Drawdown

Yesterday my 5 year-old son helped me with selections while shopping the Spring Classic at Bass Pro off the Sevierville exit (a stunning specimen of a store). Among his choices were these absolutely massive, thick 7 1/8” Stick-O’s…what the heck kind of hook do I need to rig these in, say, a weightless Texas rig? Any other kind of rigging suggestions? I almost never fish anything bigger than 4/0 EWG’s, but I have a feeling those won’t suffice. Maybe a 6/0 Flipping Hook if I can thread the line through the worm before tying on?

I have one of these in 7.5:1, and it casts great, so I went ahead and got a 6.8:1 when this sale hit. Solved my problem of having one more casting rod than I did reels.

I take it you’re not trying to maneuver the weed guards out of the tube?

The “technique-specific” black series of Carbonlite 2.0 rods seems interesting. Odd that they have a matching set of reels—but there’s plenty of people who must have a matching color combo.

I too am beginning to fall in love with tubes on slow, cool days. Not caught anything big yet, but that’s just because of the pond I’m fishing.

I took it to mean “bounce it off the ground, then let it fall back,” then AutoCorrect contributed to selective capitalization.

Ever used them? I have a pack but haven’t given them much of a chance.

How’s the sensitivity on the Falcon EVO for T-rigs? Looks like a lot of these have a moderate taper.

A strange criterion, I’ll admit, but my brother-in-law is in the market for a M/F or M/XF spinning rod after running over one. And he seems willing to spend a bit more than last time. Based on my experience with a ML/F I have and based on the price of his last rod, I’ve recommended the Shimano Convergence, which clocks in at $70, but I’d like recommendations of rods with full cork handles up to $150 or so regular price—and maybe a few beyond in case they are on clearance in that range.

Ah, shoot—you said tiny fluke, not tiny brush hog. Yeah, those Coosa bass cannot stand those tiny beavers. They fall so erratically. I got the pearl/white color for stained water.

I’m a big fan of the Arkie XL jigs in 1/8oz; hook’s a bit bigger, so it still works with thick baits. Caught two bass and a crappie this afternoon with some 2.75” Strike King tubes—got the jigs and tubes from Wal-Mart. And I’ll second @TnRiver46’s suggestion of the Zoom Tiny Brush Hog—it was a skunk buster for me on a jighead last year. Bass and warmouth alike were all about it. Finally, I’ll only add that BPS’ tiny panfish beaver fishes fantastic in creeks.

Crawl something black and flappy in stupid shallow rocky banks when the sun gets to beating down in the morning. Ideally one with a gradual slope. Once you pull it over a rock and are about to feel the release from that last tug over the lip, you might have company. It also might be the only bass you catch for the day. Even the bottom suckers are in <2’ of water it seems.

Always enjoy it. Got my wheels spinning thinking about free rig creature baits and swing head jigs…maybe this is the year I try tubes, also. hoo-ha-ha-ha

From the bank: Junk Tweaker—find the cover and throw all the baits you need until you catch (unless you catch them on the first one…often happens)…but only after changing the presentation 3 different ways at least…and if that doesn’t work, throw where there doesn’t seem to be cover. Then switch baits. From the boat: Planner—I know what (usually new) places and (sometimes new) lures I want to try and why: time of year, conditions, etc. Makes it that much sweeter to me when I catch a decent bass, because it means I made the right guesses. I’m not yet settled in my ways enough to really have “confidence baits.” Just baits I know I am willing to grind with.

My inclination is to think that it would be good on a free rig, suspended on rocky inclines near drop-offs. I have caught spotted bass in highland reservoirs this way. Obviously this is very different than fishing for, say, river smallies.

Man, I’d definitely be going up to a Medium action if I was throwing 1/4oz bullet weights. I once held a Daiwa Tatula XT in ML. The tip was pretty stiff compared to my other ML rod. Might be just what you’re looking for—I sent mine back simply because I had actually ordered a medium. They’d sent a ML by mistake.

I cannot imagine a Bass Pro in a former Wal-Mart. Seems the ceilings would be a tad low.

I agree with getting a spinning M/F Daiwa Aird-X for the rod. For just $20 more, you could get a Shimano Convergence for a total of about $70-80. That would be worth it, in my mind. Then, a Daiwa Regal 2500 with 8lb mono on the spool and well-adjusted drag will have you ready to roll! About $150-60 for the combo, leaving you money for line and a few lures. If you want to get close to $200 spent on the combo alone, upgrade the rod to a Shimano SLX M/XF. One of my favorite spinning rods.

I knew what they are, but know very little about hunting them, how tough they are to kill, distances, etc. Didn’t even feel confident enough to pick a cartridge for a wildly speculative list, lol.

- Pronghorn: .280 Ackley Improved - Hogs: 6.8 SPC - Coyote: .220 Swift - Deer: 7mm-08 Remington - Elk: .338 Winchester Magnum - Aoudad: ???? - Black Bear: .308 Winchester - Caribou: .270 Winchester - Elephant: .416 Remington Magnum - Everything: .35 Whelen

I’ll be buying 3/4oz jigs. Tried them the other day and loved them.

I like Green Pumpkin w/blue flake or the blue swirl on the bottom.

There’s a local bait shop in my area that runs specials on them all the time. But like you, I seldom hear anyone talk about them.

I wondered, because others were talking about making a super long leader, which to me means they’re letting it go into the reel.

No problems with tag ends in a spinning reel?