bigspirit

Perfect, exactly what I was hoping to hear. Yes I should have been more specific but I was thinking 1/2oz and up jigs and large worms Carolina rigged more than likely.

I have a friend of a friend that bought the wrong rod and is getting rid of it. How do you think this would work for general jig fishing? Any other good uses for it?

Anyone know if they have a storefront? Particularly the Alpharetta location. Just moved to the area actually.

Anybody else ordering one? Think I might pre-order a reel for the first time ever.

Yes I’m relocating to an area where my primary targets are going to be spotted bass and stripers. I’m thinking winter and early spring I might be more focused on stripers and would likely be throwing these a rigs and glides in areas more for them. I can’t speak to whether there will be structure everywhere...I know the lakes have trees underwater but not sure how abundant that cover is. The rivers I’ll also fish will likely have downed trees but where I foresee myself is in the longer slower parts that are deeper so hopefully no rocks and such. I really want the zodias as I’m a big Shimano fan but considering what I’m going after and from another thread I made, I’m starting to think I need to go with something along the lines of that 7’11” Rebellion rated for 3/8-4oz with a 300 sized reel.

Awesome, thanks for the info! Now after these replies Im only considering the 300 size going forward. And yes you’re correct on the spirit spirit lake part in Iowa but I am relocating soon to Georgia where I will likely be for a while so my focus will be more on spotted bass and stripers going forward.

Somehow didn’t see there were new posts on this, sorry for the late response. Yes, I intend to be making longer casts to try covering more water as I’ll likely be fishing out of a kayak that isn’t the most fun to paddle miles and miles. Sounds like I may need to consider going up to the 300 size in the curado or tranx

Good point as well. I’ve kind of been eyeing the hog farmer flex rig. I’ve got a buddy that likes it and the tactical guys seem to like it so must be decent. I was planning on smaller plastics like 3.8 and 4.3 on it with 1/8oz jig heads. I’m not sure about other swim baits and such. I like the idea behind them but not sure I see myself getting into a surplus of $30+ baits going forward!

Scott, This is the exact type of response I was looking for. I actually do not have a heavy jig rod. I have been a saltwater guy until the last year and a half after a move to the Midwest and now moving back to the south but more inland where I’ll be doing more bass/striper fishing going forward. I think the zodias may be the route for me to go and like you said, maybe get into a larger more dedicated setup in the future. Thanks again for taking the time to write that up!

I’ve had my eye on the Zodias 7’5” Heavy (rated up to 1.5oz) for getting into throwing A-rigs and glide baits/swim baits like the Swaver 168. However, without experience with either yet I’m not sure if this rod is a great fit for this or if I should go with something like the Daiwa Rebellion 7’11” that’s rated for up to 4oz? I know I’ve seen the tactical bassin guys throw A-rigs on that specific zodias but in my head that just seems a bit heavy for that rating but again, I don’t have first-hand experience.

“Entry level” rod for $250. I have a few E6X and a couple older bronzebacks but at this point might be looking elsewhere going forward. Unless this beats out the other rods at this price point

Thanks for the replies. I may have overestimated the size of the 168. Think I’ll get one and try it out on both rods and go with whichever works best

So I’m looking to pick up a glide bait or two to start out with this winter. I’ve seen a lot about the Swaver and was thinking the 168 size (1 5/8oz). I do not have any baitcasting setups heavier than a MH. I do however have a 7’ Heavy Fast action Shimano Teramar (rated for 1/2-2oz) with a 4000 Daiwa BG on it. The reel is a 5.7 geared reel with 40lb braid and is larger than most other 4000 size reels. On paper, I feel like it could work. I just cant say I’ve seen others use a spinning rod for this application so I was curious if I’m missing out on some big mechanical advantage or something. If I get into it I will definitely get a dedicated setup for this but wondering if this spin setup from my saltwater uses would get me by for this season.

If you were going to get a reel for casting plastics/small swim baits to stripers (5-15lb range) would you go with the tranx 200 or curado 200? It will be on a Dobyns 734 for now. I’ve heard great things about both and am also open to other suggestions but these are what come to mind first for me for harder fighting fish. Thanks

If it’s what it’s cracked up to be then yes it would be a great option at $15. They have a perch color that looks pretty dang close to the megabass gp pro perch. Looks like an upgrade for Berkley

Eyestrike trout eye finesse for me

Zman slingbladez finesse

That’s good to know, thanks MGF. Honestly not sure why a tube didn’t come to mind. Must’ve had a brain fart. But that seems like a pretty solid plan so I’ll make sure to give that a worthwhile attempt.

Throwing around grass this morning I caught a few while using a menace as a trailer for the first time. Really liked it. Definitely does not give it motion on its own but IMO it probably doesn’t matter as much when you’re constantly shaking and ripping it out of grass. Either way, I liked it a lot. Pretty clear water, I’d say about 8-10’. Overcast conditions.

Hey guys. I want to run a scenario by you. So I found this river spot in my kayak last year but it was later in the summer. Caught smallmouth pretty regularly on topwaters, small paddle tails, and senkos. This year I’m itching to get out there even though it’s well earlier than I’ve fished it before. The part I’m fishing is fairly shallow. About 60 yards wide but slow moving water as it’s above a dam. Water is high 50s almost 60. I would imagine fish will bed on the bank as it’s a mix of sand and rock and shallow. The middle is deeper but no apparent drop off. I don’t really care for trying to catch bedded fish though. I’m looking to hopefully find a few prespawn fish that are in the deeper area still. Thinking about throwing stuff like small swim baits or hopping jigs? Maybe try a jerk bait or spinner bait? Chatterbaits? My inexperience with these early season fish is probably showing but just curious how to best go about it.

Looks good, what color is the skirt?

Good to know, that does sound like it would work better. Thanks for the input, I’ll have to give that a shot next time

Honestly was pretty easy with some wire cutters. Just had to use the tip of the cutters to snip it where it stems out of the lead head, didn’t take but a second or two

Just picked up this 6th sense divine swim jig this weekend. It came with a spiral lock bait keeper on it which I’m not a huge fan of when they’re around the shank of a hook. Kind of annoying to spin a bait around when you have to fold the tail under the hook gap, plus, I’m a big fan Zman plastics and they are even more of a pain to use with this style keeper. So, I used a small paper clip (just something simple on hand) and bent the end back, clipped it off, and super glued it to the shank. I plan to wrap with thread (such as with tying a fly) and finishing off with a sealant. Figured this might help someone out. It’s a little bit of a hassle, but I’m still waiting for ice to clear out so I was looking for something to tinker with. In the future I may just go with a different brand to accommodate my Zman plastics but I think this will work for now.

Who makes that one?