jimmyjoe

I will say one thing for sure: I'm learning a lot here! Seems that old guy wasn't as crazy as I first thought. jj

I've always believed that up high in the water column, color and pattern make a difference. Down deep, I've always prioritized contrast and water displacement, especially in muddy water. I just hope the bass agree! ? jj

Good to hear. Dark colored or light colored skirts? JJ

C'mon, aggravate us, aggravate us! That's great news! Next thing you'll tell us is that you're gonna take dancing lessons, right? jj

Amen! Lots of truth in your post! My wife worked 35+ yrs in a hospital. She impressed upon me to NEVER have surgery unless it's absolutely needed. I've found out the hard way that she's right. jj

The current page says; " 25 Days Sale Price will be honored for all back orders ". In the past, have they had this same policy throughout the 25 days or not? I understand that discontinued items couldn't be included in this, but other stuff ......... WOW! My bank account would really shrink! jj

Shallow or deep? Thnx. jj

Thanks, but please elaborate. When is it that you don't want the flash of a spinnerbait, other than fishing a bluegill or black skirt? When it's overcast? When you're deep running? In really clear water? Fishing on the bottom, like stop-n-go? Maybe I'm an optimist, but I think there's gotta be some kind of pattern here. That old guy is gone, and now I wish I had picked his brain a lot more. Bad thing is, if I just start adding black-bladed lures, both in-line and spinnerbaits, without some idea of what to look for and why to do it, I could spend a pretty good chunk of change on a blind venture with a useless outcome. I don't mind experimenting (in fact I love it!) but a person needs some sort of understanding to begin the experiment. jj

15 lb. braid is pretty small diameter braid for a baitcaster. However .... you're in a boat, and that helps. Not only that, but there have been several members here that use low-diameter braid on baitcasters with no problems. Make sure you have a rod that is loaded by the lure. No loading means bad accuracy and inconsistent results. I, like @Jig Man, have a Curado 70 XG. I've usually kept 8 lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid line on it. I removed one side shield on the spool bearings, and I use TSI321 for lube. I've used other lubes in the past, but settled on TSI321. This reel casts 5" Yum Dingers to my great satisfaction. ?? I also have a Shimano Casitas 150. It does reasonably well with lightweight lures. Not as well as the baby Curado, but definitely usable. You might be able to find one on sale, and they're a lot cheaper than the Curado. I also have a Daiwa Fuego CT100. I don't like to use it for weightless plastic. Some people do; I don't. YMMV. Good luck! jj

Someone could probably help you better if they knew: Is this from a boat or shore? What do you mean by "light weight combo", as in which power and action? Or don't you have one for this purpose yet? What kind of weightless plastic? How small/ light? What test line are you intent on using? Which brand? What do you mean by "work good" ? What one fisherman thinks is miserably pitiful, another may think is just fine. It would help to know what YOU expect. (You never know until someone tells you.) BTW .... welcome to BR. ? jj

I've tried the double split ring method, and all I got was fouled hooks. You might want to try this method, but I can't see how it would adapt to blade baits. https://outdooraddictions.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/the-trailing-hook-method/ jj

Nope. I used to look at specs, as if they told me everything. I learned not to do that. Now I look at what I see right in front of me when I go fishing. If one line casts further than another, it casts further. And if it doesn't, then it doesn't. ? I had a Presso that I loved, and if you asked me, I'd say pay more attention to TEST on those little 1/8th-oz-max rods than I would DIAMETER. Of course you didn't ask me. ? And personally, I wouldn't go over 4 lb. test, but that's just me. And I'm talking about the various superlines. For mono, I wouldn't go over 3 lb. test. On spinning reels, a person needs to compare casting distance for sure. But there are so many other considerations. Does this line twist? How badly, and how soon? How easily can you take the twist out? Twist can radically ruin the performance envelope of your line. How does it wear? That's important on really fine-diameter lines. Does it fray in normal use? How's the abrasion resistance? What's the knot strength, and how consistent is it? And which knot is the best, anyway? Does the knot loosen or collapse at all? How does the line react to extreme temperatures, either hot or cold? And do the various tests and diameters of this or that line all display these qualities consistently, or does the line change markedly as you go up or down the gamut of the different tests? Every year, something comes out to give me hope. Every year, somebody says this or that is "new and improved". Yeah. Right. ? BTW - I used Nanofil for 5 years. I liked it, but I don't use it anymore. That doesn't mean that it's not the cat's pajamas for you, though. Try it. I've just gone a different route the last couple of years. Good luck. jj

Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes you meet characters when you're fishing and they make you re-think a lot of things. Probably the reason this guy didn't use swim jigs is the same reason I don't use swim jigs: we're both shorecasters. If you want to slow roll your lure just a hair's-breadth off the bottom, you can do it a LOT easier with a spinnerbait than a jig. More feedback, as in more "feel". jj

Yeah, I've used that type, too. This guy swore that black blades were magic on or near the bottom. I would have laughed him off, but the day I met him he out-fished me 3-to-2 in about 1/2 hour, then went his way. Now this guy and I were talking for a little while. He said that for a lo-'n-slo spinnerbait, you want a visible skirt and much-less-visible blades. That way, the fish goes for the skirt (and hook) and not the blades. It's just the opposite of a wake spinnerbait. One thing I do remember: when I used Wordens Super Roostertails in 3/8 or (the now-discontinued) 1/2 oz., I had maybe 20 or 25 percent of my fish hooked on the outside of the lower jaw. They were going for the blade, not the body. But I never thought too much about it, because the "body" on a Super Roostertail ain't very much. Just a dinky lead cylinder with a pitiful little dab of dressing. I dunno. I never talked to anyone who said stuff like this guy. It makes me wonder about the Mepps in-line spinners with black blades, too. I've been looking at them lately. I used to think, "No way!", and pass them by, but now I'm not so sure. I hope I'm not missing something here. Bait Monkey would kick my keister. ? jj

There are spinnerbaits with black blades and black skirts. I've always used them at night, and NOT in the daytime. I met another fisherman who uses black blades for slo-rolling deep, during the daytime. Who here uses black blades during the daytime, and more importantly .... why? Thnx. jj

Man, that's surprising! I always thought that the 1/8 oz. max Presso rods could cast angel farts with frog hair. THERE'S the problem!. Too heavy a line! Try frog hair. ?? Better yet, try 4 lb. test Nanofil in hi-vis green. (Ya gotta use hi-vis or you'll never see where your cast went.) We think of braid as low friciton and long-distance, and it is .... within limits. !0 lb. braid isn't commensurate with UL and XUL gear if you need distance and sensitivity, because the mass that was so low on a bigger rig becomes overbearing on the UL. One time I went down to 2 lb. Nanofil. Just for kicks, just to see what would happen, and how it would perform. Wow. ? Good luck, no matter which way you go. And have fun! jj

C'mon, Shimano! Get that tiny little adjustment wheel off your casting reels and put one on that's big enough to see and adjust easily! Daiwa did it, why can't you? And while you're at it, make your pawl covers accessible in the field (like the ABU reels) so I can keep the pawl lubed anytime. Also: bring back the lube port on your spinning reels, like on the Ci4+ FA series. jj

Truer words were never spoken! jj

My wife saw this. Did you know people could go into shock from laughing too hard? I didn't! jj

Glad to see both of you guys here! jj

C'mon man! PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE LURE ON THE PACKAGE!

Uh ..... hundreds minus one, for a couple years now. And another of my fishing buddies, too. That's hundreds minus two. I guess I'm naive, or maybe just an optimist, but I think there will be more. jj

You're sure not the only one! One day last year, I overheard a conversation. Just one day. The bass was talking fluorescent orange 1/4 oz. Zonar, and the walleye replied with 1/4 oz. Golden Shiner SuperSpot from WallyWorld. I've never managed to eavesdrop since then, unfortunately. ☹️ jj

Personally, I would step up to a Shimano NASCI 2500. It retails for $100. Check sale prices. The under-$100 sector of the market is an intensely competitive bracket, and one that I'd prefer to stay away from. The 100 mark, however, starts to get into some stuff that's consistent, reliable and not too clunky. If you like Daiwa reels, look at the BG2500. And you mentioned a Lew's spinner. Why not get another Lew's? They've always had excellent customer service. Several ways you can go here. jj

I can only think of two characteristics. One is pressured water, where every mother's son and their dog throw trap-type lures. In that situation, a blade lure works better for me. The other is vertical retrieve. Cold water or warm water, it makes no difference. If you go vertical, the blade style, mechanically speaking, works better. jj