adam lancia

I picked up an 6'7" MHF *** Black and used it for jerkbaits and topwater walk the dog type baits and really like it! The tip is soft enough to make light roll casts. I didn't try to cast really light baits with it but 3/8oz wasn't a problem at all.

Antarctic cold! It's ok, you saved me from myself

What colour is that?

If this thread is any indication, I don't think there is an end... :-D

Here's my most recent buy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161957528389?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I have bought other things I just don't have any pictures of them yet.

Exactly this. The knot can never be too wet when you're cinching it down.Sometimes I'll wet the knot twice when I'm cinching it down to be sure it doesn't burn itself.

Biggest thing for me is that the tip is stiff enough that I don't have snap the rod excessively hard to get the lure to dart around, that makes for easy prolonged use. I'm using a medium fast right now, but a medium-light extra fast might be in my future, as soon as the funds are there at least,

This would be my advice as well. Unless you're dead set on buying new, your best bang for the buck is buying used gear. My process was to first figure out what I could afford (you did that already, nice!), then decide on which reel I wanted to buy, then figure out which rod I wanted to buy. Maybe look for a used Tatula or a used Curado (the green ones) then see how much you have left over for the rod. Or if the rod is more important to you, buy that first and see how much you have left over for the reel.

If you're on a budget, Seaguar Invizx is pretty spinning reel friendly. If you're not on a budget, I have heard many, many anglers talk about how great Saeguar Tatsu is on a spinning reel. It's pricey though. Whichever you get, I wouldn't go over 8#.

Gotta be a 3/8 oz football jig with the option of various trailers. You'd be able to cover the entire water column and throw it on either spinning or casting gear too.

You can use them that way as well, though I have had my best results with twitches and pauses of varying number and frequency. Look for used lots of jerkbaits with a couple of different manufacturers in the lot. This'll help your trial and error of finding which ones you like and works best for you.

The same way you would work a suspending jerkbait, just as a topwater lure. If anything, longer pauses between twitches. Someone once told me that if I moved it before the ripples faded away, I would be moving it too soon...

Spinning reel maybe...? As long as you can slow your retrieve down enough it won't be too fast.

I'd tend towards the spinning rod since that's likely to be a lighter combo.

I haven't used it a bunch, but I haven't had one come undone either. I test how well the wraps are holding before I do any hitches, that way I can tell if the wraps are doing the work or not. I'll hold the leader in one hand and both the tag end of the braid and the main line in the other then I'll pull the way it would be if I were fighting a fish. If it comes loose I'll retie, if it goods or slips them catches, I'll tie the 3 half hitches around the braid and leader, then 3 more half hitches around just the braid (after clipping the leader close), then I tie a lock knot with 3 wraps and clip the braid tag end close as I can. I have had the lock knot unravel during a day of fishing that particular setup a fair bit but the knot itself never came loose or slipped. I'm going to try some crazy glue or UV knot sense this year to see of I can smooth the braid tag end some more.

Got it, thanks Tom!

So a pop-pause retrieve...? How quickly can you work one of these without it getting out of sorts?

Does anyone know the difference between these two...? The description in the second version's says it walks the dog better than a Zara Spook and splashes like thunder. Is the series 1 a little more subtle...? Thanks!

I would go with either a Pixy Type R/PX68 (they use the same spool, they're just different colours from what I understand) or an Alphas 105 SV.

I'll tie an Alberto if I'm on a boat, an FG if I'm at home prepping for the next day. I'll tie a long enough leader with the FG that, unless I get snagged and have to break off, I won't have to retie a new leader.

A Super Fluke almost always produces, whether weighted or unweighted.

I always retie my leader knot before my next outing, whether I caught a fish with that particular setup or not. My leaders are usually pretty long and they run through the guides when I cast. If you were doing a lot of pulling through weeds and rip rap then that would stress the knot as much, if not more than catching fish.

I went ahead and fixed the end of your quote for ya...

Depends on your budget really... A 7' true MH fast action rod would be very versatile. When I say a true MH, I mean that an Abu Garcia Veritas fished about a half power more compared to the Kistler Helium II LTX and Fenwick Aetos MH's that I have.

I have a 7' MH Aetos with a Zillion J-Dream on it and it's one of my nicest feeling rigs, I use it for spinnerbaits primarily. I had a TD-Z on it too and that balanced nicely as well. The TD-Z balanced a little more tip down than the J-Dream, but not by much.