Finessegenics

Im sure theres quite a bit of info across the forums about this question already but im hoping for some new or different answers. I was wondering if there was a certain ratio of weight between a reel and rod to balance spinning setups. For example, if my rod weighs x amount of oz, how much should my reel weigh? Does the length of the rod come into play too? I am asking because my current spinning setup is a St Croix Eyecon 6'6 ML (which weighs 3.6 oz) with a Pflueger President 30 (8.8 oz). Its not that bad but sort of feels bottom heavy holding in my hand. So i was just wondering how light of a reel I would need to balance the setup. I realize some of it may be personal preference but I want to hear your opinions. Thank you!

I believe that the same logic used for selecting a plastic color can be used for jerkbaits. If your water is muddy, or its an overcast day, go with solid or flashy colors. Most of the water I fish is pretty dirty so I use a firetiger or gold/black pattern to imitate yellow perch. In clearer and/or shallower water, I can still imitate yellow perch with a more natural and translucent color like Rapala's "yellow perch" which is lot less flashy than firetiger or gold. The same can be applied using shad patterns if thats your forage. A ghost chartreuse or plain ghost in clearer water, and and a chrome blue or black in murkier/deeper water. I think the most important thing is to match the hatch.

Invest in a DC reel. SLX dc, curado dc, metanium dc...whatever your budget can afford. Theyre a must for light lures

In my experience, all my spinnerbait fish seemed to go for the skirt. Always hooked perfectly in the top jaw. But now you've got me wondering if the few fish I've lost went for the blades instead and ended up being poorly hooked...dont know why I never thought about that. Ive never really tried the slow roll technique either. I like to use spinnerbaits to search for fish and find out how active they are. Another thing I wanted to add is the guy mentioning how he wanted "much less visible blaids". Shouldnt he just be using a swim jig then? I know the blades add extra vibration but slow fishing and bumping a swim jig off of cover seems like a good alternative to finding a spinnerbait with black blades. Its also way more weedless. But hey what do i know, Ive never caught anything on a swim jig.

I use black spinnerbaits for smallmouth all the time. The blades are nickel but the skirt, head and trailer are black. I use them simply because the section of the saint lawrence that i fish is quite muddy. Probably 5-7 foot visibility on a good day. The black silhouette stands out more in murkier water compared to more natural colored skirts. Still, im not sure how important the color of a spinnerbait is, considering all the vibrations it gives off, the fish "feel" it more than they see it. Either way, its worked for me.

Pflueger President 30 is all you need! Performs as good as reels that are double the price and is buttery smooth. I’m not sure what else I can say to suggest it more, but in my eyes it is the best budget spinning reel of all time, and is the only spinning reel I use. It might not fit into your budget because it is 59.99 but I believe it’s worth it . as for the rod, I’ve owned a fenwick hmx and I loved it but there were some durability issues. I’ve heard much better things about the Eagle and the ML is a good choice because fenwick rods tend to be quite stiff. The HMX Medium wasn’t as soft as I hoped, and when checking out their ML in stores it seemed more what I was looking for. And since you’ll be using it for trout too, a ML keeps it universal

I use the SLX xt and it is a great reel. I use it for a lot of applications but mostly medium depth crankbaits which are usually 1/2oz, and spinnerbaits anywhere from 3/8 to 3/4 oz. I've even thrown a 1oz berkley choppo 130 and it seemed to handle it fine. As good of a reel as it is, im not sure it's ideal for baits that are up to 2oz. Fishtank mentioned the Shimano Tranx and i've heard its a great reel but it wont leave much space in your budget for a nice rod. I once bought a used Okuma Citrix 364 for pike and musky fishing. It worked great and it sounds like it would be ideal for you too as i was easily casting 2-3 oz spinnerbaits on it. It also leaves more space in your budget for a nice rod as its cheaper than a tranx. It never slipped up on me but i sold it because I just wasnt using it enough and I decided to cut my losses because i got such a good deal on it anyways

So you're saying even if i buy a reel that isnt in the best shape, its still worth it if im able to clean it up myself?

Thanks. The owner doesnt have any line spooled up on it so I cant cast it, but I'll use your other tips and open it up just to look at the insides. I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to completely disassembling a casting reel. I've done it before but only for very basic cleaning. Im pretty sure the Curado DC doesnt have a battery. At least thats what I've seen on other threads on bassresource

I use the Berkley Choppo 90. Its basically a cheaper version of the whopper plopper and it performers great for me. Still, if you want something on the cheaper side any popper will do. My second choice after the Choppo is the Lunkerhunt Popper

I've been thinking of getting a DC reel for a while now. It's quite a big step up for me as I'm just a college student with a part-time job. The Curado DC has been my target for a while and they retail at 350$ CAD up here in canada. After our ludicrous sales tax, it comes out to $400. Ive been eyeing one on Facebook Marketplace for the past week and the seller is asking for $300. He said he's willing to negotiate and he says it's lightly used, only 16 hours on the water. Is there any way to tell a DC reel is still in good shape aside from the aesthetics of the reel (scratches and whatnot on the frame) just by feeling it in my hands? For example, to make sure braking system still works and so on. (By the way, it wont be going on sale around here at local tackle stores for black friday but i have no idea about boxing day) Thank you in advance! And yes i realize im only really gonna get to use the reel next spring but that wont stop me from making casts in any open water I can find ?

I see you've gotten a lot of good responses already but I'm gonna weigh in regardless. I personally use and swear by a ML but I recommend a M if you want to stay a little more versatile. A Fast action is also a must as someone already said. For the reel, I strongly suggest a Pflueger President size 30. The president size 30 are a lot like other brands size 20 or 25. It's currently $60 at TW. I use it for all my finesse fishing and i think it can compare to reels that are double the price. 75% of my fishing is finesse fishing and I've been using this rod for 2 seasons straight, twice a week or more. Its extremely durable and the drag has never slipped on me yet. For the rod, I like the Fenwick Eagle 6'6 ML. You can even go up to the 7' ML. They go for $60. The reasom I suggest the ML is because the lure rating is 1/8 oz to 5/8 oz, which is a pretty big range for a ML rod. I used the rod briefly and i remember anything over 1/2 oz felt a little weird to cast, but still! Most of Fenwick's M are pretty stiff and their lure ratings are 1/4oz to 3/4 oz. Still possible to throw a ned rig on that but that ML would allow for a lot more whip in the rod when casting lighter rigs. That puts you at $120 before tax which is a little above you can always wait till black friday? Anyways, do whats best for your budget and tight lines buddy!

The SLX is a great reel for the price. Currently using it for throwing my moving baits (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, small swimbaits, smaller topwaters) as i need to be as versatile as possible too since I'm mostly on the bank. I've never fished the DC model of the SLX but Im sure its a great reel. The only thing i would wanna point out is that for the price of the SLX DC ($190), I would honestly just spend the extra $60 and get the Curado DC, especially if youre going to wait until Black Friday. The Curado DC should be at $200 on Tackle Warehouse. I dont personally own the Curado DC but I've fished my buddy's one before and it does live up to the hype. Casting super light crankbaits into the wind on a MH rod never seemed easier. Then again, the Curados seem a lot bulkier than the SLX and I've heard many people complain about that.

Ned rig still works here! Seems like it still hasnt taken off as much it has in America but every color of the finesse trd except bubblegum are always sold out at the tackle shop. Someones hoarding em

Really cant go wrong with a ned rig! I like to use the classic Finesse TRD but the Finesse CrawZ can also work great. Find a color suitable to your water clarity. My personal favorites are coppertreuse, green pumpkin goby and green pumpkin orange from zman. I imagine since its a creek it should be quite shallow. I dont recommend using any weighted head heavier than 1/8 oz. My usual retrieve doesnt involve my rod much as i let it sink, hold it still for 5-10 seconds and then crank my reel 1 or 2 full turns and let it fall again. If you want to try something different, go for tiny swimbaits in the 2-3" inch range. I like the 2.8" Rhythm wave by Jackall on 1/8oz round jighead. Usually just swim it but if the fish arent as active, i'll jig it off the bottom.

I think it has to do with the fact that crankbaits are lures that predatory fish *usually* swipe at so the treble often does not have time to get pinned in the fish’s mouth. With a moderate action, the rod is softer (which mean it loads up more compared to a stiffer fast action). Since the rod is softer it has more time to load up and avoid pulling trebles off lightly hooked fish. I’m sure there’s some physics involved with the size and gauge of the treble hooks as well but I’m by no means an expert on any of this stuff. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

Been getting better up here in southern Canada. Noticed many fish have moved shallower, but still seem lethargic. The days can still be hot but the nights have been quite cool and I believe that’s a major factor in determining when the transition has begun. If you get a few consistent colder nights I think you may notice a change.

Thanks Scott! I try to keep in mind that the tackle industry has brainwashed us into believing we need a different combo for every lure we throw..but I can’t help but notice how I get the feeling that the fast action is pulling the trebles right out. I Think I’ll try out single hooks on the crankbaits, hopefully reduces my chances of getting snagged too.

Hey everyone! Pardon me if I'm posting this in the wrong section, its my first post on the site. I was just wondering if single hook crankbaits (switching out the trebles for single hooks) could/should be fished on a fast action rod?