Junk Fisherman

I plan on getting a high-end dropshot combo. I already have an assortment of Dobyns Champion Extreme rods but I have recently gotten an itch to get either a NRX or a Daiwa Steez rod which is another step up. I'll probably put another Daiwa Tatula on it. When I get on a good dropshot bite I like to have two combos ready.

Senko Have you thought about trying other places? What part of Chicago do you live in?

I thought about this as well. My spinning reels are interchangeable and my fishing would hardly miss a beat if I dropped down and used $30 spinning reels. But this cannot be the same with baitcasters. Definitely the quality of the baitcaster is more important than the quality of the spinning reel. Granted, like Teal said once you get much past the $100 range (Tatula and higher) the rod becomes more important with baitcasters.

Definitely the rod is more important and specifically for bottom contact presentations.

Loomis has the Expeditor program which is $100 for a GLX- not sure how much more the NRX would be. Dobyns is something comparable based on the series of rod. I have been in a terrible stretch over the last few years of breaking rods after only breaking one rod over the first 30+ years of fishing so I don't want to buy a $500 rod without an "oops" policy.

So I am guessing that Daiwa does not have an accidental breakage policy like Dobyns and Loomis has? Is this correct? I was considering getting a Steez but considering the bad spell I have been on with breaking rods over the last couple years, I don't trust myself with a $500+ rod with no replacement plan.

That's what I started using a couple years when I having some breakoffs with a Palomar on a DS. Aaron Martens pushes the Uni for a DS so that is good enough for me. I have had no issues once I changed. Plus, I find it easy to always have my hook positioned correctly.

In my kayak I use an anchor just about every time out. With a Talon and spot lock trolling motor there is no need to carry an anchor in my boat.

So what did you go with? I have been thinking about the 761 Steez. I definitely want a 7+". I have a Champion Extreme 741 and 742 that I use for Ned rigs and dropshop. The extra length is crucial for fighting fish and I am primarily smallmouth fishing in deep water.

The more I think about it, I don't know why I wasn't throwing it. I always throw it in shallow depths. I too often get locked into to certain baits in certain situations or get away from things to move onto the newest, greatest technique. I was 100% dropshot for deeper depths but I need to show something different at times.

I use 1/15th oz the vast majority of the time with my Neds and going heavier than 1/10th is not a Ned anymore. I did catch my biggest smallie today on a big TRD and a 1/10th oz jig in 22’ of water.

It's the best bait I have ever used for quality fish. It along with a Senko back in 2000 or so and a Ned rig a couple years ago have been the best baits I have ever started using.

So I use Ned rigs in shallow water but does anyone use them down to the depths of 15' to 22-23'? Is anyone using them for smallies and having fish come up for them as they slowly sink? I'm guessing the ability to fish them is partly determined by wind and waves. Are you using a 1/10th jig? Bigger plastic? I have been using a DS for those depths but I want to give the fish something else to look at. Any info is appreciated.

I haven’t used a Senko in years. Not saying that is the right choice but I just don’t fish them anymore. For number of fish it is either a Ned rig or a 4” swimbait. For quality, I am going to keep that private. No one has mentioned it on two different forum in threads like this so I hope it stays that way.

There's a good chance the Loomis rod will be sent sooner than they estimate. I broke a couple Loomis rods this year (not a good year for me in that department) and both were sent within a couple weeks. The first rod they said 2-3 months and it was less than 3 weeks. By the way, I would never intentionally break a rod to take advantage of a replacement program but breaking my nearly 20 year-old 843 GLX and only paying $110 to replace it with their $450ish upgrade was a helluva deal for me. I had used that rod heavily over the years and easily got my moneys worth. The new GLX is a beauty.

There have been numerous times when I thought the fishing would be good and it wasn't or vice versa. If you have the time and the weather is nice, go. I look at my days fishing as adventures. I enjoy running my boat, using new lures, becoming proficient and improving in new presentations, and learning new areas with my electronics. I enjoy watching the sun come up and the changing seasons as the year progresses. I try not to measure the success of my day on the fish I caught. Did I enjoy the day? Was it better than staying home? Did I learn something new? Usually the answers to each of those are yes. Rarely, do I go fishing and at the end of the day wish I hadn't.

Thank fellas. Gonna spool up a straight braid for this weekend. I already use straight braid for small swimbaits. 7 lb Gamma is some great line. Caught this guy on it last weekend.

I know and I need to start doing this more. The other reason I am wondering about the straight braid is because I end up pitching my dropshot quite a bit. We fish these barrel-looking break walls and you want to get your bait in the junction between two barrels. The braid that I use wraps around the rod often when I pitch it. Doubt it happens as much with straight fluoro.

Is anyone using straight fluoro for a dropshot? Where I fish on Lake Michigan there are so many snags. I lose more stuff here than anywhere else. We fish all this jagged broken up concrete and other types of breakwalls that make breakoffs unavoidable. Even though I have 2 dropshot rigs ready, I still inevitably will have to retie the entire leader and dropshot setup at least once per outing. This eats up valuable time. It would be much faster if I had straight fluoro so I didn't have to deal with retying leaders. I know the braid is more sensitive but do you feel it is that much of an advantage over straight fluoro? Thanks for any comments.

Hit up Braidwood this past Saturday and it was tough with the big cold front and high pressure front. I am happy with my day. Caught a chunky 16”er and several others in the 14” range pitching weeds in the shadows. Did not see a lot of other fish caught. You can catch little guys there all day with finesse.

There is soooo much that goes into this decision and experience greatly helps in this area. As someone fishing in a boat that has 6-10 combos ready, I will cycle through different technique looking for fish/information as to what will be the best pattern for the day. Seasonal patterns, current weather, and water conditions all help determine where and how you start fishing. My initial lure changes will only be if how I anticipated the conditions were off. For example, the water clarity is different than I thought or it's a lot weedier than I anticipated. I will move to a different area and fish different structure before I start making wholesale changes to the baits I throw. And the fish have to give you some information too if you are going to be successful with your changes. If you haven't caught much and have tried a couple areas and different structure and cover with a variety of baits, it is most likely going to be a long day.

Thankfully, I can fish for years with all the gear I have. I'd run out of things but I'd have a half dozen other lures that I could use.

Is the max scent that good? Think I bought a couple dropshot baits but haven't tried them yet.

The only head-to-head comparisons I have made with Dobyns rods was the Champ spinning to an Avid which I mentioned above in which the Champion was clearly superior in sensitivity and a 703 Dobyns Champion to a 843 GLX older series. While the GLX was slightly lighter and more sensitive, it was appropriate for the $100 price difference between the rods. Before switching to Dobyns, I only used Croix and Loomis rods. The Champion XP is the right blend of performance and price for me. It is more sensitive and a better rod overall IMO than the Avid which I owned 7 of at one time. While I own a new GLX (warranty replacement) and it is fantastic, it is not $200 better than the Dobyns Champion. I just won't spend much more than $200 on a rod.

My first Dobyns rod was a 702 Champion spinning rod. Until that point my only good spinning rod was a 6'9 MLXF Avid. I threw a shakey head over some gravel using the type of same line the next time I went out just to compare the two rods. Now, the Champion is $40 more expensive so it should be more sensitive but the overall sensitivity difference was striking. I only own one Croix now and 9 Dobyns. But whatever works for you. I used St Croix for a number of years and caught a lot of fish with those rods.