GetFishorDieTryin

Shorter rods are good for bridges and marinas. I like a shorter rod for vertical jigging.

Since I started throwing Neko and Chicken rigs I don't throw a SH as often, especially in grass. Ive caught some real nice fish on Nekos, but nothing will ever take the place of the SH. SH is my favorite way to catch fish on a worm.

I wont use it on my reels or guns either. Same thing with that stuff that reel magic like stuff. I know how you feel. Ive got a bunch of reels I don't use anymore that I wont part with.

Ive always preferred the TN60 over the TN70 in spring and fall. The smaller Yo Zuri and Rapala traps are good, but I have to use a lighter rod to throw them far and the rod doesn't have the power to rip them from grass.

Im sorry I completely forgot to mention anything about the spinning reels. As long as you aren't surf or wade fishing the FK is an outstanding reel for salt or fresh water. They're generally pretty reliable even when they aren't maintained as well as they should be. You can use them wading or in the surf, but you have to be careful about taking waves, sandy foam and dunking them. A buddy of mine is an inshore guide, when it comes to throwing plastics and lighter plugs he swears by them. They're smooth and light so children and female clients who aren't anglers don't have issues using them for a few hours at a time. The frames are sturdy enough to with stand being dropped or smacked against a rail. If a client does happen to drop one in the water and he cant get it back its not like losing a Stella or Twin Power. The CI4s have gotten much better as far as durability goes since the earlier models. The last model (FB) that the Vanford is replacing isn't as rugged as the aluminum framed FK, but has proven itself to be a reliable platform that's noticeably lighter. The only reoccurring issue with both reels is the roller bearings tend to get raspy in salt and freshwater. You can live with the noise, disassemble and oil the roller every few outings or what I recommend finding the size bearing you need and buying a bunch of them, they aren't expensive and its really easy to replace. I love to wade and surf fish, IMO its the most fun way to fish. I've been using a Daiwa Fuego going on 3 years for light surf and its been great. I just to be careful not to let it take to much spray. You can get Fuegos on eBay for $80 so if you get a couple years out of it, its worth it. There isn't a ton of difference between inshore and freshwater rods, I haven't and don't know of anyone who has used Dobyns in salt water so I cant elaborate. I think too many people turn Angling into a competition where size and numbers is the bottom line, at that point it becomes a job. Other then safety the #1 rule is to have fun. Good Luck...Tight Lines!

Saltwater is hard on casting reels because the line spools on the inside of the frame as opposed to spinning gear. Ive heard of people using both Curado and SLX DC for inshore and there weren't any apparent short term issues. If you want a reel to fish like its new for a long time I don't recommend using it in saltwater. If you're comfortable with disassembling your reel, give it a good cleaning after every other outing. Replace bearing with bushings where you can and use a heavy grease to protect critical components. Salt is corrosive but sand can cause as much or more damage. You need to make sure to get any excess oil off the surface of any components so it doesn't attract sand. Saltwater rods usually have components that are less vulnerable to corrosion and they may have more epoxy where the guides meet the blank for more protection. If youre going to rinse your reel afterwards DO NOT use warm water. Warm water can break down salt that crystalized which just disperses it throughout the reel. You want to rinse the reel as gently as possible with an indirect light mist of cool water. Rinsing it with water under higher pressures will force salt sand and debris deeper into the reel. I prefer wiping the reel down a clean cloth soaked in cool water. Take the spool out and let it completely air dry. I rinse the rods the same way let them air dry and wipe the reel seat, eyes and blank down respectively. At the end of the season tear the reels down purge the grease and oil then replace it. If your not comfortable with disassembly, take it to a certified retailer that you trust and have them do the deep clean.

Pro Cures' scents are great but don't get on your hands or clothes. Bug Juice is a good scent that isn't repulsive and it doesn't stain like other brands. It comes in a bottle that makes it easy to apply and wont leak in your bag. I wish I could get the Reins shrimp scent, that stuff works good.

Screw Lock SH Secret Lures Wide Gap Tail Shaker Custom Cast The Closer Picasso Shakedown Non Screw Lock SH Gamakatsu Tricky Head Trokar Scorpion Head Boss Brent Ehrler Shakey Jig VMC Rugby/Finesse Rugby Head

For dragging and hopping I like 1/4 and 5/16. I use 3/8 as well, but the 1/4 and 5/16 are more efficient in shallow water or grassy bottoms. You don't have to pick grass off the lighter jigs after every other cast and they don't seem to snag as much. One of the biggest advantages of lighter jigs IMO is the slower fall rate. The size of the skirt, how you trim it and the trailer you use impacts the fall rate as well. In the winter when the water is really cold the 1/4oz forces you to fish slower to keep it on the bottom. If your throwing a 1/4 jig on the same rod you would throw a 3/8 distance is going to suffer. You can add higher density plastic trailers and get a little more distance as long as you keep the profile to a reasonable size. There aren't as many 1/4 jigs to chose from as there is with the 3/8 especially when it comes to football jigs. I like to use a 7ft M F rod for 1/4 and 5/16. I can get the same casting distance with the 1/4 as I do with 3/8 on a heavier rod. If you do downsize the rod look for jigs with a lighter wire hook. There are a bunch of great jigs on the market.

If you cant get bit this time of year, try downsizing. The bass around here have been keying in on the same smaller bait the yellow perch and crappie are feeding on. I did well on a size 8 xrap and roz 63 as far as numbers go. High pressure moved in after the rain last night, I was surprised at how active the fish were. It shut the bigger fish down, most were about 1-1.5lb with the biggest being about 2.

Im on the other side of the Delaware river from you. September was a good month for me especially the later half. Same with the beginning of Oct. the topwater bite was great until we got that really hard rain. Since then the bites been inconsistent. Got into some fish today, but had to work for them. SB and chatterbait did the best. Things should get better in the next few days.

The pics where the fish has more color and contrast then the rest of the photo are the best.

at the air temp is. The water temp is far more consistent. This past winter was really mild for the most part. The water did lock up for 5 or 6 days in January, so I just fished creeks and spillways. Im always amazed how a few hours of sun exposure will cause a hatch. Other then a few really good days in Dec and Jan , Febuary as a whole was excellent for numbers and size. March was colder then Feb, but by the 2nd week in march the fish were schooling and the chatterbait was wreckn em. Ned rigs are great, but they take a lot of time to use. I really like tight lining a 3" EasyShiner on a 3/64 or 1/16 head, it covers water faster and the fish respond to it nearly as well. A DS is a really efficient way to fish as well. Standard ned heads have a great hook up ratio, but snag so often. A DS allows you to target a specific depth especially if your fishing vertical, like bridge pilings. The other advantage is you can give the bait action while keeping it in the same spot. The rigs can be a pain in the ass as far as twists and rigging itself. I prefer the standard split/drop Gami in 1, 2, and 4, it sticks em in the roof of the mouth, hookup ratio is nearly 100% and its an inline hook so as long as your bait is rigged straight line twists wont be a major issue. Swivel shot style hooks can make life a bit easier as far line twists and shortening rigging time. I think standard hooks have a better presentation but the best swivel shot hook Ive found is the Trokar Helix. Great hookups, really sharp, inline hook, and good eye angle, the only downside being rolled points can be hard to fix.

I used to put more money in reels then rods. $150 for a rod and $200-250 for the reel. Theres some good rods out there for $150 or less and a good reel makes it feel better. Some are better then others for sure, but a reels is a mechanical device. Mechanical devices all have 1 thing in common they will fail eventually, especially reels that are used in saltwater. My work bench has 7s old reel I was looking at last night. They work but they don't feel nearly as good as they did when they were new. Rods on the other hand will work until they are broken. One of the biggest advantages rods have over reels is a warranty. The rods at the higher end of the price range can have a lifetime warranty, depending on who made the rod. As far as bass fishing goes, the rod is a better investment the reel. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying buy an NRX or a MB destroyer and put a kastking on it.

Thanks guys...Y'all are echoing what Ive heard from a couple people so far other then the Zodias casting smoother. Looking at the specs it seems like the Exprides may have an action that's a little slower compared to the Zodias. Im looking at the 7'2 MH MF Expride just to use an all purpose. Its not going to be dedicated bottom contact rod so honestly I don't need Expride sensitivity. I love throwing bladed jigs, ill probably like throwing them even more with an Expride. Ill be using it for 5/16+ swim jigs, ripping traps, jigs every so often and depending how it loads skipping. I would imagine with shipping being so backlogged, even if your Johnny on the spot with your order it may be hard to get a Zodias. I appreciate guys...Tight Lines

Ive never seen much less held an Expride because every time I went to Tackle Direct they were sold out. The other day I did get a chance fondle the 6'10 MH Zodias rod. Its an impressive rod, especially for the price. I was planning on buying an Expride later this year. If the new Zodias is close to being as sensitive as the Expride, I might just get a Zodias. Can anyone who has both the new Zodias and the Expride tell me how they compare? Thanks in advance.

The 13 Omen Black 3 @$120 has a really nice 36T blank. Its light, sensitive and I really like the actions. The only thing im not 2 crazy about the black 3s is the eyes they use on the spinning models. They work good, but they look like older style Fujis. The iROD Fiber, Ive never used this rod but there are too many people who love them to be sub par.

For me it boils down to 2 options. I'll throw smaller finesse baits to try to get numbers and hoping that eventually ill run into a better one. The other option is to throw a big jig or a 6 or 7" swimbait. Smaller fish will take shots at the jig so it produces more numbers then the bigger swimbaits. The majority the fish that hit the bigger swimbaits are a good size, but some days you may fish 8 hours and get 1 bite or none at all. The bigger fish don't seem to move as much as the smaller ones. When they go shallow to feed they don't stay long, they feed and go back into deeper water. The window of time to catch them when they are actively feeding isn't very big. Approaching storms can really fire em up, so don't hesitate to fish in poor weather. I think one of the most important factors is the moon. Pay attention to the moon phase and make every attempt to fish a couple days before and a couple after the new or full moon.

I catch most of my fish dragging them. The only thing I would recommend not doing is trying to cover as much water as possible with them if you have a limited time to fish. Just target high percentage areas. Standard ned heads really have an attraction to snags. If you haven't tried EWG ned heads give em a shot.

You can catch fish anywhere as long as you get a bait in front of them. Im in Jersey and October to March is my favorite time to fish. When the water gets down the mid 40s the fish tend to concentrate in similar areas. So once you find you can wear em out. I also found that fish aren't as spooky in the winter, so you can get away with things that would spook fish in the warmer months. That gives you a better chance at coaxing some of the bigger educated fish. Fish are looking to gain the most calories they with the least the least output. The majority of the time slowing down will yield the best results. However I've had a few days where a 3 or 4 second pause with the a jerkbait out fished the normal 8-10 count. Its important that you stay comfortable on the water. If you don't have a good pair of bibs, parka and good gloves, I would recommend getting the best gear you can.

For me the difference is really noticeable with bottom contact weights like bullet/cylinder weights and DS weights. There is a difference with jigs, but its not overwhelming. If the tungsten doesn't have contact with the bottom the only advantage is the smaller size of the weight and effect on the environment and wildlife. If your getting along with fine with lead there is no need for tungsten. Personally I like it, I figure if Im spending $300 for a sensitive rod why wouldn't I spend $3 more dollars on tungsten to maximize the advantage of a sensitive blank. Tungsten has a higher density and is harder then most other non tox metals. Using tungsten as a substitute to lead is nothing new. Tungsten isn't an easy metal to work with, it has uniformity issues especially with round shapes. Tungsten is a hard metal and can have a tendency to be brittle, tungsten jigheads can shatter when they hit docks or bridges Eventually it was found that adding small amounts of nickel and iron made the uniformity process easier which lowered manufacturing costs. Unfortunately around that same tensions in the middle East caused the government to ear mark vast quantities of tungsten for AP tungsten core rounds. With the dwindling supply and higher demand for the semi precious metal prices rose dramatically and never returned. For example a 3" 12GA non toxic waterfowl cartridge with 1.25 oz of tungsten shot went from just over $1.00 to the current price nearly $4.00 per cartridge.

If your looking to catch fish out of stump fields in cold water try a TN60 or the new 50s. You can really beat em down yo yoing. What I like about the TNs is they sit up on the bottom and you can match just about anything with the colors. They aren't cheap and I was hesitant to fish them around cover like that at first. I take the rear treble off and replace the front with a light wire trebles, so if it does get hung I can bend it out and get the bait back 9 of 10 times. If I cant get bit on the trap I throw a finesse jig or ned rig where I marked the fish and if they don't work I move on and try to find fish that are more aggressive. You can do the same thing with a blade bait really. Tighter swimming cranks will work also. Ive found the best to be a modified Shad Rap. I don't want it have that fast float. I want it to suspend or sink really really slow. I drill a hole in the chin of the bait add lead and then I throw it in a tank to see what happens. If it floats I add small amount of lead and test it again. Every Shad Rap is different so you have to guess and test until you get it right with every bait. if your going to change the trebles which I highly recommend make sure you test the bait with those trebles on. Its also important to have the water in tank as close to the temperature of the lake your fishing as possible so the densities of the water is similar. It can be a pain in the neck to get it right , but its worth the effort in the end.

Oscillation doesn't directly effect casting distance. Slower oscillation should improve line lay which in turn effects casting distance. On the other hand, if you have 2 reels, one with slower oscillation then the other, but the line lay is identical on both reels. In theory they will cast the same distance. I don't think comparing 2 different brand reels with different spool dimensions is fair. I'm definitely not the best person to explain this If you want to find out exactly whats going on you would be better off contacting Shimano. When I compare my FLs distance to my LTs its really close. The FL has the advantage but just barley. I didn't buy the FL because I was looking for greater distance. I bought it because it fishes like a $350+ reel. They could probably charge closer to $300 for the FL and people would still love them. If they did that they would have to upgrade the Sustain or stop making them. I think one of the reasons the price is so reasonable on the FL is because of the success of the LT line.

Comparing the FL to an Exceler is like comparing a Timex to a Rolex. The Rolex looks and feels great, but ultimately the Timex tells time just as well. You also have to consider the difference in price, you can get an Exceler for about $70 from ebay. You could get 3 Excelers for what you pay for an FL. All of my Daiwas have a lower gear ratio then my Shimanos. This kind of stuff confuses me sometimes so I could be wrong, but I think the rotor on a reel with a higher ratio will turn faster then a reel with a slower ratio. Spool dimensions have an effect as well, so its not really an even comparison. Im a Shimano fan as well, for years I didn't use anything but Shimanos. When the LTs came out I bought a Fuego and was impressed. Now I actually prefer Daiwas spinners over Shimanos.

Your absolutely right, the slower the oscillation the more even the line lay should be. Line lay is an important factor in casting distance and is often overlooked. I have a bunch of Penn reels that don't cast very far and the poor line lay is a big factor in that. When you compare the oscillation speed of the FL to the a long cast reel like the Ultegra, the FL doesn't seem so slow anymore. Im not dogging the FL at all, IMO the FL dollar for dollar is one of the best reels on the market, it feels closer to a $400 reel then a $200 reel. If your looking for a long stroke the Vanford and FL are the way to go depending on what your doing with it. Shimano makes more reels with taller spools, but theyre on the higher end of the scale and the price reflects that. These reels are mass produced so you could have 2 FLs in the same size and one may stack line better then the other.