Hook2Jaw

I only got approved for 20 bucks on Amazon by the fiancee this go around, so it's gonna be those Berkley SPYs, @roadwarrior.

I've got a 7' Medium Fast Tatula XT Spinning rod, a 7' ML Daiwa Aird-X, and a 6'10" 13 Fate Chrome. The bait in question is the Berkley SPY 70mm, but there are ¼ and ⅓ ounce versions. Which should I be throwing?

All of my jerkbaits are currently suspending, but I've been spending a lot of time on the river recently. I remember a good floating jerkbait bite during the summer fishing with my grandfather, and plan to go relive those memories soon. I think a floating jerkbait is at it's best in the early summer and fall in shallow water.

I don't know if I'm good yet, and that's what puts me at the level I'm at. I'm constantly pushing to get better.

? that's why I said "for me," but now being aware that he already has a spinning combo and isn't a fan of it for the technique, I will definitely refrain from pushing spinning. That said, I've never thrown weightless Texas on a casting rod, and can't offer much on the subject. Folks more experienced on the matter should chime in, I'm all ears.

Definitely a job for a Medium Fast spinning rod and a 2000-3000 sized spinning reel for me. I personally use a Daiwa Tatula XT 7' MF and a Daiwa Fuego LT 2500 with the faster gear ratio. If I could do it again I would pick up a Daiwa Tatula Bass MF or a 13 Omen Black MF. Both of those rod lines have impressed me and the longer I fish, the more I affirm it's often the rod more than the reel. I would put a Daiwa Revros LT on either rod and be proud of the setup.

It annoys me when I try to hit a spot and one of you guys are already present, so then I have to fish with you next to me.

Reel the line tight, point the rod towards the snagged bait and lift the tip a tad, around 10 o'clock. Grab the line between the reel and first guide, pull it up and toward you and then let it snap back down. It's an excellent way to free up bottom contact baits.

I don't have one jig to do it all, but I do have it narrowed down to four. Instead of buying a complete jig, I buy heads and skirts. Sliding a skirt on or off is very simple and can be done on the water should the conditions change. This is a BOSS Gary Klein Original Flipping Jig. I keep a healthy supply of these in ½ ounce in light green pumpkin and black. I pitch these into wood and also drag them with shakes and hops incorporated. I rarely get hung up, and when I do they come out of cover exceptionally well with the bow and arrow removal method. The Mustad Ultra Point is mean. This is the BOSS Finesse Flip. It's a similar deal as the half ounce above, but in a smaller profile. I use these when I'm around smaller fish. ⁵/¹⁶ is my do-it-all weight and I keep dark green pumpkin and black ready to rock. This is a BOSS Big Boy Swim Jig. I keep them in ⅜ for fishing through grass and ½ for banging around in pads. I use Blue Ghost to imitate shad and Dark Green Pumpkin for bluegill. This is the BOSS Invader Jig Head. I use these for slipping down into grass in the 1 oz. size. Dark Green Pumpkin and Black. I could post pictures of every BOSS and Dirty Jigs skirt I like, but I'll just list out the colors I prefer and the reasons why I prefer each brand for what purposes. The BOSS jigs don't flow as well as the Dirty Jigs, so they get threaded on the jigs I use for pitching because they do "explode" on impact beautifully. They open slowly but open well. The Dirty Jigs skirts flow much better and I use those on my swim jigs. The colors I prefer for my bottom contact jigs are Black/Brown/Amber, Army Green Pumpkin, and Black/Blue from BOSS. The colors I prefer for the swim jig are Shad, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch. Those colors are from their 50 strand lineup and flow very well. After it's all said and done, I end up with a pitching jig for $2.37, a punching jig for $2.67, and a swimming jig for $3.25. I recommend this method for any angler that tries to keep their addiction at a budget yet broad level.

Thanks. I was going to say I really enjoy the benefits of a longer rod for setting the hook at distance, but you just solved a ton of my problems!

I'd consider the Daiwa Tatula Bass 7'3" Heavy as well.

I normally let the cover dictate my retrieve with any soft plastic, be it worm, craw, or creature. I have a lot of the grassy algae blanketing the bottoms I fish, so it normally calls for a lift and drop. I also do this to guide my bait through wood and rock. When I'm purely working my lure from touchdown to my rod tip with minimal cover, I loooove to shake my bait towards me. I will vibrate my wrist and bring the bait towards me, catch up slack, and do it again. I also like to quickly stroke the bait up, slowly lift the bait up, move my rod sideways to maintain bottom contact, or reel and pause. As always, I try to let the fish tell me what they like, no matter the bait variant on the bottom.

I don't know why you understood the only reason I fish for bass is to catch a double digit, but I would like to say that is not the case. I exclusively fish from a kayak. Weights do not matter to a lot of kayak anglers, generally, and we normally judge the quality of our catch by the length. What matters to me is a quality fish depending on the area. A three, four pound smallmouth would probably make my day. A largemouth of above average size depending on location would as well. edit : "oh, I would," pertained to bass fishing and not catching a bass over ten pounds.

Oh, I would. Hopefully brown bass.

Maybe if I feel like I've got a double digit in hand, but until then, on the board and off.

Yeah, gonna keep putting them on the bump board, snapping a photo, and tossing them back.

As for your problem with receiving an older Tatula SV TWS, I would probably keep the thing unless money is an issue. I am absolutely, endlessly, unequivocally in love with the one SV TWS103 I own. If you go down the fishing road, you'll be happy to have that second reel ready to go! As far as 30# versus 40#, that's a question for what lures you're planning to throw, in my humble opinion. Baits that offer a lot of resistance(like bladed jigs and spinnerbaits) might cause the 30# to bite and bind on itself. If you're just planning on worming and jigging in open water or tossing the dark sleepers in similar water, go with 30. If you want to work in cover and toss lures with more heft to them, go with 40. You'll get more casting distance with 30, but not much more. My gut says 40. You dont need backing if you tie a good arbor knot, and mono piled on will slightly slow your spool. I would spool it with braid. I'd also fill that puppy up. Congratulations on your new setup and welcome to BR!

Nice! I'm glad to hear it and glad my advice of no mercy, no quarter handled your problem.

Agreed, and I've only landed one fish on it. One frog bite, one hookset, and one fish. She's at 100% hook to land.

My frogging reel is mounted on a 6'9" Tatula Elite Heavy Fast Skippin' Jig. It's a Daiwa Tatula SV TWS 8 to 1, and it is the best thing since sliced bread to me. I got it on ebay for 170 after I made an offer for 150, got a rebuttal for 165 and got the seller to drop to 160. After shipping, it came out to 172.something. I can skip with minimal backlash if I mess up, I can set the brakes on 10 and the spool will actually stop for me, and I can grind a frog fish in. I highly recommend you make some offers on Daiwa Tatula SV TWS103s on Ebay.

Keep the tension on them. Try not to give them an inch. Out and into your grip or net is the way I do it, and I will absolutely high stick my 7'6" Heavy Fast with 50# braid to 17 and 20 pound leaders to keep the fish on the hook. When I first started fishing my heavy I was hitting the fish so hard it would almost always cause them to run towards me, so as soon as I swing my reel handle starts spinning. I was losing fish before I started reeling with the fish. Pressure them and crank. You have the gear to man handle most bass.

Fresh knots to the business end the night before, and I check my line when it's necessary. If I've pulled a big one in or gotten one from heavy cover, I generally find a weak point and get the weakness out. I used to tie FG knots the night before, but I've become very good at tying that connection and don't end up replacing those until I've lost around 50% of the leader.

I only have two truly light line techniques that I have faith in for bass. The first is a Ned rig with various plastics and fished with the Swim, Glide and Shake retrieve. The second is the drop shot with a YUM Sharpshooter, Kill Shot, or ZOOM Tiny Fluke. I fish both on a 6'10" Medium Light rod with a 2500 series reel.

Thanks for the information, guys! Though I didn't start the thread, it's definitely helpful for tons of folks around here. Now if I could just have the faith in my electronics to hit the deep structure and cover.

I think you made a good choice. I enjoy my 7'6" Tatula XT for pitching, flipping, and deep Carolina rigs and casting jigs. They're great sticks for the buck.