txchaser

Daiwa and Kistler both make a "light" M/H that seems to target just what you are looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Gear-Five-Reel-Case/dp/B000F899O0/ I have this one and the Cal Coast one. They are both pretty good, cal coast carries more rods but you should probably use rod socks and reel covers with it if you don't want your stuff banged around. The one above is better if you are going to fish out of it - ie leave your rods in the bag except for the one you are using at the time... can't really do that with the cal coast.

Of the weedless mushroom heads, the lifted jigs is the best one I've found so far. Owner (maybe jackall) has a ball head that is similar that was on amazon, I think it's a JDM product. It was fine, but the marked as size 1 was still as long as a 1/0 ewg. Still hunting for a true weedless with a smaller hook. I'm at about 15 different brands and styles in the box now trying to find exactly what I'm looking for. But per the advice from around here, the really light heads (1/15 or 1/16) with size 1 or 2 hooks are surprisingly snag free if you work it gently through cover. Occasionally starts to get a snag and a tiny little bow-style pull and release will pop it free. I've been fishing that for now to see if I really needed it to be as weedless/brushless as I thought. Still on the same head nearly 100 fish in, but I'm also not throwing it directly into a nasty brushpile.

Fins Sling Braid. Colors don't run, very smooth/quiet. If I was going to try new braid it would be maxquatro. Somewhere I read some tests (maybe @aquaholik?) where it was really strong for the diameter. But because the sling braid is colorfast I expect I'll be working on these spools for a long time. I have it in 20, 30, and 50 LB test.

Thanks. Makes sense - I can't recall the last time I had a backlash on a roll cast. Distance isn't great, but accuracy is really good.

Hmm this is an interesting concept. Thinking back, when I stop the rod at launch, I tend to get a bad result vs. some follow-through on the cast. Thanks for raising my awareness on what I'm doing in the last third or quarter of the cast. If I were to imagine the cast itself as broken in thirds, in which third(s) should I be at peak power? Or am I asking the wrong question? And it sounds like what my thumb should actually be doing is just slowing down the spool just a smidge shortly after launch? Explains why if I get a backlash it is usually early on. If we bowl together you should wear a helmet. I probably should too. Out of curiosity, assume I'm running the brakes at say 4 or 5 - how much difference in distance? Or just less effort for the same result? Thanks everyone for the really thoughtful responses. I think it'll make a difference for me.

So I hear about an "educated thumb". Where can I learn more about how to do this besides time on the water casting? Over time I've started to get a sense for when the fluffs are getting too far out of control, although lots of times the lure will pull them all out in the last third of the cast, so it seems like if I slowed it down I'd just be shortening the cast. I can kind of sort of tell when it's gone too far. Related, all my reels are daiwa magforce, and I understand (although can't yet verify) that whippy or overpowered casts aren't optimal for magforce. Seems like if I was better at it I wouldn't be in the 8-11 range all the time on the brakes, and I'd probably backlash less often. Fixed the most common backlash I was getting which was underpowered cast when I was making a shorter but overhand cast. Now I just ride the spool and cast like I normally cast. How do I get better, faster?

I have some, they are nice and small. Haven't fished them yet.

The biggest difference-maker for me was getting the slack out of the line. Just substitute your hook-set instinct for reeling down really fast - it is way easier to replace a habit than to break it.

On this note, the difference between mac and PC computers - PC's seem to be pretty disposable, at our office they get replaced all the time, even the expensive ones. The macs last a ridiculously long time. Old macbook airs with 4gb ram still going strong. Slow, because they needed more RAM, but still working. I only replaced my old mac because I dropped it on concrete the second time and broke the screen. It survived the first fall with just a dent.

Anyone ever turned off a bite with a tail dip? I've had multiple times where a tail dip is important. At this point I mostly always dip the tails. But I wonder if I'm missing some fish because of it sometimes. Regarding colors, I've seen orange vs red on craw presenations and gold vs silver on swimming presentations make a difference, as well as having some chart or orange somewhere in the bait when they are keyed on bluegill. Anyone ever turned off a bite with a tail dip? I've had multiple times where a tail dip is important. At this point I mostly always dip the tails on a worm or a creature. But I wonder if I'm missing some fish because of it sometimes. Regarding colors, I've seen orange vs red on craw presenations and gold vs silver on swimming presentations make a difference, as well as having some chart or orange somewhere in the bait when they are keyed on bluegill. Anyone ever turned off a bite with a tail dip? I've had multiple times where a tail dip is important. At this point I mostly always dip the tails on a worm or a creature. But I wonder if I'm missing some fish because of it sometimes. Regarding colors, I've seen orange vs red on craw presenations and gold vs silver on swimming presentations make a difference, as well as having some chart or orange somewhere in the bait when they are keyed on bluegill. Anyone ever turned off a bite with a tail dip? I've had multiple times where a tail dip is important. At this point I mostly always dip the tails on a worm or a creature. But I wonder if I'm missing some fish because of it sometimes. Regarding colors, I've seen orange vs red on craw presenations and gold vs silver on swimming presentations make a difference, as well as having some chart or orange somewhere in the bait when they are keyed on bluegill.

I end up picking up confidence baits a few ways: 1) When I fish them when, where, and how they are 'supposed to work' and they do. (jig) 2) When I can't get a bite and then I put X on and they light up. (ned rig, senko, fat ika) 3) I can cover a lot of water, be mostly weedless, and catch size and numbers (underspin with a keitech fat, chatterbait)

I brought this up with a guy who did buying for a large chain store. He agreed, and went on to explain they tried having a high-quality and a cheap one next to each other on the shelf. But they quickly figured out there was very little demand for the high quality one. I had a similar experience recently trying to buy some tools. I just needed channellocks, vice grips, and a crescent wrench. But they are all made in China now, and are not at all what they used to be. I hope the guys that bought Craftsman from Sears pull off their deal - last I heard they were trying to restart it with the quality of the old Craftsman.

I did. I just really like CPS-style hooks. Something about the fast head shake on the dinks really shreds the IKA. Plus the hooksets were tougher for me to get right. Thanks! Are you skin-hooking or does the hook point end up buried in the ika? Interesting, I'm throwing it on lighter line (10-12lb) , and looking for nearly finesse hooksets. I guess I fish it just like a t-rigged senko where I use the owner CPS lights. When I fished it on heavier gauge wire hooks I had to whack it really hard to get a hookset, and missed a bunch.

I have enough ned heads for years now as I keep buying them looking for 'perfect'. Owner and Outkast are both nice for open hook, especially for heavier line or where there's a legit probability of a big fish. My favorite ewg is the lifted jigs. It works well, I just wish it had a slightly shorter hook. And favorite non-ewg weedless is the Rhino - the way the line tie is set up is really well done as it isn't snaggy. I fish the lifted most often, weeds never really go away in Texas.

Older thread, but didn't see a need to start a new one. I've been experimenting with hooks to find a favorite for the Fat Ika. The regular EWG's just weren't doing it for me because the IKAs were getting wrecked pretty quickly. And the owner CPS hooks didn't have a lot of space for the IKA. Plus they really need to have the larger CPS installed. I noticed the Hayabusa Swimbait hooks had a big wide gap in them, and a nice screwlock to boot. Coated too. Anyway I bought a pack of them and I found my new favorite. They are great. Hook isn't too thick so I can use lighter line, IKA fits well. And they are on sale right now too. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Hayabusa_WRM958_Wide_Gap_Screw_Lock_Hooks/descpage-HFWSL.html

Cavitron with the clacker in chartreuse with a red blade has outperformed other colors and styles for me regardless of water clarity. Sometimes I'll jam a toad sideways under the skirt for a bigger presentation.

Yes! Bait monkey is pleased. Let us know how they turn out.

For me the ned goes on whichever M or ML spinning rod I didn't pick specifically for something else. Mostly only fish the bottom presentation versions of the retrieves so I don't see much difference one way or the other. In fairness, the ned is more often than not a "dangit now I have to fish that thing" than a go-to bait I start with. Dunno why, just not a favorite for me. Kind of dumb for me to do that because it works so well.

I'm curious what y'alls thoughts are on this... For rods, do big companies have the advantage because of big volumes, internal R&D, manufacturing efficiencies etc? Or is that all overwhelmed by overhead/marketing/distribution chain etc and so at the same retail price point a small maker can produce a better product at the same price? As an example, I assume if you buy 50,000 sets of Fuji Guides you get a way different price than if you buy 50 or 500. Net net can Daiwa/Shimano/etc make a better rod than a small maker, or is it opposite? Assume rods in the $150-500 range, as I think it would be very difficult to compete with scale at the higher volume lower price end of the market. Or is rod quality such a matter of opinion anyway that it is an impossible question?

An alternative set of presentations that are also weedless, z-man has some interesting stuff. The toads float with the right size hook, or sink slow with a weighted hook, but can still be retrieved on top. Looks a bit like a rage craw when swum underwater. They make elaztech poppers too, same deal, can rig weedless and they float. The magnum fluke makes a great stressed out fleeing fish on topwater. I've had good luck fishing it where I'd fish a frog and then killing it in holes and twitching a little. It's a big meal, so the bites are fun. It's a pretty low cost/risk thing to try out if you need a weedless presentation. For about 10 bucks you'd pick up three new presentations that seem pretty bulletproof and weedless. In fact if you are interested PM me your address and I'll mail you some; they last so long I have more than I can use.

We do something at work where the winners gets to pick how a pot gets donated. It keeps the competitive spirit alive, and adds an element of giving. That combined with a low entry fee could make for lots of fellowship and good spirit.

Put the butt off the rods in the back seat, tips near the windshield. Can get to about 7'4" or 7'6". 8' swimbait rod won't go there. Works even better with one of the cal coast rod carriers.

Lake fork's hooks come with a weighted metal ring. Ring is in different weights. No more fiddling with o-rings and the baits last longer too. The lightest ring is like 1/32. I use the rings with whatever hook I feel like using, weighted or unweighted hooks like the ones mentioned above. Goes up to 3/16 using their heads.

Echoing Tom's comments on baits, the difference between craw presentation and colors and not has been like fishing a different lake for me. I checked your weather and latitude and it is very similar to how it's been in north texas. Color is not supposed to matter very often, but Feb/March it sure has mattered a lot for me.