BassinBrett
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I hit the Mississippi River on Monday and had a barn good day. I caught a lot of smallmouth about 14 to 18 inches. I end up only take pictures of the largest one. End up with a few over 18 inches. I caught most on crankbaits but top water and swim baits also worked.
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I have been using two Shimano Curado BFS reels with several different rods and I have not been impressed with the casting performance with lower weight lures. It will cast 3/16 to about 1/4 once lures fairly well but anything less than 3/16 was not so good. I was never able to pitch or flip a 1/16 jig at all. I did not find the stock set better than a good spinning set up for light stuff. So after being frustrated with the reels casting performance for a year or more I ordered an aftermarket spool from bait Finesse Empire. I got the Roro Lures CB26 spool for Curados and SLX reels. the spool is super light compared to the stock spool. It is well machined and finished. I put on 10 pound Suffix braid I had left over and a 6 pound mono leader and headed to the nearest lake to test is out. I am surprised how much it improved the reels casting performance. I started with a 3/16 Duo Realis mid Roller and it cast like a rocket. I switched to a Lucky Craft Point 48 at 3/32 and it cast really well too. Next up was 1/10 once Duo Tetra Pocopocos Popper and it was good too. I did not have any lighter lures at the time so headed home. I when back today and try a 1/32 crappie jig with a tube. The casting is poor with a 1/32 jig. I could feels the leader knot catching on the rod guides when casting. I think a lighter line with no connection knot may cast better but I have not had time to test that. Overall I am super impressed how much the new spool improved low weight casting performance. I wish I had the spool a year or two ago.
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Nice work! It is a good looking rod
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I just built a DS rid this winter. NFC ds721 as a dedicated drop shot rod so going forward yea I will have one ready.
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I have used a white lure many times with success, and there are no pearly whites fish in the lake and river I was fishing. I say go for it, cause it is going to work!
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That fish look like a Minnesota deer hunter! Congrats on the good harvest.
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I used a pack last year on the Mississippi River. The action is great but they are fragile. I was used a 4/0 beast hook. The SM did go after them too!
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What size hooks are you all using for larger size soft jerkbaits like 6, 7 and 8 inch Jerk Shadz and Sakamata shads? I can see a time for EWG hooks and Beast style hooks and then jig heads too. What are you are favorite hooks and size? Any jighead to look for? Thanks
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This also depends on the fish you may catch. I now have a Frabill Conservation Series net that has a 24 by 28 inch head. If you have Muskies around you will want the bigger size. I have had a few giant muskies bite little tiny bass lures. One musky broke my rod and got away at the boat because I did not have the bite net.
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When out today for a few hours on Lotus lake. The water temperature was 46.5 to 47.5. Ended up catching 3 large mouth. 2 we’re about 16 inch long and the third was 19 inches. I left when the wind and rain started.
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I have used Curado 71 for this type of lure with out issue.
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The channel at Grays bay on Minnetonka is open. I am going back tomorrow before work and make a few cast. More for Practice than anything else.
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I have used the following swim jig and like them a lot. The Greenfish tackle shin’s Chibi Swim Jig is the best light tackle swim jig I have found. The Cliff Pace The pulse Pacemaker jig will give you a large size profile and it falls slowly for its weight. I have found the ISM Carver Swim Jig to be one of the most weedless jigs out there. As others have said use a lighter weight jig to get over and through sparser weed grow or to run shallow.
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I got my MN 3026 license but a need to get an Idaho license too. Let us know when you are going to to be in MN.
