Finessegenics

I was looking for one before posting this but somehow didn’t come across it.

There’s been some talk for a while now of St Croix releasing a new lineup of rods. I don’t know if anyone’s started a thread on it but St Croix has made it official. They’re saying the rod is an SC6 - SC3 hybrid. Not sure how that works but it seems like these rods will be on par with the Avid series. I’m definitely gonna get my hands on one when they’re released. https://stcroixrods.com/pages/new-st-croix-rod

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SHIMFSHSTG.html?from=basres There is also a top load model that carries three 3700s but I find the front load to be much more practical. I have the older model but from what I can tell the layout is exactly the same. It's probably the best investment I've made so far. Also give the thread I've attached below a read. Lots of good suggestions and I gave an in depth review of my blackmoon as well as how I set it up.

Same here if we’re talking specifically hard baits. I didn’t mention it in my first post but for me it’s a year round thing. Never subscribed to the idea that it was just a cold water bait. That being said I don’t throw a jerkbait enough as I love soft plastics and spinnerbaits too much.

Hard to beat a suspending jerkbait

An irretrievable snag on one of my first few casts is what gets me the most. Sometimes I have some really crummy days on the water but during times like these I try to remind myself how lucky I am to go fishing as often as I do.

What do you mean by ultra light? What's your budget?

St Croix LTB 7'0 MH/MF. I've never used this rod but judging from the specs it looks like it would make a very versatile moving bait rod.

6’8-7’0 is the sweet spot for me. Of course some techniques take a longer rod but I generally find longer rods to be cumbersome. I absolutely need a cork handle. I really prefer split grips but a full cork handle would not be a dealbreaker. And for both my spinning and casting, I am a lefty.

Since we're talking about translucent baits, Z-Man makes a clear color called "Opening Night". They don't carry it in all their baits, it seems to be branded towards the baits which apply both to saltwater and freshwater fishing. I've had some moderate success fishing the opening night Slim Swimz on a 1/16oz jig head in stained water but I think translucent baits would work well in ultra clear water. If you ever look at tiny baitfish, they almost seem transparent. A small swimbait or tiny finesse worm would be perfect translucent baits. I originally posted about the bubblegum, but this was another surprising bait too. GYCB also has a clear color, with black flake. #187. I found it in the 5" original senko but i think it would be killer on a slim senko.

That’s a pretty versatile combo. I’d use that for weightless soft plastics, jerkbaits, fine wire jigs and even light texas rigs if the cover permits it.

Thank you! But unfortunately that is a long long ways for me. About a 2200 mile drive according to google maps. I’m 55 miles north from the junction of New York and Vermont.

I’d love to be a guest on your boat ? I rarely every bring anything to eat but if I know it’ll be a long day, it’s hard to beat that artificial baloney and provolone sandwich. If not, a couple of granola bars do the trick.

This is a good thread if you’re curious about swing heads aka swinging jigs. As for the jika rig and Tokyo rig , the jika has a dropshot type weight connected directly to a split ring, which the hook is also on. The Tokyo rig has the bullet weight on a wire which is then connected to a split ring on a barrel swivel. The differences in when and how to fish them? I haven’t got a clue about that.

I do some occasional catfish and sturgeon fishing in the river, where 2-6 oz sinkers are needed in most spots. I've used quite a few reels over the years but I'd recommend anything with a baitrunner system. I currently run an Okuma Avenger ABF 6000 because of the heavier weights. The 4000 size should be perfect for you.

Not weird at all, I love that color! I consider it one of my ‘natural’ colors as it imitates craws and sunfish perfectly. Caught a lot fish on a WR with that color around docks this past season.

This one isn’t so weird as many people use it but for me it has to be bubblegum. When it comes to bright/flashy soft plastics I usually stuck with chartreuse or white. But I had some bubblegum TRDs along with the Bubblegut Ticklerz (which are little darker). During the late fall, bubblegum was my hottest color for a ned bait. Seemed like the natural baitfish patterns were working less. I went out and bought some XZone true center sticks in bubblegum to try when the river is high and muddy in the spring. I think it’ll do well rigged weightless just slowly drifting with little twitches.

For me it is a M power. Though I imagine if I had the money to really fine-tune and expand my arsenal, I'd buy a MH/F for heavier tubes or any heavy jighead that has a light wire hook.

The Curado K is a good workhorse reel

I guess I’ll answer all your questions at the same time. I’m sure it still works just slowly dragging it and fishing it like a jig but in my experience, this bait truly shines when you’re constantly moving it along bottom. It looks like a scurrying crawfish/baitfish. Think of it as a crankbait which you can instantly customize by putting on a different profile bait, color, action etc. You’ve got the action of the plastic on the retrieve as well as the constant deflection off hard cover or bottom. Most people use creature baits so the swimbait is just something different. In fact, just about anything works on the back of one. I’ve read/heard somewhere that they are even used as ledge baits with magnum worms. Though I’m not sure if those guys are running it like a crankbait or just fishing it like a jig. There are lots of good videos out there explaining the technique well but I’d imagine you’ve watched a few of those videos already doing your research. If you’d like me to link them, I will.

Gamakatsu B10 Stinger Finesse. I use these in 1/0 for wacky rigging 6" stickbaits on a MH casting rod. I use 40# braid to 12# leader and have never bent out a hook. If you're going to be nose hooking, I'd probably opt with the size 1 or 2. They have a long shank so be aware of that when choosing the right size for your rig. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_B10_S_Stinger_Finesse_Hook_25pk/descpage-GB10S.html#customer_reviews

I tend to like a longer leader just because it usually means less retying. Unless you’re fishing gin clear water where a fish can spot your bait from dozens of feet away, I don’t think an 8 foot leader would be much better that a 24” one. Im usually tying a 3-4 foot leader on my baitcasters. On my spinning rigs, I go up to 15 ft at times.

Pumped!! Didn’t do too great last year but I started getting the hang of it towards the end of the season. I think I finished something like 35th in our group.

While I’m an advocate for matching the hatch, I’ve learned (thanks to BR) that fish will eat anything that looks alive, even if the lure you’re using imitates forage which is not present in your body of water. For example, I’ve caught plenty of fish using gulp leeches or tiny black dropshot worms in a body of water where there were no leeches. So in theory, I see no reason the grubs and jigs would work less as they are both very versatile baits that can imitate anything depending how you fish them. Still, I think what you’re saying has merit because now that I give it more thought, I experience the same thing in a different way. I mostly fish rivers therefore the availability of certain forage is constantly changing due to the migration of different species. There are tiny baitfish which are there year round, crawfish, yellow perch and American Shad*. In the spring, American Shad migrate from the ocean into rivers to spawn. Once they hit the dam in this particular river, they have nowhere to go so they spawn in the strong current below it. At that time of year, I noticed the best baits are moving baits, particularly 3” swim baits in a natural baitfish color (a perfect imitator of the freshly hatched Shad). Come late summer/early fall, the shad born that year begin moving back into the ocean. It honestly does seem that as the year goes by, the swimbaits produce less and less. Of course they always work since there are always some sort of baitfish around but I have done better in the fall ticking bottom with a 1/16oz ned rig in darker colors more akin to a craw or a soft plastic on a swing head. I might be overthinking it but maybe next year I’ll do a little experiment to see if any of this is actually true. It could also have a lot to do with bass behaviour and where you’re fishing. If there are less bass around then surely they won’t be hitting my swimbait. And maybe we just threw the craw style baits where the bass were, so we did better with them? A lot to consider but this is a very interesting post.

I use some homemade ones which I purchase from a local guy. All of them have either 3/0 or 4/0 hooks. If not, I really liked the Big Bite baits version. Comes in 3 sizes with a quality Gamakatsu hook. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Gamakatsu_Swing_Head_Jig_4pk/descpage-BBBGSHJ.html There’s even the opportunity to match whichever hook you’d like by buying just the heads themselves. I see these becoming a more popular option and one which I will probably try some time in the future. It’s very versatile as you can now throw any size bait you want, just select that appropriate hook for your bait of choice. Mustad offers a lead and tungsten head. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustad_Fastach_Football_Weight/descpage-FOM.html As for weight, I never go lighter than 3/8 even when fishing in 3-4 fow. I do run it like a crankbait so it is important that contact with the bottom is maintained throughout the whole retrieve. For me, 3/8 oz and 1/2oz are basically all I use but I do own some 5/8 and 3/4’s just in case. Craw and creature baits are most popular for this technique but you can put on absolutely any kind of plastic you like. I’ve done well with a 4” Speed Craw and even an XZone Swammer. Since I’m rarely exceeding the 1/2oz mark, I’m using a plain old 7’ MH/F with this technique. If you’re going to be throwing a 3/4 oz weight then a H rod is probably a better choice. I don’t think you need any specialized tackle for swing heads but I believe a 6 speed reel is probably ideal for maintaining bottom contact with a steady retrieve. I used to be a straight fluoro/mono guy for my casting setups but I recently switched to braid to leader on some of my setups. I’m using 40lb braid to 15lb fluoro. Search up “fish the moment swing heads” on YouTube. Johnny’s video helped me the most in learning to use the proper retrieves for this technique.