GetFishorDieTryin

As far as I understand the DC system is micro chip that senses spool speed and applies brakes as needed to get optimal casting distance without over runs. I read that it can read and apply brakes up to a 1000 times a second or something like that. All DC systems aren't equal, the more expensive reels have DC8 while the SLX and Curado have DC4. Some people talk about DC reels like they are the end all be all braking system that turn a casting gear novice into a veteran over night, but its not true. At least with the DC4 systems its not true, Ive never used the higher grade DC reels so I cant comment on them. Im not saying that the DC system doesn't work because it does and it works well, its just isn't the miracle some people claim it to be. I think the best thing about DCs is the versatility. If you change lures from a 3/8oz jig to a 1/2oz flat sided crankbait and cast without adjusting anything you wont blow up your spool. If you do want to dial the reel in for something specific you don't have to take the side plate off, you just change the setting and or adjust spool tension if needed. The DC system pretty much simplifies things and allows some room for error.

Yes, your right the more brake/tension statement isn't the most accurate way to explain exactly whats going on in each setting. I have noticed with my SLX DC that I gradually lose casting distance when I go from 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4 no matter what kind of line I use. Your right the more brake/tension statement isn't the most accurate way to explain how to dial in a DC reel. Im not 100% sure what the differences are between settings, but I would think its more complicated then more or less brakes. He said that he had set his reel according to the manual so I would imagine he has read the manual and knows what setting is recommended for the line hes using. That was just the shortest and simplest way I could think of to explain how to possibly solve the issue.

Personally I find it more difficult to fish downhill especially if its steep because you have to use a heavier weight dig in and stop it from falling down the slope. If you hop that jig to hard its going to move much farther down the slop then you want it to. If your fishing uphill you can get away with a much lighter weight and the line stop it from sliding into deeper water, but that's just my opinion. Other then that hes spot on IMO.

That's a really good point that I have never heard anyone else say. I run my slx DC loose and my thumb is just over top the line on the spool so if it starts to fluff I feel it right away and take of it. The only time I go above 2 on the brakes is if the wind is howling. What part of the cast does the line start to get squirrely? If its happens just after you cast the brakes should be higher. If it gets bad at the end of the cast the spool tension should be higher.

Fish are line shy in most of the lakes around me. Theres a noticeable difference when you go from heavier to mono to fluro especially with quality fish. Ill use straight braid in most heavy cover other then wood if I have to. The majority of braid I use is on spinning gear, but I always have a leader tied on. Leaders have advantages over straight braid. Even braids without a waxy coating slip on clinch style knots. Palomar knots are great but they eat up line pretty fast. I like that braid has almost 0 stretch but like to have a little give. I like alberto knots there incredibly strong when tied well. There also really small, I use a leader length so that the knot is in between the reel and first guide when im casting and you wont feel it running through the guides. You do have to make sure you trim the tag of the leader so none of it sticks out.

Not sure if you can take a bunch of 1 kind of lure or just 1 lure and that's it. If you can take a decent amount, bucktails would be the way to go. You can go anywhere in the world and catch fish on a bucktail. If you can bring 1 and only 1 then theres no better option then a 3/4oz. kastmaster. Just like the bucktail, kastmasters can be dragged, burned, hopped, jigged and just about anything else you can imagine. You wouldn't have to worry about being destroyed by toothy fish.

I was 12 or 13 when the wooden handled ones came out. $120 was a lot of money as a kid, so we would buy a 4k and use it for everything. They held up surprisingly well given the circumstances. When you fish almost everyday with the same reel you're more likely to have issues caused by wear. If the workload is shared between 3 or 4 reels your much less likely to have problems. Having said that I didn't have any problems with mine other then bail separating from the bail assembly and the roller bearing wearing out every year.

There were at least 2 white straidc I know. The FJ with the black handle was the newer model. I cant remember if the older with the wooden handle is called the FI,FE, FA something with an F lol. As far as value goes im not so sure about them being worth a lot of money. There not old enough to be vintage and not new enough to be modern. At the time when they came out they were great especially for the price. I still see people using them quite often which is a testament to the build quality . Even though they great reels being close to 20 years old parts are going to fail sooner or later depending on how you maintain them. I see parts on ebay ranging from fair to unreasonably high. If you were planning on buying them to fish with I would suggest getting a reel is currently in production. My buddy had 3 of them. Somehow he bent the spool shaft and when he took it to get worked on dude told him there was no way to get a new one to fix it. So hes just going to use the broken reel for spare parts in the future.

The mojo bass rods aren't bad at all for the price. I had an accident with automatic windows right before the mojos hit the market and broke 3 croixs, an avid and 2 premiers. I preordered the DS 6'10 ML XF and got it a week later. Its a good rod, light and well balanced unlike the premier split grips. Since first generation mojos came out they have upgraded the graphite to SCIII and put a better guide train on it. I use that 6'10 for just about everything from light surf to stream fishing for smallies and its never let me down. The gel coat around the hook keeper is worn away exposing the thread. The 7'1 M should throw plastics fairly well. The 7'1 used to be XF for wacky rigs so it may be a little stiff for keeping trebles pinned. May be a bit heavy for 1/16 or 1/10 ned heads. Your going to like it and probably be buying another 1 soon.

It would work, you can skip just about anything. A weightless senko is easy to skip that's why I suggested that to start out with. Once you start adding weights it can be a little more difficult to skip at first but with a few hours of practice you should be proficient enough with it to actually apply it in a real world situation. Jigs, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, and shakey heads are little more difficult because nearly all of the weight is at one end. So start with senkos and work your way up to jigs. I forgot to say this in my first comment but practice on open water and as you build confidence then try the docks and laydowns with the easiest access. Traditional neko weights like the Damikis and VMCs that have a mushroom or ball shape can be jarred out of a worm relatively easy. I like to use Swaggers pagoda nails. The only way your going to lose them is if you lose the whole worm. I haven't used them but Mustad makes an exposed neko weight called the titanX (I think) that looks like it would stay in, there just not cheap. Hope this helps

I think the most important thing to remember is let the fish tell you what to do. Whether its using a different cadence long/shorter pause or sinking/floating bait. The temperature IMO is what dictates what kind of JB to start with. When the water is cold 46* and under or in a cooling trend Im throwing slow sink or suspending JB. When the water is warm or on a warming trend a floating JB can be the way to go. Generally I fish a slow sink or suspending JB from late fall early winter until the water is in the low 50s then a floating JB comes into play. Im in South Jersey and the fish start to really feed up when the water temp approaches 50*. During that prespawn period sinking/suspending and slow/slow float can work. In that case like I said if the water has been warming ill start with a slow float and if its been cooling off ill start with a slow sink/suspending. Hope this helps

Never used the spark shad or hazedong yet but will be ordering some for the late fall and winter. Its not terribly often, but I've had a handful of days where that prop made all the difference in catching more and better fish then my buddy who is using the same bait on a standard jighead. Imapct shads and bubbling shakers have done well for me when the fish are finicky and or the water is low to mid 30s. You do have tails getting bit off of them too, but not as often. I use wheel heads for 2.5 to 3" baits. I use the okashiras for baits that are a little bigger and when the fish are in a more active mood. The only thing I don't like about the MB screwhead is the 1/16 tends to cause line twists. Vike makes a decent prop head and you can get it in a bunch of different weights and sizes. There really isn't an effective bait keeper on the Vike heads, its just a little rubber stop that I think is meant more for the prop then as a bait keeper. I just tie a small piece of thick mono or fluro onto the shank it works really well.

If you haven't ever skipped anything and want to learn how, start with a 5 inch senko on spinning gear just to build muscle memory and get the trajectories down. The notion that using spinning gear will make it harder to learn on casting gear makes no sense to me. Its kind of like saying driving an automatic transmission will make you forget how to drive stick, it just doesn't work that way. You have to walk before you can run, so once you get the hang of the angles and distances with a senko on spinning gear go to casting gear but keep using the senko. Start off with near max brakes and mono. It may be a good idea to make a 40 or 50ft cast and put electrical tape over the spool so even if you blow the reel up you wont lose more then 50ft. It can be frustrating, but the payoff is worth the effort.

Im not certain what you mean by OP. Saying it is a back to back clinch knot is fair I suppose. If I likewise had to give a vague and brief description of a Blood knot, I would say to head to head rather then back to back. Pictured below is what I know as a Blood knot. 474 x 562 · jpeg Wikipedia Though the knot in the video may be described as a "Back to back clinch knot" of sorts, the finished product appears to be different then knot pictured above.

Surprisingly it does work. I would think he wouldn't have posted that video if he didn't have confidence in the knot. I got away with it for years as a young kid thinking I was tying a Uni Uni. Just like a legit Uni Uni or Blood knot if the leader and main lines were similar in diameter it was a fairly reliable knot. Not that I would recommend it.

He tying the knot wrong. When I was a kid I looked at a how to diagram of uni uni in a store and tried to memorize it. I think this is a combination of misremembering and habit especially if you tie a lot of clinch knots. I used that knot for years and never had any practical issues even with some cow stripers. Most of the failures would occur trying to winch big fish wrapped in pounds of thick carpet like grass that was so thick after the breakoff the fish was stuck on top of the mat. I had to swim out 2 times to save the fish and get my swimbait back. I was using 15 or 20 lb blue label to 20 or 30lb PP or suffix. Shock will break it as well. Even with a correctly ties Uni Uni using lines of dissimilar diameter causes issues. IMO if you can learn how to tie a clean Alberto you shouldn't have any problems bass fishing. I tie a decent FG and PR but rarely use them. 100% not a blood knot

Its shaped like an arrowhead somewhat and comes through surprisingly well. If you feel it catching on grass give it a rip and it usually clears. If I cant keep the grass off a SH I go to a Jika or chicken rig.

I have the Avid 610 ML XF and the Avid 7 ML F there good rods. One of the 7ft Avids and 2 7 ML F Premiers were victims of my VW Passats automatic windows, it was like a nightmare. The Mojos were just about to come out so I ordered one of the DS rod I think its 6 10 or 6 9 but its ML XF and its a good rod. The lakes are 3 or 4ft average in my area. 3/16 is the heaviest weight ive used even with casting gear. Im not big on using casting gear for DS or big ned rigs. I feel like I dont have as much control. Ill go to a M if im casting a DS with a bigger T rigged bait. I use braid to a fluro leader just about all the time. If its really cold and im having trouble with the braid freezing ill go to co polymer all the fluro ive used really stiffens up in water below 40*.

I just might. I always have a 3" keitech with a 1/16 jig head tied on so that rod got my attention right away. If I had one custom built it would be a 7'4 XF but it would be 1/16-5/16 just because the water is so shallow its hard to tight line an 1/8 slow enough without picking up grass. I really like the handle on the crusher but the eyes on it look like they were designed 30 years ago lol. That G2 really looks cool, not to many rods like that around. Ill have the put iRod on the list. With no backorders and shipping times being delayed I have so much tackle I have to replace not to mention new tackle and gear, seems overwhelming at times. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it, Tight Lines.

Most of the time I like Shakey Heads that help the bait stand up as straight as possible. The standard and wide gap mega strike heads are good heads if you like screw locks and as long as the bottom is somewhat level they present the worm close to a 90 degree angle. The Secret Lures Wide Gap is a good head 2. The position of the line tie makes the head pivot forward with tension and backwards on slack line. I can give the bait alot of action without moving it very far at all. Ive been using the zman products the past few years and you can get them on a screw lock but it can be tricky. I started trying out non screw lock SH. For thinner baits like trick worms and senkos my absolute favorite is the Gamakatsu Trickey head. It comes through grass and rocks well and it has a G-finesse hook that is just crazy sticky. Most of the non screw lock EWG heads have trouble getting the bait to stand straight up. If I have to have a bigger profile bait stand straight up I use the Cumberland Pro skip gap, its uses a 4/0 Gami skip gap hook. Its not a thick wire hook but ive never had any issues with them bending. The last 2 heads make the bait stand at about a 60 degree angle which is plenty most of the time and I think it makes the bait pendulum better on the fall. The VMC rugby head works pretty well. They make a finesse rugby head with a lighter wire hook that I use on lighter gear sometimes. My favorite is EWG non screw lock SH is the Trokar Scorpion SH. It has a plastic keeper on it that works well with most baits. It has a football like head with a flat bottom. Its got one of them 30* degree hooks that you see on jigs sometimes so its not a true EWG hook but its got more gap then a standard hook and has plenty of room for the GrandeBass Airtail Rattlers I like to throw. These heads have worked for me so I hope this helps.

I just started looking into irod a couple months ago. Seems like everyone that has 1 seems to love them, I haven't heard any complaints at all. I like St Croix because even when I buy a rod I haven't seen in person I know what to expect for the most part. I don't think any shops within a few hours of me carry them, I may be able to order one through tackle direct that way I can check it out without buying it first. I like the trokar and mosquito lite, but IMO the split/drop is hard to beat, sticks em just about every time.

Im a St Croix guy as well. Other then the mojo they are all made in the US. Loomis is made in the US but IMO you get more for the money with Croix until you spend nearly $500. I bought a 13 fishing Muse on a total whim last black Friday/cyber Monday because the no one had the levante or zodias i wanted. I ordered a 7'1 M F casting rod and really regretted it until I actually got it. Its a light rod and with a true fast action. It has good quality EVA grips, I do prefer cork but its not a deal breaker. The muse reminds me of an avid with the light weight and the way it fishes and honestly I think I like the MUSE as much or better. If the Muse spinning rods are anything like the casting rods they would be great. Years ago I thought about buying a revo but I heard about the AR failing in cold conditions so I went with one Daiwa LTs and am glad am I did. I cant praise them enough, I have an exceler, 2 fuegos and a ballistic. I have beaten one of the fuegos to death in everything from crappie to bluefish and stripers in the surf since sept of 17 and it hasn't missed a beat. You can get them for $80 on ebay and I don't think there is a reel that can come close to it at the price point.

I prefer a ML XF to DS with most of the time. I feel I get a better hookset with the XF compared to the F. In South Jersey where I live most of the lakes are 5ft or less average depth other than Union lake. Even in deeper water the ML XF is fine as long as your somewhat vertical. If Im trying to cover water or think I may spook the fish if get to close to the structure or feature there on I go to a M F. When it comes to ned rigs a ML fast is ideal t keep the hook pinned and to minimize tearing. I use the same ML XF DS rod for ned rigs and it does fine. For me 3 rods would cover DS and ned rigs. I don't have one but I would imagine the GLX 822 with a ci4 1000 would be an excellent set up to DS with not to mention small JBs, small swimbaits, neko rigs and wacky rigs just to name a few. I have to say this is only my opinion and what I like to use. Hopefully this helps.

It did seem like certain colors of pointer minnows weren't as easy to come by a few years ago as they are now. That could be due to LC producing more of the popular colors. Just like anything else popularity of baits can run in cycles. Personally I consistently use the LC silent and DRS more then other any bait from LC. I did read a few reviews saying that the newer LC silents have been having issues. Supposedly they start to rattle if they take a decent impact. Some people think that they are just taking rattling crankbaits and gluing the bbs to the inside of the bait to make them silent. Has anyone here had issues with new LC silent crankbaits doing the same thing?

Lots of good braids to choose from. Suffix 832 and Power Pro V2 are both great. Personally I haven't used Berkley x5 or x9 but my buddies really like it. For the money there is a brand called Vicious that sells for $12 a spool and its good. You can feel the weave in it so you can cut through grass and vegetation of you need to, but it still casts very well. 8 to 15lb test is ideal IMO. I like to use thinner 10lb braids to get more casting distance. Braid doesn't break easily so some people go down to 8 others feel more comfortable with 15. Its a good idea to get it in a HI VIS color since your going to run a leader to it anyway. You can see bites with a bright braid that you may not feel. As for a leader knot the alberto is easy to tie, very small and really strong. Hope this helps.