GetFishorDieTryin

The flatlands is 1/0 Gami, its great for hula sticks and longer baits. It works with the RoboWorm neds but they are 3" but are just a little to big for the TRD IMO. The Lifted heads use a VMC which I wasn't crazy about because I don't like VMC very much. The VMC is smaller then the Gami and works better on the TRD then the Flatlands. I was hesitant to buy weedless ned heads at first. I didn't think they would stand very well. I was worried about the wire being to thick to penetrate well with a ML rod. After using them for a few days I was surprised that the stood up just as well as the open hook heads and the hookup/land % was higher. So far the Lifted head is the best 1 IMO. I haven't tried the EWG Blockheads, but I imagine as long as the hook isn't to big it would be as good or better then the Lifted head. The Owner Finesse EWG ball head is a good option if you want more action and they come in a #1. I had to tie a keeper where the bend of the hook goes into the offset or "shoulder" because the bait wants to slide down. My friends and I go through a lot of ned rigs, especially in late fall and spring. Ive only worn out a handful of Zmans ned baits, but I've lost a ton of them. Some lakes ill lose 4 or 5 in a couple hours because the fish are holding in lilly roots or wood.

No problem, happy to do it anytime...That's pretty much the perfect rod for covering lots of water with finesse baits. If I can get the rest of my Xmas shopping done in 2 weeks I might have to order one for myself lol.

Olive Ghost and Blue Ghost Husky Jerk, they don't have crazy action which is what you want when the water is really cold. The Yo Zuri 3DRs, 3DSs and 3DBs are IMO are one of the best baits on the market for what you pay for them The absolute best JB that Ive ever used is the Rozante. They don't have flat sides so they don't throw as much flash as the vision. They have great action, great patterns, stupid sharp hooks, weight transfer system and a magnet to keep the belly hook from rashing up the bait. Ive consistently out fished vision 110, 110 jrs and LC pointers with the 77. They cost 14$ or 15$ but you get what you pay for.

Small swimbaits, 3" EasyShiner on an Owner 1/16 #1 Darter head. Ball head will work as well. DS a 2" gulp minnow around bridge pilings or spillways If you cant get bit with either of them go to the ultimate fail safe...A half stick of dynamite

Its a pain in the neck but I either transfer it to another reel with an empty spool, then to another and then back on the reel that had the braid to begin with. The other option is to just tie it to a tree or something and walk it out then spool it back up from the opposite end.

That's a bad case of the aqua herp. I see it often, but never to that extent. Years ago there was a bad outbreak of red sores on stripers, particularly in the Chesapeake. A couple people had gotten really sick as a result of an open wound on the anglers hand coming into contact with sore on the fish or just eating them. I had heard someone actually died after being infected, but I cant substantiate it. I think its best to just be careful with any sores or legions on fish.

Did you order that and have it delivered or did you buy it from a shop?

Braid have gotten rounder and somewhat softer. The original PP was LOUD bringing a fish in. The newer PP lines have gotten much smoother. I found a 300yd spool of 30lb PP and 300yd about half full with 50 lb, its over 10 years old. Im curious to see if its as loud as I remember it. Im not sure how much ceramic inserts have changed since then. One thing is for sure the eyes on spinning gear especially have gotten smaller and smaller to accommodate the tighter coils that come off the spool when using braid opposed to mono or FC. Ive found that mono matches Pline TCB and 832 distance wise in cold weather. Braid tends to soak in water which why is why its all but useless under 30*F. When the line is water logged its doesn't cast the same. Some soak in more water some soak in less.

Your spot on...As a kid I used to go swimming to get lures back all the time. Its hard to find a bait in a submerged brand so I would have my buddy give a few yanks on the line to help me find the snagged bait. You can hear nylon and FC rub, but braid sounds like a hacksaw against wood. You can use rounder braid with more carriers or a braid that isn't as stiff to try to reduce some of the noise but there is no way you can muffle that noise to where the lateral lines wont pick it up. I use fluro to fish cover as long as I can get away with it.

Off the top of my head Im fairly certain its rated 1/8-1/2 which is pretty accurate. You can cast baits 3/8-1/2 without problems, setting the hook can be an issue. Setting the hook at the end of a bomb cast with larger profile weightless T rigged plastics has given me the most trouble. The resistance of bigger baits at a distance can load the blank to the point where there isn't much power left for a hookset. If you use a real thin super line with a thin dia. low stretch FC leader material (blue label, premier, shinsei) or higher quality FC mainline and a thin wire hook you can get away with it. You can get a similar underpowered feeling with bigger profile cranks but unlike t rigged plastics there isn't any plastic you have to get through on the hookset so it hasn't been an problem. If the bait has thicker wire trebles its a good idea to replace them with a thinner wire especially in the winter when the flesh inside the mouth hardens a bit. When I had first got the rod I noticed the hit to land ratio was near 100% with wacky rigs but was about 60-70% at best for ned rigs. It took me a few days but I figured out it was the hook dia. that made the difference. I was using mosquito lights for the wacky rigs and Zman ned heads made by TT lures. The TT lures uses a thicker wire that doesn't flex. Instead of flexing like thinner wire rigid wire causes cavitation of the hook hold, couple that with less penetration and the hookup to land ratio will plummet. The lightest bait Ive thrown on that rod was a 3/64 zappu with a 3" bubbling shaker, which it struggled to throw any distance. I throw a 1/16 owner darter head #1 hook with a 3" EasyShiner just about all winter. That's about the lightest you can go and still get reasonable distance. It will bomb a 1/2oz kastmaster, but any heavier and the blank is overloaded. I would have to say the sweet spot is roughly 3-5/16. Longer blanks tend to have a slower action then shorter rods with the same speed. I would highly recommend an XF if you want a sensitive and responsive rod. The extra 6" may slow the action down to where its closer to a F. Don't worry about loss of sensitivity, Ive got 9'-12' fly and surf rods that sensitivity wise blow mid range (2-300$) 6'6-7'6 Loomis and Croixs away. Keep in mind that the longer the rod is the heavier the reel will need to be to counter the balance. As with any lighter finesse gear a smooth drag will help tremendously. FLs, Procyon AL, Certate LT etc are great choices, though keep in mind that felt drag washers tend to be smoother at lower pressures then carbontex and other synthetic washers. As a disclaimer of sorts, the previous info is what I have found to work best for me. In no way is this the end all be all explanation as I am prone to faults and bias like any one else, this is simply my opinion on the matter. If you have any other questions that you think I may be able to help with don't hesitate to ask. Good luck...Tight Lines.

I have an 8' ML and its fantastic. Longer rods are more useful then most people think. I didn't really need it but the owner of the shop gave me a really good deal. It was made for hair jigs which it throws well but I like it for other uses. That extra length allows you to tightline small swimbaits in shallow water without speeding up the retrieve. Its also great for smaller JBs, it can bomb a rozy 63. It does well with really small cranks too. As long as the rod is a faster action your not going to notice a decrease in sensitivity, especially with braid. Recently lighter JDM surf rods 9-11' have become so popular they are sold before the clear coat dries. MegaBass makes a really long rod for fishing Biwa and its popular. The drawback to longer rods are increased weight so they need a slightly heavier reel to balance. The speed of the rod tends to be slower then rods in the 7' range, so an XF might be closer to a F. Your going to love it.

Absolutely. I prefer a rod with a little more backbone for rippin traps and bladed jigs. A mono leader gives just enough of a delay from the stretch for the fish to be able to choke a bladed jig before he feels too much resistance. Mono leaders are more forgiving so they work great with trebles. Mono is also more buoyant then fluro, so a mono leader will cause a jerkbait or SB to run shallower compared to fluro. The length of the mono leader determines the amount of stretch. Every line is different, some mono stretches more then others same is true with fluro.

The owner of a local shop constantly says Dobyns will blow the lower end Croixs away. I fondled every line they had from the Fury to the Champions and they all felt heavy. The other problem I have with them is the lack of a locking nut to cover the threads, for a $230 rod it should have one. They make split grip premiers. I think they just started putting splits on without considering what that would do with the balance. My 7' M F is so tip heavy I need a 8 or 9 oz reel to even come close to balancing it.

I bought a ton of sassy shads nearly 20 years ago Im down to my last dozen. The only 3" pogy/shad bodies the local tackle stores had was Mr Twister. When you went up to baits over 3" there were more options. I really only use them when im striper fishing and there are lots of blues around.

Hard to beat a Chatterbait. You can rip it like a lipless and get the reaction bite or you can fish it slow and steady with pauses. In the fall I like the smaller profile of the TW Custom CB. I trim the skirt and use a 3 or 3.5" trailer to keep the length down, the longest trailer ill use this time of year is a Zako. Ive been beating them down for the past 2 days.

SH=Shakey Head The Chicken rig is kind of like a weedless neko because its T rigged...Search Chicken Rig and Tiny Child Rig on Youtube

For rain gear just get a set of frog togs, they work great and aren't too expensive. Get a good pair of bibs (not pants) and a parka with a zipout liner. Make sure that they are both water proof, Goretex is the best material as far shedding water goes. I use the bibs often with just some layers and a light windproof jacket. The last thing you want to do is sweat, so be careful not to get a parka and bibs that are to heavy. Its far better to layer then to just have a really heavy outer layer. Its far better to have multiple layers so you can add or remove layers as needed. The base layer is important. Avoid cotton base layers that touch your skin. Cotton has refrigerating properties when its wet, so it will soak up sweat and pull heat out of you fast. Light or silk weight polyester base layers like under armor or thermal gear is the way to go, if you do sweat it will wick moisture away from you skin. Over the base top base layer I will wear a T-shirt and a Henley or fleece over the T. Over the fleece I wear a hoodie and over the hoodie goes my parka. The other option is to wear a heavy merino wool sweater over the T shirt or Henley and then wear the shell of the parka over the wool. You don't need to have many layers for the bottoms, just the lightweight base layer, jeans and the bibs over the jeans. The hardest part is to get a pair that fit you really well. If you have a any local dealers that carry them try them on. Its better to have the parka be a little big that way you can add layers under it. Theres so many good parkas, jackets and bibs on the market. I have some of the Cabela Guidewear and if you can get it on sale its a good buy. Sims, Huk, Aftco, Gillz, Frabil, Grundens, Stormr are all great. Honestly I think you get more for your money with hunting clothes. Drake has an excellent 3 in 1 parka and wading jacket for $300. Neoprene cuffs, goose down zip out liner, excellent hood with a face mask integrated into it, plenty of secure pockets, heavy duty zippers that are hard to break and they are extremely warm. Make sure you get a good neck gaiter, stocking cap and or balaclava . Good merino wool socks are must as well. One of the most important is a good pair of gloves. Rag wool fingerless gloves and glomits are great but if you have to handle a fish they get wet. IMO the synthetic fingerless gloves are the way to go. They dry quickly and wont absorb fish slime. Again there are many good ones, glacier gloves, Simms, Cabelas Guidewear, Fish Monkey and so on. Good gear is pricey, but the day is so much more enjoyable if you are comfortable.

Put the DC on the 7'6 Bantam on the 7'2 Look at the 20 Met B for the Adrena. Its amazing, its not super light at 6.5 oz but it feels incredibly solid for a magnesium framed reel. Ive done everything but frog with it and its been great. I would go with a ML spinning rod since you have the M+ Adrena you use that for heavier finesse tech. Depending on what you want to spend on the spinning combo Tatula Elite AGS, MC Zodias, Tatula with anything from a Fuego to a Luvias or Vanford

If moneys no object check out Gosen, it might be the best superline on the planet. Hitenna Silky is excellent for spinning gear, it also comes in pink which looks awesome on Tatula LTs or any other reel for that matter. If you want to get one that easier to find and not as much $ but still a great braid, X5 or X9 by Berkley is great. I like the X5 for casting gear and the X9 for spinning gear.

I love TCB for light spinning gear. That line has a tendency to get ropey faster then any other braid ive used. Its also the only braid ive ever broken when cinching down a connection knot on brand new line. If you use any more then 6 or 7 twists with an Alberto it can really damage the line. Don't get me wrong I really like it a lot, it casts well especially before the teflone coating wears away. Just be careful with it if you choose to use it, if it looks frayed, flip the spool to the unused side.

That's the truth, its not the weight so much then it is the way you trim the skirt and the size and or diameter of the hook.

Believe it or not that rig would work well if you could find a school of em. Ive seen people use a similar rig but with no bobber.

That was the guy who invented the A rig lol It must have been something people did at one time, cuz I've seen 2 different people doing the same thing.

I fish all year. I actually put more time in the winter then I do from July to the end of August, I hate the heat and humidity. Just because the water is in the in 30s doesn't mean the fish stop eating. The fish don't spend as much time in shallow water feeding in the winter so your window of opportunity to catch fish when they are actively feeding is smaller There are benefits to the colder water. Ive found that the bigger fish can be less finicky then they are in warmer water. The lakes in my area are small and consist mostly of shallow water with the deepest parts being around bridges, spillways and old creek channels. The bass don't have a lot of options as far as deep structure goes. If you catch a fish or 2 on a crankbait or swimbait go to a smaller jig or ned rig and spend some time picking that spot apart. Look for any clue that may tell you what the fish are doing. If all the fish you've caught have lots of mud on there belly use bottom contact baits.

1/16 Picasso School e rig 4/0 Picasso Tungsten ball 2/0 MegaBass Okashira Yamamoto G rig Keitech Tungsten super round 1-3/0 Be careful when using pliers to remove the hook from a fish, the wire is thin and will bend easily with pliers, I recommend forceps OMTDsmart hook round jig 1/0 Owner Inshore Slam 3/0 Picasso school e rig (triangle head) 5/0 Vike Tungsten Prop Head 1/0 Owner Blockhead 1/0 Owner EWG Blockhead 1/0 Flatlands EWG ned head 1/0 Lifted Jigs EWG ned 1/0 VMC EWG Finesse Rugby head 3/0