LCG

Been practicing pitching with a baitcaster all winter. Went out for the first time this year today and somehow pitching with a spinning rod isn't so bad. Last year I couldn't do it to save my life :). It may sound odd, but my casting and pitching techniques improved so much since I started using a baitcaster. Maybe it's that I am more in tune with the motion or I have dissected it more. Such a great casting technique for close up areas without spooking the fish. Spinning or baitcasting, it's deadly effective.

Pitching about 20ft but with a deadly quiet entry into the water. Worked well for me.

I started throwing jigs from the bank last year. I would throw them into laydowns and area other anglers always passed up due to cover. Worked well for me, plan on doing it more soon.

I have the previous generation HMG and St Croix mojo and avid x. HMG is a nice rod for the money. I would say I prefer st Croix overall, but its twice the cost. I here fenwick is easy to deal with warranty too.

This ^

I have both one piece and two piece rods. I generally prefer one piece rods because they are stronger, never come apart or twist, and easier to keep rigged up (hate when the line gets all tangles after breaking down the two piece rods when rigged up). My two piece rods are sensitive. I use them when traveling with family or when I want them hidden in the trunk. But given the choice, I use the one piece rods.

Take something away from each outing, even when you don't catch fish. Don't get frustrated or down on yourself, think what could you have done differently or was there better places to target the fish. True story - first year of fishing, I caught one fish... But it was awesome and I was addicted.

Worse day of fishing is still better than sitting at a desk at work

Not a stupid question at all. Everyone started with little to no knowledge. It took me a year of constant mistakes to learn what not to do. Then I learned to take away a new lesson every time I went out. Trust me it doesn't stop A rubber landing net helps with landing the fish, keeping the fish safe if you plan to catch and release, and protects you while removing the hook(s). Also, lifting the fish out of the water using your rod is a great way to break a rod. Rods are not meant to dead lift a fish. I view a small collapsible rubber net as an essential tool, same as pliers, hooks, weights, line, etc.

St Croix avid x. 6'9 ml-xf, 6'8 m-xf, or 7' ml-f. Pair with a Pflueger President or president xt. $300 all in and should last quite awhile.

You should have no problems casting those baits with that rod. My guess is it's the reel settings, maybe the spool tension is too tight. Could also try a light braid 20-30lb, but 8lb fluorocarbon shouldn't be a problem. A weightless senko is 3/8 oz. A 1/4 oz weighted Texas rig with a zoom trick worm is about 3/8 oz as well. What is the lure rating of the rod? Is it possible its overloading the rod? Probably not likely but putting it out there.

I have used a neko rig with success in a grassy area of a pond. Worked pretty well. Used a zoom trick worm and a finishing nail with an oil ring and a wacky hook size 1 I think. Slow finnese applications work but take some time to get bit sometimes.

Thanks everyone, I will try the #10 circle hooks, corn, and egg sinker. Hopefully setting the drag somewhat loose will help not straightening out the hook.

Just got my 7 year old and ugly stick gx2 youth model spinning rod and he can use it no problem. Spinning rod and reel would be better in my opinion.

I am always respectful of the fact that we are catching living creatures and should treat them humanely and do our best to ensure they survive. Plus I am sure my rods would snap like twigs doing that.

What size circle hook would you recommend? I have heard anywhere from size 10 - size 1. Is my bass gear strong enough to fight a 10-20lb carp?

I think we all have more stuff than we will ever actually use. I am pretty sure we all say I am done buying anything until I have used up or learned that plastic, lure, or technique. Then we end up in a tackle store and see something that catches our eye and before you know it you have a bag full of stuff and at least a $100 missing from your wallet. The struggle continues... I have never caught a bass on a top water hollow body frog, but I bought 6 of them this year. I have never used a chatterbait, so I bought 4. The list goes on. Find what works for you and your style. Learn one or two new techniques each year and focus on really learning the in's and out's of that technique. But balance that with the conditions you face. If the water is dirty, they may not want finnese plastics. If everyone else around you is throwing a senko, try something different. You can always use your confidence technique, but it's hard to learn new things if you don't commit the time. It's funny how this hobby started with a cheap Walmart rod and reel, a bag of plastic worms, and some hooks. A few years and rods/reels later and it feels like an addiction, but in a good way

I fish dirty water and the ned rig works but you have to fish it very slowly, almost dead stick it. Move the bait with the rod after awhile but do so slowly. Senko wacky rigged works but it is also slow and on slack line. Just let it fall and do its thing. I usually fish it near laydowns and under overhanging trees. In line spinners work well for me as well. The vibration helps the bass locate the bait in dirty water. Looking forward to trying the chatterbait this year. Trick Worm Texas rigged with unpegged light bullet weight, 1/8, 3/16oz, with a bead. My go to confidence rig.

I also don't throw treble lures much but when I do I use either my ml-f or m-xf spinning. Both work fine for me. Ml-f is probably more ideal. Big fan of st Croix as well. My go to rods are the mojo 6'8 m-xf spinning and the avid x 6'6 Mh-f casting.

Thanks for that detailed response. I have only been fishing for about 5 years now, but this makes me wonder if bass fishing has advanced or if we have fallen victim to marketing. Probably a mix of both. I know I am probably not alone in fixating on rod length, action, power, lure rating, etc. And whether or not my equipment is sufficient or if I need a shiny new combo. Post like this help bring me down to earth so to speak and realize that people caught many fish before me on less advanced equipment. I know that knowledge is the key to being a good angler and that decent quality equipment can help but does not replace experience, knowledge, and skill. Just helps to be reminded from time to time

I am primarily a plastics guy, but my confidence lure is a #4 mepps agila inline spinner in gold colour with a fenwick hmg 6'9 ml-f rod with 10 lb braid, sometimes with a 6-8 leader. Always use a snap swivel to avoid line twist. Sometimes I use a st Croix mojo 6'8 m-xf spinning rod as well. The xf action isn't usually recommended but loosen the drag and it seems to work well for me. Last time I went out to a local pond, I caught 4 large mouth bass in 20 mins.

Big fan of fenwick, but I came across a few elite tech where the handle was loose, the epoxy lost its grip. Kind of concerning.

St Croix mojo 6'8 m-xf : ned, neko, Texas rigged worm, grubs,inline spinners. St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f : jigs, Texas rigged creatures, chatterbaits (new for me), & frogs (also new for me). I am a minimalist that values versatility from the bank.

Hello, I am interested in trying to fish for carp, but I have been unsuccessful in the past. I live in Ontario, Canada. I fish from shore and usually ponds and rivers. I have tried using an egg sinker rig with corn. Tried circle hooks from size 6 up to size 1. Not sure what size would be best. I only have bass gear and not sure which would be best to use, should I actually hook into a carp... Fenwick hmg 6'9 ml-f with a Pflueger President XT 30 spooled with 10 lb braid. St Croix Mojo Bass 6'8 m-xf with a Pflueger President XT 30 spooled with 10 lb braid. St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f casting rod with a Daiwa Tatula 100 spooled with 50 lb braid. Shimano 6'10" Mh-xf casting rod, no reel. Will this work or do I need carp specific gear? Hook size? Thanks for your time and help.