific design of football jig head. I used to use the one from Outkast Tackle in Duluth, MN, but it seems they no longer make them. I am looking for an alternative. Here is what I am looking for: Must have: - Recessed eye - Eye parallel with hook shaft - Regular round bend hook - Relatively skinny keeper - Single lead barbed keeper Must NOT have: - Weed guard - Huge encircling collar keeper - Skinny wire keeper - Swing-head - Flat spot on the bottom (must be completely rounded) - Skirt Does anyone know of another football head that fits this description? Another option I am exploring is making the jig heads myself, but I cannot find the perfect solution. The best mold I have found is the Do-It FBB-4T-ASU, but it takes Trokar hooks which I absolutely do not want to use. It is hard to find info on whether or not any other hooks are compatible with this mold as well. I know I am being very specific, but I really appreciate any information that points me in the right direction. Thanks!

I have noticed that you can go "too loose" with the pedal adjustment screw. There is a point when you are loosening it where the resistance will stay the same but the pedal itself starts gaining "play" in the rocker. There can be a bit of dead wiggle of the pedal with no resistance or cable movement. For me I loosened too far and found this out, so I had to tighten the screw back up a bit.

My 2 PBs: 6lb 9oz on a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in Big Texan 6lb 2oz on a Strike King Coffee Tube in Smoke Red/Black

Their Memorial Day sale (usually 15% off) should start any day now if you can hold off a bit.

Braid: Power Pro Fluoro: Seaguar Red Label Mono: Trilene XL Copoly: P-Line Fluoroclear (crankbaits) or P-Line CXX (pitching) Good luck in the tourney!

+1 for the Pit Boss!

+1. They are short and stout, never seeming to bend much.

I broke my Shimano Cumara CUC72MA 7'2" MH Fast while setting the hook on a fish. I was pitching docks, saw an aggressive bite, she swirled at the bait and ran with it, I set the hook, BOOM! The rod broke about a foot above the reel seat. I was perplexed. It was about a month old. The first thought that ran through my head was a gunshot haha! The bass got away.

Awesome, this is exactly what I was wondering Thanks to everyone for all the great info! I had been using Trilene XT and P-Line CXX both in 17lb for most of my dock pitching, and braid for wood/reeds/other. I will use the new rod for docks mostly, and I plan on continuing to use the mono or copoly so I will definitely bee looking for a faster tip than the Mojo which I can still use with braid. I have one more question. I see that several of the rods mentioned come in both standard and micro guide versions. Does anyone have any preference for guide size when pitching? I suppose micro guides would make a lighter rod overall, but I have no experience with them so I do not know what to expect for performance.

Thanks for the reply. I definitely understand rod action, and I see how it makes sense that a faster tip will throw the bait faster. One concern I have with that is, can a tip be too fast so that it doesn't allow something like a 1\4oz bait to load up enough for a decent fling? And still, where does "soft" fit into the tip style? To me, a slower tip seems like it should be soft and a fast tip hard, but then that goes against what we just mentioned.

I have done some research but I cannot find consistent results among sources, and there seems to be inconsistent terminology. I am trying to understand the key features of good pitching rods and what I should be looking for. I have been using the 7'6" Mojo bass pitching rods, and while they do a decent job, I feel dissatisfied because they seem to be tip-heavy among other minor things. I am now seeking a better solution. I understand that a good pitching rod will be lightweight with good balance, and will have a "good" tip for flinging the bait. What makes a tip good for pitching? I hear some people claim that you need a nice soft tip, but what exactly does soft mean here? Does it have to do with the action, or just the quality of the rod (tip)? Also, the Mojo Bass rods are MH with a MF action. The MF action seems to be consistent among St. Croix pitching rods, but many other brands seem to sell their pitching(flipping) rods with F or XF tips. This has me confused about what I should be looking for. Since I am looking for a new rod I would love some suggestions as well. I mostly pitch docks and trees/wood, sometimes cattails, sometimes other emergent grass/pads. I pitch most of the time (70%) with 1/4 oz, sometimes up to 3/8 oz. and pitching/flipping a bit heavier cover with 1/2 oz to 1 oz. I am 5'9" and I am comfortable with 7'6" rods for pitching. Preliminary search has put my eye on the Dobyn's Savvy or Powell Max. I really don't want to spend over $180ish. Thanks!

+1 for ugly otter and baby otter. Fairly unique action for a creature bait.

Here is a search on an authorized Abu replacement parts site. I believe the first one is an example of what you are talking about, though not necessarily the correct one. I don't know which one is the correct one. None of the rings that look like this have the C802 in their compatibility list Here is a parts list for the C802 on the same website. Here is the parts schematic from Abu Garcia, the same that should be in your reel box. Unfortunately both of those schematics show the same thing, which must be the circular ring that you don't want. I'm stumped.

I love Big Bite Baits for their Trick Sticks and Swimming Craws. They are cheap, and I even find them on sale quite often at Gander Mountain and other sporting goods stores.

I throw the scatter rap crank version with a Daiwa Exceler on a 7'0" W&M S-Glass Crankin Rod M/M with 10# Seaguar Red Label. It isnt a setup to brag about by any means, but it does the job very well. They seem to cast pretty darn far and I don't have to thumb the spool much. I keep the brakes around 7/8 out of 10. Try playng with the brakes and tension if you have not already. Lighter # test should also cast more smoothly. You could try a spinning setup as well.

This. There must be something in the water here in MN, you read my mind exactly!

Winter is a great time for good deals it seems, and that is what I try to look for. So far for me: Lowrance Elite-4 Combo $120 (for the boat I don't have yet ) Curado 200G7 $70 Bunch of random tackle I also spend some time on eBay looking for a few particular things. You can find the good 'old Rapala Down Deeps for as little as a couple bucks. Most are unused, but might need new hooks. I also enjoy buying custom painted DTs, usually from $4-$12 each, on average not too bad for more of a novelty. But boy... how many times I fill up that cart online just to tempt myself

Welcome! It looks like you are developing a nice range of techniques and colors. You might find more versatility in having more than just those few sizes of bullet weights for texas rigging. Do you have any spinnerbaits or buzzbaits hiding in those pockets? Don't forget those! For carolina rigging, you could try some glass beads (8mm), they will make more noise against your sinker than plastic ones, and you can get them pretty cheap at a hobby store or craft store. It doesn't look like you have many crankbaits that go past 10-12 ft. Depending on where you live, if the water goes deeper then you will probably find bass there too. If you want some jointed Rapalas, try ebay. Sometimes you can find new ones, or even just buy used ones and put new hooks on and they should work fine. Lookin' good!

This. Or just think of how many tubes a large retailer like Cabela's, Gander Mountain, or the like might have lying in the back somewhere (if you have one near you). Maybe even try Wal-Mart. I'm not sure if they use rod tubes, but they always let me go in the back to scavenge for boxes in their recycling piles.

Hey all, My name is Dave and I can't get enough bass fishing! I live in Mankato, MN. I've been fishing for as long as I can remember, but I have been a serious bass fisherman for about 2 years. I have only fished lakes in southern MN, so I suppose that is my favorite area to fish I'm looking forward to sharing info and stories with everyone!

Thanks. I figured there was a small chance but it won't hurt to try!

Hey all, Has anyone fished Sylvan Lake in MN near Brainerd? Ive only been able to target pads, points and some breaks because I've never had a boat with electronics to fish there. The water is SOO clear there. I am convinced that there has to be some decent fish there, but I've maybe only brought in 1 bass over 4lbs since fishing there once a year for many years. What are your thoughts on the lake? I should be getting a new boat this spring. Should I take the time to search around and find some good structure? Thanks.