Finessegenics

Just the idea of the hi-vis yellow flying past fish irks me. Even though I mostly fish 1-2 foot visibility. I suppose I can try straight braid and see what happens. By the way, I only use braid on my spinning reels (I don’t fish heavy matted vegetation so no need for it on casting) so these are mostly finesse applications.

This one's good because everyone is reading it the way they think it should be pronounced ? It makes me cringe when I hear people pronounce it ruh-paw-luh. I think it's more of an accent thing since no one around here pronounces it like that

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Shroomz_Micro_Finesse_Jig_2pk/descpage-ZMSMJ.html I use these as my finesse jigs but they're a little pricier. For some reason, the bitsy bug is hard to find in tackle shops around here.

Well...I could afford both but it’s just impractical for me. I don’t need two rods with the same specs that I will end up using for the same techniques. Just seems like unnecessary spending for someone in my position. Would be great to compare but the general consensus seems to be that the mojo is the way to go.

Avid blank, Elite tech reel seats, and some normal guides ?? Sounds beautiful! I have the avid x in casting but I use fluoro so the guides don’t bother me

I know..I sometimes wonder if some Abu Garcia rods and Fenwicks are just practically the same, just different reel seats and aesthetics.. Now St Croix is definitely not in the same league as Fenwick and that’s most people’s first reaction. But it is important to note that the Mojo, Eyecon, Bass X and Triumph are all made in Mexico. Hard to associate those with the “handcrafted in America” series (Premier, Avid, Legend series) so I don’t think it’s exactly fair to say these st croixs are far superior than the Fenwicks. Thanks for your input though! I enjoy my mojo bass so probably no point in changing it.

I have the chance to get my hands on a very lightly used Elite Tech Bass 6’10 ML/XF. Same action and power as my Mojo Bass. Only difference between the two would be the Fenwick is rated 1/8-5/8 oz while the Croix is 1/8-1/2 oz. Anyone have experience with both and if so how do they lineup? I am very familiar with both Fenwick and St Croix. I find that in this price range (100$-150$) the fenwicks tend to be better quality. I’ve fished the HMG and recently bought an Elite tech Walleye. The elite tech walleye seems much better than the St Croix Eyecon I had, and the HMG was much better than the Triumph...I’ve just never had or even held an elite tech bass. So how do they compare? Thanks!

Lots of people use them here. Especially the 3" for walleye. It's a classic! from mister twister's website: "The length of the 2 1/2" and 3" Sassy Shad® is the length when rigged with a jighead. The actual length of these Sassy Shad bodies is 2" & 2 1/2" respectively." Just a heads up.

Mine currently weighs 18lbs!! If I’m bank fishing I thin it out though.

It’s expensive as hell... I know. And it also holds four 3600 trays instead of 3700 ones. But the Shimano Blackmoon Bag is great. It comes in two sizes, a compact one and a larger one. I own the large own and there’s plenty of space for soft plastics in the huge compartment above the trays. I’m currently completely stuffed on baits in there. I put similar baits in a large freezer ziploc bag (1 ziploc bag with craws and creatures, 1 ziploc bag for worms, etc..). I believe it’s the perfect bag for a co-angler cause there’s these neat compartments for holding line spools. Here’s a review on it if you’re interested: Edit: I put my clamshells for my swimbaits on one of the vertical side compartments. It’s kinda tight and I only ever have 2-3 clamshells in there but I’m sure you can make it work!

Good old Trilene XL. I use Stren Original too and I see just a slight difference between that and the Trilene XL. Seems like the Trilene is almost double coated or something, it’s much smoother when you run it through your fingers. It’s less “wiry” than the stren but I haven’t had issues with either. A lot of guys on here also swear by Big Game. I’ve used it in very heavy sizes for catfish and sturgeon so I can’t comment on it for bass fishing.

Braid is only sensitive on a tight line. Fluoro is the way to go on techniques where you’ll have lots of slack line out at once. On the other hand, braid twists a lot less and even when it does twist, it is much more manageable than mono or fluoro. I only find this to be an issue on my spinning reels. I only use braid on my spinning gear, where thin and soft line can really fling your presentation out there when needed. I find braid too thin and soft to throw on casting reels, just seems like mono and fluoro works better. it’s crazy to think that not too long ago, people fished frogs on mono and lots still do. They did just fine so I say use whatever you want.

The Midwest guys know what they’re talking about. I hate to be that person but if it’s heavier than 1/10 oz it is no longer a ned rig. Doesn’t mean that using a heavy weight is wrong, there’s just a time and place for everything. If you can drag a heavier ned rig on the bottom, a tube of the same weight or a shaky head will probably work just as well. I understand the temptation of using a heavy weight, since it sticks to bottom and we can “feel” everything. Of course a heavy weight still works, I think the fact that a TRD floats straight up is what is so attractive to fish. My favorite way of fishing a finesse TRD is by Texas rigging it with a size 1 EWG and inserting a 1/32 neko nail weight in the other end of the bait. Different fall and super finesse, a lot of my hits come when the bait is suspending, since it takes a while to sink. Here’s a YouTube playlist of 5 different ways the ned rig can be fished. Whether you use a heavy weight or not!

My favorite!!

Both! They work equally well. Which to choose depends on time of year or how active the fish are. Bottom bouncing works well in cooler water, especially during the fall. Mimicks a dying baitfish well. If you want another option for bottom bouncing, try a blade bait or jigging spoon! Burning a rat-l-trap over the top of weedbeds is extremely popular during the warmer months where fish are generally more active. You can also try that with a spinner bait.

Oh it’s definitely the same for me. My leader rarely breaks at the connection but it has happened before. So you’re saying the biggest disadvantage of a long leader would be casting distance? What about instances where that’s not really an issue. Ex: Pitching to underwater targets or vertical fishing.

Simple question. Does using a long leader line (10 foot +) reduce the advantages of using braid as your mainline? Asking because I like to put really long leaders on my setups. My main reason is to avoid retying a leader after a snag or line fray. Do I lose braid's sensitivity and the no-stretch factor on hook sets when using long leaders? I do this primarily on my spinning setups where I use 10# powerpro connected to 8# mono with a uni to uni knot.

Looking like the perfect kit to crush river smallies!

So you can target bass starting mid May? Lol I wish! We can only start targeting them June 13th but you can take keepers as soon as the season opens. So it’s a very very very long wait for us up here. The walleye and carp keep me satisfied though.

No of course not! I gotta wait for mid June too, but I’ll be targeting pike and walleye in early May when the season opens, (ice usually disappears everywhere by mid April though) with the same gear! So I can give an honest review then.

I just want to begin by saying I may be completely off with this one but I'll give it a shot. You say you fish full moons which means there is some light penetration into water, so maybe the bass can still "see" a bit (I'm personifying the fish too much but I'm no biologist so I have no idea how their vision works). I'd still assume its pretty much pitch black in the strike zones and the bass are primarily feeding using their lateral lines and scent. A double skirted spinnerbait adds a lot of bulk and profile but not much, if any, extra vibration. A spinnerbait already lets off a ton of vibration but an added trailer will make the bait even "louder", which in turn makes it even easier for the bass to hone in on. This is why I believe you don't need to use a black spinnerbait for night-time fishing like a lot of people say you do. Just present a lure with a lot of vibration, or the right amount of it depending on the fish's activity level. I wouldn't worry too much about "profile" for night time fishing, because the bass cant really see it anyways. I usually use a big grub on the back of my spinnerbaits and they run just fine.

By the way, just saw you're a fellow Canadian angler. It's great to see you here. These are trigger happy comfort grips, spinning and casting. Spinning ones are a bit hard to get on but they feel super comfy, depending on how you hold your spinning rods. I used to have one finger above the stem and the rest below, but after starting a thread on here about balancing your setups, I decided the best way to hold them was with three fingers above the stem and the pinky below. I highly recommend these grips. Only thing you should be careful for is the casting ones. The ribbed version may be too long and leave a little nub of space at the end of your trigger if that makes any sense. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/searchresults.html#search=products&search text=trigger happy&opt_page=1&opt_sort=priceAcc&opt_perpage=100

I put them on my curado and slx. Both those reels have the same handle and I enjoy the handles but I wanted to try the grips anyways. I haven't fished with them yet but I must admit they aren't comfortable at all. In fact, they seem like they'd get super uncomfortable if you had sweaty fingers and palms but maybe they need to be broken in a bit. I just find it weird how all the reviews are so positive...I'll have to actually fish with. The rubber is hard and kinda digs into your thumb because of how rigid the "ribs" are...won't be fishing with them until open water season in May, so we'll see. Not gonna write them off right away. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Reel_Grips_Pro_Series/descpage-RGPS.html#customer_reviews These are the ones i bought, they're the cheapest. There's tons of other like winn grips which may have been the better choice for me in hindsight.

They’re great all year round. You can fish them slow, crawling and hopping along the bottom. Or rip them quickly for reaction bites. And of course, a straight steady retrieve too. You can throw anything from grubs, swimbaits and even finesse worms on darter heads. Mostly paddle tail swimbaits though. The size and type of plastic you want to rig on depends on the size of the hook. Do you know the size of the hook on your darter heads you plan to use? That could help a lot with specific bait recommendations. Personally, I like using darter heads for big paddle tails like 4.8 Keitechs or 5.5 X-Zone Swammer. Yamamoto makes a 1/2oz 5/0 swimbait jighead, which is basically just a big darter head.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Elite_Bait_Co_Triple_Shad_Elite_Underspin_Jig/descpage-ELTRISH.html Quite pricey but I really wanted to give it a shot. It's almost completely out of stock and has good reviews so I'm guessing its a killer bait.