Mike F

Good, I just ordered some of those actually! The nomenclature for jigs is confusing for a beginner because a lot of times a finesse jig is a ball head jig with a finesse cut and other times it’s something else entirely. I really like that grass/brush style head on the bitsy bugs. In your experience is it beneficial to have the line tie parallel with the hook? I feel like it is, but have not been fishing jigs long enough to form a solid opinion.

what is the head shape on a bitsy bug jig considered? For whatever reason these are the only jigs I can fish without hanging up in the ponds I throw them at. I’d like more variety and sizes of jigs, but am not totally sure what this head shape is called? Finesse flipping jig maybe? I tried ballhead jigs and it was terrible, same with footballs, so those are out of the question.

I fish after work every day for about two hours, which sounds like the amount of time you are spending as well roughly? On my after work trips I have other things on my mind, “I’ve got to be home by this time or the girlfriend will worry/be upset, do I need to get gas tonight? What am I goin to pack for lunch tomorrow”, just things that run through my head when I know I have limited time to fish. And it is not uncommon For me to get skunked on these after work trips as a result of it. I haven’t caught a fish in three days, or six hours of fishing as of now because I was distracted, disheartened by my previous two days of failing, and end up hurrying my retrieves, or just not totally concentrating. On on the weekends, and particularly Friday nights for some reason, I tend to do very well because the distractions and obligations are gone from my mind it’s almost zen like, it’s like being totally focused which I struggle with when my time is limited. But it’s amazing how my state of mind can change the results of my outings, not even being positive and thinking I’m going to catch them, just being able to forget the world for an evening and have the patience to really try to feel what my lure is doing instead of Being indignant that they “should” be biting it! im not sure if what I described is happening to you, but I know it happens to my dad too. If it is, just set aside a whole afternoon if you can manage it, leave your phone in the truck, and don’t come back until you’re satisfied. Btw on really bad days I consider a good bite as not being skunked, the point of fishing is to fool a fish into trying your offering right? At least that’s what I tell myself good luck

I think it was you Catt who advises people to go night fishing to train your mind to detect bites, I think that’s a fantastic idea. It’d be interesting to compare the St. Croix vs lightning rod at night, where casting is a crap shoot anyways (for me at least) and see if I notice a difference in what is transmitted to my hands via each stick. And bluebasser, I’d totally forgotten about Okuma, Do you use the Tcs in heavy power for jigs?

I know what ya meant. And I’m not ashamed of my stuff or anything. Nor do I think any rod will make me a better fisherman, But when I upgraded from lews reels they sell @ DSG and abu black max’s To the lews tournament it was like a eureka moment. Like ahhh, that’s how a reel is supposed to feel, that’s what all these guys are talking about. And I’ve been seeking that same experience with Rods now is all. But when i occasionally get to witness an old timer crushing them on the same ponds as me on their usually cheap and certainly old gear, I get out my notepad for sure!

Right on. I suppose I’ll check out falcon now as well and compare-contrast with the Sierra. I fish northern weedy lakes and often pull in several pounds of pond shmoo even with dinks, so that is my hang up on medium heavy or 4 power I guess. And yeah I just want a little bit nicer stuff is all really. I can’t defend it, certainly not to my fiancé. But I spend so much of my time fishing that I think it’s worth it to go a step higher in my rod choice to match my new reels. Really appreciate all the help fellas, honestly. I feel like other sources of fishing info are really biased, and while everyone is biased towards their brands, at least i get to hear multiple opinions in one place here! will do a bit more searching and let you all know what I end up getting here soon

Yes I believe that is what I’m referring to. I wish I knew more about rods and their nomenclature so I could be more descriptive. Note also that none of my problems are with hooksets or fighting/Lansing fish. It is purely from a casting and pitching standpoint. I actually prefer the stoutness of the croix when I’m hooked up in weeds and need to control where th bass goes. I know that might complicate the matter further, but I’d like to find something that totally suits me for my next rod. Im totally leaning towards dobyns, I feel I’ve spent enough with St. Croix to get an idea of their entry level stuff, without being totally satisfied. Its basically down to the refurb Sierra, which addresses the difference in rod action vs the fury which might just be a “softer/lighter” medium heavy fast. i do plan to keep the mojo, in case my tastes change or just to throw heavier jigs and t rigs than normal i think I wrote all that correctly and took away the important bits y’all shared with me? I really do appreciate everyone’s input, especially since I’m a new member! Some of the more expensive recommendations I didn’t really take into consideration because I feel I don’t know enough about what i want yet to justify the expense, i’d Be like a 16 year old getting a Porsche as his first car ya know?

Fishnkamp, thank you so much for that tip! I had no idea you could buy second hand rods from any manufacturer let alone dobyns! A three power rod is medium heavy correct? 4 being heavy and 5 being mag heavy? Folks say dobyns run “one power rating light” is a med heavy going to feel like a medium to most people? and bluebasser, you’re totally right, but this being my main/only hobby I want to have an experience with a “nicer” rod that I’ve seen described by other members, where they can feel more subtlety. And lightning rods being my old standbys I don’t think it’ll take anything awfully expensive to impress me. Idk I’m probably just trying to justify this to myself more than anything lol.

Hmm. From a textbook standing, what is a mod fast rod intended/ideal for? Am I going to hurt myself in the long run by using something like that for jigs? Should I just suck it up and get used to less flex?

Thanks Darren! It’s incredible how friendly everyone on here is, but I’ll go to a public boat launch and it’s like humanity at its worst lol

I appreciate your response! I have a $100 St. Croix triumph spinning rod as well and it stays in the truck most of the time, that is to say “un-fished” I guess it’s just not my brand? I did hold a G. Loomis at bps it was their like lowest end rod ($200) g6x or something like that. The weight was impressive to me though. Do loomis rods fish on the light side? The trouble I have with the mojo is I feel like the tip hardly flexes with a 3/8oz jig and I end up casting poorly because of it. It may just be a mental thing, but I don’t like it. I can can skip the same jig under trees and crap with the lightning rod. I’m not sure if it because it’s a “soft” MH or maybe the action is more parabolic than I think it is. is the stoutness I perceive with the st.croix just because I’m buying their low end stuff? Or do some people actually like rods like that? The few fish I hooked with it, it felt good, like I could steer them away from cover easily, but getting the lure to the fish is more difficult. can I get more of the feel I’m looking for going “laterally” to an entry level dobyns? thanks again!

Thanks a-jay. You’ve written things on here that have helped me beyond measure! Even things from years ago I’ve dug up with the website search engine and none of it falls on deaf ears (or in this case blind eyes I suppose lol)

Hello all, ive been a lurker/reader of this forum for around a year now and decided to join finally. I fish ponds every afternoon when I get out of work and some medium size lakes almost every weekend. Trying to learn everything I can. I love slow bottom hopping techniques and some finesse stuff. A-jay, Catt, and WRB have written so many things on here that I’ve found extremely helpful and now I look forward to participating!

Hello everyone, I’ve lurked at this forum for months and have decided to join you all finally! heres the scoop: I’ve been infatuated with jig fishing lately, so I purchased two lews tourney MB’s ( as per the great reviews on BR) and put one on my old 6’6” MHF lightning rod, and the other on a mojo bass jig rod (7’1” MHF) I acquired recently. This is might be pathetic but the mojo bass ends up “riding the pine” on most of my outings because I prefer the “softness” of the lightning rod much more, I feel it loads much better and my accuracy is far greater. I Would like a higher quality rod however and am seeking suggestions for rods around the mojo price point that are more “supple” I guess. I’m only throwing 1/4,3/8, and 1/2oz jigs. ive heard good things about dobyns but have never held one in person, and I held a Shimano Curado rod at bps a few days ago, it was super light (for what I’m used to) but couldn’t get an idea of the “power” in store really. Which I believe is what I’m looking for : a solid manufacturer who’s medium heavy fishes on the light side and is somewhat “jig specific” if possible. sorry for rambling, appreciate the help in advance guys