BrianMDTX

Good thread as I just cleaned the level winds on all my baitcasters yesterday. As well as all the guides (pond fishing really collects a lot of gunk from algae and other assorted pond scum lol). Yeah, not a big lover of using grease on exposed parts. Oil is definitely a better lubricant. Easier to clean and doesn’t hold contaminants as much as oil.

Hmmm…have to admit. Never heard of anyone using a fluke on a WR before. May have to try that.

I’m not a big crankbait angler. If I do, it’s mostly squarebills. Those I cast and either retrieve straight back to the boat, or will retrieve, stop (bait floats up a bit) and repeat until back at the boat or fish on. If you haven’t tried bladed jigs, try those as well. I’m having my best year ever fishing those. Mostly vary the speed of the retrieve.

I use my Lowrider All ‘Round Fast a lot. It’s my primary Texas rig rod. I bought a Kistler Helium for that but it became my jig rig. I really like my Lowrider.

Sometimes I’m 10’-15’ from shore when casting into water with overhanging brush.

Way more than a ton of bass. That’s a serious bag for a year’s angling! And yeah, deer grow massive in Maine compared to Texas and Florida, while bass are the opposite. A 19” bass up your way is a trophy.

I have Academy and BassPro gift cards to use, but I ordered some Siebert Fogy bladed jigs yesterday. Now I have to think about what to get with those gift cards. The list is long lol.

Used it yesterday. Caught two-lost one. After the loss, I went to resharpen the hook and noticed the gap was bent open. I guess the big gal I hooked last week bent the hook. It was the last Siebert Fogy I had in chartreuse/white. I had a Z-Man in that color, and a Fogy in red, but neither caught a fish. Red is not a color here and there is a tremendous difference in the amount of vibration between these two bladed jigs. You can barely feel the Z-Man and the rod tip barely moves. The Fogy is on steroids. The rod tip really vibrates and you can feel it plain as day. In the stained water I fish, I’m guessing that vibration and that color combo is simply the ticket. I ordered more after I got home yesterday. As for the rod? That remains to be seen. I believe I lost fish using either rod due to the bend in the hook gap. So when I get the replacements I will try again. But my feelings from yesterday is telling me that although a MH, it feels more like a M. Definitely a MF vs. a F action. I may also try them on a MHF rod (either another Daiwa Aird-X or maybe my Falcon Lowrider) and see how that works. I’m thinking the 705CB is likely great at what it says it’s for- crankbaits with treble hooks.

From what I’ve gleaned, it seems that a good jig rod is a MHF to a HF, depending on variables such as weight of jig plus trailer, and whether it’s fished in heavy cover vs open water, etc. Yet a bladed jig seems to call out for a MHMF. Both have large, heavy hooks. Is the difference due to the retrieve?! In other words, is a bladed jig moving faster than a jig, so a moderate action is preferred over a fast to keep from ripping the hook out?

Today was much slower than last weekend, and both quantity and quality was down. Nothing over 2 lbs. Caught two on an A-Jay Special, one on a Fat IKA Texas rig and another on a Rage Bug Texas rig, and 2 (lost one) on a Siebert Fogy bladed jig. After the loss, I noticed the hook was bent (gap widened). I think last week’s big gal did that. Ordered some more.

I believe I bought some Siebert bladed jigs (or got for Fishmas) in the past. I’ll check the website. I can truly say there is no comparison in the vibration. These vibrate a lot! @Bluebasser86 That’s it! Thanks. Just placed an order.

While resharpening the hook (again) on a chartreuse/white bladed jig, I noticed that the hook was bent. Probably by that big gal I lost last weekend. I had another bladed jig in the same color- a Z-Man. But the difference in the vibration is astounding. This red bladed jig (bad color for me) is the same make/model. Neither have any identification on it whatsoever. No manufacturer’s name. No model name. Nothing. I want, no, NEED to buy some new chartreuse/white bladed jigs like these. They produce a lot of strikes. I caught two and lost one until I switched and no bites after that. If you recognize this bladed jig, please let me know.

C’mon! That’s gotta be at least 17.2!

I have a Daiwa Tatula 100H on my 705CB.

I am going to say this as someone who was an archer and bowhunter for decades. Carbon arrows can, over time, lose stiffness (spine) after long-term use. Not damage from impacts, but simply from flexing after the arrow has been shot a long time. There’s a saying that carbon arrows are straight or broke-they do not bend. But that is not 100% truth. Some can take a set. So I would think that it is possible that a graphite rod could possibly lose some stiffness over a long period of use.

I’ve posted this a few times before- I have on occasion used this rod to fish a weightless Texas rig with a heavy bait, like a Fat IKA or a Neko Macho. I don’t fish a lot of treble baits as they get fouled too often by algae or tons of pine needles. I got tired of barely using this rod so I figured I’d try it and see. To my surprise, it did a great job. Not what I expected. Have to see how it handles a bladed jig. I normally use a Rage Menace as a trailer so nothing overly heavy. Maybe a Rage Craw at times.

The worst it could do is give me an excuse for a new rod lol.

It’s a Dobyns Fury 705CB.

I can see why your name is Banned User lol! I will try that. Certainly not worried about the rod getting wet.

My inflatable is low in the water. Even with the elevated seat it’s likely lower than most fishing yaks. So while I try to keep it low, I can’t point the tip too far down or it will be in the water lol. I do have a MHMF rod in the inventory, so I am going to switch to that. At least I know that big gal is still there. I had a hard time getting to sleep last night as I kept replaying that vision over and over and over in my mind. Bear hunters may think most bears are big, but when you see a really big bear, you know it’s big. Some bass at first look big but shrink after you really analyze what you saw. This was a big, big bass. That maw was at least 8”-9” wide.

Such a topical question, as I boated two bass and lost three on a bladed jig this morning, and one would have been my PB without a doubt. I have been using a MF but I think I’m either going to switch to a MHF, or more likely a MHMF. I’m losing them when they jump. The big one today really crushed me. Jumped twice but the third jump was close to the boat and it was gone. My first guess was 6-7, but I think it was more likely 7-8. Hook was sharp and it felt like my hookset was good. I’m thinking the MHMF will do a better job of keeping the fish on. Regardless. I will say this has been my best year with a bladed jig by far. I’ve always been more of a Texas rig angler, but I’m getting hooked on chatterbaits.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Started off with a white frog on top. Had two strikes but missed the fish. Still good as I rarely get bit on a frog. Switched to an A-Jay Special. Caught one nice bass and a pounder. Switched to a bladed jig then a spinnerbait with no bites. Switched to a TR with a Yamamoto 5.5” Slinko. Caught two decent bass but OMG, they wear out faster than a Senko. Switched back to the A-Jay. Went to retie and somehow the hook slipped out of my hand and stuck in my right cheek (popped right out). That’s the bad. Went back to the bladed jig. I was bringing it from close to shore out to deep water when it stopped dead. A snag. Then the rod completely bent. No snag! A bass! And what a bass. It jumped and my heart almost stopped. It was a tank. Easily 7-8 lbs. It dove and jumped again. I got it 6’ from the boat when it jumped the third time and my bladed jig went north and the bass went south. All I could muster was a “No No No No No No!!!!” Definitely would have been my PB. That’s the ugly. Eventually caught two on the bladed jig and one more on the A-Jay Special. But I lost two more on the bladed jig. I think my rod (Daiwa Aird-X MF) is not up to the task. May have to make a change. Good think is that the big gal is unhurt and still there. Still plenty of good fishing weather ahead.

Kinda slow day. Caught five. One a green pumpkin lizard TR, two on a green pumpkin Senko WR and two on a…spinnerbait. I have never had much luck with spinnerbaits. But as my chatter bait success has taken off lately, I decided to give a spinnerbait another try. The first was a bass about 1.5 lbs. A little later on I casted the spinnerbait and it got whacked as soon as it hit the water. By a catfish. That was unexpected. But two on a spinnerbait in one outing was good for me lol. The biggest was on the lizard TR.

Well, just last week, I had a dog swim up to my boat.

It’s a good question made more difficult due to one’s MF may be more akin to another’s MHMF. But I normally use a MF or a MHF for bladed jigs.