Brian11719

I noticed this happening with me too a while back after switching to an alberto from a double uni. TLDR after looking into it I changed a couple of things: 1. I found this video on this forum: 2. Line diameter matters...at least for me it seems to work better if the diameters are close to matching and as an example I've noticed using 30lb Sufix 832 with 10lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid seems to hold up a better than trying to tie up the same 30lb braid to a 6lb fluorocarbon leader. If I'm using 10-15lb braid I won't tie on anything less than 10lb fluoro leader...in this case the fluoro will still be less but my point is I wouldn't go much lower than that...either way I still prefer braid to leader and making these adjustments helped a lot for me.

I like a 1/8 oz 2/0 vmc rugby for this type of thing. I typically use 4" yum dingers but just picked up a pack of reins craws and a couple of 6th sense crubes and will see how those do.

Usually these 4: VTS610MLXF - drop shot VTC72HM - chatter / lipless VTC73MHF - jig / spinner TP1B74H - mini a-rig / 6" magdraft ...but I just got a KD610-4CB that I'll probably rotate in for jerkbaits and smaller crankbaits.

I use a kaden 7'1" medium fast with a stradic 3000 for a shakey head. 10lb braid to 10lb fluoro leader. Trick worm in red bug, green something or junebug red if the water is dark / stained. 3/16 picasso shake-e-football or a spot remover for the hook (I'm not too picky on hooks and prefer a screw lock as long as the worm has enough clearance when it gets bit which in the case of a trick worm and these hooks hasn't been issue). In terms of waiting I give it about the same amount of time as everything else...Feel something wait just a half second or so then reel down and set the hook. This is one of my favorite techniques for a rocky lake shore or anywhere that doesn't have too much grass on the bottom and for me when it seems like they are in the mood for one it can do really well.

If it is short strikes you could try something like this: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/bass-fishing/how-to/how-to-rig-a-shakey-head-stinger-for-bass-fishing.html Might also be worth trying out a different type of lure and or hook just to rule out an issue there...

I've used both and own a couple of stradics. They are very comparable and IMO as far as Shimano spinning reels go as long as you are at the ultegra or above you are getting a good reel that should last a long time. There's actually a youtube video that goes over the different features between these two and one of the lower end ones but long story short you get a lot more once you are at the ultegra level. At that point for me it comes down to which ever one is on sale. I have a 2500 stradic paired on a 6'10 MLXF Victory and it has been an awesome drop shot rod for me. The vanford is also very nice so if there's a good deal on that one I'd have no issues getting that one. I also like the ultegra and have a 3000 that I use on my worm / small swimbait setup.

Hard to say since you didn't provide model numbers or action info...for example I can't tell if you have a LKVDCC4 or a LKVDGC6. If it's the latter I'd throw a spinnerbait with that rod...having said that in terms of what to get next I'd personally want a 7'4" heavy fast action rod since you don't seem to have any heavier rods and they can come in handy for things like a frog or a magdraft.

I actually like the freeloader for spinnerbaits...for chatterbaits I usually go with a zako or a spunk shad but a rage bug also works...

I also prefer a spinning rod for flukes and like the $180-$200 price point but if you wait you can find one that retails in this range for $150 or under. In my case I also use this setup for 3.8 keitechs and throwing a bubba shot but most of the time it's my fluke rod. Having said that this one is a tough one to answer for me. If I had my way they would have a 7'1" medium heavy fast spinning rod in the Kaden line. They have a 7 foot in the Sierra line but I've thrown both and while I like the Sierra line for some applications I would really prefer a medium heavy fast kaden spinning rod if they made one. For now I have a 7'3" Lew's custom lite that I managed to find on sale for $114. I like it a lot but the warranty difference between Lew's rods and something from Dobyn's or St. Croix is considerable so I try to stick to one of those two when I can. If you are ok with the handle location on the Victory and you can wait they will probably go on sale again at some point and I'd suggest the VTS71MF or the VTS73MXF. Alternatively if the Sierra goes on sale for now I'd say get that. Or if you don't care about the warranty the grip on this Lew's CLWJS is the best grip I've used and the rod itself is awesome for flukes...again my only complaint about this rod is the 2 year warranty vs 15 or lifetime for a Dobyn's or St. Croix. One last note...if you have a bass pro near you I was looking into the Johnny Morris Signature series and they have one on sale right now for $159. Wait for the next club member Monday (guessing that might be this Monday) and get another 10% off w/ their code and that gets you below $150 and that looks like a 10 year warranty that seems pretty legit. That one is a 7'2" medium heavy fast and would probably work great but I haven't used one in that series...good luck.

I typically use 4" dingers instead of a ned rig on a vmc rugby since there's usually too much grass around to go with the exposed hook. In my case I've used the slot and the other side about equally and haven't noticed any difference in the amount of fish it caught.

Thanks @TOXIC I was actually looking at mono vs fluorocarbon so figured I'd get your thoughts on it. Do you notice any issues with the crankbaits and depth specifically? I get using mono for something like a walking bait or a senko but you mentioned you mentioned using it for crankbaits and one of the concerns I had was with the lure depth since I've read mono can impact that. I also usually throw cranks and jerkbaits from a kayak so my rod is usually a little higher already than it would be if I were on a bank or a boat and so it already seems like the lures are a little higher in the water column than they would be otherwise especially with the jerkbaits...

I wouldn't go below 20-30lb since going too low seemed to cause issues for me but aside from that it's been fine. I use 50lb suffix 832 for my heavy setup and it works great...dinks around the world shudder at the sight of my black popping frog flying through the air...

I'd get the Fury as that's about as much as I'd spend for a frog / punch setup. If you want to go cheaper Lew's has a bunch in the 7'3-7'4 H F range that can handle 50lb + braid and would work fine. Not really much sensitivity involved with catching a bass on a frog so I'd opt for something on the cheaper side and save my money for a more expensive rod in another area...It's hard to argue w/ the Fury but Dick's also has a carbon fiber heavy casting rod that looks like it's on sale for like $50...I got a 7'3" H F Lew's TP1X a while back for frogs and it does the job and that one doesn't look very different...if I had to do it over again I would have waited for a Fury on a discount but I don't know that doing that would have ended up landing me any more bass to be completely honest...

If you already swap hooks out and have the tool for it you could just take that blade off and save it for an underspin elsewhere then just chuck that like a jerkbait with no bill...probably what I would do if I didn't end up just chucking it entirely...

Why mono?

+1 to this. If it were me I'd definitely start w/ these 4: spinning: 7' ml f 7' m f casting: 7'2" mh f 7'4" h f For the last 2 it would depend on where I was and what I liked to do. So for example it says you are in MN so you might not have as much grass up there and could probably throw trebles more. In that case (if you like treble lures) it might make sense to go with a longer rod for heavier cranks and a lighter one for jerkbaits, topwater poppers, etc. On the other hand if you aren't going to throw trebles as much you could just get a 7'2" MH MF that you could do for all your treble hook lures then that opens up a slot for something like a heavy rod for smaller swimbaits or another medium heavy fast rod. One last thing - I personally think a 7'4" H F rod is one of the best ones out there for bass. You can keep one reel w/ 50lb braid and use that for frogs, punching, etc. and then another reel with 20lb fluoro and use that for 'medium heavy' swimbaits like a 6" magdraft or mini umbrella rigs. I do that now with one of the ones I have and while I wouldn't throw heaver swimbaits the 6" magdraft is a ton of fun and you can throw that size on that type of rod and it works well. That setup also works good for heavier spinnerbaits as well...but you could use the same rod for both and just get 2 reels if you wanted to save some money. I also love having a rod specifically for lipless crankbaits and bladed jigs since they are 2 of my favorite lures. I ended up getting the victory rip n chatter but there are others out there that would also work...

lol no...I could see adding some weight to some wacky worms that don't have enough salt in them and sink too slow but even then not sure this is the route I'd take...

I'd also recommend these owner x strong hooks if you are going to go this route. If it helps here's a chart: I personally like the single hooks better in a kayak where space is tight and I don't want to end up with a treble hook in my leg. I've used them a bit now and although some articles will say there's no difference, I think you do lose some when the fish just 'slap at' the lure. On the other hand I haven't noticed a difference (good or bad) for the ones that actually tried to eat it. Aside from a lower risk of getting a treble hook in your skin these also seem like they are a little better for the fish and I'll typically use them when I'm just fishing in a kayak and not in a tournament or anything like that. I've also noticed they are a little better around grass, but if there's grass around I'm probably going with something besides a crankbait anyway.

I try to match it completely. Pretty sure the bass don't care to the point I'm at and it's probably some sort of mental thing on my end...Having said that one of the ones I currently like is a 3/8 matt herren flipping jig in okeechobee 420 with a 3.5 adrenaline craw in green pumpkin blue flake.

I have been a huge fan of 10lb high viz yellow since I started using it...very good bang for the buck and have had no reason to look elsewhere...I see a couple of others have mentioned YGK I haven't tried their braid but their fluoro is amazing so imagine it is also pretty good...IMO suffix is definitely a great value.

For typical size spinnerbaits I personally like a heavier rod so I'd say the 744C. Bladed jigs are a whole different rod for me but there's plenty of people that throw them on a fast action rod and the 743C would be ok for that IMO if you like a fast action rod for them. The 743C would also be my choice for a texas rig although it is a couple of inches shorter than the one I have for texas rigs overall I'd say that one is a pretty nice rod for texas rigs especially if you aren't going into super deep water or if you happen to be targeting specific structure vs. trying to cast as far as possible. For the second question I'd argue the St Croix Victory line is slightly better for some purposes than the Kaden line...although I really like both lines and companies and they both come with an outstanding warranty program (and I own rods in both lines)...also right now the Victory line is on sale at American Legacy so even though it's normally a bit more right now it turned out to be $114 and $120 for the two that I picked up yesterday. They also have a chart that you might be interested in here: If you don't care so much about a warranty the new Lew's Custom Lite Rods are pretty good. They usually retail for about the same price as the Kaden line and sometimes you can find them on sale for around $120. They also have a newer type of grip (I forget the name off the top of my head) on them that I personally really like. Overall I prefer the Victory and Kaden lines and most of my rods are either St Croix or Dobyns but those Lew's rods are also pretty good. Plenty of rods at a lower price point but I'd argue you usually get what you pay for (unless you are patient and wait for stuff to go on sale which seems to be the trick with buying fishing rods lately). Also to your point on action there was a video Gary made about the Sierra vs Kaden line (probably still easy to find on google) that goes over the difference and TLDR the Kaden series was meant to be a faster action series...St Croix rods in general usually have a bit more of a moderate action while the Lew's ones in that Line that I own feel a bit faster like the Kaden...if you can get to a local tackle shop and hold some of them and check out the action I'd always suggest that but if not might be able to find some review videos on youtube that review some of them and use that to help make your decision. Hope you really like whatever you end up deciding to go with and catch a lot of fish with it...

That looks like fun I'd run a 6xd across that for as long as it lasted. After that I'd probably go back and cover it again with a Damiki rig.

I mean technically you can use whatever you want but I'd personally suggest a heavy fast casting rod for frogs. I did use spinning gear when I first started throwing frogs and doing that can work...I just used smaller frogs (I still have a Strike King KVD Pipsqueak Popping Perch that I haven't opened yet) and a medium heavy fast spinning rod with 30lb braid. Having said that I eventually saw why people suggest a dedicated frog rod and personally don't feel like you need a super expensive one. In my case I went with a Heavy Fast Lew's TP1X but if I had to do it over again I'd probably go for the Dobyns Fury FR 735C but you could probably go even less expensive and get something like a heavy fast lew's carbon fire and have something that would be pretty good for flipping and punching into heavier stuff as well as throwing frogs. Like others have said medium power seems like it might run into issues either when they pull you down into the grass or when setting the hook I guess it depends on how big the fish are and how much grass is around but I personally feel like you might lose some on a medium rod which would suck because it's already tougher to get a bite on a frog (although it's awesome when you do).

Agree...honestly there are some times when I can't tell when my lure got bit but that's usually when I'm throwing finesse rigs and I'm not sure I can say I remember that happening with a topwater lure as it's usually pretty obvious.

I actually haven't seen these before but they look pretty good and the colors are nice. If it were me I'd probably just start with the band collar and use that as a baseline...also