Masaccio

I also had the same question and decided on the 200, just based on what I could pick up from YouTube, item descriptions and comparisons, and the rod it's going on (Falcon Amistad 7.3.) I was looking for a little confirmation about the choice and pairing. Seems about right(?)

Wow. Thanks for offering a meeting (I'm around Branchville). Does this forum provide for PM?

This rod is a great recommendation, especially coming from a local fisherman. I tend to overspend to compensate for cluelessness. I'm looking forward to experiencing this reasonably priced rod. (As for the bait - thank you again. 3/16 isn't even getting down there, is it?) I also noticed in YT videos the recommendation of skinny plastics that you also mentioned. I'm looking forward to putting all of this together.

Oh, heck. Me too I was just trying to be funny and play along. Not always my strong point. Used a spinning rod. I was giving slack after it landed so it would go to bottom. Right angles and lanes? Are there wrong ones? Inaccurate casting. Definitely needs work. Rod tip high. Who knew? Operator error. Oh yeah. After watching a few punching videos, I see that even though rigs can be weedless, bass certainly are not!

It's easy to tell popular ones 'cause they're sold out right now. The few I have in my Wishlist for consideration: iROD Air Series Casting Rod 7'7" Bub's Flipping Stick Shimano Expride A Casting Rod 7'3" Extra Hvy Lamiglas SI Bass Casting Rod 7'3" Heavy Dobyns Champion XP Flippin' Rod 7'6" Heavy 766 Im not a big guy so lighter is better.

Whatever else is happening, a heavy rod sounds like a good idea. You can't even talk frogs and spinner baits without one, right? 1oz. max big enough for my level? Or 1.5. Some of the tungsten weights recommended for heavy cover were 1.5. This thread is getting ridiculously HELPFUL ! I'm always thinking "the devil is the details." Sometimes it hard to know which details matter and which one don't, so much.

I have one answer to your question (that may or may not matter). It seems like one of the big deals about pitching and flipping is the soundlessness that you can achieve when the lure hits the surface of the water. So when you're casting a big rig from afar, it's going to make a disruptive splash in relatively shallow water (taking the finesse out of finesse fishing?). But is the rig otherwise the same, the bullet weight, skirt, hook and tex-rigged trailer? Thanks also for the lily pad and spinnerbait tips. Hey, I'm not new any more. My status has been upgraded. I may still be dummy but I'm not a new dummy. Actually, I've been a dummy for a couple of years now. So I might even outrank some of you guys.

That's hilarious. Thanks for the encouragement.

Very novice bass angler here. I'm a kayaker (sometimes), and standing isn't an option for mine. Yesterday I decided to try a local small lake. Some open water but mostly lily pads and heavy underwater vegetation. I was looking forward to this. I wanted to try a basic 3/16 shaky head with 6" straight-tail worm, Texas rigged. That wouldn't get stuck, right? It got stuck alot. Why? why would a skinny worm tex-rigged on 3/16 shakey get so stuck?? I finally gave up and switched to another lure for which I hadn't brought the right rod. Grr. I'm not discouraged - I want to get back in the weeds ASAP! But how? Okay, drop shot one idea. But I want more. I started researching pitching and flipping, not really knowing what either of those were. Now that I know, it doesn't seem like either of these techniques are suitable for kayaks not designed for standing. But is there any reason that casting similar heavier rigs aren't effective in heavy vegetation when cast instead of pitched or flipped. Thanks a lot helping.

Absolutely. There's so much to learn in the beginning. I've made that mistake often. When you're just starting, a fishing rod is a fishing rod and lures are lures. Failure drives you on to more reading and studying and understanding. The good news is that after buying so much "wrong stuff" it all eventually fits together. At the moment, in the market for a heavy rod for flipping and punching.

Thank you for that, Sphynx. I appreciate you filtering through all of the attempts to hijack this thread. The commitment of the members here is shining through all of the unfortunate BS.

Add a few more years! Very simple and helpful.

Thank you. Good advice. I'm sort've collecting possible spots in my head this weekend, and want to scout out the ones that seem most interesting. From there, I guess I'll just choose one (and not necessarily ditch it if it doesn't come through on the first day). Thanks Scott. I really needed to hear that.

Wisdom and experience is great. As many of you stated, it's important to go your own way (while keeping eyes and ears open for sage experience and advice). Whatever anyone thinks about a particularl fishery, it may be important to hear that, but ultimately ya just have to put the pedal to the metal and follow your own muse. I'm getting serious about checking out alternate fisheries in my area. Regarding poles and lures, I'm realizing that lots of dots need connecting before plunking down money. It seems tedious, but also interesting. Time-consuming, but addictive. Question: is it reasonable to think that because of the short growing seasons in my area (northern NJ, USA) that bass generally don't get as big up here as in more southern states? And if that's reasonable, do I need to ask about the value of expert fishing advice as pertains to more southern climates. For example:::: I want to learn shaky head. A good beginning, according to what I've read is a long straight-tailed worm. I get that. It looks good to me. But is 6" too big for the bass that I'm most likely to find in my area, as opposed, to, say, Florida. Should I got with a 4.5" instead? I'm all about "go big or go home", but that can totally be self defeating. July is such a great month to explore finesse techniques and I'm really excited about this. Thanks. PS: Is there a setting that allows email notification of responses to a post?

Awesome. You pegged me right where I am at the moment. The lake where we usually fish is pretty weedy so my buddy doesn't bottom fish at all and I really want to learn it. They say you have to just stick with it it until you get success. I've read that you shouldn't even allow yourself to deviate until you start feeling this technique and getting success. I can Tex-rig worms and swimbaits and I've tried wacky style a few times. Not much success yet. My past "wins" have come from moderate-diving rapalas. I want to branch out on using soft baits - I've got quite a collection. I feel that the missing link in my rods is a Medium Light, fast action rod about 7'. I'm looking at the Shimano Expride or the Dobyns Champion XP. Thanks to everyone! I've found a great place here. I can feel your support and encouragement to keep the faith.

Thanks A-Jay. Good stuff here. I've learned this lesson in other areas and it's good to hear it said back to me. Patience and forbearance = progress. Now, I'm going to buy myself-that Medium-light, fast action rod that I'm looking for. And worms, don't forget those! He caught a really nice bass, and I caught my nicest bass to date a couple of weeks ago on a worm and bobber. I get your point though. Thanks!

My fishing buddy has been bass fishing for a long time. Me, not so much. I'm like any other newbie, absorbed to the point of overflow with rods, reels, fishing techniques, knots, lures, etc. He catches very respectable bass with a bobber and worm, a simple Mepps, or what looks to me like a first issue floating rapala. Neither his spinning rod nor reel is anything special, he complains that he has to replace his line after 3 years. He uses one (uselessly complicated) knot that his father taught him and clearly knows what he's doing. My fishing is getting better because I am insisting on finding my own way and trying new things that occur to me (which often fail while he is announcing having hooked another fish). I do watch him but he doesn't share much, and I'm a maverick by nature anyway. So I'm split between the "Keep it Simple, Stupid" approach that works so well for him, or engaging my own brain and letting myself enjoy this early phase of my fishing with all of its foolishness and foibles. Ultimately, I want to be a better fisherman. And learning everything on your own seems very daunting. At the moment he is traveling so I don't have access to his lake. I want to strike out on my own in local narrow rivers and streams and can only imagine a sequence of nightmares of fishing lines tangled in trees and scrub, hours of frustrating effort and nothing to show for it at the end of the day. Wow. Not meant to be a complaining message. Maybe just a little support requested? Thanks for reading.