jimmyjoe

One thing must be taken into account: manufacturers don't JUST make lures to catch fish. If they want to stay in business, they make lures to catch fishermen. Bluegill are very visible, all year long. They occupy the margins, where most bass fishing is concentrated. And fishermen are usually mindful of them. Crappie are less visible, and therefore brought to mind less often. Bass eat both. So what's a company going to do? They're going to make bluegill patterns, that's what. Out of the two, it's the most visible pattern to the FISHERMAN. I don't blame them, not at all. As long as I can get my Bandit 200 crappie pattern, that is. ☺️ jj

Booyah Pond Magic are 3/16 oz. head weight, and 5/16 oz. total weight. I've used them, but I've never gotten a fish with them. Their little brother, the Micro Pond Magic, has been a real winner for me. It's a 1/8 oz. head and 1/4 oz total lure weight. Although I have the casting rigs to use these lures, I don't. I use spinning gear. Don't know why ... I just do it that way. jj

Bandit 200 in "Crappie". One of my must-haves.

It's been this way since 7AM. jj

Yes it is, but you'll gain experience. Everyone does. People learned to hunt timber before the internet existed to give them tips. Don't worry .... you'll do fine. ? jj

I used to use a senko, too. Got hung up a lot, too. Now I use this. War Eagle Wake. Draws'em up so I don't hafta go down after'em.

MH/M Avid X, huh? So many fishermen concentrate on MH/F rods that the virtues of MH/M are largely forgotten. That's really too bad. I've thought for a long time that MH/M is probably the most versatile rod for bass fishing that there is, and not MH/F. Of course, how MH/M is going to work out for jerkbaits, I don't know. It should be OK. And pike? I would think that the inherent problems of setting treble hooks in a pike's beak won't be made any worse by using a moderate action. (Single hooks might be a different story.) One thing I do know is that the Avid-X are fine rods. No matter what you decide, I hope you enjoy it. jj

I do this quite a bit in cover. Drives my fishing buddies absolutely bananas. When I started with soft plastics, I sought out the advice of an old brush fisherman. He told me what Brewer said, and I've done it that way ever since. It works as long as they don't swallow the hook. jj

Some people been hunting a long time and never took a rack that nice. Congratulations to him! jj

Huh? I remember Cronkite, but I wouldn't use that description! jj

Same here. I judge by resistance. I can easily slow down a 3/8 oz. deep diver, but when I go to a big, heavy, high resistance lure I will use my Curado in 5.5 (200i PG for Power Gear). It doesn't make any difference to the bait or to my line, but it makes a difference to my wrist and forearm. jj

1.) Nobody can cast hollow lures well into the wind. Don't feel bad. 2.) All other things being equal, a longer rod gets you more distance. 3.) Your reel (and the specific settings on it) may have more to do with your distance than something else. We don't know because you didn't say exactly how much distance you were getting, and we can't see you cast. You might benefit from a different reel, and you might not. 4.) I use a 7'-01" Mojo Bass MH/F for pike. I need power to set that hook with authority. So other than length, my rod isn't too much different than yours .... they're both SC3. I consider it a great pike rod. The rod you have now is an equally great pike and/or bass rod. 5.) I've caught musky (juveniles) with a spinning setup and 15 lb. Sufix 832 braid. I was targeting bass at the time, but the rig worked OK. I have to admit one thing, though: spinning gear is far better into the wind. Good luck. jj

Try this: https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/opinion/columnists/outdoors_paul_bruun/abu-cardinals-still-thrill-spinning-addicts/article_581f61ba-1923-537e-835b-237b30149701.html jj

You won't pick my brains! Nothing there to pick. ?? Welcome to BR! JJ

Movement now and movement during the rut are two totally different things. I know several people who put out trail cams, thinking that they'll have an advantage come season opener. Nope. Doesn't happen. And here, the transition isn't progressive. It's fairly abrupt. The colder the fall, the quicker the change and more aggressive the bucks. If the fall is warmer (which it may be for you, judging from your location) the transition may be slightly less abrupt. Maybe. And maybe not. Animals react to stimuli that we don't understand. At least I don't. ? jj

BTW Tom, thanks for the tip on the Cardiff. The more I talk to people who have them, the more impressed I am. It was just under my radar, but it'll be my next reel. ? jj

What about the Shimano Cardiff 200a? That's got 24" per turn retrieve. It's simple, fairly strong and $120. jj

Oh heck yeah! Upper left quadrant; a Baby Lucky 13 and a Hula Popper! You made my day! ? jj

Did you ever know a person who could totally ruin a mechanical object just by looking at it sideways? Yeah. That's me. ☹️☹️ I send my reels to the factory service centers. jj

My Dad had True Temper rods and reels when I was a little kid. That picture sure brings back a lot of memories! All you need now are a Lucky 13 and black Hula Popper laying between them. ? jj

I have a Curado 70. I love it, but I think it doesn't have enough "guts" for using with those rods and the attendant lures. I had mine on a MH/F, and I've had it sent into Shimano for noise and roughness. They replaced the gears. That's why I think that a 70 doesn't have the robust construction for heavier stuff. If I'm wrong about that, I'm sure there are people here who will tell me so. Now the Bantam .... well, that's an entirely different beast. ? jj

Now you know why I use 2-pc. rods ..... and keep them in the trunk. ? jj

Welcome! jj

These are the kind of comments that are really useful here. Instead of "This is what you should do ....", someone offers, "This is what I do and what I use." There's a lot of that here, and that's what I like about Bass Resource. I've scanned other forums for fishing, but for bass fishing, this is the best that there is, bar none. The greatest "resource" here is people. jj

I found out that fast retrieve reels tire me out with highly resistive lures, too. Like @new2BC4bass and @Russ E, I'm so old I babysat Methuselah. (Kid was a brat, too!) ? jj