GetFishorDieTryin

Hair jigs are killer man. They can be a pain to clean if they get slime on them, but they for sure work. Theyre surprisingly expensive and there isn't a ton of companies that put them out, I tie my own. I fish them most often in cold water, so I want to get the slowest fall rate possible. The Gamakatsu Round Jighead in a 1/16 is my favorite jighead to use. The longer collar allows you to add as much hair as you want as long as it has a light wire hook. I like to use synthetic craft hair because it seems to have more buoyancy then natural hair and you can get it in just about any craft store. You want to use the longest strands of hair you can get to create drag. Once you finish tying it, you can trim it down if you need to. I use wax thread to secure the hair to the collar, because I have it to tie flies with, you don't need to go out and buy it just about any kind of thread will work. You can use nail polish on the wrapped thread instead of fly cement. Once the hair gets wet it sticks together and the profile is much smaller. I like to cut 3/4" piece off plastic worm and slide it down the shank . That way the hair cant clump together tighter then width of the worm.

4s and 6s should cover most them. Mustad triple grips aren't bad for the money.

Ive got a Fuego 2500 on a 1st gen. Mojo DS. Its a solid combo that can cover a bunch of finesse techniques. That combo has really taken a beating over a few years. The finish on the Mojo has faded around the guides and the wrapping on the hook keeper has started to unwind, but it works great. Ive never fished the tatula rods but I got a chance to fondle one recently. Light rod with a good action and decent cork. Ive heard great things about iROD but no one sells them around here so I cant comment on them, but I would imagine there good rods to many people rave about them for them be sub par. Mojos are good for the money, there light and fairly sensitive. The power ratings on the casting rods can be on the lighter side. One rod that has really surprised me is the O13 Omen Black 3 @$140. They have good 36T blank that's light and sensitive, actions are accurate and I love the reel seat. A bunch of my friends told me to check out the Dobyns. I wasn't blown away with them. They aren't the lightest rods and even the Champion felt heavy to me. No doubt there good rods, just not what I prefer. If I was going to spend $150 I would go with the Omen or the Tatula. If you spend $50 more you get a Zodias and honestly there really hard to beat.

The line lay on my FL isn't that much better then my FK. The line doesn't change directions as many times during a cast with the taller spool. There is a slight increase in distance, but its negligible and IMO doesn't warrant upgrading to the FL if you have an FK based on increased distance alone. The FK is smooth but as far precision goes the FL is on another level.

Megabass has found that metal is the best material to transmit vibration. They use titanium in their rods to increase sensitivity. Carbon composites and graphite tend to dampen vibration.

For bass fishing the Vanford is the way to go, 1.5 oz is a lot of weight. The FL is a great reel especially for the price. The frame is material is the biggest difference between the 2. If your just bass fishing you don't have to worry about the material flexing or anything like that. Looking for a reel is like looking for a puppy, when you get a good in your hands odds are its going home with you. When the FL comes throw it on the rod and see where the balance is. If its to far back return it and get the Vanford. Or keep the FL and see if you can get an Exceler or Fuego, there not as light or as precise as the Vanford but are great reels for the money.

I don't thin you can demo reels from TW anymore. If you were looking at a specific reel on there was a demo reel button, not sure if they have it anymore.

If you've been throwing a crank with a wide wobble try a flat sided crank like a shallow shad rap. Try a Keitech or any other swimbait you have on a jighead and or underspin.

Don't forget a chatterbait

If theres a good chop on the water and the boat is constantly bobbing up and down a heavier weight isn't going to help a whole lot. If the wind is bowing the line keep the rod tip low, and if that doesn't work put the tip of the rod in the water, hope this helps. GL

The only time I use the big TRDs is when the bottom is grassy and the fish may have trouble seeing the smaller TRD. I use a Flatlands EWG in 1/0 or 2/0. There are a bunch of different ned heads around now, if you want a standard jighead they wont be hard to find.

Ur better off going with Flatlands, Lifted Jigs or Owners EWG Block Head. I haven't used the EWG block head so im not sure how big there 1/0 is. Lifted Jigs have a 1/0 VMC that fits the 2.75 better then the Flatlands weedless ned head. Flatlands heads come in 1/0 or 2/0 Gami. Gamakatsus' 1/0 is a little long for the 2.75 TRD but will work in a pinch. I use the flatlands for the hula sticks. Elaztech can be a pain to get on a screwlock, but it can be done. I like the Gamakatsu tricky shakey head when im using elaztech.

TY...Ive actually seen the video but I didn't remember him saying anything about where the rod balances. The FL is a little heavier then some other reels of the same size. I was curious how well it would balance.

For sure...To many people concentrate on just the reel for distance, the rod is just as or even more important.

In sand and gravel they work great, but in grass and wood I haven't done to well with them. The other I have with them has to do with confidence and really isn't backed up by any proven facts. I feel like those wires can stop the jighead from getting to deep in a fish mouth and the hookset will just blow the mouth of the fish open. Again that scenario is just theoretical, the possibility of it in my mind causes doubt which isn't good for confidence. I felt the same way about Picassos titanium wire weed guards. After just a few weeks of using them, I think there pretty good.

The Owner Jungle hooks have done really well for me, the wire guard is perfect. You don't have to use a wacky style hook though. I don't like VMC as a whole, but they have put out a couple products I really like, the rugby head and the neko hook. #1 and #2 weedless neko are great as far hook up %, but what I really like is that It almost always sticks em in the roof of the mouth. Another great wacky hook is the 2/0 Owner Mosquito, just like the VMC neko its not an inline hook and that really helps with the hook up % and like any owner hook I've used they're sharp. The Mosquitos are cheap compared to some other wacky hooks and theyre good for nekos, DS, and some ppl use them for live bait.

100% on the money...In 28 years of fishing these may be the worst hook I've ever used.

I understand the logic and it makes sense. I lose some crankbaits here and there, but I lose far more chatterbaits. Chatterbaits seem to excel here from late Feb-June. I spend $120-$180 on mostly replacements and a few different colors or new brands to try out. If I were to throw jackhammers the majority of the time it would nearly double the cost. There is one saving grace, I prefer to throw 1/4oz chatterbaits until around mid April and as far I know they don't make 1/4oz jackhammers.

I like the Owner finesse heads because you can just about any size hook with the weight you need. Not a big fan of this company as a whole, but the VMC Rugby Heads have performed really well for me also.

I really like the Zman TW custom CBs, but with estimated shipping time being over 4 weeks I had to look elsewhere to replace lost baits. Im in NJ and I found out Picasso is based out of PA and the processing time was no more then 2 days which made estimated shipping time a total of 4 days which was great. I ordered a bunch of the 1/4 shock blades. I wasn't crazy about the blade not being able to articulate any less then 45* degrees back towards the hook. The Picassos don't vibrate as hard as the project z's and customs, but I still did well on them. The Pro Shocks seem a little better but they don't come in 1/4 oz.

Flat side cranks have more subtle wobble. They look more natural then wide wobbling baits in cold water. Same goes for really warm water or pressured fish. I love flat side cranks, but they can be a little tricky to cast in a cross wind. Most of them are balsa which makes them really light. More and more companies are getting into flat sides and adding weight transfer systems to help with distance, they can get expensive, but its worth it if that's what the fish want. I like a few of different but I have the most confidence in the Shad Rap. The smaller ones will work on days when its hard to get bit on anything else. If you really want to you can drill a hole in one and add weight until you get it to suspend, then you have a deadly winter bait.

where does it balance with the FL on it?

You may want to use mono at first. If you blow up a spool of mono its aggravating but if you blow up a spool of tatsu your out 30 bucks. DCs are great for someone just getting into casting gear. Daiwas SV spools are easy to use too. There are some good rods for a little more then $100. I don't have 1, but there are a lot of people who love the iROD fiber. The 13 Omen 3 is $140 but its a good deal for the price. Shimano Intenzas feel good 2.

I did something similar to first gen StradicCI4, but I know what caused it. To avoid knots in the braid I from reeling in slack line I would pin the line against the blank with my finger to put tension on it. As the roller would go from 12 o'clock to 9 o'clock the tension would cause the line to come off the roller and rub against the bail arm. I didn't realize it was to late. The braid had worn a rough channel in the bail arm. I think its probably line wear. Did you ever use braid on that reel? I would think fluro or mono could do it too, but not without damaging the line itself. Do you use the reel as hook keeper?

I fish a bunch of blackwater lakes that don't have shad. The bass and certain kinds of bluegill have a light chartreuse pearl hue to the bellies. Its not easy to find a bait with a large amount of that color on it. The closest I have found is Imas' Bluegill pattern, LC BE gill is good too . That color seems to make a difference especially in the spring and fall. Im not saying shad colors wont work, because they do, Ive just consistently done better with colors that match the forage a little more. The fish in shadless lakes don't seem to key in on just smaller fish higher in the water column. Craws seem to be most consistent food source. So just because you see a school of shiners getting busted, don't hesitate to throw a jig or creature bait. That's a good way to target the better fish around the school that are just waiting for an easy meal. I don't understand why the fish key in on red in my area. We have some lighter color clay, like tan and orange but no red. When I was a kid my buddys favorite lure was a rooster tail with a crimson red blade, body and hackle. In the spring that rooster tail would catch as many or more bass then the black blue fleck senkos I was throwing. The size of the fish was also similar. Years later I learned that red was a killer in the spring. He just picked out the red roster tail because it was his favorite color lol.