I have some older Norman DD22 HD's that I purchased close to 20 years ago.  Back then I was using a 7' MH/F BPS rod rated for up to 1-1/2 ounce lures and fishing flats and around bluffs on a lake in Texas near where I grew up. 

 

After spending a good bit of time in school and moving back to an area in Texas where it rains and having lakes nearby, I've gotten back in to fishing more than when I started school in 2001.  I've also been learning more about bass fishing and a lot of things have changed and there is a lot more and better techniques and information that there was back then.  

 

I pulled out some of my older gear to sort and go through it and I weighed some of the lures that I can fish my what is now a rod that I'll use for crankbaits.  It's 7' MH/M and I really like the slower action for lipless crankbaits and soon some squarebills.  

 

Concerning my older Norman DD22's, I'm looking for a rod to try some of these with when bass are deeper.  But when weighing them, they're coming out at about 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 ounces.  I saw the DD22 HD's out now are 1 ounce though so were the older DD22 HD's heavier or do they do the weights based on the plug without any hooks or bill?

 

I am looking around for a longer rod to be able to cast these with.  If they are supposed to be those weights but still count as a "1 ounce" lure weight, I won't take their weight too much in to considering.  But if the older ones were heavier, I'll look for a rod that can handle lures of that weight.

One must keep in mind that lure weights are listed without hardware!

 

Add split rings & hooks ya probably looking at 1.125 to 1.250.

 

A 1/4 oz spinnerbait is the weight of just the head, add swivels, split rings, blades, & a skirt you have far exceeded 1/4 oz.

6 minutes ago, Catt said:

One must keep in mind that lure weights are listed without hardware!

 

Add split rings & hooks ya probably looking at 1.125 to 1.250.

 

A 1/4 oz spinnerbait is the weight of just the head, add swivels, split rings, blades, & a skirt you have far exceeded 1/4 oz.

Nice, that's what I figured.  Do you still base the rod to use off of the advertised lure weight or do you need to take in to account the weight of the hook, split rings, etc.?

Advertised lure ratings are suggestions?

16 minutes ago, Notorious B.E.N. said:

Nice, that's what I figured.  Do you still base the rod to use off of the advertised lure weight or do you need to take in to account the weight of the hook, split rings, etc.?

In a perfect situation, you would want a lure to fall in the average of the suggest lure weight. For example if you had a rod rated from 1/4 - 1 ounce, a 1/2 ounce advertised bait would be "ideal" for this. I use a 7'5 mh to throw Crankbaits over 1/2 ounce. (9/16-1 1/4) The rod is rated 1/2 to ***/8

Deep diving crankbait baits you need to consider the lures water resistance with their big diving bills to retrieve them and cast them all day. I use Crankbait rods rated 5 power or Heavy for DD-22's, i.e.; Lamiglas XC 705 crankbait rod, 1/2- 1 1/2 oz. Irod IRG 754 F also works good, never found a rod to replace the XC 705 however.

Tom

@Notorious B.E.N. what you'll find is bass fishing has become over completed...K.I.S.S.!

 

What worked for you in past still works today ?

3 hours ago, Catt said:

@Notorious B.E.N. what you'll find is bass fishing has become over completed...K.I.S.S.!

 

What worked for you in past still works today ?

I didn't have much success with them in the past lol.

 

So I'm going to look at some rods for throwing them.  I have reels that are a lower gear ratio and that are still working from 20 years ago.  

On 1/10/2018 at 7:35 AM, Catt said:

@Notorious B.E.N. what you'll find is bass fishing has become over completed...K.I.S.S.!

 

What worked for you in past still works today ?

In fishing the same places every year I find what’s the hot bait this year will change next year. You won’t catch the same numbers of bass next year. This tells me the bass learn our baits. Fishing the same spots over and over. We need to be on top of our game with every bait and presentation to have continued success.

I fish some of the same structure I did 45 yrs ago!

 

I'll probably have to move up or down the structure to keep up with the fish but the structure is the same.

 

Unless we have a catastrophic event take place to reshape the structure bass don't simply abandon it.

 

If we have vegetation the shape of the outside grassline will change depending on conditions.