Bass-Addict

I have previously inquired about strength but not in depth about action, now I am trying to narrow it down to both. I have been told medium fast, medium moderate fast, and medium heavy moderate fast. What about medium moderate? I have medium heavy moderate fast, been told it was too much for trebles and I would lose fish. Thanks!

I know I mentioned their crawz and tickler.

Interesting, I’d always heard that the Rage bug was too much action, that the Ned was all about subtlety?

Every now and then I get bored with the plain old TRD 2.75” worm and get the urge to throw something more interesting. Do you think this is a novelty/waste of time or do you think TRD crawz and the Nikko Helgrammite can be just as effective or more?

My buddy says that with the exception of seeking shade, you will not find smallmouth in rivers and streams on the bank in the middle of the day and that they only go up on the bank to feed at dawn and dusk. This sort of goes against how most people fish, casting to the bank. I know it definitely challenges what I thought I knew. I realize there are a lot of variables, most importantly river depth and flow. The river I fish is roughly 4-6 feet deep on average and 50-75 yards across. Have you found this to be true, and if not what are the exceptions and what do you generally target?

I currently use a 7’1” MHMF mojo casting w a Shimano Curado K 8.5:1 and 12 lb mono. Wondering if this rod is overpowered and I should downgrade to a MF.

Exactly, I avoid hang ups w EWG hooks Texas rigging the TRD.

How are you getting your bait down to the bottom with 1/15?? Unless the fish are suspended mid column, when I throw anything under 1/8 it is downstream before it even drops 6”.

I tried 1/10 and 1/8, I always come back to 3/16. Lighter weight may be more effective in calm pools but there is simply no way in fast current 1/15 is getting you in the strike zone.

Exactly nothing smoother than rolling out of bed and just getting in your car and going fishing, no hassle no rushing around to get organized.

Every time I am about to do a river trip, the night before I float I reload my main tackle box and plastics wallet. Here is what I take: One 3600 Plano Edge filled with a variety of 2.75” and 3.25” paddle tail colors, crank baits, poppers, ploppers, barrel swivels and snaps. A small plastics wallet filled with TRDs An even smaller wallet for blade baits 7’1 MF St. Croix LTB versatile 6’10” MLXF LTB Dropshot/Finesse 7’1” MHMF Mojo casting rod For some reason I find it strangely enjoyable supergluing paddle tails and TRDs to jigs, and get a similar feeling to having a stocked fridge when I step back and admire my freshly loaded tackle box.

That must be where the “TRD” tag originated and they simply added “The Real Deal” deconstruction later for marketing.

But at a certain point they become sluggish no?

I get way more size. The biggest fish are usually the least active in summer. I find them laying dormant on the bottom.

Too slow/boring? Why?

What is your go to for river smallies?

I really only got serious about smallmouth fishing over the last year, and started learning to use lures last summer. Up until very recently, I almost exclusively threw moving baits. Specifically, paddle tails and whopper ploppers. I had seen and heard all of the incessant hype about the Ned but it just always seemed so slow and boring to me, I could not abandon my comfort zone and the action involved in cast and retrieve lures covering as much water as possible as I floated downstream. I finally committed myself to mastering the Ned rig, and holy smokes! I am consistently catching trophy fish now. Before I did well, got numbers and an occasional 18-19 on the whopper plopper. Now I can reliably get at least one 18+ every trip. It probably helps that I’ve patterned them and learned quite a bit about their habits and seasonal behavior, but it was incredible to me how there were so many giant fish right under my nose that I had floated over dozens of times, simply too lethargic or big and wise to chase a moving bait. What was your initial experience like with discovering the power of this presentation?

Why don’t you use a steel leader? Pike and Muskie will bite through fluorocarbon like butter.

Isn’t the “moderate” in MHMF better for keeping them pinned/avoiding ripping out trebles than the lower power rating of the Medium?

Likely both Yeah I was actually referring more to the 10-15’ holes near or leading into those super deep spots. I just imagined the larger volume of water and ability to go deep to winter or regulate their temperature would attract the older, larger smallmouth.

Why do you guys prefer braid, distance?

The river I fish is about 50 yards wide and averaged 5-10 ft deep. There are several stretches with 15-30 ft holes, and I can’t help but think there have to be giant smallmouth in there. Is this usually a safe bet? There is always current nearby, either upstream or down, so it’s not like it’s a stagnant pool. There seems to be abundant rock as well. I’m tempted to throw a Ned in there I’m just afraid a shovel will snap my $300 rod ?

Wow you were right! I turned all 4 brakes on and poof problem solved, casts like a dream! Amazing how much difference that makes. I think this is the setting I had it on last season, I got a second Curado though and I think stock it comes 2 on 2 off and I couldn’t figure out why I was nesting so much suddenly. Thank you!!

So for the 90 you prefer MF or MHMF?

Is MF better than MHMF?