Finessegenics

Out of boredom, I was taking apart my Shimano Sedona yesterday. When I removed the oscillating gear, the plastic piece it sits on came off with it. Not sure how it happened, but I'm guessing the plastic cracked the last time I dropped it. So basically, the oscillating gear no longer has something to spin around. Tried putting it back with super glue (which I think may have been a huge mistake) but no matter what I try the piece wont sit right and when I turn the handle it obviously isn't smooth anymore. So should I buy another sedona 2500? I was thinking that since I have an extra spool, handle, bail etc... it would help the re-sale value when I finally no longer want the reel. I know they're not worth much but it feels like I'd be wasting all these good usable pieces by buying a different reel....it wasn't the smoothest but I liked the way it balanced on my mojo bass and my elite tech. I also have a president lying around with a silent drag because the spool clicker went bust on. What would you do in my situation?

First generation (if Im not mistaken) Shimano Caenan. The silver and burgundy one. It was basically brand new and I was buying it off craigslist. The guy was selling it with a clarus rod and it was a pretty good price, 80$ Canadian for the combo. I get to his place, and what do you know the rod is really a shimano sojourn and the cork looked like crap. Looking back on it, I'm not sure how I kept my cool. Still ended up buying the combo though.

There was nothing ugly about your comments. I'm sorry if my comment made it seem that way, it was not my intent. I think it is important for younger people to reflect and put things into perspective. I appreciate the fishing ,and most of all, the life advice coming from wiser and older gentleman like you. You've seen and dealt with a lot more crap than I have. I was referring to the two other members arguing over "serious" fishing and the other name-calling on the thread.

Frog swim jig w/ paddle tail Finesse jig wobblehead with creature bait Ned Rig TRD

x2. Dont think OP was being disrespectful, just giving context behind him asking his question. I deal with the same thing all the time with my buddies who aren't into fishing and it can get very frustrating. The memories and laughs are worth it though.

Welcome! how is the bass fishing in Italy? Are they in most lakes and rivers both in northern and southern Italy?

Depends what I'm trying to imitate but green pumpkin orange or any variant of that. Different companies have different names for it ; "Bama Craw" , "Crawdad" Perfectly matches the craws here and does a decent job matching green sunfish and yellow perch.

Really sad to hear that for the Michigan guys...I understand the government wants people to be cautious but fishing is usually a solitary sport. Can’t think of a safer place to be but in your home or the middle of a lake.

The same is true for almost any bait, not just keitechs. I’ve seen some pretty odd keepers on different jig heads that destroy soft plastics. And while the keitechs are great trailers on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and swim jigs I’ve found two cheaper alternatives. The Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad is identical to the keitech, has lots of great color choices and is noticeably more durable. The tail on the eco pro probably needs more speed to kick compared to the keitechs. Another alternative is the XZone Swammer which has a different profile and not much color choice but the action on the bait is insane. The whole bait wobbles when you retrieve it on an exposed jighead..pretty awesome. Xzone’s 4” is basically the same size as Keitechs 3.8”. Would give those two baits a try as your new trailers if you’re worried about hook keepers tearing up your keitechs.

3.8, perfect balance balance between the two extremes

Go with some heavier flouro and it could be a great all around rod. I don’t think there’s much you can’t do with 40lb braid and a MH rod. Some will argue that the ratio on the reel is slow but you’ll do just fine with moving baits or bottom contacts baits.

Gamakatsu 1/0 B10 S Stinger Finesse Hook. The straight shank gets me better hookups than the traditional ones. I don’t think a weedless model of this hook exists though so that’s one drawback. the straight shank means it can also double as a neko hook, though I find the 1/0 a little big for worms that have thinner bodies. I’d go 1/0 for wacky rigging and size 1 for neko rigging.

My personal favorite is Gold Flash Minnow, its a must for imitating shiners. I'd try out Houdini too, since it looks like a good color to imitate panfish as well.

Haven’t fished either rods but they’re basically the same as the Legend Xs. Same blank, same torzite guides, same reel seats. The only difference is the finish and that the legend elite has a full cork handle rather than the split grip. I also noticed some of the models of the legend elites are slightly heavier. By .1 or .2 of an ounce. That will not be noticeable but I figured it’s worth mentioning anyways. Maybe the full cork handle of the legend elite can help with balancing? I’d look at reviews for the legend x (if they are easier to come by) and feel confident that the same can apply to the legend elite. Hope this helps and good luck!

I’ve never fished the Fogy or purchased anything from Siebert Outdoors but I’ve only heard amazing things about them. I’d personally purchase from them but the shipping and duties to Canada can get quite expensive so I gotta be careful. Hopefully one day I can get my hands on some Siebert Jigs. For now I’m sticking with TW since I can get everything there instead of having to go through multiple sites to ship different products. For the price I’d definitely go with the Fogys. I don’t think there is a better value out there on the market. The melee doesn’t do anything special, it is just a subpar bait. And it’s 8.99! The Fogys are a no-brainer.

I’ve literally never caught a fish on a chatterbait but I tried out the melee jigs. The reviews which complain about grass being caught up in the blades are not exaggerating. If one piece of guck or anything gets stuck around the blade, it will not vibrate. When I used it in open water and around rock, it thumped hard and looked good in the water. I’d say if you’re fishing around grass then I definitely would not go with it. There are much better options in the same price range.

Unless we northern guys have caught them through the ice, I’d say most of us haven’t caught our first yet. At least that’s the case for me.

Do you rig that on its side or the conventional way?

I’m already dead set on the full size menace and rage bug for swing heads! Pretty much the 2 baits almost everyone suggests for swing heads.

They’re not “true” finesse jigs. They still have heavy gauge flipping hooks but much shorter shanks with the finesse cut skirt. I’m talking about the War Eagle Heavy Finesse Jig and The Santone Finesse Jig, both have ball heads. I’m going to be dragging and hopping bottom with them. I know 3”-3.5” trailers are the ideal size for them. Thank you for your input, the rage bugs are especially expensive and sometimes we overlook the classic twin tail grub.

Depends on how you plan to fish it and how heavy the heads are. I’d say the head shape isn’t the most important part of the ned rig if you’re using a lightweight jig head. I’m talking around 1/16 oz. The buoyant plastic is what I believe is most important. If you’re using a buoyant plastic and a light jig head then you should be alright with any style head. With a light head you should be barely bouncing bottom and just kind of “gliding” it. If im not mistaken the original idea of the ned rig was just a small plastic and very very light ball head jig. Now if you plan to use it for standing up on bottom: when using heavier jig heads (1/8 oz and heavier) a mushroom shaped head excels since it’ll stand up better on the bottom. That being said, everyone seems to assume you need to find a head that is perfectly flat so the bait can stand up perfectly. I don’t think that’s necessary since the bottom is full of rocks/debris and uneven terrain so any jig head that is mushroom style should keep the bait at least relatively upright. I like the Berkley Half Head jigs for that. They are rounded rather than flat. Affordable and great hooks. The TRDs can be a little hard to rig because of the keeper on the berkleys but once they’re on, they’re not coming off. I also suggest testing this out in a little pot at home. Fill it up with water, have your plastics ready with the heads you want, tie on the line you’ll be using and play around with it. You’ll end up finding what you like.

Which one is a better choice as a finesse jig trailer? I've never fished either so how do the actions compare? I cant get a look at them at tackle shops since most around here don't carry them and they've all been shut down due to covid anyways. I will most likely end up getting both but I plan to buy in bulk so I want to give my wallet a fighting chance.

For those complaining about getting snagged...Rig a TRD with a size 1 or 2 EWG. Screw in a 1/32 oz nail weight on the other end. Super finesse and gets snagged a lot less than a regular ned. Can be hard to cast but if you’re chasing smallies in a creek its not an issue. I do it with the Big TRD too, just a bigger hook (1/0) and you have the chance to use heavier nail weights. Works great in weeds too, it sits on top of the grass and the smallies just slurp it up. A TRD rigged this way is probably one of the techniques I’m most confident in. If I know the fish are there, I’m either throwing this or a soft swimbait.

Not sure if you're on a boat or not but I imagine it can be a good rood for spooning in deep water. Those jigging spoons get pretty heavy. I believe the most common sizes are 1 oz and 1.5 oz, just jig them under schools of bait during the fall. Casting distance s houldn't be too big of a deal, spoons are aerodynamic and you'll definitely be able to fling it out there. From the shore, I'm not too sure. Maybe go multispecies and use it as a catfish/bottom fishing rod. If you're fishing a decent sized river or lake then you'll definitely need a 2-3 oz lead to keep your rig on the bottom. Once again I don't think casting distance should be issue. It definitely sounds like a musky rod though.

A soft tip is just a characteristic of a rod. Not all XFs are soft tips, some are broomsticks. So what you’re looking for is the right action. Generally for frog fishing a Fast action is best. Usually heavy or medium heavy power depending on how much slop your frog is going through. Read this before deciding anything: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html