jimmyjoe

Tom has said above, " ... I fish twin spins as a helicopter lure fluttering down through the water column vertically ..." @Team9nine said above, " ... , but this style of spinner is designed more for vertical fishing and dropping, ..." The top picture in the OP is of a Stanley Awesome Twin spin. Stanley's blurb states, " ... This is an awesome vertical drop jig. ..." Since I'm a shorecaster, I'm not sure that I can use this in the places I fish. I think I'll give up on trying this as my New Bait For The Year, and find something else interesting but more practical for a shorecaster. ?? ? Thanks to you all! jj

A picture of Tom's twin spin: Thank you, Tom! JJ

Never caught sturgeon or paddlefish. Of course, I never tried snagging, either. Have no salmon here, and only a very few locations stock trout. I'm spectacularly uninterested in trout. Don't know why, I just am. jj

That's the best advice you can get! All of us developed our opinions by getting out there and trying different things out. That's the way life goes. ? jj

I never use barrel (Crane) swivels, but I frequently use ball bearing swivels. I use in-line spinners a quite a bit, and I "twitch" spoons, both of which cause a great deal of twist in braid. If I'm fishing someplace where I know that I'm not going to use those lures, I don't use the swivel. So I tie a swivel onto my braid mainline, then attach a short (12-15") length of leader. @A-Jay was correct when he said to beware of pulling the swivel up into your tiptop, but the solution is simple: if you can't pay attention, then don't try it. An alternative: I have two rods, an Eagle by Fenwick and a Heritage by Berkley, that have cheap stainless guides. Although many people run them down, they're the perfect guides to use with this type arrangement. If you choose to go this route, it helps to use a swivel that has a split ring bigger than the inside diameter of your tiptop. That way, the ring won't jam into the tiptop. As in all things, try it and see whether it works for you. Good luck! jj P.S. - Oops! I forgot! Welcome to BR! ?

If I think it's a bass, I say, "Gotcha!" But if it's a pike or musky, I say, "Come HERE, you &$#*&^&$%$!!!!" Seems to work. ? jj

^^^ X3. ^^^

Yeah, I kinda-maybe think I'm seeing a pattern here. ??? To be clear .... I'd like to mark @Jigfishn10 as well as @Team9nine as solutions. You've both helped me a lot. However, the program won't let me give credit to two people at the same time. Soooooo ...... "thank you" to both of you. jj

It's been my impression that pike always move UPriver. When they find an area that they like, they settle down there. What @gimruis said about deeper water may apply also. I catch pike in the Mississippi and its tributaries, and "deeper" water is usually out of my reach. (I'm a shorecaster.) jj

I've had good luck with simply using the same improved clinch knot that I've used with nylon for years. Don't know why I've not had problems with it slipping. Maybe I'm the only one in the world this way, but it has worked just fine for me. If I were you, I'd try it, but still be aware that some people have had problems. jj

I went with Carbontex, too. I got mine (and the Cal's grease) from Dawn at smoothdrag.com jj

I haven't used the top two. The top one is a Stanley lure, and I don't remember the middle one. I've used the bottom one, which is a Hildebrandt Nugget, but it's been years ago, and I didn't play it off the bottom. Recent conversations with other fishermen have reminded me of this existence of this style of lure, but I was also reminded of the fact that 1) I didn't do well with it years ago, 2) I hadn't used it on the bottom, and 3) there were now newer twin-arms on the market that may (or may not) be better. One of the best tactics I've had in some waters is to let the spinnerbait fall to the bottom, and then retrieve it both s-l-o-w-l-y and erratically. Naturally, I snag up a lot. I was hoping that this style of spinnerbait might do better for me. I thought it could be retrieved higher in the water column, too (like any regular spinnerbait). Looks like I was wrong! (1:40)

I see. Most (but not all) of the info I've gotten about twin-arm spinnerbaits has come from walleye fishermen, not bass fishermen. Therefore, their applicability to bass has been a little hazy in my mind. As always, asking questions here at BR helps enormously. Please keep the tips and tricks coming! JJ

Interesting. Perhaps I would have had better results with a true JDM BFS rig. Perhaps not. I admit to having my own biases, but the one reason I experimented with BFS-style fishing is that it offered the ability to cast lures as light as what was common to UL spinning, but could do so with the authority afforded by monofilament line heavier than what one would use on that size spinning rig. I have caught larger fish on UL spinning gear, but only in unobstructed areas. When I fished in areas that had "stuff", my fishing was much more productive using line equal to 8 lb. Stren or stronger. And of course, "stronger" with nylon means larger diameter. I began this process in an area that was very productive for crappie, but which was rife with branches and trunks. Crappie love an environment like that. Of course, so do bass. I found out that 1) the slightly heavier nylon let me retrieve crappie lures snagged on branches, and 2) the heavier nylon allowed me to acquire bass that hit the crappie lures ....... usually, anyway. ? So the bottom line is that most BFS aficionados use their rigs to target bass. I don't. I use (or used) mine to catch bass as a byproduct of snags and of crappie fishing. Then the state had to go ahead and drain my best crappie lake. ??? I hope you have good luck, @ATA! jj

Amen, brother! I and several billion other people agree, and appreciate your sentiments! jj

The spool diameter and braking systems for the Japanese BFS reels are designed with certain assumptions made by the manufacturer. If you notice, the Calcutta Conquest BFS has specs for .235mm line. You can try whichever diameter line you wish, but Shimano is gently trying to insinuate that this diameter line is going to work best in general. https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/shimano/round-shaped-casting-reels/reg0000212.html That happens to be the diameter of 6 lb. test Stren Original, but when it comes to braid, it's the diameter of 20 lb. test PowerPro Super Slick. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Power_Pro_Super8Slick_V2_Braided_Line_Aqua_Green/descpage-PVAG.html I advocate choosing line by DIAMETER, not test, for casting reels. The 4 lb. test you're trying to use is too small in diameter for a casting reel .... even a BFS reel. I also tried the BFS route for a while. I went the Daiwa route with a Fuego CT100 and an aftermarket spool. What I found out was that using mono was much easier and more productive than braid. As in all things, YMMV. Good luck! jj P.S. - Scuttlebutt has it that braid with higher tensile strength characteristics can ruin BFS spools. Word is that the spools are very lightly built, and that a fisherman in a moment of enthusiasm (or snag) can put too much stress on the spool. Be careful and set your drag accordingly.

How did you try it, high in the water column, middle or low? Did you let it sit on the bottom or not? jj

Congratulations! I'm so glad to see that you stuck it to them! No one should tolerate errors like that! BTW, you can remove the apostrophes from "picture's" and "technique's". Plurals are not formed by means of apostrophes. And spelt is an ancestor of our modern wheat. JJ

I've gone through two surgeries, and I have a torn shoulder that I have to nurse. I can tell you two things for sure: 1) Go to your rehab religiously. Do what they tell you, and don't do what they tell you to not do. 2) Do not ... and I repeat DO NOT .... push it because you "feel ok." I learned those lessons the hard way. I'd rather you didn't learn them the same way. ? jj

If I'm not mistaken, the Shannon is long out of production. Heck, My Dad had one of those before I was ever born! As for the Bomber, I never knew they made a twin arm spinnerbait, but I looked it up when I read your post and found a pic of one. Learn something new every day! jj

There are still a few twinspin spinnerbaits on the market; and and I have not used these. Every year, I try to use something new, and this coming year this type of spinnerbait is it. The shape of these makes them look like bottom-dwelling lures, something to let fall, wait and then snap up a little bit. Is that correct? Can anyone clue me in on these as far as tips and tricks? Thnx. jj

^^^^ 9 ^^^

If you already have Lew's and Daiwa baitcasters, why would you be inquiring about the DC (digitally controlled) feature? Just curious, that's all. ? jj

Man, that sounds familiar! In lakes, I'm still on Stage 2 or 3. In the river, I'm on Stage 5. Got an 11-year-old who shows a lot of promise, and his parents approve of his fishing mania. Other than that, I'm on Stage 4. I'm relaxed and I enjoy fishing. The other fishermen I hang with want to do what they want to do their way, and that's it. I'm the same. If that weren't true, I wouldn't have so many spoons. ? (One woman calls me "Mr. Spoon.") As for how I got there, I blushingly admit that it's simply a long-time evolution of the fishing that I've always done. I'm not smart, I'm not overly dedicated, and I'm certainly not going to ruin my peace by being competitive. But I stuck with it through the years, and it's paid off. Basically ...... I'm happy. If that's not good enough for some other people, then that's their problem. jj

It can be leverage, although it doesn't need to be. Some cheaper rods are heavier, both in construction material and guide weight, and length works against the fisherman. This is most obvious on one-handed casts. Another consideration is whether you are in a boat or not. If you are, the correct length for working jerkbaits and twitchbaits will depend on both your height and the boat's freeboard. And naturally, if you're a shorecaster, a longer rod can be awkward if you hit limbs and brush. (Ask me how I know. ?? ) OTOH, length isn't all bad. Traditionally, jigging rods have been shorter rods, and "snapping" rods for flutter spoons have been longer. Also, longer rods let you fight the fish more efficiently. I doubt that the difference between 7' and 7'-06" is going to make much difference, though. Maybe 6'-06" and 7'-06", yes, but not 7' and 7'-06". But ...... I could be wrong. Only one way for you to find out! ? jj