finatic

LOL...I agree. If you're fishing professionally to support yourself and others then it makes sense to spend the money on your gear, but if you're just a regular Joe who likes to fish then it can be ridiculous. I got wrapped up in all the hype over rods and reels until I realized I only need one or two good setups and they don't need to break the bank. I settled on a Pflueger President XT 3500 and a 6" 6" Field & Stream Tech Spec rod. This setup has served me well through many fish and the whole thing cost me $160. I use 15lb Power Pro braid with AFW Surflon wire leader, double uni-knots to mainline then cinch knot to clip for lure changes. The other rig I had was a Diawa Revros 3000H and a Berkley 7" Lightning Shock rod. Unfortunately the reel stopped working and I had to return it. I have been considering a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 3000 FB, simply for the quality and dependability that a reel of that caliber would offer. I've been hesitating because of the price, but then it's not as expensive as say a Stella, lol. I started using Power Pro braid last year and it has proven itself time and time again through many fish, even a 26lb shovelhead which had the whole rod bent over past the reel at one point and there was no line breakage. I was even impressed with the knots, holding up to that monster. With braid you can put more on your reel, cast farther and it doesn't kink or twist like fluoro or mono.

Unfortunately the reel is defective and now I have to return it (big sad face). For some reason the drag started slipping and now it doesn't reel in the line. I'm sick and tired of returning defective merchandise, so I'm considering the Stradic Ci4+. Just have to decide what size I want - 3000 or 4000. Amazon has the C3000 HG FB, but it says "compact" and I'm unclear what that means.

The new Surflon wire leader is great. Been catching a lot of pike (most of them swallowing my Rippin' Rap) and the stuff holds up strong. Only issue is when I tie the leader onto the clip (I'm using a Uni-knot) there's a small portion right above the finished knot that's all kinked. This has happened every time I tie a new section to the clip. Bit odd, but it hasn't effected the strength of the leader in that area. Definitely great stuff for the toothy critters, which I have a lot of in this area. It's light enough and small enough that it doesn't add any extra bulk like regular pre-made wire leaders. Have to try the 20lb next.

Got my AFW Surflon wire leader and some yellow Hi-Vis Power Pro. Hi-Vis is for my bass/worm/flippin rod and the Surflon is for my new rig with the Revros. Taking some of your advice here and from articles/videos I've seen I tied an extra long Seaguar leader on the Hi-Vis and tied up the Surflon leader to my braid on the other rod. The Surflon is pretty amazing stuff (I got 13lb) and it was extremely easy to tie; I used back to back Uni knots to the mainline and a single Uni knot to worm rig/snap. I had been worried that perhaps the yellow line might interfere with strikes, but that was laid to rest when I caught this 13" bass. Also initiated the new rig today by catching this beautiful 12" crappie.

Hey thanks for the feedback man. It's a beautiful set up I'm very happy with it. Taking it out tomorrow and hopefully I can tie into a couple nice ones to see how it handles. Yes waiting can be torture

I hit the water this morning with the new rig and this boy casts and reels beautifully. First time I've had a 7ft rod and it's awesome! The thing casts halfway across the river, lol. It's definitely going to be able to handle those bigger spinnerbaits and lures with no problem.

2BC, thanks for the reply. Those are some nice rods you mentioned. However tonight after work I picked up a 7' Berkely Lightning Rod. I took a couple pics after getting the combo rigged up (I used 20lb Power Pro). This is a very handsome looking reel and it looks great on the new rod. I'll have to take it to the water in the morning and test it out.

Today I'm getting a Daiwa revros 3000h spinning reel. I'm trying to decide if I want to put 15 pound or 20lb powerpro on it. I also need to get a pole for this reel. Fishing mainly bass but I do run into some toothy Critters. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My main bass rig is a Field and Stream Tech Spec 6' 6" pole matched with a Pflueger President XT. It's a nice set-up but it struggles to reel in those big KVD spinnerbaits. I'm hoping this one won't struggle as much. Thanks!

You guys have certainly given me enough great advice so now I just have to decide what I'm going to get (thanks!). Also read some articles pertaining to stainless steel (AFW) versus titanium (Terminator). Guess the only way to know is to get some and try the stuff out. Got a day off tomorrow so I'm going to head out and see what I can find.

You're using Berkley Trilene, that's the problem. I used this line once and had nothing but issues - constant line breaks, looping, snags, etc. I switched to Power Pro and have never went back. Braid can be finicky sometimes so always close your bail by hand, making sure your line is snug before you begin reeling. Also keep and eye on the spool after a cast and make sure the line isn't lapped over your reel face. That happens a lot and can cause knotting on the line.

Change of plan. I found mention of a pre-fashioned leader made by Canadian tackle whiz Bernard Yong-Set. Guy in the article claims they are the best so I decided to try these (since they're already rigged up). Save me the hassle of doing it myself.

This is the largest pike I've caught (about 40"). Got him while I was trying for walleye in the Muskegon channel last year.

Wow, those are some brutes! Where do you fish?

Thanks for the reply, AJ. So regardless of the bulkiness of the knot (tying the wire to braid) it wouldn't be an issue because I would just use a certain length that doesn't need to be pulled through the first guide. Will 12" be sufficient for both bass and pike? I ask because the spot I usually fish for bass gets invaded by monster pike towards the end of summer.

So if I get the AFW Surflon, will it be easy to tie this wire leader to my Power Pro braid? I'm just thinking about everything you guys said about low profile knots being able to go through the guides. It just seems to me that being a coated wire leader it would make a knot more bulky than just using plain fluorocarbon leader.

Common sense is always good advice thanks JJ

North, thanks for the great info. I'm going to get some AFW Surflon Micro Supreme (5 meter, 20lb, camo). Sitting here with a cup of coffee watching knot tying videos (Alberto, FG, Uni, etc.). I'll have to find some decent snaps to use. I have a few but they are a pain to get open. I do have some small #10 swivel snaps, but they may be too small for fighting toothy critters. So if I want to use crimp sleeves and I'm using the 20-pound surflon wire leader what size crimp sleeve should I get? I'm looking at the afw crimp sleeves on Amazon and are in various inches, like 0.116, 0.096, etc.

Can you recommend some crimps and a good set of pliers?

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to get some of that AFW in camo and tie up some of my rigs. You gave me some options and I have to try out which ones work best. Havent tied a double uni but Im sure theres how tos somewhere. Thanks again

Last summer I lost a lot of lures to the pike that were invading my favorite bass hole. This year I don't want a repeat of that, so I'm seeking some advice. I'm looking at making my own wire leaders with some Surflon Micro Supreme, but I haven't found any videos or how-tos on how to tie this stuff to my braid and lures. I was wondering if anyone here had any links or advice on doing this? Thanks

I have 15lb Power Pro on my setup and lately I've noticed the line looks "hairy". It's hard to explain but that's what it looks like. Is it suppose to look like this or does that mean I need new line? I thought maybe this was cause by the guides on my rod, but I felt the guides with my finger and I don't feel any scratches or dings in them (they are still smooth).

Went with a slip sinker rig this time. Caught this nice 24in 8lb channel cat. Going to try some of Garys Shads next time (they come in a sealed pouch look promising).

Catfood worked, but it dissolves quickly in the water. I did get some Gamakatsu circle hooks and a spool of Seaguar 20lb leader. I made my own snells with the circle hooks and put one on my bearpaw rig. First bite I set the hook, felt the weight of the fish and then I was snagged on something. I pulled a couple times and it came free (50lb PowerPro doesn't easily break), but when I reeled it in the leader line was broken right below the loop on the bearpaw. Kind of odd for 20lb Seaguar. Got a couple more strikes but each time I reeled in the catfood in the nylon bag was totally gone. Going to have to stick with something more solid next time, like chicken livers.

I've researched a lot of catfish setups and I've finally decided to just stick with my own - bearpaw, snelled hook, weight on bottom. There's a lot of vegetation in the area I fish and using a slide sinker setup would be useless, because then the hook is right on the bottom and would get tangled in the weeds all the time. Next I've decided to change up the hooks I'm using and go with circle hooks instead - you can read more about circle hooks here. After doing some research it appears these hooks are probably a lot more productive than the J-hooks I've been using. The only challenge here is learning to tie some snells on these hooks so I can use them on the bearpaw setup I have. Now for the bait. I've been using nightcrawlers, but I've decided I need to change up on these, too. With nightcrawlers there are several problems - they can fall off your hook when casting, they don't live for very long and the fish seem to be very adept at eating them right off my hook. So I've been doing some research on different types of cutbait and such for catfish. People use all manner of things to fish for cats, even Jell-O and hotdogs. My buddy's wife had a great idea; she suggested I use the raw catfood I bought for my cats, which they didn't like. I have a whole bag of it in the freezer and it's the chicken formula, which it seems catfish prefer. Now to get some netting material of some kind and tie up some bags of this cat food. I found a video where a guy uses surginet to make his bags of chicken livers. I might try that. Once I make some of these up I'll stick them in a ziploc bag and put em in the cooler. I plan to go fishing again Wednesday morning and we'll see just how well these work.

Thanks for the replies everyone, but mainly I wanted to know what tackle you guys use (i.e., three way swivels, sliding sinker, etc.) and how you rig it.