GetFishorDieTryin

Thanks for the info.

Looks like a Super Spot

Berkley's measurements of X5/9 are very optimistic IMO. Alhough it not as thin as they claim, X9 is still thinner than most USDM braids. If it wasn't a very solid line for the price, I would stop using it. Overall its pretty good and I would think you would like it.

If you get white x9 or suffix it will turn the same color as the water eventually.

IMO a supple #8-#12FC is probably the best overall for a dedicated JB combo. That softer line helps to not over work the bait. The low viz of FC is a plus as well. Sometimes I have 12 second pauses between moving the bait. Thats a long time for the fish to study the bait and line. The vast amount of suspending JBs are slow float. The higher density of FC helps to slow the float. For light JBs some 3/8s and smaller, I prefer throwing them on a spinning rod with braid. Unlike FC theres no stretch, so even with a long leader, every inch you move the tip, the bait will move an inch. You want that JB to stop and start on a dime and braid work really well for that. I use a long #6-#10 FC leader material or #6/#8 invizX or soft mainline FC. JB bites can be tough to find in mid winter, you have to experiment to see what's they will take, which obviously takes time. If you are using FC in cold water you have to make sure it doesn't have memory. The coiling FC is not only far more visible, it will move that bait when you want it stock still. Ensure you straighten or put fresh FC line on when fishing cold water. Avoid budget FC in cold water as it want to harden and coil in cold water, even when new.

Acid wrapped rods have some significant and not just for jiggin. The orientation of the tip helps to allows for more efficient use when pulling, particularly with vertical presentations. The rod tip on a conventional wrap has a tendency to want to twist, notably when under heavy load. A well-executed acid wrapped blank, loads and unloads very clean, minimizing that twist and torsion. Minimal torsion and twist equate to more efficient use of the blanks power due to increased stability, as a blank is strongest when its straight and round. A spiral wrap helps to stack line evenly with narrow jigging reels by keeping the line centered. Snap and slow pitch jigging works best with small dia braid. Some of that braid can be on the soft side, which is good, but limp line can be prone to twisting around guides. Guide wraps are pain bass fishing, but if that line wraps a guide snap jigging and you get hit before its cleared, that guides history and the rod 86d for the day. You can get away with using less or smaller guides with an acid wrap vs conventional. Anywhere you can save weight without compromising strength or performance is a win, particularly when you have to bounce a 6oz spoon for hours. I'm not sure if you save too much weight with FW bass gear for it to be a major advantage, although I still think its notable. Not too many drawbacks really. For me the biggest one is that the guides are a little more vulnerable because they cover half the dia of the blank. The snagocity level is a little higher, especially if you carry a bunch of other in a yak and store them vertically on a crate. Some rod socks don't have the room, but there are plenty available that do.

Most bluegill pattern bladed jigs used to have gold and some had black painted blades, straight GP had a dark nickel blade, usually. The vast majority of the time, I would color the blade with a black sharpie because I didn't want that flash, unless it was dark and or really windy. The higher quality bladed jigs in dark colors have dark painted blades now.

You have to buy them on sale. They can work really well for big fluke and I was shocked at the prices Blakemore wants for 1 head, like 7 or $8. There are heads with much better components for the same price.

A Tatula 150 is about the size of Curado 200M (which are impressive reels) Hate to recomend a new reel, but there are quite a few guys who are throwing bunker colored glide baits at stripers who really like the last gen coastal 200. The new gen has the 100mm handle, but doesn't have the big round knobs. The older model holds about 100 yards of #20, I think the newer model has less capacity because a lot of guys are going to braid.

I fish a bunch of lighter and suspending/slow sink traps. For SV 70s, slow sink quake 70, Duo Nitro 55s, 3/8s RES, and fishing smaller 1/2 traps like TN 60s in the winter, I use a 7' Med power F. 1/2oz and 5/8, I like a 7'2 MH F with a little tip. It's soft enough to keep trebles pinned and has the strength to rip from grass and set hooks at distance.

I like braid for them

Ive been a SC enthusiast since I was 10 years old. The older and current Legend Elite/Extreme 1/8-1/2oz ML F/XF were/are great. The sensitivity of the Victory 6'10 ML XF and the changes they have been making, I wouldn't ever consider SC for a DS. Performance wise, a Tatula blows anything SC offers for less than $300 away. Victory feels amazing, balance and ergo wise, but what good is a finesse rod if you can't feel a tungsten weight dragging the bottom. Sad to see.

Thanks for the post, I had no idea. Guys a living legend. I hope he can bounce back.

Electronic kits are good if you arent trying to spend much money. There like $10, come in a hard case. You get all the little torx, philips and flat heads you need for small reels. Most come with brushes, soft picks and wedges. You can get a decent reel kit for like $50 that has everything. Bearing tool, several small picks, retaining nut wrench with several sizes, spool removal kit and driver/multiple bit sets. If I were you, I would take tear down a reel that you don't depend on first. Record yourself taking the reel apart, that way you have an idea of what its supposed to look like and the order of disassembly you followed.

TY sir

The swim jig can catch fish all year, but the best time for me is late pre spawn, early to mid april depending on the year to the 4th of July. I use a T/free rig and swim jig in concert until late august early September when the fish start to change patterns and feed a little heavier. The Picasso skirts use a flare and standard band together. It works well for the outer layer, but constricts the inner layer and it just winds up sticking to the trailer. Its a shame because the material is really soft and the colors are good. Yes, the Dobyns jigs are nice. They have a bulky skirt, a 604 gami and that quad barb keeper. Used to buy the 3 packs from TW. I had thought they were being discontinued. I ruined quite a few by leaving trailers on and storing them. The silicone gets real oily and the rubber melts after a while.

I really like their little spotty and tungsten football. The tungsten football is a little bigger than a keitech or BC sniper and the hook is really solid. I used to get the tungsten footballs on sale for like $3-$4 per from Midway, so losing a few didnt bother me. Now they're like $8. Picasso has some really great tackle, and their silicone is one of the best out of the US made baits. Most of Picassos spinnerbaits and newer silicone jigs use the grommet skirt, which I'm not a fan of. I prefer a wire tie or even a band to a grommet. If you remove the strands from the gromet when it starts to break down, you wind up with strands that have mean kink in the middle. I would much prefer a band that I could replace or cut after applying wire. Their OG swim jig is banded and is a great jig. Its only offered with a 3x 5/0 gaff, I wish they offered a 4/0. Ive tried those colors, especially the Wills Gill,(one on the left with pink belly) and struggle save for 2 situations. The first is obvious, but the post spawn as the bluegill begin to spawn. I use that with a 309, Perch or bluegill swammer and the fry guarders eat it up. Earlier in the year on the lakes that have large populations of big yellow perch, those bigger bass move up around the new or full moon to begin to prespawn. At the end of the 2nd or 3rd day before or after new/full is when Ive caught my best fish on them.

Ive never tried throwing a red swim jig. I like that last color. Is it smoke purple glimmer black fleck or smoke purple black?

I checked them first, they dont havea few colors I need, but ill check em out. Thanks for the rec.

I kinda learned the GP thing years ago with chatterbaits. 4 out of 5 times where you have conditions that GP plenty visible or just visible enough, most simple GP based patterns will work about as well as you can fish a bladed jig. I didnt go down the swim jig rabbit hole until 6 or 7 years ago. Before that I, I threw a lot more medium size swimbaits (3.8-4.8), like keitechs, money minnows and so one. If the cover was really bad I would just peg some tungsten and chuck kut tails or speed worms. Just like a bladed jig, you can vary subtle colors with the trailer, instead of another bait. Plain GP is good, but Ive found that during certain times of the year and or on certain lakes, just a little bit of the right color, sometimes fleck or Krystal flash as well, in a swim jig and bladed jig can make a world of difference. We have a lot of blackwater from the sphagnum and peat moss. The acidity levels arent high enough to kill everything but frogs and pickerel until you get farther into the barrens, but its enough to change the color of the fish and forage. In the spring, fish go from washed out colors to that pearlteuse belly and a dark back fairly quickly. Just adding some amber silicone to the belly and blue/gold krystal flash to a skirt makes a difference in quantity and quality. When those bigger fish are guarding fry, thats the only time those bold buck bluegill swim jig patterns the last 2 hours of light consistently get quality bites. For whatever reason, it doesn't work nearly as well with chatterbaits. I only carry limited colors in swim/bladed jig. White/clear shad base, black and GP for chatters and pretty much white and GP for swim jigs. Ive tried black a little, but it never seemed to produce as well. I asked for opinions on the colors just out of curiosity. There all pretty similar GP bases. Wills Gill and Sunfish are pumpkin/amber base, caught a few nice fish on them. Thanks for the response.

It seems like the definition of "finesse" or "fine" is like action, as different brands have different views. Some brands, like Pepper customs and missile baits have a super fine, frog hair like "fine" cut, where other companies "fine" cut skirt is hardly tinner than most standard skirts. The Greenfish skirts aren't quite as thick as the BOSS skirts I have. With full size jigs, the cut isnt that vital, but the little finesse swim jigs are a different story. The workingman jig only has a 2/0 hook. While swimming super fluke jrs are 4' they have a very small profile. If you leave the skirt full, that little swimbait has trouble getting the jig to roll.

For years my absolute favorite finesse and standard swim jig has been Greenfish. Sadly, it looks like they may be discontinuing many colors, including my favorites. It looks like I'm going to have to build my own, when my current stock runs out. The soft and somewhat fine cut skirts on the Greenfish jigs are one of the reasons why they work so well. The skirt doesn't have the water resistance that heavier cut silicone has, allowing the bait to bait to roll with ease. I need to try to find some good quality silicone in the right colors. Most lakes around here, the forage is bluegill. I've tried some bluegill and sunfish patterns but have found GP base colors work as well or better. What are your top 2 or 3 color swim jigs? And out of these patterns below what 2 would you pick? Or post the pattern you would rather have What color would you say the yellow silicone is on the jig underneath? Dark Amber? Does anyone have any good recommendations for silicone tabs??? Thanks guys, God Bless.

They kind of look like an RND worm, which work insanely well. Top Shelf copied it with the Jab worm, but they didnt sell really well. Are these baits flat on the bottom or rounded?

The Saltigas are great reels, but the guys that really get into toggin, snap jigging and drifting eels generally wind up with some kind of BV 300. They're like 7ozs lighter than the tiga, 9-10oz depending on what you want and have plenty of cap, 300+ yards of #30 and more if you go with a good quality JDM jigging braid. Functionally the 300s are great, but their looks seal the deal. A ton of color options and schemes are available, or you can customize the color. The silver/black, silver, straight black and gunmetal base colors look good on anything. The gunmetal looks really good in person and matches the gunmetal Fuji guides well. The glossy black looks sick, and the finishes are pretty tough, so as long as you don't beat it doesn't rash or gouge easily. The green and OD green/black are slick looking. I thought the purple base color wouldn't work. In person it looks better and when theyre on purple dark matter, or custom rods with metallic purple wrapping, it looks great.

Its all preference. I started with braid and a 7' MH F and found those lighter biting fish hard to keep buttoned. Going to a 7'3 or 7'4 ture MH (1/4-1oz) F gave you a tip with some flex and going to FC helped considerably with those skin hooked fish. I never had issues with losing fish with a F action, but I had to try a MH MF anyway. I never found one that had had either enough power in the mid section to set a hook at distance or clear milfoil from the bait. I found out pretty quick that a 150 or even Shimano 200 in a mid 6 speed outperformed everything faster and slower reels. I found the 100MM handle to be an advantage as well. Chopping the handle gives you a hard reel twitch and that I cant seem to get with shorter handles. Might try a 7'2-7'4 H M or MF. It would have glass in the tip, but get to some power relatively quick.