casts_by_fly

Last year wasn't a great year for spinnerbaits around here. Maybe it was the low, clear water and typically bluebird still conditions (my theory), maybe it was regular fluctuations in what the fish see and what guys fish. If you got a good day for them (overcast and breezy) you caught fish on them. Wire bending is to be expected with wire baits. the main thing is the wire not breaking. If you're looking for compact, go to the Siebert compact double willow (or other blade variations). They are well made, a bit smaller in profile than a normal spinnerbait, and a great price. If you want full size, grab the cosmic. https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/compact-double-willow-mustad-hook

If its cold enough that I need boots and not flip flops (roughly 70 degree water is my cutoff), then I use a pair of muckboots. Rubber lower, neoprene upper. They hit the top of my calves, maybe a 12" height. $40 at tractor supply last I checked. My kayak will float in 6" of water, so 12" gives me 6" of mud I can be in. I can't think of any place I launch where that isn't enough aside from one that I fished one time. It was really steep off of the bank and solid rock. I thought it was 10" deep but it was 14".

This is our first house to own (we rented and moved a lot the prior 15 years) so my first experience with dealing with cleaning gutters (I've installed them, just not had to clean them). We are also surrounded by trees- mostly oak with a lot of beech and ash mixed in. Our first year I didn't think about it. The second spring the gutters were full to the point that when we had heavy rain I was getting backups and overflows in heavy collection spots. I cleaned them out that summer by hand (with a hose to spray residue) but learned my lesson. Last summer when I cleaned them out I put gutter guards in place across most of the house. I didn't manage to get all of it done and need to do the rest this spring, but it makes such a big difference with big leaves. Mostly the wind just blows them off. My gutters are about 26-28' off the ground at the highest spots (lowest ground spots) so working from a 32' ladder isn't fun. But the roof is about a 5/12 pitch which is more than I'm standing on 30' off the ground to reach down into the gutters. We've not had a proper basement in a long time. UK houses don't really have them. Now we have a ~2500 square foot unfinished basement that I can hang things from the ceiling joists, put industrial racking all over for shelves, and still have a 20 yard archery range downstairs. It makes such a difference. I only wish I didn't have a set of narrow steps and a tight turn at the top to get into the basement.

It will be easiest to learn with a pointy nose frog that doesn’t sit too deep like a spro bronzeye. It’s also not going to walk quite like a spook or other streamline hard bait. There’s a lot less glide to it so you have to go light on the twitches. Other than that it’s practice.

That's pretty close to what we shot forever. 59 grains of IMR4350 and a 165 nosler ballistic tip. Its an above max load but it shot about 2900-2950 fps and you can MPBR at 350 yards with +/-4" if I recall correctly. Almost any hit towards the front end was devastating and DRT.

I'm in the Choporoz camp. In bass fishing rods, graphite is a better material than glass for so many reasons. Glass offers durability in abuse situations (not bass fishing), but is heavier and less responsive than an equivalent graphite rod. If you want a moderate action (or even slow) there are plenty of graphite rods that will do it. You'll end up with a lighter rod that casts better and easier. My point about that range not being deep was mostly to help guide your choices. When people people say I need a big rod for deep cranking, that implies something like a Falcon XD Cranker which is 7'9" Heavy Moderate and rated for 1/2-2 oz baits. That's a really big rod designed to throw 20-25' deep cranking baits. If you tried to throw a DT8 on it you'd be very disappointed. You'd even struggle a bit with a DT14 at 3/4 oz. My own choice for that set of crankbaits is the Falcon expert Hudson special. Its 7'3", 3/8-3/4, MH/MF. Great rod for mid range cranking and also lipless cranks. A bit over your budget though at $200. In the bucoo lineup its called the deep runner and comes in at $100 but I've not felt that rod so I can't personally recommend it. I have other bucoos (the 7' trapcaster is my lighter crankbait rod) and would have no problem getting the deep runner for myself if I needed another one.

Before you go searching for rods designed for deep cranking, just know that that size of a DT isn't a 'deep' crankbait when it comes to the rods. Big cranking rods are for the 20' class crankbaits. Most any standard crankbait rod is going to be good for that size and that will open a lot of options for you. It will also mean for more manageable rods and not dealing with 7'6"+ lengths. I'm not a glass fan so can't recco a specific one. If you decide graphite, I fish DT's from 4-20 all the time and have opinions.

no, it would take forever. They already make bait boats for things like coarse fishing where you want a soft bait to be at 70 yards but throwing it that far would throw it off the line. I've seen guys use similar RC boats to deliver big baits past the breaklines in the surf (200 yards) for shark fishing. It would take forever for your bait to get out there though even if you used a drone. By the time you see it on the graph, hook up to the ferry, fly it out there, and drop it I could have 3 casts to the same fish which has probably moved in the time you've gotten the lure there.

My wife is at a work conference in nashville. Fortunately, she's in the hotel where the conference is and everything else is walking distance. She says its a mess.

welcome. I grew up about 80 river miles north of you right on the Mon (between lock 3 and lock 4). Also a big fan of the stream smallies. Lots of small to medium streams that flow into the Mon flood in the spring and the baitfish drag the smallies right up into them. The mouths of those same streams hold tons of fish in the spring also.

Is that an older Bucoo (pre SR series)? I looked at the 6'8" bucoo SR a few times and handled it a couple times in an academy but ultimately went to the head turner. If I fished a lot of really tight cover I can see where that or the Herm would be a cool rod to have. I've thought about the Herm as a topwater rod.

I just picked mine up (eye crosser) a couple months ago so haven't gotten to fish it in earnest yet. People call is a short amistad, but I don't think that's fair. I would call it a big head turner. I think if you lined up a finesse jig, a head turner, and an eye crosser with 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 oz chatterbaits they would all fish the same across all three. Balance, feel, action are all so close to the head turner that its uncanny. I had it on a pond for some quick lure trials in december and its going to be a great rod for me. I'm going to use it for big chatterbaits and spinnerbaits in the spring (3/4-1 oz) and then frogs when the time comes. It would make a pretty good pitching rod but I have others to cover that (HCJ and amistad). If you want to try before you buy, shoot me a PM. You're not very far down the road.

Which motor and which switch are you moving? Pictures are worth all of the words.

For what you’re describing, a helix 9 G4n msi+ is where I’d go (and what I might upgrade into in 2 months). You’re going to ram mount it to the right of the console and a 9” is about as big as you want to go there. A 10 would probably fit but that’s out of budget. For me, hummingbird has the best side imaging. I love my helix 7 and the 9 has the improved transducer. It has all of the gps mapping you need. The ‘n’ models will network with a trolling motor or mega live setup later if you want. swapping front and back is going to get old quickly. A ram mount will make it easier. A second hand helix up front might be a better option. What do you want to see on the front screen? Side imaging? 2d?

I have the expert version. Soft isnt the right word. It has a true fast action and the lure weight is right on the money for me so long as you are looking at total lure weight. It does really well with the lighter end of casting weights for sure. A weightless fluke casts a mile but at the same time I’ll fish it with a 1/2 oz chatter bait and trailer (total weight just over 3/4 oz). It’s my favorite topwater rod for walking baits and other treble hook topwaters. For setting the hook on a regular or heavy wire single hook around a 4/0 or bigger I don’t think it’s the best choice. I throw light wire swim jigs or sniper jigs on it, but those are lighter wire hooks. If that is your primary use (which was the original ask) I think the head turner is a better choice. For me, the finesse jig is closer to a medium in power and the hook setting power isn’t quite there on it for bigger single hooks.

Sieberts compact half ounce is a good choice also if you want to stay deep. Especially if you put small blades on it.

Are you using mono/fluoro or braid? I use braid on mine due to vegetation. Heavy mono works well too but I can see why you’d call it mushy in comparison. The XH is a true heavy duty and more than most people need. If I were throwing half ounce jigs and bigger then I’d go there but for 3/8 plus plastic on braid it’s great for grass and pads.

In that case the head turner is the right rod for you. It’s a great rod.

very true that they don’t list many as medium heavy (4 or 5 depending on the lineup mostly, a couple more in the bucoo lineup). However like you note below, a rating is just a start until you put a reel and lure on it. Falcon has two levels of heavy- a 6 and a 7 power. Most other companies heavy will be closer to the 7 than the 6. Consider the head turner. It’s a heavy moderate fast but only rated for 1/4-3/4. It isn’t what I’d consider a heavy, though it’s more than a lot of medium heavy rods. It’s also faster than a moderate fast. I’d call it a fast action. It’s perfect for 3/8-1/2 bladed baits, pitches a 3/8 jig and plastic well, and does a whole lot of good with 3/8-1/2 oz top waters. That’s not your typical heavy rating.

I weighed a 5” yum dinger because I had one out and it was 5/16 oz. I think a fat ika would be similar. With a quarter ounce weight you’re still in the 1/2 oz total weight range. I think a trick worm is a little lighter, jelly worm a little heavier. Realistically you’re in the 3/8-3/4 total bait range. In the falcon lineup, that’s a 6-power. If you want a shorter rod, the head turner. If you want longer the hcj.

You’ve got most of the gist of falcon ratings above. Falcon has two levels of ‘heavy’ in their ratings- a 6 power and a 7 power. Their medium heavy 5 power is a medium heavy. The 6 power is a light heavy. The 7 powers are true heavy. I find their lure weight ratings pretty close. Also, most of their rods track across the different lineups and are fairly similar. The more expensive ones have higher end graphite so they are lighter and more crisp. They are more sensitive. Casting actions though are pretty close. in terms of what you’re asking, in the cara lineup I would suggest either the dragger 1 or the heavy cover jig rod. You’re talking a 1/4 oz plus a fair sized worm. I think you like 5” senkos if I remember right. You’re going to be right around 3/8 total weight on the low end and up to an ounce if you’re throwing big worms. I have the expert amistad rated 3/8-2 but I’d call it more like 1/2-2. It needs 3/8 oz plus a beaver to pitch well. It doesn’t have a light enough tip to overhead cast a quarter ounce and a 5” worm. The cara version is supposed to be just a little lighter in the very tip but not very different. the heavy cover jig is 7’4” and while it’s rated 1/2 on the bottom end, it has a nice light tip. It will do a quarter ounce plus plastic with no problems. The dragger 1 is your standard 7’ heavy. I have the bucoo version and it’s a great all around bigger rod. I used my bucoo for 1/2 oz bladed baits a lot and it’s a great rod for that. I wanted the same in the expert lineup and bought the 7’ 6 power without realizing that one is a moderate action for big cranks (and I don’t like it). The cara version is back to the MF. I saw the head turner recommended above. I love my head turner. It was originally designed as a light/short pitching rod for around docks and tight places. It’s really good for that. If you like a shorter rod for your Texas rigs then it has the right power and action. I use mine for swim jigs and chatterbaits mostly because it’s a great length for sidearm casting in the kayak. The finesse jig is too light for me for a Texas rig unless you’re throwing lighter wire hooks. A standard wire 1/0 is about right. It doesn’t have the power to drive home a thicker hook as well as some of the others. I do love the rod, but it’s lighter than what you’re asking for. the swim jig rod rating is odd. It was designed to throw swim jigs but rated for the head weight of the swim jig, not the overall weight of the jig. It would be a 1/4-3/4 rod if they rated it normally. It’s a nice rod and would also be a good choice for you if you prefer the lighter side for Texas rigs. It’s a true MH. I have most of the rods mentioned in this thread in either the expert or Cara lineup.

I love lamb but my wife doesn’t eat it so I either have to do it when she’s not here, when we have friends who like it over, or order it out. Usually I get it out. In this case though, a whole rack is like 8 chops and there were three of us who ate it and three not. The three not eating lamb got fillet I think. Since it was Sous vide, I could enjoy dinner and not worry about cooking until it was ready to put dinner on the table.

have you tried doing a whole rack of lamb Sous vide? By far my favorite way to do it now. Sous vide to rare or just under, about 2 hours at 110 I think it was. Crank the broiler up screaming. Broil the whole rack until the fat starts to crisp. Pull them out, slice into individual chops, and enjoy the best lamb chops you’ve ever had.

and with a drive mechanism you’ll never notice it when in use. Mine is a heavy beast. I bet it’s 100-150 lb. You’re not going to lift it into a truck by yourself. I can back my truck to a steep bank and muscle it on from there, but not from the ground. But that keeps it from riding up on the snow. And I know the steel isn’t going to waste away over the years.

when we moved back and into this house I thought I’d be fine with shoveling. Our driveway is 40 yards long and the house end has a 3 car x 2 long pad. There is also another 60’x 4’ wide sidewalk to the front door. That year we got a couple instances of 4-6” and I shoveled it all. It got old fast. That summer I bought a used Craftsman snowblower from an old lady that was moving to Florida. Solid steel construction, tecumseh engine, overpowered for my needs. I think it’s 8 hp or maybe more. Two stage. Six forward and two reverse speeds. It started right up when I picked it up. Fast forward to the first 6” that winter. I thought I was in great shape. Plugged in the starter and nothing. Pulled the cord a bunch and nothing. I let the snow sit and worked on the engine the next day. The carb was like it had jelly in it. After I cleaned it out I could get it started with starting fluid and then it ran. It was good it did as that was the winter that we got 48” of snow over two storms and it stuck for 6 weeks. I had to snow blow paths for the dogs to go pee because it was too deep for them. After winter I had a local guy service it and it’s been great since. that’s a long way of saying: 1- buy quality that is serviceable. Plastic breaks and means replacement and not fixing. A little surface rust can be brushed and painted. Good engines last forever and everyone makes parts for them. 2- use dry fuel some of the time. If you’re getting a bit storm and going to run through multiple tanks then standard 87 octane is fine. If it’s going to maybe sit, then use dry fuel. It’s about $5 a half gallon at your local ace but if you end up leaving it in the tank longer than planned it will be fine. 3- buy bigger than you need. It’s not much more money to upsize power but when you need it you need it. Our friends bought an 18” 3hp snow blower last winter. If we get 36” in 48 hours like last time I expect to be bringing mine to his place to clear him out. Go two stage, plenty of horsepower, and all metal construction.