Brett's_daddy

Another thing my Dad was telling me is that by using a RH reel it's more natural for you to cup the reel with your left hand and feel the line with a finger on it to tell if you've got a bite or not. I brought this up with the Shimano rep and he said you don't really have to do that anymore or as much since today's rods are MUCH more sensitive than rods were back when my Dad was fishing a lot, even the lower end rods of today are sensitive enough that you don't necessarily need a finger on the line...true?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I hear ya' . I'm just sittin' on the fence and need a push in one direction...lol.

I don't think this will be a problem for me as I am more a weekend warrior type with maybe 1 - 2 nights per week. I rarely spend more than 3 - 4 hours at a time fishing and don't do any tournaments.

Okay, I know this has been done to death but I need a push in a certain direction...lol. I am right handed and hold my spinning rod with my right hand and reel with my left hand so I wanted to try a casting reel the same way and bought a LH Lews Tournament Pro and have been practicing with it last year but haven't really fished it. My Dad swears that if I'm a right handed person i need a RH casting reel as it's just not natural to get a LH if I'm right handed to begin with so i got a couple of RH reels this season figuring I'd give both a shot and see which I preferred. Well, my local tackle shop just had a Shimano pro day and they had some reps there from Shimano and they had a bunch of rods and reels for people to try out. I was talking to one of the reps and he said in his opinion it's however I'm most comfortable but he said that my Dad has probably been fishing a baitcaster for many years and he said most guys who have done that didn't have a choice back when they started as nobody made LH casting reels so even right handed anglers had to adapt if they wanted to use a casting reel but he said nowadays when people are starting off with a casting reel a lot of right handed people choose a LH baitcaster because it feels more natural like a spinning rod plus the rep said think about it, how much effort does reeling take...not much I said and he replied than why would you want your stronger arm doing the reeling and your weaker (left) arm working the rod trying to pull lunkers out? He handed me first a RH rod and reel to try and than a LH setup and asked which felt better and the LH setup did feel more natural plus I didn't have to switch arms after the cast and he said that is also key as sometimes the fish will strike almost as soon as the lure hits the water and if you're busy switching hands you could miss the hookset...especially when pitching under docks. He said in the end it's whatever feels most comfortable. My question is does the make of the reel also play a factor in this? I tried a Shimano Citica/RH and Shimano Curado/LH (actually he even had me try a Shimano Metanium) and I was pretty amazed at how easy it was to cast these reels and neither one backlashed after a dozen or so casts with each. I'm officially torn between a RH and a LH...lol.

Okay, I know this has probably been done to death but...gun to your head and you can only choose 3 plastic baits (1 each) for a swim jig, T-Rig and football (or other jigs you drag across the bottom) jigs what are you choosing and why?

Well, I just picked up my casting crankbait rod last week. It's an Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0 Winch, 7ft. Medium/Moderate. I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods. It was $79 then I got it when they had a 20% off sale one day which reduced it to about $63 then I had $26 in gift cards and a $10 coupon so I ended up paying only about $30 after taxes. I figured that was a pretty decent deal . Now the lakes/ponds are finally almost completely ice-free up here in the North so maybe I'll get to try it out soon...lol.

I take you've tried them and they aren't as advertised? Is it another good looking lure that catches fishermen but not fish?

Does anyone have these, if so how do they work? I was in Bass Pro on Sunday and almost picked up a couple to try but figured I'd hold off and do a little more research first. They supposedly operate with EBS technology which emits a wounded baitfish sound and from what little I've been able to read about them they seem to work and be a really easy walk-the-dog topwater lure to use.

No, the stuff I'm talking about is the tall stringy stuff...not the mat-type like this.

My favorite pond is pretty shallow, about 2 - 4ft. where I like to fish but it's a muddy bottom and very weedy with weeds within a foot of the surface and some lily pads too but the water is pretty clear. What baits/techniques would be best for this area?

Nope, not interested in selling baits...more to create my own colors and possibly even my own unique looking baits. The start-up cost will probably mean I don't do it this season though...I've blown my "new for this season" budget on 2 new rods, 2 new reels and several new baits/lures...lol.

I'm actually thinking of practicing in my backyard though...not always feasible for me to go to a pond/lake.

How about getting a 2pk. of the 1/2 oz. casting plugs and glueing them together?

Okay, so maybe this only applies to spinning reels and not baitcasters but the way I set my drag was to hold my rod in one hand and pull the line out with the other adjusting the drag until I could still pull the line out but it had good resistance...probably not the best way but hypothetically would it work for a casting reel too?

I was given a new Daiwa Tatula CT 100HS 7.3:1 RH reel for my birthday recently. I haven't got a chance to cast it yet as we just saw the last of our snow go not too long ago. The line I'll be using on it will be 50lb. Sufix 832 braid, the rod is a 7'5" iRod Fiber, Heavy/Fast, Fred's Magic Stick. The reel will be used for heavier topwater baits (i.e. Whopper Plopper 130), frogs and heavier jigs (probably 1/2oz. plus a trailer). I am still very new to baitcasting so I'm thinking I'll tie on a 1/2oz casting plug and practice, does anybody have any pointers for beginners on how to cast with this reel and get it dialed in correctly so i can avoid as many backlashes as possible? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

This sounds like a cool idea but briefly looking into it the start-up cost seems steep plus it seems like you are limited as far as what types of molds you can get (i.e.-you can't make your own molds)...can anybody shed some light on this subject for me?

Has anyone tried the Eco Pro Swing Shad? They look identical to the Keitech Impact Fat's and get good reviews...basically people say they are a less expensive (by half) and more durable Keitech and really work well.

I plan to use these too but was trying to think of something other than a craw as a trailer. I figure I'll use the craw mostly for dragging along the bottom and pitching into vegetation.

I'd rather go with some of the more successful baits as a starting point though instead of blindly purchasing something that looks good to me but could be a total stinker!

Okay, care to share?

Okay, so what's the best swim jig trailer out there? I'm thinking a non-traditional craw trailer like some sort of shad or grub, my list includes Rage Tail Menace, Reaction Innovations Lil' Dipper, Keitech Fat Impact, Yum Money Minnow, Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, Zoom Z-Craw. What are some others that you've had success with, why do you think they work so well?

Not trying to steal the thread from OP but I'm sort of in the same boat...would a 6'6" MH/F Lightning Rod Shock be suitable for crankbaits?

I just know everybody has their own version of stiff and hard to tie and wanted to see what you thought since you personally use the stuff.

I've been told that this line is super stiff and hard to tie knots in...true? What about Sunline Armilo Defier...maybe in a 15lb. test...would that be good?

How about something like Sunline Defier Armilo?