I have two rod/reel combos, a MHF bait casting combo with 20 lb braid, and a MF spinning combo with 12 lb mono. Right now I am thinking of using my spinning combo for soft plastics, and my BC combo for everything else. Do you guys think this is fine? What would you recommend?

what reel and line type do you use on the spinning reel?

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

what reel and line type do you use on the spinning reel?

Tom

I use 12 lb mono and the reel is a dead bolt limited DLF 35.

Personally I have a difficult time detect strikes with spinning tackle when cast over 25 yards. Reason; I detect strikes by feeling line movements, easy with bait casting tackle, very difficult using spinning tackle. 

Any mono/coply/FC line over .010D is hard to manage using spinning reels.

Tom

 

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

Personally I have a difficult time detect strikes with spinning tackle when cast over 25 yards. Reason; I detect strikes by feeling line movements, easy with bait casting tackle, very difficult using spinning tackle. 

Any mono/coply/FC line over .010D is hard to manage using spinning reels.

Tom

 

So do you think I should just use my BC rod for everything?

I think you should use line .010 D and develop you own technique. My late son like spinning tackle for bottom contact worms. Tommy would let the rig hit bottom then move it by pulling the worm using the line between his index finger and thumb like a bow string about a foot. Drop the line reel in slack and repeat. When he detected a strike dropped the line reel in slack and set the hook. 

You just develop your techniques. 

I prefer bait casting for jigs and Sliding weight T-rigs.

Tom

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

I think you should use line .010 D and develop you own technique. My late son like spinning tackle for bottom contact worms. Tommy would let the rig hit bottom then move it by pulling the worm using the line between his index finger and thumb like a bow string about a foot. Drop the line reel in slack and repeat. When he detected a strike dropped the line reel in slack and set the hook. 

You just develop your techniques. 

I prefer bait casting for jigs and Sliding weight T-rigs.

Tom

Ok. How about if I will be using a weightless senko?

Ill be mainly be using a weightless Texas rigged senko and maybe a craw or tube. Do you think my spinning combo will do well for that?

43 minutes ago, WRB said:

I think you should use line .010 D and develop you own technique. My late son like spinning tackle for bottom contact worms. Tommy would let the rig hit bottom then move it by pulling the worm using the line between his index finger and thumb like a bow string about a foot. Drop the line reel in slack and repeat. When he detected a strike dropped the line reel in slack and set the hook. 

You just develop your techniques. 

I prefer bait casting for jigs and Sliding weight T-rigs.

Tom

I was taught to fish live crawdads that way BITD, except we would let them move away with the bait, stop, and then bust them when they moved again. I think they would sometimes smash the live dads against a rock, and then come and eat them or not have them all the way in their mouths on the initial hit.

 

At any rate, I'm not sure why I never thought of doing that (pulling the line with my fingers) with a plastic worm. I think we called it 'stitching'.

57 minutes ago, WRB said:

I think you should use line .010 D and develop you own technique. My late son like spinning tackle for bottom contact worms. Tommy would let the rig hit bottom then move it by pulling the worm using the line between his index finger and thumb like a bow string about a foot. Drop the line reel in slack and repeat. When he detected a strike dropped the line reel in slack and set the hook. 

You just develop your techniques. 

I prefer bait casting for jigs and Sliding weight T-rigs.

Tom

Would you think 6lb mono would work for soft plastics?

1 minute ago, squishy_pants said:

Would you think 6lb mono would work for soft plastics?

Yup, 6 or 8 lb would be good choices..

1 hour ago, squishy_pants said:

Ill be mainly be using a weightless Texas rigged senko and maybe a craw or tube. Do you think my spinning combo will do well for that?

I think it's a good idea for you to develop a rationale for why you use the gear you do. A MF spinning rod is usually rated for around 6 lb to 15 lb test line. Is there a reason you would prefer 12 lb monofilament?I have never fished in MN, so maybe there is a reason that would be recommended for the type of fishing you do. Maybe you get a slower sink rate with a weightless Senko, and that's what works for you. Where I live, I wouldn't throw anything more than 10 lb for a plastic worm, and mostly use 6 lb mono  (for all of the line), or 8 lb fluorocarbon leader on 10 lb braid because there relatively few trees to contend with and I can usually conduct the fight out in deep open water. If I go to Texas, I wouldn't use anything less than 10 lb line for a plastic worm, and most likely heavier than that because I would have a hard time keeping a good fish from wrapping me up in a tree if I don't get them turned and headed for the boat.

 

There are lots of possible reasons that could support using 12 lb mono in a (your) given situation. Or not.

 

If not, maybe you might want to try going down to 8 lb line to let the bait possibly have better action and/or be less visibility to highly pressured fish. That MF rod should be great for that. If your reel is a 35 as in equivalent to a 3500 size for Daiwa or Shimano, then you may want to use some backing so you only use 100 to 150 yards of good line to be more economical so you can afford to put premium line on the part of the spool you actually fish with.

I prefer a BC with a MHF for T-rigs for the hookset. I have 8 lb YZH on my spinners for weightless Senkos (mostly WR). 

I prefer as heavy a line as my spinning reels will handle due to extreme brush and heavy weed cover where we fish. Agree with Tom that .010 is about the heaviest line your spinning reel will function with without unspooling and casting distance hassles. I use dial calipers and check line for true diameter and also use line dressing (KVD) periodically. Being a FC user, tatsu to be specific I like and use 10# test which is .010 diameter. You can get by with 12# but stiffness and casting distance with unweighted plastics T rigged starts to become a little bit of an issue. I use 12# on one rig I use that I throw buzz and spinnerbaits with as well as jigs, I stay slightly lower on spool lip (1/8") and use KVD every trip even though its only .011 dia. it needs more care using. However when a big one runs for cover to hang me up I have learned to gently grip the spool and apply more drag, its something you develop a feel for and a fine line not to apply too much. Can't give advice on mono or braid as its been years since I used either.      Good Fishing Dave

I absolutely cannot stand trying to drive anything above a 3/0 hook on monofilament or fluorocarbon on a medium powered rod.  I'm more than happy to do so with braid to leader.

 

If I were you and I had two rods to cover most, if not all techniques, I would learn a good connection knot.  I would obtain spools of fluorocarbon in 6 and 8 pound test for ultra finesse presentations on your spinning rod.  I would also carry 10 and 12 for the same spinning rod for heavier cover and heavier fish with other finesse presentations, or doubling up on a power technique to accommodate your baitcaster.

 

With leader material for the spinning rod out the way, with the 10 and 12 fluorocarbon also crossing onto the casting setup, I would simply add 17 pound fluoro for heavy cover bottom contact with the casting rod.  A spool of 15 pound monofilament will keep braid from tangling in the trebles of top water presentations.

 

TLDR: 15 pound braid on the spinning rig with 6, 8, 10, and 12# fluoro leaders.  40# braid on the casting rod with 10, 12, and 17# fluoro for leaders.  15 pound monofilament on either setup for treble hooked topwaters.

9 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Yup, 6 or 8 lb would be good choices..

Ok. I have a spare pack of 6lb mono, I’ll probably just use that for my soft plastics on my spinning rod, and everything else on my BC

I don't like to use 12 lb mono on a spinning rod, but otherwise you should be fine. I've used a spinning setup with 6 to 10 lb mono for weightless senkos, tubes, and small swimbaits. These days I prefer 15# braid to leader (6-10#) on my spinning setups.

I use my popper/topwater rod Medium Extra Fast for weightless flukes, worms, and senkos. 12# Flurocarbon with a 7 speed reel. 

22 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Yup, 6 or 8 lb would be good choices..

 

23 hours ago, WRB said:

Personally I have a difficult time detect strikes with spinning tackle when cast over 25 yards. Reason; I detect strikes by feeling line movements, easy with bait casting tackle, very difficult using spinning tackle. 

Any mono/coply/FC line over .010D is hard to manage using spinning reels.

Tom

 

 

1 hour ago, lunkerboss923 said:

I use my popper/topwater rod Medium Extra Fast for weightless flukes, worms, and senkos. 12# Flurocarbon with a 7 speed reel. 

 

12 hours ago, Fin S said:

I don't like to use 12 lb mono on a spinning rod, but otherwise you should be fine. I've used a spinning setup with 6 to 10 lb mono for weightless senkos, tubes, and small swimbaits. These days I prefer 15# braid to leader (6-10#) on my spinning setups.

 

15 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I absolutely cannot stand trying to drive anything above a 3/0 hook on monofilament or fluorocarbon on a medium powered rod.  I'm more than happy to do so with braid to leader.

 

If I were you and I had two rods to cover most, if not all techniques, I would learn a good connection knot.  I would obtain spools of fluorocarbon in 6 and 8 pound test for ultra finesse presentations on your spinning rod.  I would also carry 10 and 12 for the same spinning rod for heavier cover and heavier fish with other finesse presentations, or doubling up on a power technique to accommodate your baitcaster.

 

With leader material for the spinning rod out the way, with the 10 and 12 fluorocarbon also crossing onto the casting setup, I would simply add 17 pound fluoro for heavy cover bottom contact with the casting rod.  A spool of 15 pound monofilament will keep braid from tangling in the trebles of top water presentations.

 

TLDR: 15 pound braid on the spinning rig with 6, 8, 10, and 12# fluoro leaders.  40# braid on the casting rod with 10, 12, and 17# fluoro for leaders.  15 pound monofilament on either setup for treble hooked topwaters.

 

17 hours ago, Tatsu Dave said:

I prefer as heavy a line as my spinning reels will handle due to extreme brush and heavy weed cover where we fish. Agree with Tom that .010 is about the heaviest line your spinning reel will function with without unspooling and casting distance hassles. I use dial calipers and check line for true diameter and also use line dressing (KVD) periodically. Being a FC user, tatsu to be specific I like and use 10# test which is .010 diameter. You can get by with 12# but stiffness and casting distance with unweighted plastics T rigged starts to become a little bit of an issue. I use 12# on one rig I use that I throw buzz and spinnerbaits with as well as jigs, I stay slightly lower on spool lip (1/8") and use KVD every trip even though its only .011 dia. it needs more care using. However when a big one runs for cover to hang me up I have learned to gently grip the spool and apply more drag, its something you develop a feel for and a fine line not to apply too much. Can't give advice on mono or braid as its been years since I used either.      Good Fishing Dave

 

18 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I prefer a BC with a MHF for T-rigs for the hookset. I have 8 lb YZH on my spinners for weightless Senkos (mostly WR). 

 

21 hours ago, Big Hands said:

I think it's a good idea for you to develop a rationale for why you use the gear you do. A MF spinning rod is usually rated for around 6 lb to 15 lb test line. Is there a reason you would prefer 12 lb monofilament?I have never fished in MN, so maybe there is a reason that would be recommended for the type of fishing you do. Maybe you get a slower sink rate with a weightless Senko, and that's what works for you. Where I live, I wouldn't throw anything more than 10 lb for a plastic worm, and mostly use 6 lb mono  (for all of the line), or 8 lb fluorocarbon leader on 10 lb braid because there relatively few trees to contend with and I can usually conduct the fight out in deep open water. If I go to Texas, I wouldn't use anything less than 10 lb line for a plastic worm, and most likely heavier than that because I would have a hard time keeping a good fish from wrapping me up in a tree if I don't get them turned and headed for the boat.

 

There are lots of possible reasons that could support using 12 lb mono in a (your) given situation. Or not.

 

If not, maybe you might want to try going down to 8 lb line to let the bait possibly have better action and/or be less visibility to highly pressured fish. That MF rod should be great for that. If your reel is a 35 as in equivalent to a 3500 size for Daiwa or Shimano, then you may want to use some backing so you only use 100 to 150 yards of good line to be more economical so you can afford to put premium line on the part of the spool you actually fish with.

I just now remembered that my spinning rod has a good 5 inches off the end of it because it broke off a while back. Do you guys think it is still worth it to use the spinning combo, or just use the BC for everything?

Broke off 5" it makes a good tomato stake.

Tom

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Broke off 5" it makes a good tomato stake.

Tom

He’s right. The tip end is where the action lay. 

You should be fine using a MHF BC for weightless senko, but you might have a hard time throwing a tube on it, depending on the weight.