GetFishorDieTryin

When I really struggle to figure a body of water out or just can't seem to get bit power fishing, I junk fish. If I want to cover water ill throw a small (3") swimbait or soft JB on a light head and fish high % winter areas/cover, like points, steep channel banks, lily root fields, lay downs and so on. Youre going to run into perch, crappie, bluegill and pickerel (if you have them) often, but you will run into bass as well. When I find crappie schooling in windblown corners, coves or points, there are often bass on the outside of the school. I like to throw small JBs over and around the school. Slower sinking lipless are a good alternative as well. Usually those are pretty fired up and will actually chase a little bit during that feeding window, which can be really short in the winter, so take advantage when you can. The little JBs I like to throw are the Rozante 77/63 and the 110Jr. Awful hard to beat the Rozy 63 when it comes to small JBs. There are some great ones out there, but WT system in the 63 makes it easy to bomb. times we try to force a piece into a place it looks like it would fit, but it just doesn't. When I hit a wall, I go to a failsafe, which for me is a small swimbait on a 1/16

A JB bite is the most fun way to catch fish, especially in the winter when most moving baits struggle. The tough part about JBing are the seemingly endless variables that come into play. Size, profile, color, action, buoyancy, sound, cadence, speed and so on. So dont get discouraged if you struggle from time to time. Throwing a JB is time consuming. Ill target higher percentage areas with a JB. After 6 or 8 casts with no takers, Ill change the color or dramatically change the cadence and timing if I really suspect there are fish there. After another half dozen casts with no luck, Ill go to a finesse swimbait, like a 3" easy shiner on a 1/16 or 3/32 if the water im targeting is deeper than 5'. When you do have success with a JB, don't be afraid to experiment with different colors. The best days you will have JB fishing will be with bold colors or just a touch of orange or chart in gin clear water and blue bird conditions. The local mill ponds/lakes around here are similar, except the max depth is usually less than 10ft. Try to find cover/structure, like stump fields, lilly roots, emergent lay downs, rocks, points, bridges and even dock pilings in shallow or moderately shallow water, (3-8") that is in close proximity to deeper water. Bridges and spillways offer cover and residual heat. If you can find a steep bank close to a bridge, it only takes a few branches or transition ot hard bottom for the fish to relate to. Personally, I would invest more into vision +1 jrs than +2s. Try tuning some JBs to sink really slow. IME In deeper water they will more readily hit a sinking bait than chase one up. For baits down to 10' I like a staysee 90. Ima starting making the foxy fry again, which can get to 10 too with the right line. Damiki Abys and the little rozantes are great deeper diving JBs. Dont sleep on cranks either. They will hit cranks consistently in frigid water. DD flap slap, shad rap, wiggle warts, R2S DD crank is great and will dive way past 10'. You just have to use lighter line and orient the tip to get the depth you want. Spy baits are really good. Takes a little while to learn how to bottom trace, but its worth it. To get best results, fish them on really light FC #4 or #6 on spinning gear. If the line is too heavy it wont shimmy well at all and makes it harder to control depth consistently. Ive also found that if you can get bit on a spybait, you can catch them on a JB and vice versa.

Larger CPS pins hold much better than smaller ones. I think you could get away with XL with the caffine shads, not so sure about the D shads though. I would get a few packs of XL and 1 of L just in case, and put them on the hooks you plan to use. You need to buy the large bottle of Mend It. I promise if you fish a lot of soft plastics like me, it will change your life. The baits you bond back together aren't as strong as they were brand new, but they hold up to a few more fish before you have to mend them again. I hold onto my damaged baits and fix them at home. I carry small bottles with me fishing for touching up, but seriously damaged baits get fixed at home. $14 may seem steep, but I promise that bottle will pay for itself several times over before you use half of it.

I would definitely upgrade to the Zbone for $20.

auxiliary port/bearing covers and roller bearings.

You didn't say that in the posted quoted to me. 5" are 3/8 without the hook. I guess you cant cast a senko over 130' so you figure it's impossible? I'm confident I could break 130' with my Weapon Jr outfit, but I don't use it for FW bass. I would bet there are people not just on this site, but on this thread that can probably break 130' with gear they use to bass fish.

A senko isnt light. The bait alone weighs 3/8 + the weight of the hook. With the right outfit, its not hard to toss one 100' consistently in practical conditions. The Curado 150M is 6.7 oz, not a heavy reel at all. The capacity isnt about running out of line. It's about retaining decent IPT at the end of cast. You get a little more torque with the 150 when compared to smaller reels. Its nice to have when pulling fish out of cover. I find the MGLs to be really versatile reels/spools. They cast light baits really well and have great distance with moderate and heavy weights. The MGL spools are fairly friendly to skip, at least thats my opinion.

I look at senkos 2 different ways, open water or skipping/pitching. For long casts in open water, I want a reel with a little bit of capacity. That way even at the end of a cast the IPT isn't bottomed out. An 8 speed would be ideal. A skipping reel doesn't have to have a ton of capacity. I want to pick up line fairly fast, but torque is important too for pulling those fish out from cover or out of docks before they can wrap you up. The first reel that comes to mind that would do everything well is the Curado 150 M. I was very impressed with the 200 Ms ergonomics. I would imagine the 150M would be even better. Right now they would be a little over $200. A more budget friendly option would be an 8 speed Tatula 100. In terms of ergonomics, its outstanding. The 100 has more capacity than a Shimano 150. The SV 100 and 150 would be good options as well. They run $220, but you can get them under 200 on sale. The SV spool would help you a ton with skipping.

That's the whole point of a BFS system is to cast ultra-light lures. There are plenty of reels that are marketed with the capability of casting baits under a gram.

There are almost too many good hooks out there and some of my favorites aren't as popular as they should be. For just straight up standard-length shank round bends, Hayabusa TBL 930 NRBs are a sleeper. They have that typical wide Hayabusa bend that holds really well. The wire is slightly thicker than some other brands, but the incredibly sharp points combine with a result in immediate hookups. The F33 Silky by Decoy is a great round bend as well. Ive been a fan of the G finesse trebles since they came out. I use a lot of smaller JBs and sometimes a #6 G finesse is too heavy, the 110 Jr is a good example. After some trial and error, I wound up giving the Ichikawa Kamakiri lights a try. A light wired O'Shaughnessy bend hook, they are virtually the same weight as the stock Vision Jr hooks and hold a point much longer. If you want the 110 Jr to suspend or slow sink in cold water, use the Kami light #8 for the tail hook and #6s for the belly and front. Standard wire Kamikiris are available as well and are good for JBs that come with heavier stock hooks, like Duos. I fish lipless traps all winter. The fihs around here like to hold in stump fields or deeper dock pilings that retain heat. I want the trap as close to the cover as I can get. I used to use longer shanked light wire hooks that are easily bent out when snagged. The problem is once bent, that cold water makes them prone to breaking if you stick a big fish without replacing the bent treble. I started using Ryugi peirce duo hooks for dragging traps around wood and docks. I do lose a fish or 2, but many times I wouldn't have been able to get close enough to the structure with 2 trebles to even get the fish to bite. It's awful hard to reach parity with Gami and Owner, but in terms of sharpness, I think Ryugi is as good or better. You do pay for that quality though as the Ryugi is the most expensive hook I suggest here. After using a bunch of flagship hooks from great companies, the good ole 2x short Triple Grip Mustads see extensive use on crankbaits and front/belly hangars on other plugs. They may not stay sharp as Gammi or Owner but they get the job done.

I was really tempted to go with a Cashion or Falcon, but in the end I figured i would see how the new Tatulas are. Eventually Ill get a heavy BFS or ML (1/8-7/16) casting rod for light shakey heads, light rubber jigs and those little 3/16 and 1/4oz crankbaits that crush in the winter and fall. That's strange. My buddy swears his Gravity can match or outperform the Curado in most practical applications. He really disliked the curado for its weight and sketchy stock performance with tiny baits, like 1/32 Trout magnets. For me the curado would probably work well enough, I just don't see the sense in spending another $80 for no major advantage. If I was paying full retail, I would get an Alphas BF or SS Air. Its either going to be a Gravity or Kestral, possibly a Kestral elite.

I like the Sierras, especially the solid tip models. I plan on using PE and the guides on the sierras are super micro. I've also heard that the 0 power moderates actually have a solid XF tip. Once the 0 powers are underload they flex deep into the blank. Does your 701 have a solid tip? I'm looking for a more traditional BFS, than the American BFS style blanks that run a little heavier. Ill end up throwing really light cranks, JBs, twitch baits and pencils, but the majority of the time it will primarily be throwing a lighter plastic with a light head. I would like it to be able to throw 1/20 and plastic, if it can throw a 1/16 thats good enough. I fish a lot of 1/16 oz micro bucktails and 1/16 mono guard spins. Sadly Reins discontinued the 3" bubbling shakers, the best straight tail trailer for the keitech micro jigs, hopefully they are still available on the JDM. My budget is about $200 for the rod, but if its perfect I would go a little higher. After our conversations in the past, the Cara was considered immediately. I want to spend about $200 on the rod. If i was looking for a heavier BFS for neds, little swing heads, micro jika rigs and what not, the recommendations and excitement of trying a new brand out would be worth the extra $. I've heard the Cashion BFS described the same way as the Cara, in that they will throw some of the lighter stuff, but the sweet spot is 1/8-5/16. Sounds almost too good to be true, but I believe it. I might look into one in the spring to mess with weakfish, fluke and schoolie bass, especially if they can fish a wander 80 or underwalker 85.

Its time I give this BFS a real try. I just have to figure out what Im going to get rod and reel wise. I'll likely wind up with the Ark BFS reel, unless I can find a deal on a Kestrel elite. The rod is a little more challenging. It needs to be able to throw a 1/16 head with a 2-3.5" swim/minnow roughly 50'. Ive got it down to a few rods, but don't really know how they compare. Major Benkei BF 6'7 L F Cork Tatula 6'10 L F Ark Gravity BFS 6'8 L XF Phenix Classic BFS L XF Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse 6'9 L F Cashion Element Z2 6'10 ML F If any of you guys have experience with 1 or more of these rods, let me know what you think. I really like the Phenix and Ark. The solid tip of the phenix will be great for minnows and neds alike. The Major Craft is intriguing too, I just don't have any experience with them. If you guys had to pick one, which one would you get and why? TYIA

If you make it home, its a good day.

You better be able to account for your finances if you carry that thing around.

Yes With the rods I use, a heavy action rod for me is for cover or baits over 1oz. For moving baits a H power mod action is ideal, for heavier bladed jigs, A rigs, or even heavy lipless baits or big spinner baits. Power and action is relative to brand and even different lines within brands. In the case of Dobyns, their H power is a super versatile action and power, which translates well to a MH. It's really all dependent on what brand and what you want to do with it.

Since Fuji decided to axe the Ti Alconnite guides, Ti Sics have become the best value guide IMO. I still use rods with everything from Type Os to Torzites and Havent cracked any eyes in close to 10 years. Ive heard that SiC guides are prone to hairline cracks, but Ive never had problems with either the slim or standard SiC. Torzite guides are as hard as alconite, but are as thin as slim SiCs, offer the least friction and great durability for a noticeable increase in price, more so than Fazlite/Alconite to Ti Sics. For FW fishing I would worry more about the blank than the guide train so long as its Fuji Faz/Alc or better.

Theres plenty of weight to a shad rap, especially the larger ones. The real issue with them is the weight to profile ratio. They're big flat and catch wind like a kite. Even the super shad raps @1oz have terrible casting properties. I used Shad Raps in the winter for years. I used to weight mine. Instead of loading it with syrup, I would drill a little hole in the chin and pour lead in small increments, testing it to get a super slow sink or suspension in a large bucket left outside. With the inconsistency of natural balsa, no 2 baits would take the same amount of lead to suspend. Its a PITA, and time consuming, but the results are undeniable. Back then there weren't too many flatsides that were similar. Now, there are quite a few. They cost a lot more, especially if you want balsa. I suppose shad raps aren't cheap anymore either, well over double what I used to pay.

When you have a 7'6 L power rod, its going to be really soft, almost 1 dimensional. With ML blanks, even F actions have a progressive bend under load. Youre not going to tear out too many hooks, is any at all. Daiwas higher $ 7'6 m-ml/ml+ are great. The Steez 7'6 ML+ "The One" is one of the only mass produced rods that I think was worth the money. Its rated 1/16-3/4, the 3/4 is a little optimistic, but it can fish 1/16 to 5/8 very effectively. With the price increase they're close to $700 now. Talula Elite did have a blank in its last gen that was very close. The Feider M-ML was rated 3/32-1/2. (i think) The newer Feider AGS is 3/16-1/2. Supposedly it hasn't really changed very much. Daiwa introduced the Johnson, a lighter 7'6 ML AGS 1/16-5/16. The Johnson is a light hair jig rod, where the Feider is a hair jig/neko, just more power in the mid-section and lower end to set a heavier hook. What's weird is the Tatula Elites have the Chris Johnson and its the same rating as the Elite AGS Feider. It doesn't have the AGS guides, which make it a little less sensitive and have a little more weight in the tip. Those ML+ Tatulas can be hard to get at times. If you can find a shop that has one, make sure ot check it out. Im not saying the other rods are bad. The 7'2 Expride is great and I would think the 7'6 is too is too, but I've no experience with it. Good Luck.

The more progressive action in the Dobyns blanks is ideal for easy pitch and roll casts. Stiff rods don't load as easily. Even with with a stiff rod, you should be able to lob a light T rig 30' without too much trouble. I think Dobyns makes an outstanding rod, but you get more for your money with the Shimano. The 7'2 MH expride is about as close as you can get to a perfect MH that's mass produced.

In my mind there are 2 basic materials, natural, synthetic, natural/synthetic mix. There are 2 basic materials. wool synthetic-polyester, treated (waterproof) polyester (GoreTex, DWR, Aspire and so on) fleece, neoprene and combinations. Each material has advantages and disadvantages. Pro-Wool is fairly inexpensive in comparison, naturally insulating even when wet and very durable. Con-Wool can be bulky and heavy especially when wet, likes to hold onto hooks, absorbs water readily so you have to limit exposure to water and slime/doesnt offer great grip (some wool gloves will have a leather/synthetic palm or coating which sheds water and allows grip), once wet takes a long time to dry, so its best you remove 1 glove if you have to revive a fish or grab one out of the water. Pro- Polyester is light, drys quickly, easy to clean/maintain, waterproof available, can offer some sensitivity depending on thickness/insulation. Con- Polyesters negatives are that it's got no insulation naturally, needs to have a palm for grip, insulation for warmth, relies on stitching/bonding for grip/insulation which can fail overtime. Pro-Neoprene is truly waterproof, offers good grip and comfort, flexible one warm, fairly inexpensive. Dries quickly. Con-Neoprene can be prone to dry rot if not stored properly, can be cut or holed fairly easily, relies on stitching/bonding, is dependent upon insulation in cold weather for warmth (usually thin fleece lining), longer cuffs can be bulky, but shorter cuffed options are plentiful. Eventually enough heat will bleed out to make your hands cold. Once your hands get cold you have to take them offf and warm your hands in a pocket or heavier set of gloves. There are 2 basic styles of glove and a hybrid style which are any good for anglers. Pro-Fingerless (warm) Gives you the ability to access pockets without removing, feel line/ control spool, tie knots, use touchscreens. Con-Not as warm, inside will get wet, but the right pair will dry quickly Pro-Full gloves (warmer) Fingers being covered will stay warmer, hand can stay dry (in theory) Cons- You lose sensitivity with any glove thicker than a liner, will have to take off to search pockets, cannot feel like or spool, cant tie knots Glomitts (warmest) Offer the best of both worlds (in theory), both wool and synthetic options are effective, allows quick access to fingers, often have a holed thumb Glomitts are bulky, must take off to access pockets tackle bags, 0 water resistance, fingers/thumb are generally longer than true fingerless gloves which means you don't have as exposed skin to feel line or spool, mitten often gets in the way when not in use Open/cut gloves are gloves with access to 1-2 fingers and thumb via holes missing tips. Warmer than fingerless, offer quick access to fingers without bulk of glomitt No way to waterproof, will not dry on hand if submerged, not much warmer than fingerless without the benefit of sensitivity. The gloves I wear the most are discontinued insulated Guide Wear fingerless gloves. If they are still available, I'm sure good ole Johnny has decreased the quality. Glacier gloves and monkeys' paw or whatever they're do make a similar product. I do really like fingerless wool gloves too. good pairs are generally warmer than fingerless synthetics, but you have to keep them pretty dry. Once wet they still insulate, but not very well. synthetic fingerless gloves don't absorb water and will dry very quickly. I carry a pair of wool and synthetic fingerless in my coat. I will have glomitts and full neoprene gloves, either in the boat and or vehicle. I used to have off most of the winter and with as much as I duck hunted one would think it was my only source of food. Spent hundreds of hours paddling and punting a layout boat and can't imagine how many spreads I've picked up. Neoprene gloves and a good parka/wading jacket with a cinchable neoprene cuff tightened over the wrist of the neoprene gloves will keep hands from getting wet and water from running down your sleeve. Most paddles come with rubber like washers that slide onto the shaft. They help keep water from running onto your hands and in your yak.

13 has some really great budget rods. Defy black @$60 and the new Jynx @$70 Okuma has a really nice one. By feel it's on par with the Aird X in terms of build quality, weight and the components were a little higher quality. I just can't remember the name. The Dobyns Frenzy, a DSG exclusive rod really impressed me. I really like Dobyns approach to blank, how they classify them and most of all BALANCE. The lightest rod in the world would fish like crap if it's not balanced. I was really impressed with the Frenzy's feel and weight. I don't know if its the full cork handle or what, but it felt considerably better than Colt, Maverick and even Fury. I think they run $80, but if it performs anything like I think it would, its a winner for sure. Ark makes an outstanding budget rod. I think there are rods with better build quality and definitely better components, but Ark scores high for the blanks they use. 36T toray blank rods <$100 are very rare, much less $60. One great thing about Ark is that they are like perpetually on sale. I think right now, you can get... 2 Invoker Limiteds (retail $250) for $300 2 Invoker tours(retail $180) for $240 3 previous gen Catalyzers(retail $60) for $100 They only make a few models in the casting line, but they're versatile blanks.

You would think that would be a more serious issue with Shimano vs Daiwa. Its fitting that the 2 largest and overall best large reel manufacturers like Shimano and Daiwa have polar opposite mentalities relative to tooth design. The smaller micro module design have more teeth mating when compared to Daiwa's larger Digi gear. I'm curious if anyone has done the math and compared the overall surface area between Daiwa and Shimano. Ive been impressed ith the newer Penn gears. While they arent Daiwa/Shimano smooth, they have gotten worlds better. Also, the gears themselves handle wear better than I expected, the teeth just look polished.

The rear grip length is the same, so the difference in length will be all blank. Both will be great finesse rods, so you really can't lose. The decision comes down to personal preference in action and what techniques you use most. The 6'10 would be really good for little JBs and pretty much everything finesse. I generally like a longer ML for bottom contact and covering water. The 7'2 would give you good depth control and allow you to move more line quickly vs the 6'10, which is a good attribute for strolling. When it comes to actually getting a minnow jig to roll, I would think the 6'10 would be the better choice. Just my opinion.

Is that knock off, or like a short run bait? Ive got OG Excals, but most colors are bluegill and pumpkinseed colors which I didn't use much. Most of the staple colors I had were lost due to attrition over the years.