jimmyjoe

Really? Which ones would that be? Jim

OP posted Saturday. It's now Wednesday. Where did he go? ? jj

If you lined up ten rods that were MH/MF, they might all be different. There is no industry standard. Secondly, "action" defines where the rod's upper flex transitions to the backbone. It says nothing about the stiffness of the tip end itself, and that's where you get the initial hookset power. Some rods have their flex closer to the transition point, and some have it further away from the transition point. Not to get off-subject, but some fly rods illustrate this very clearly. And "action" says nothing about material stiffness, either. A moderate-fast rod with high material stiffness and high speed will give you a better initial hookset compared to a fast action that is built with a slow material. There are some fiberglass composite rods that are advertised as fast action that exhibit this very well. It's always best to try and flex the rod before you buy it to get an idea of what it may or may not do, but that's been mickle difficult for the last year. ??? jj

That line lay looks extremely funky! I'd say that either the pressure you used was not enough, the line roller needs oil, or you have trouble with the oscillation gear in the reel. I'd respool under more pressure first. Does a friend of yours have a similarly-sized reel that you can use as a check for the line lay? jj

You might want to try a wacky rigged senko. jj

"Good Luck" is right! Part of the problem is that the fibers in braided line take a set once twist has been introduced. So you can straighten the line out, but continued use of the spinners and spoons will re-introduce line twist twice as fast the second time. A good ball-bearing swivel will help, that's for sure. But nothing ..... and I mean nothing ..... can totally prevent line twist with spoons and spinners. I know; I use a lot of both. The best thing you can do is keep on top of the problem. Pay out 10 to 20 yards of your line at the end of the day, and run it through the weeds or tall grass for about 100-200 yards. The friction will tend to pull the twist out. Your leader has nothing to do with it., neither do the micro guides. They will affect your casting distance and your accuracy, but they don't contribute to twist, and twist is what wind knots are all about. I hope your problem improves! (U-> ?) jj

For some people, balance is important. For some people, it isn't. Do you know for sure that it's important for you, or are you just going on what you heard someone say or what you read somewhere? I've heard some people swear that this or that is important, or right, or the right way, or whatever, and found out from experience that they were wrong ....... or at least wrong for me. ? jj

There's the right answer. ? jj

I think that must be true. When I fish rivers (usually the Mississippi and always from shore), I try to target two areas; the roils below dams or obstructions, and sandbars. Because the water level in the river changes so radically some years and some seasons, the location of the fish changes. Sometimes the location of the sandbars change, too. I catch more than bass; I get pike, wipers and walleye, too. Every time I go out with a differing water level, I find fish in a different location. So I fan cast to find them. This is where spoons come in handy. Heavy and aerodynamic, they really reach out; 50 yard casts (150 feet) are both common and useful. And yes, I have measured my casts. When @WRB suggested I use a football field rather than a laser rangefinder to gauge my casts, I went to a local police shooting range. The cops were a lot friendlier than the gouchy football coach. Go figure. ? jj

Casting accuracy is not ALWAYS important, but it's like a parachute; when you need it, nothing else will do. Fan casting is fine in rivers, but in lakes I think it spooks fish more often than not. jj

Camo (dark green), but it has faded. Seems to make no difference. jj

I agree with @Hewhospeaksmuchbull; if you want to convert to braid with a Medium Heavy rod, 15 lb. test is probably the way to go. I presently use 15 lb. Power Pro, though. I'm satisfied. jj

My backcast is the same whether I'm using a long leader, a short leader or no leader at all. jj

A fisherman feels fish biting, and then reacts. The "feel" is part and parcel of the line's ability to transmit vibration. Dead line doesn't let you feel as well (nor as early), and dead line is line that absorbs vibration. All I did was some backyard comparisons after I read disagreements about fluoro a few years ago. You can do the same thing I did; it's easy. Tie same pound test lines, one fluoro and one mono, to a crossbar. Load them each with empty gallon jugs. Pour 1/2 cup water (4 oz.) into each at the same time. At first, there will be little or no noticeable stretch to either. As you load the lines more and more, you'll notice one will stretch more .... early on. Then, as you continue loading the jugs, you'll notice the other line catching up and stretching at a higher rate than it did initially. If you choose higher test lines, do the test with sand rather than water; you'll need more weight. When you change tests or brands of lines, do the test again. There are a lot more differences and inconsistencies between lines than you might think! One caveat: I did this in summer when the temp was over 90 degrees. Some of my buddies said that this was an important factor in my results, and that I should re-do the test at 55-70 degrees. I really don't feel like it. The test is definitely not laboratory grade, but it does take some time, and I'm not a patient person. I lost interest. If you're more meticulous and scientific than I am ( I can be a little sloppy), try the test for yourself and post results. They would be interesting. jj

I know you probably don't want to wait, but for that type of rod and that description, I'd go custom. I've got an 8' M/MF casting rod (could have been spinning) based on an IP963F Batson blank that I just love. Talk to DVT or got to rodbuilding dot org, and you'll be amazed what you can get. jj

What distance are you trying to cover? I don't know whether I understand clearly what you're trying to do, but if you're too close, you won't be able to avoid too much "lift" to the cast. Try skipping to your target. jj

I tried high-speed retrieves on deep divers below a dam in the river ...... once. They were 1/2 to 3/4 oz. The first 10 minutes was fun. The next ten minutes was work. After that, it was torture. Anyone who can burn a 12-15' deep diver with an 8:1 reel for any length of time is more man than I am. ? ? ? jj

I always heard they were good, but nobody stocked them near me. Then one of my fishing buddies showed up with the John Crews 7' Squarebill rod. HOLY COW! That rod feels wonderful! That's important to me, because I use squarebills around riprap, and depend on feel for my position cues. He said that he tried other Cashion rods, and they all consistently felt light and had good actions. He fishes a lot like I do - tight line retrieve, moderate to moderate fast action - so I trust his opinion. However ..... it's gonna be Black Friday or Christmas before I can fund my curiosity. ?? jj

I don't care what my favorite is, I care what the bass's favorite is. That changes season to season, hour to hour and location to location. jj

For lighter tests, I use Stren Original in yellow. I can see it better at different angles under different light conditions compared to other hi-viz mono lines. jj

M/F covers a whole lot of territory in spinning gear. Many spinning rods are more forgiving (have a softer tip) than casting rods rated M/F. You might want to, as they say, "swing for the fences." jj

Absolutely correct! I got the defective ones replaced with good ones ..... and I'm happy as a clam with them. EVEN MERCEDES BENZ SOMETIMES HAS LEMONS. ? jj

I bought a Stradic Ci4+ 2500FA. Defective. Retailer replaced. I bought a Stradic 2500FK. Defective. Dealer replaced. I bought a Stradic Ci4+ 4000FB. Defective. Dealer replaced. I bought a NASCI 1000. Multiple problems. Shimano replaced. Never .... never ..... NEVER put mechanical objects up on a pedestal! Not a reel, not a car, not a watch or computer or a TV. No matter how expensive, mechanical objects are made by people. And people are imperfect. ??? jj

I would wager that the difference that you saw between fluoro and mono was very logical. 1) Nylon line absorbs vibration more than fluoro, so fluoro would be more sensitive. 2) Fluoro has less INITIAL stretch to it. Combine these two factors, and your reaction to the strike as well as the time elapsed for your hookset put the lure deeper in the fish's mouth. BTW - I use Big Game on a fiberglass rod for heavy cranks and InvizX fluoro on a M/MF graphite rod for lighter ones. jj

This is where the Heavy powers come in handy. I used a MH/F for two years in Lake Weed Hell, and broke the rod twice. I casted fine, accuracy was fine, hookset was fine, but hauling out all those weeds was not fine. I now have a Heavy, and life is good. ??? jj