chelboed

Yeah, it's super quick and easy...not much messin' to it. Sometimes I'll do it while I'm sitting wait for something to tap my bait because I didn't like the last cast or something. It's really quick now that they have the plunger type retainer.

It doesn't take as long as it sounds. Probably 2-3 seconds to set the spool tension properly...but if you leave the reel set up the same for a 1/8oz bait as you do a 1/2 oz bait, or a 1/4oz bait the same as a 3/4oz bait...you will likely not be getting the full potential from your reel. Last year, I had a Standard Speed Spool that has a magnetic only cast control. I ran the spool with the slightest lateral play most of the season instead of setting it up as the MFGR instructed because I felt that I was "good enough" not to need the cast control knob because I've been using baitcasting equipment since the late 80's / early 90's, but what I found was that I was running my mag much higher than necessary combating the over run. When I set it up with a little spool tension as the MFGR suggests, I was running less mag, more accurate, and getting more distance. That said...mag is very different than centrifugal. Centrifugal is beginning to middle cast control, and mag is middle to end cast control. So running your spool with slight lateral play will be less of an issue with the centrifugal...though I still run some spool tension. Not quite as much as MFGR suggests though. Sometimes my spool tension will be as one member stated above...very slight lateral play. (light lure) But it's real quick and easy to do for sure. Obvioiusly this is what works for me and not necessarily you, so just experiement with what wisdom everyone gives you and find out what works for you. The BB-1 is a killer casting reel when used for non-finesse applications.

I think if anyone here (and I know there are a ton of you) who are old enough to remember the birth of low profile baitcasters...then you can appreciate even the cheapest of Wal-Mart baitcasters today. I'm not that old by any means...just barely winking at 40...but I started using baitcasters when i was around 14. I had some old Lew's BB-1's, Browning Speed Spools, old Daiwa's, Quantum energy's, etc... Man, when Daiwa came out with 5-bearings I was totally flippin. Fast-forward to today's vast choices...you really can't go wrong. IMO, the more you're willing to shell out for a rig, the more satisfying said rig will perform. I'm a Lew's fanboi, so any Korean-made Lew's (not chinese) is IMO a joy to use. Upper end Daiwa's, Shimano's, Abu, etc...the same thing. They are all like "hand-candy". So much fun. As far as backlashing goes...yep, it happens. I'll occasionally tap a limb or tall grass with my bait on the cast and run into minor trouble. Might occasionally underestimate the wind or overestimeate my lure weight and have a small over run, but when you spend enough time out there, you'll eventually get it. IMO, a dual cast control reel is virtually impossible to backlash. You can set the centrifugal shoes so heavy and that early over run will never happen, and you can crank the mag down so far that the wind will not be an issue. The trick is setting it up so close to the edge of backlashing that you get your maximum distance on the cast. IMO, 10+ bearing reel with a metal frame and dual cast control is a great place to start. Now if you're going to be doing more technique specific fishing, then I'd use a dual control rig on light / finesse baits, and a centrifugal control reel on heavier baits because the magnetic cast control controls the end of the cast when the bait slows down. Heavier baits with less wind resistence will lose trajectory before velocity and hit the water before the spool needs to significantly slow down.

Short rods are super fun, man!! They are hella more accurate especially when shooting under trees and into crevices. They are lighter and feel more balanced when palming. I've got 6', 6'6", 6'10", and 7' rods. My 6'6" feels best in my hands because it's a better quality rod than my 6'...otherwise the shorter the better for tight quarters. It obvously won't cast as far as my 7', but it will be more appropriate in some situations. (I've actuallly considered cutting it down to 5'6")

Will depend on your rod as much as your bait. If you use a 3/4oz bait on a Medium, Fast-tip rod...it will want to "POP" the bait out there accelerating the spool exponentially like a slingshot whereas a MH rod may be a little less springy and you could use less brake. It will also make a difference whether you cast overhead or side arm and into the wind versus with the wind. If the wind is blowing parallel to the bank and I'm standing on the bank casting parallel as well...then I may be casting with the wind at first, but by the time I make my way back the other direction...I'm eventually casting into the wind. This is why I love the adjustable centrifugal brake so much on the ACB Speed Spools. You can always get max distance out of it with minimal fiddling. Make sure to follow through with your cast and point the tip of your rod at your bait so it's pulling the line from the spool instead of the rod tip. If your bottleneck is your rod tip, the spool will likely over run. Don't forget to set the spool tension knob properly. That should be the first setting you make. Supposedly, you are supposed to hold the rod out and let the bait fall to the ground. When it hits the ground, the spool should only spin one full rotation afterward. I however don't set mine up this way. Mine have audible clicks, so I set it up slightly looser. I have the spool tension just tight enough so the bait won't fall. I then begin to loosen it. When the bait begins to move...I loosen it 3-more clicks. That's my spool tension. Then I combat my early over run with centrifugal and my late over run from the bait slowing down with my magnetic if I'm using one of my dual control reels like the Team or Tourney Pro.

Sounds like I need to dedicate more time to the wacky rig. I tried it a few outings and had no luck, so I bagged it. Maybe I need to go exclusive for a while.

5" Stick Bait T-Rig weightless, 1/16 or 1/8oz bullet at times. Frog or Mouse Spinner (sometimes Mepps) 3" Beetlespin or Tube jig with a jig spinner Lipless crankbait

Fishing from a boat?

Regarding the "This Bait Just Flat-out Catches Fish" mentality of the Ned Rig... It's a little early for me to speculate because I just started Nedding this year, but it's kind of a "Duh" statement. There's mild genius in the design, but there's 2 reasons this bait catches fish and one of them is so obvious...I shouldn't even say: 1-It's small. Where there's bass, there's forage...as in panfish. Half of the fish you catch are going to be cuties. When you're throwing a Senko and getting short strikes, it's just kinda obvious that it's probably a little fish trying to get the bait in his mouth, so if you throw a smaller bait...you'll eventually catch him. If you start out throwing the Ned, you will catch gobs of fish, but likely they will be abundantly small. I have a small golf course lake nearby that I could take a Ned Rig to, but generally use a 1.5" 1/8oz white beetle spin and catch hordes of 9-12" bass and really fatty Sun Fish. But if I threw a Senko or full size Rat-L-Trap, my catch rate would go down from 35-50/hr to just a few /hr due to the fish in the water. (my Dad and I were there 70min the other day and brought home 70x big fat SunFish and threw back around 30 or more small bass) 2-The lesser obvious reason Ned works is because ElaZtech is some kooky stuff. As some of the video's state...it wiggles and jiggles like jello in the water. It has a jellyfish like presentation in the water...and it floats. The Mushroom jig head allows it to stand straight up from the bottom like a baitfish eating off the bottom. Much better than a rounded jig head.

ZMan offers the Mushroom Jig Head in 1/15, 1/10, and 1/5oz versions. Ned himself often uses 1/16 Gopher Shroom heads, but sometimes 1/32oz and sometimes 1/8 I believe?? I was really bummed about the ElaZtech plastics. They are supposed to be really tough, but I had 2x short strikes on mine last night and all but destroyed the T.R.D. I watched a video where the angler praised the durability of the plastics, but I switched to a texas rigged 4" Yum F2 after that and after several short strikes by panfish...the stickbait went back into the bag and lived to fight another day. Regarding gear...I'm not sold on the fact that you really need spinning gear to toss these. (at least with my Zman T.R.D. with the little 1/10oz jig head) Heck...I was just playing around the other day and tied one on my Lew's Team reel with 12" Stren Mono and a Medium Fast Speed Stick. It casted very well. (I'm not going to get all "chest puffed out" and "I can cast 100yd" about it...but it casted as far as you would want to cast a Ned Rig) That said...I will fishing mine with a BPS CrappieMaxx Mighty Lite reel spooled with 4# Mono on a MicroLite 6' ML Fast rod. This will present the bait better than 12# line, and I keep this rod set up for really light Ned-style finesse bass fishing anyways with 1/16oz Beetle Spins, 1/8oz Chatterbaits, 1/8oz Tiny Traps, Micro wobblehead worms, 4" texas rigged senko's with #2 hooks and 1/32oz bullet weights...etc... I hope to get some rendition of a Pixy at some point to replace the cheap BPS reel, but that little reel will chuck tiny Trout baits an impressive distance.

Me too...my most productive bait last year was a Dark Green YumF2, followed by a 3" Powerbait tube with a 1/4oz jig head and a gold #4 Jig spinner. These 2 baits accounted for probably 75% of my Bass last year. Doesn't matter...but I generally use 12 or 14# original Stren Mono I'm on fire for the Ika's right now. Doing a 4/0 WG Gamakatsu weightless unless there's weeds...then I'll use a 1/16-1/8oz bullet with an Eagle Claw rubber Bobber Stopper in front to guide the weeds over the bait. My Ika's are rigged traditional. (tentacles backward) This for sure...I have never caught a fish on a wacky rigged Senko...but since I'm on the bank, I generall cast out as far as I can and work it back parallel to the bank. Wacky has never shone me love in this manner.

Likely Yum F2 stick worms are my favorite because of their durability. BPS Stick-O's are creeping up there in my list because I used one for 45 minutes the other day, caught a couple nice ones, and put it back in the bag to use again later. Seems pretty tough. Senko's have good action, but are fragile as crap! I fish them in from clear to sludge and they catch fish. Likely I will agree AND disagree. I have used Senko's, Yum's, Stick-O's etc...along the bank line in very shallow water and there's no real "fall shimmy" time to speak of. When the bass are close to the bank, often I will cast as far down the bank as I can about 3-6' out from the edge, and just slowly work it back to me. Sometimes it gets hit on entry, often times it gets nabbed up as it passes by a waiting bass. Out in deeper water, mine will likely be nailed on the initial fall as you are describing, but if it isn't, I will still let it set...give it a tug...let it fall and set...tug/fall/set...and it will get hit on the way back. Same with the Ika. I love Ika's...I only had 45min to fish the other night before dark, so I headed over to a local impoundment and tossed an Ika and caught a 15, 16, and 18". Sometimes I'm not in the mood either. When I'm calm and chillax'ing...I can stand there and work a stick bait for hours. I will tell you that I rarely let it sit for 30seconds after the fall shimmy. I will sometimes let it sit for 15sec, sometimes just let it sit long enough to watch my line drop to the surface of the water, but there's no wrong way to do it. I love Green Pumpkin, Watermelon, and Dark Purple with blue flake. Dark greens work almost all the time...but I will throw dark purple and sometimes black and white Yum F2 when the water is sludge.

You don't necessarily need to use lighter wired hooks either. Superline hooks are stout and sharp. I think the Trokar straights are sharper, but IMO...sharp isn't an issue. I can sharpen hooks. For me the issue is bringing my worm back weed-free and keeping my plastic on the hook from weed bed to weed bed. ((I bankfish and cast over the weeds and work it back across. I don't cast from a boat out to the weeds and reel into open water...so that could be a difference in perspective too.)

I gave straight shank a shot...pretty nice ones. I bought the Trokar hooks and another brand that had a nice barb on it to keep the worm on. My opinion is...I didn't like it. Straight shank hooks when used in heavy veg, thick hydrilla, thick moss...pull through the plastic to easily because the hook tip is pointed out instead of skin-hooked like a wide gap offset. When the plastic reaches the vegetation, it flexes just a tad exposing the very tip of the sharp Trokar hook. That tiny sharp tip will start ripping the weeds and bringing them back with you. My favorite setup is a 2/0 or 3/0 Gamakatsu with a 5" Senko. 4/0 with Fat Ika. 1/0-2/0 with a 4" senko and other finesse worms. If the weeds are thick, I'll use a 1/16oz bullet weight behind a weight stopper / bobber stopper (little rubber nub on a wire) to keep the weight against the hook. The reason I use the little rubber stopper is because it lessens the transition from the line to the weight. The reason I use the bullet weight is to guide the weeds over the shoulder of the plastic. If the weeds are few, I cast weightless.

Good point...I used to stop completely after Oct/Nov. Now I'm fishing all year. Mostly trout when it get's nasty out b/c they tend to get really fun in the ice.

It's always been a good producer...250yd long, 100yd wide, no pressure. The first week of last December, I hit it hard at around 10:45a.m. (worst time of day, worst time of year for bass fishing in KS) I was catching 16x per hour with a few over 4.5lbs. Love this hidden gem when I go visit my In-Laws.

That sucks. I seem to be stuck on Stren Mono. Haven't broken any line off on a fish...just badly hung-up lures. I'm running 12# on my Team and Team Pro, and 14# on my Team Lite.

I'm considering splurging on a used Pixy if it will handle accurately casting a Ned Rig. (basically a 5" Senko cut in half on a 1/16oz mushroom jig head) Right now, I'm using a BPS Mightly Lite reel with 4# line casting 1/16oz and 1/8oz beetlespins and small trout spoons. Would the Pixy work well, or should I give up on the idea and go spinning. (really want to stay away from spinning...line twist, etc.) Thanks, peeps!

Necropost here...(to some degree) I know the recommended rig to fish the Ned is a spinning rig with 6'ish lbs line...but how about some of these swanky finnesse baitcasters like a Liberto Pixy on a ML fast rod? Right now I'm casting some fairly small lures 1/8 & 1/16oz beetlespin, small trout spoons, etc... with my BPS CrappieMaxx Mighty Lite baitcaster on a ML rod. I'm willing to splurge on a used Pixy if it will accurately handle a Ned. Thoughts?

Had an awesome time this weekend. Caught 29 on Saturday. 15x were over 15", 3x were between 19.5-20". .

Boutique is a good proper classification. The Steez doesn't fit in the boutique category for me, but reels like Megabass, and those ridiculously overpriced Doyo's... Off brand reels with through the roof prices...Boutique is very appropriate. It's the same with guitars and mountain bikes...and probably all other sorts of egomaniac hobbies.

Could it be the worm with lateral pressure on the line guide? Could rule that our by reeling it with slight thumb side pressure on the guide.

FYI...you could easily sell that handle. I love them. I like the flat rubber ones as well like the ones you're talking about, but I also like the eva/cork combo.

Well...the handle should be fine as long as your existing nut will fit it. I don't think they ship with a nut, do they?

Sorry to necropost, but I will "respectfully" disagree. I respect your opinion, but in using them...I feel the on/off centrifugal brake often hits a point where is either too much or too little. Usually with light lures in the wind or really heavy lures you want to send to the moon. With the externally adjustable, I can click it up/down just a hair to reach my max casting distance without backlash. The dual braking system is nice as well, but when casting things like 1/2oz lipless crankbaits...the centrifugal brake can cost me valuable casting distance as a bank fisherman. The spool is spinning so violently that with 2 pins engaged, the centrifugal force pushes the brake shoes into the braking surface really hard. It's very audible. If you back down to 0 pins...then you need to adjust the Heck out of your primary and give it gobs of mag. I went against factory recommendations and just engaged 1x brake shoe now and then. It is not recommended for some reason, but works out well. Still though...nothing like casting a lipless crankbait with an ACB setup. Rocket for miles. Remember, the centrifugal is more of an early cast control and the mag leans toward end cast control...so when your flippy rod pops that heavy bait out there and the spool accelerates crazily due to the rod flip...use centrifugal. When the wind kicks up and slows your bait down prematurely....Or you cast a bait with a lot of surface area:weight ratio like a weightless worm or really light weight floating square Bill etc...use more mag.