JustJames

You must have caught only tiny bass in small pool, otherwise use a broomstick and a rope.

When you first respool new line, it trends to be loose coil on spool (line memory from manufacturer spool is less). The very first few cast you will have to take it easy, because the line is ready to jump off spool. Unlike those in spool for awhile and already develop memory with tighter coil on spool.

Thanks

I like daiwa legalis LT 1000, about 50-60 if you look around. The rod you can get UL ugly stick but if you can spare a tad more, I’d get Daiwa Spinmatic or Daiwa presso (50-60) Link to video of this Presso Rod 5’6 UL, mine is 4 pcs travel rod but I think the 2 pieces should have the same action.

@WRBThat why I don’t use conditioner when freshly spool the line. I’d rather fish a couple time before. I don’t spray conditioner when store the reel either, only one night before fishing. I’ll strip the line out about 10-15yds, spray then reel in the rest of the line and spray again. I’m not sure if use line conditioner on new fleshly line from manufacturer spool would help.

If line lay underspool loose with conditioner, the line may become kinked under tension of each layer on top.

You should try it, it might work and make you line smell good and smooth as silk for a day lol. Anyway I don’t use line conditioner with fresh newly spool line. I think new line from factory is still soft and have not developed memory just yet, especially when you gonna use the next day. Also when newly spool line yourself, it’s might not perfect, tight and smooth even lay on spool, until after fishing for a day or two.

Congrat man, nice bass

I’ve used daiwa J-braid x8 for a few years. It is pretty good, soft and quiet. Now that I tried Sufix 832, I like it even better not as soft nor quiet but sensitivity is top notch. Also it seems to sink faster than others. The bad thing of very soft braid is when you get backlash, it is harder to untangle.

Catfish rig?

Have you ever consider other type of bait like “Fluke”? I found Fluke is pretty good in weedy area especially when finesse it through weed. You also can work it fast on top of the weed for those reaction strikes. I can do dropshot in grassy area but not too thick, I don’t work my bait in grass but find pocket holes or edges. I don’t work the bait back all the way to me, instead I reel in fast and start on another spot. I also don’t work my bait slow “do nothing type” I just cast it out shake shake pause, shake shake pause, if no bite I move on. In weed or grass area I think the visible is not as important as vibration through grass for bass to detect prey. This is how I work my DS. I don’t fish DS year rounds only when I know those bass would hand around in area.

If you’ve never tried shimano baitcaster reel with centrifugal brake system, you should, you might like it more than daiwa, it might take time to dial in, but once that part done you might have a blast. To me shimano is more comfortable to hold due to narrower size compare to daiwa, but daiwa win hand down in smoothness. Spinning, if you are not gonna get stradic ci4 at least, I would go with Daiwa LT series. Shimano in lower end doesn’t offer anything new.

4” senko.

I’m too tired to fish, took the pontoon out for my wife and all her friends for a whole day yesterday. At least she was happy, happy wife happy life, eh?

Another reason I bought the boomerang brand. I like portable since I normally only carry a box of jig/plastic in my pants pocket. It is only 5” but I will use this mostly for crappie. For bass, I have a handful of pliers and multitool.

1 not sure 2 yes on snap, use it quite often even on weightless plastic 3 chumming, with what? A handful of worm or dozens of guppies? Never heard of chumming for bass.

I like 6’10 Medium Fast or MF rod, with good backbone with soft tip and comfortable to hold. I would look for M rod with lure rating start at 1/8. Reel, the most comfortable reel for you doesn’t matter spinning or baitcaster, you gonna do a lot of twisting and jerking with Fluke. Hook, 4/0 twisted lock hook is good as well as regular 4/0 EWG hook. I like EWG hook better since I use a lot of Yamamoto D-Shad and screw lock make it very hard to fix with mend-it when damage. Line, I like 6-8lb copolymer or FC, to me lighter line make Fluke action better. I just upload video from yesterday where I used D-shad, if you wanna check it out.

I also recommend Daiwa LT series, but if you are going Fuego LT, think about “magseal” You might not need to service the reel for awhile but once you need it, it required special oil in magseal. The exceler LT which is cheaper and only different is magseal and one more bearing. I also have shimano Sahara FB but sold my symetre FL for daiwa legalis LT.

You can try a few pieces of corn on your hook (make sure it’s legal where you live)

200e is one good reel especially for beginners (easier to dial in), if you can get it at around 150 new or like new. The 7 ration is pretty normal these day for bass fishing. Once you get use to with baitcaster and ready to upgrade then you can sell your 200e at the same price or even more to those crazy collector and buy yourself Curado K, Chronarch MGL, Bantam MGL and such.

I think I became one of the average joe going for bluegill and crappie. Seriously if I lived in FL, bass might be the fourth, fifth, sixth specie I would target.

15 seconds is pretty long time and a lot of time bass would hit the lure on the drop. Like @BoatSquirrelmentioned watch the line, but sometime watch the line is not possible so I don’t let lure fall completely on slack line. After lure hit water, I’ll close the bail and lift the rod to almost 90 degree with my finger on the line. If I feel tension while falling, meaning the weight is not on bottom yet, if I feel anything different like more tension, slight tab or no tension at unexpected, I’ll set the hook. Once the weight hit bottom, I’ll lower my rod tip in the meantime start reeling in slowly to maintain tension with the weight, it will take awhile for all braid to sink. How much slack line? Depend on how long your tag end and how far you cast. If you have two feet tag end and cast about 20 yds, you probably have around a foot gap between the lure and bottom. I normally only use less than a foot tag end, so only semi slack and my lure should dance along bottom.

I don’t have experience with Expride itself but fish a lot with crucial. I wouldn’t use my M crucial 1/8-3/8 (worm and jig rod) with 1/4oz jig + trailer (total weight ~ 3/8oz) the tip is too soft to get a good action or hook set.

It might not be the rod, but your reel. IMHO.

Most of my the lures with treble hook are mostly barbless otherwise replaced with inline single hook, mostly to protect myself. When I first started fishing with Fluke, I would crushed all barb on the hook due to a few lost bass on gutted hook. Nowadays I don’t have gutted hook as often, maybe once or twice a year so I leave the hook as they are.