fishwizzard

I looked at the Manley rods, but wasn't sure how the added butt weight would affect the balance and didn't want to make my rods any more likely to sink. I use floats but prefer the small ones. I ended up getting a pair of custom spinning rods from a company in PA called SmallieStix. The owner is a huge kayak fisherman and specializes in short-butt rods. I have also found the the old Fenwick Smallmouth Elite rods have really short butts as well, so I picked up a pair of them when they were being cleared out. But now with the revelation that a full cork handle might float a combo, I am gonna take a second look at my kayak arsenal.

Welp, so I guess a thing to look out for when drop shotting with a casting combo is to make sure the weight is on securely. I found this out for myself this afternoon. I was doing pretty good, I hit up a small stormwater pond and managed four small bass on my first quick lap around the bank. I had just started going back to work a few spots a bit harder when I got a good hit. The fish came off and I neglected to check the weight when I reset my worm. I made a quick cast to try and get him again and my weight flew off as soon as I let my thumb off the spool.

Hah, that's great, I sent myself an email with that info so hopefully I remember it the next time I am out.

Sure, but what exact flavor and size? That is why I keep changing brands every time I have to buy a new tube, I have yet to find the magic one. I bought a pair of Hudds to try out and to keep them lubed I cut off a small chunk of kitchen sponge and keep in a plastic bag soaked in Megastrike, it makes it really simple to re-lube the lure every so often, I might just switch to that method for everything.

I spent a little time with it this evening and even with leaving a 2' tag end, I can tie a Trilene Knot a lot quicker than anything else. It is only really a pain when it comes time to start tightening the knot down, and then only because a 1/0 roboworm hook is a little too small to fit around my pinky to help hold pressure. If loading the tag end of a knot is really ok then I am just going to use this method and see how I like it. I tied some up and with 6lb floro it seems to hold pretty well. I can break the line with my hands, but it cuts in a little. With a hook tied in the middle with a Trilene it does seem to break more easily, but still digs into my hand enough that I am want to give it a go on the water. Yea, but he comes across as a guy who puts a lot of thought into every little aspect of whatever he is doing, which I like. He doesn't seem to be super comfortable in front of a camera, but he is usually really good about explaining himself clearly and taking the time to go into the little details. Not having cable, I have watched maybe an hour or three of pro bass fishing in my life, but watching his drop shot videos has gotten me a little interested in it.

I have had some great days wading for smallies where I have caught around 100 fish (I started counting by putting a pebble in my pocket every 5 fish). They were a mix of small smallmouths and large redbreasts, but it was a blast either way. The first time I happened I remember the fish coming so fast that I shopped bothering to "land" them. I pinched my barbs down and would fight the fish over to where I was standing, tag it with my hand, then slack the line and let them pop off while still in the water. I remember getting crazy number of both species from pools no larger than a hot tub. I wonder now if by not removing them from the water I somehow made them more willing to lit the lure a second time? A few times I have had smallies jump, spit my lure, then hit it again the second they both re-entered the water.

I have been doing a ton of reading over the last day or so and it is really looking like I had a poor understanding of how versatile a presentation a drop shot can be. I have been struggling a bit in the muck bottom ponds around here and I think it is going to be a great tool for that, both finesse and bubba versions.

Man it is hard to take a picture of a knot with a phone. I think I have figured it out though! I do wonder, that if the only reason to use a doubled knot is to not have to deal with a long tag end, why could I not just tie a Triline Knot (my standard) with a extra long tail. I can already almost tie it with my eyes shut, so dealing with a 12-18" tag would still be easier than fussing with a new knot and I would still get a double wrap around the hook eye.

Ah ha, this is what I needed! I have a strong-ish background in rope knots, so my brain would not let me accept that he wanted me to cut the entire loop off. I have no idea how the knot holds that way, but dude must be doing something right, so I trust him. Even loading the tag end of a knot seems wrong, but again, it must work somehow! Thanks everyone for the fast responses, I am gonna go try some knots and see how I do.

You are like the bizarro me, I have a zillion sv tw that I would love to trade for a second SV103. The Zillion SV feels so plasticy and loose compared to the SV103. It is a lot lighter, which is mostly why I have not gotten rid of mine, the rod I have it on feels really unbalanced with the SV103 on it.

So I am getting all hyped for drop shotting lately and have been watching a ton of videos. I found a few with Aaron Martens where he talks about using a doubled (not double) Uni-Knot to attach his hooks. The problem is, I cannot for the life of me figure out what he is doing in the videos. I am with him (I think) up until he starts cinching the knot down. Does anyone use this rigging method and could shed some light on how this knot is tied?

That is a hell of a nice find, congrats.

Wow, is that a NIB one? I have a PX68 that I really like and have wanted to try and find a Type-R as well.

Yea, I have some hooks that I now think are too big for finesse drop shotting, so I want to try upsizing it a bit at some point. I did a little yard casting today and am working out how to cast the rig on my bfs combo a bit more smoothly. I spooled up with 6lb fluoro, I wanted to start light and I had the butt-end of a spool to use up in any case. I have my eye on a few stormwater ponds to give some attention to. They are miserable to fish with most bottom contact lures so I am excited to see how I can do with a dropshot.

I have caught a couple of huge snappers and have an almost foolproof method to getting my lure back. The tools you need are as follows; A small stick or something wood/plastic that you don't like too much. Good pliers Calm nerves. Get the turtle boat side or into shallow water, hopefully where he still has to swim. Holding your line tight, use the stick to lightly tap the snapper on the head, he will bite the stick and hang on to it. Lightly tug on the stick to keep his interest up while dropping the line and grabbing your pliers. Remove your lure while keeping the turtle mad as hell at that stick. Once the lure is free drop the stick. You have your lure back, the turtle has your stick, everyone wins.

Marina guys really love to yell at kayakers. My standard response is to yell "HELLO!" and wave at them. No matter what they say to me, I just keep yelling "HELLO!" and waving at them. They usually give up yelling at me pretty quickly.

That must have been an emotional rollercoaster for a few seconds there. OP, my main concern for kayak rods is a short butt section. I don't stand to cast and always wear a PFD, so longer butts really get in the way with casting and general rod handling. I also like shorter rods as I can move about overhead cover with less hassle with my rods stored vertically. I don't care so much about casting distance as I can just drift over closer to my target. I limit myself to four combos, but rarely use more than two of them.

Given the hoarding tendencies I have noticed in myself and my fellow anglers, I would guarantee that there are guys with basements full of old mono that they got a great deal on in 1960.

Yea, it makes me wonder what other cool little gadgets exist in the JDM market that we never hear about.

This dumb little thing; As I moved away from all-finesse and started using heavier lines I started having issues pulling out or breaking off snags. With floro lines I was finding that if I used a stick to wrap the line before pulling it would damage the line so that even if I got my lure back, I had to cut off dozens of feet of line. I started using a rag wrapped around my hand, which worked ok but was a huge pain if I was in an awkward spot on the bank. I saw this thing on some JDM tackle site and thought that for $15 it was worth a try. It works great with every line I have tried it on and so far I am in love with it. I keep it clipped to my tackle sling and use it all the time.

Huh, I have never tried to see if my combos float or sink, I guess I just assumed the weight of the reel would drag even a full cork rod down. I hate dealing with rod floats, if I can get full cork rods to float then my entire kayak arsenal might have to be rethought.

Sunline Defier Amarillo Monofilament is stiffer and more wirey than most other monos. I have it in 11lb (0.0108") and 25lb (0.0159"). If you would like I can send you a dozen feet or so of each. If you want it PM me your address and I will throw in in the mail next week.

I have gotten to the point where I will fearlessly swim a ned through brush and small rock cover, but as soon as I let it settle on the bottom it snags. I still throw the mini-shakys on the same combos I fish the Ned on, it's just a matter of using soft plastics or skin hooking them on the side to insure good hooksets. Those little Biospawn worms, if skin hooked, have almost as long a life as a zman lure.

Megastrike, but I would pay a dollar more if they put a flip top cap on it. I have a bought three or four different brands of toothpaste trying to find one with a cap that will fit.

Lately I have been trying for the best of both, small ~4" plastics on small (1/16oz - 1/0) shakyhead jigs. I can work them back with the MWF retrieves or work them on the bottom as the situation dictates.