adam lancia

It's very unlikely that it'll be anything other than a weightless fluke.

I was going to suggest a good set of household scissors, that's what I have used for a while. I find the biggest thing that helps is having a good amount of tension on the tag end so it cuts cleanly. I'm a Kitchen Aid guy myself... lol!

Beauty! Thanks RW!

I have hula's on my to try list too, but I hadn't even thought of a fluke on a football head, I'm adding that to my list too. I'll keep that 1/8 vs 1/4 oz hang up contrast in mind as well, thanks! What kind of hook do you use to rig the Menace RW? Would you mind posting a picture of your tender tube rig please and thanks...? Much appreciated guys, thanks!!

Tubes are definitely on the agenda with my finesse jig rig. I never really looked into hair jigs at all, at this point the last thing I need is a more diverse tackle selection...

The majority of water I fish are Canadian Shield lakes = deep and somewhat rocky. To complicate matters further, many of the lakes are connected in a chain of lift locks so the water level in the spring is about 2 feet higher than it is in the fall. And when they're dropping the lake levels for the locks, there is more water movement (not quite enough to call current though) versus less in the spring. Lots of lake and speckled trout in the lakes so maybe imitating them might help. Has anyone slow rolled a swim jig before...?

To piggyback on what Catt said, a finger or two on the line will be a big help as well. Your line will transmit a fair bit of information as long as you know what you're feeling for. And by the looks of that fish you're definitely heading down the right path.

Has anyone had an luck getting northern (US and Canada) smallmouth to go after a jig? I am by no means a proficient jig angler but I have used chatterbaits, swim jigs and football heads with various trailers all without any luck. I picked up a rod and reel that will be geared towards finesse jigs (~1/4 oz) and shakey heads but I'm wondering if there is another style of jig that I should consider or if it's a technique related deficiency. Thanks in advance for any and all input!!!

Cool, thanks! I'll try that next time.

Have you had any issues with leaving such a relatively long tag end on the braid? I have clipped my tag end as close as possible and that usually results in the lock knot coming loose eventually.

I have found that the harder the leader material is, the more difficult it is to get the braid to bite into it and take a good hold. Also, ensuring the braid doesn't have any slippery waxy coating on it helps a lot. I use Sufix 832 and find that I need to strip the braid with my fingernail several times before it looses it's slippery coating.

I appreciate your input, thanks!

I know you can get away with tossing it with a heavy powered rod, but I prefer to have a tip that loads really easily. I have an easier time being accurate with a tip that loads well versus a stiffer tip. I tend to be one of those guys that likes to fish with a rod power lighter than most prefer.

Any chance you might throw a weightless 5" senko and a weightless fluke on it...? I'd really be interested to hear how that rod handles those (they would be my two travel lures, along with a few other things of similar weight). Thanks!

This is really good to hear, I was worried that it would be a little too powerful even as their medium power. I think I'm really going to have to save up for a 7'M spinning and casting rod to travel with. Thanks!

To add to the #40 braid comment, it also stands less of a chance of being damaged when you have to dig out a backlash. I am, unfortunately, speaking from a fair amount of experience. Sufix 832 #40 to the rescue, LOL!

I forgot to mention something about hooks. I'll use a heavier hook with a senko if I'm fishing anything heavier than light cover, typically something like the Gamakatsu superline EWG's, and usually a 4/0 or 5/0. I'll almost always use a light wire hook for flukes, and never bigger than 4/0. The lighter wire hook makes it easier to get good hook penetration with a lighter rod, whereas I can get away with a heavier hook on the senko because I'll be using a higher power rod. Make sense...?

I use a different rod for each of those baits, and I have thrown those two specifically a lot in the past 2 seasons. A 5" senko is easy to cast on either a M or MH rod, preferably fast action. I prefer to throw a fluke on a M or ML rod (spinning vs casting rod power differences), again fast action. A weightless fluke only weighs 5/16 oz which can make it more difficult to cast with a MH rod. I use a 7' MF Kistler LTA (one of the original ones, it's rated 1/8-5/8) and a Steez with the SV105 spool. I could also easily cast a fluke on one of my MF spinning rods with a Shimano Sahara (cost benefit analysis), I just like to use that Steez/LTA combo because it's a lot of fun.

That will be determined by your reel, rod and line. If you have a rod that handles lighter weights, a reel that will cast lighter weights and if you use light enough line, then the only variable left is you ;-) Spinning gear would be an easy choice if you're not sure about the capabilities of your rod/reel/line setup.

I don't have any pics right now so you're just gonna have to take my word for it... The bait monkey has been quite rambunctious this off season. So far, I have picked up a few lure lots with various cranks, jigs and a few frogs (which I have never thrown before), 3 of the Chinese BFS spools, a TD-Z 100ML which was missing some parts but had the spool (which is what I really wanted), a partial TD-Z 103ML which I'll be using for heavy topwaters, a Pixy Type R which I'll be using for spybaits (once I have a rod built), a few Spinbait 80's, 1 spool of #6 P-Line FC, 2 spools of Sniper (8# & 12#), 2 spools of P-Line C21 (#6 & #8), 1 spool of #15 P-Line CX, 3 spools of Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft Hybrid (#6, #10 & #15), a Td-Ito 103HL which I'll be using for finesse jigs and weightless senkos with a ZPI 002 spool, a Pixy Airy Red for shakey heads and tubes (complete with box, oil and papers), and most recently I scored a used 7' ML Tatula for $80 shipped then a new 7' M Tatula for $90 shipped. I have to give the monkey credit though, he made sure that what he wanted was either a great used deal or on sale...

I would definitely be doing everything I can think of to try and save that! Sorry to hear about your misfortune bud.

Roger that, thanks!

What really drives me nuts is knowing that I have bought stuff that I either won't use, or won't want to use because I prefer a different type or brand. I don't mind space in a tray, that just means there's room for trying new stuff! Where did you find the Yo-Zuri hybrid?

Who is the seller?

I've been looking at these as well, thanks for your review Paul. The medium sounds like a great all round rod.