i showed up with i guess a typical spin rod at the pond i fish at - 7' m, lure weight 3/16 oz to 5/8oz...  6# to 12# line.  a couple guys i spoke with were using these much thinner, shorter rods, and one showed me his lures, which were a lot smaller than the ones i typically use. since i basically just saw the lures, i simply noticed they were maybe half the size of mine. one guy using drop shots with i think a 1/4 oz (or less, not sure?) tungsten weight.  was that finesse fishing????  idk much about that, and didn't think people used it for bass.

i assume they were doing it because january is so slow.  should i switch to lighter stuff like they were using, or is it uh.... six of one, half a dozen of the other. i'll try to catch up with them - they fish there a lot, i guess....  

if it's bass they're after - i don't quite get how they bring the bass in, the equipment is so light.

thanks!

My drop-shotting is usually with a 1/16 or 1/8 oz weight on a ML rod rated 6#-10# line, 1/8-1/2 lure. I run 10# braid to 8# FC leader for line

 

The baits I'm using are 3" or less in length on #2 or #1 hooks - or finesse worms on 1/0 round-bend hooks.

 

So ya - I'm totally thinking that they were finesse fishing.

 

BTW: My light Ned/Hair jig rod is 4#-10# line rating, 1/16-3/8 lure rating...and yes, I've caught decent size bass on it - it's all in how you set your drag and play the fish.

11 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

i don't quite get how they bring the bass in, the equipment is so light.

 

Carefully, and take your time. 

 

My first double digit bass (10 lbs 10 oz) was caught on a 5'10" rod that would probably be considered ML/F by todays standard with a Shimano TX Aero ULS-A (probably about a 1500 size reel at most, rated for 2-6 lbs monofilament - I used 6 lb Ande). This would be considered at least BFS-adjacent (what I call 'finesse' by local standards), if not outright BFS by today's standards. For several years, this rig outfished everything else I had until the reel gave up on me.

 

So, while I wouldn't regularly fish somewhere like the Delta or the tules in Clear Lake with gear like that, I imagine there are many bodies of water where you are where you wouldn't automatically get your feelings hurt fishing with gear like that.

18 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

My drop-shotting is usually with a 1/16 or 1/8 oz weight on a ML rod rated 6#-10# line, 1/8-1/2 lure. I run 10# braid to 8# FC leader for line

 

The baits I'm using are 3" or less in length on #2 or #1 hooks - or finesse worms on 1/0 round-bend hooks.

 

So ya - I'm totally thinking that they were finesse fishing.

 

BTW: My light Ned/Hair jig rod is 4#-10# line rating, 1/16-3/8 lure rating...and yes, I've caught decent size bass on it - it's all in how you set your drag and play the fish.

i've totally ignored bfs up to this point.... i felt like it was a japanese thing....  i have some little okuma celilo rods, 6' and 6' 6", 2 to 6# line, lure weight 1/32 to 1/4 or 3/8 oz....  are these suitable for bfs? they seem so tiny....   i considered them panfish or trout rods....  

i;ll probably continue slinging my standard baits, but if my celilo rods would be good for bfs, maybe i'll give that a try.  i'm assuming this is on spinning equipment...  

thank you --- 

 

5 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

i've totally ignored bfs up to this point

If you're talking spinning - that's not BFS. BFS is light line/lures on CASTING gear. Light spinning is just Finesse...and yes, those rods I mentioned are spinning.

 

I would keep the Celilos for panfish - two of my four crappie rods are Celilos, including a 7'6" UL...2#-6# line, 1/32-3/8 lure.

It sounds like they were finesse fishing. Drop shot is finesse fishing but for me I use it as a tool to avoid nasty vegetation on the bottom. I'll fish a pond and see someone constantly bringing up crap on their T rigs.  I'll throw a drop shot and usually the small weight might get a little bit of stuff on it but the bait avoids it.  

Bringing in a big bass with a drop shot, depending on the hook you use, is like a balancing act. Constant tension so the hook doesn't come out, but not too much so you don't pull the hook. Old school drop shot rods had a mod-fast action to help with this. But I just lean on the drag for this. Tight enough drag when I turn the handle there's plenty of tension, and some slip but loose enough when the fish runs it pulls drag easily. Similar with the light crappie spinning rods and bfs rods but a little different. 

7 hours ago, msgf91 said:

It sounds like they were finesse fishing. Drop shot is finesse fishing but for me I use it as a tool to avoid nasty vegetation on the bottom. I'll fish a pond and see someone constantly bringing up crap on their T rigs.  I'll throw a drop shot and usually the small weight might get a little bit of stuff on it but the bait avoids it.  

Bringing in a big bass with a drop shot, depending on the hook you use, is like a balancing act. Constant tension so the hook doesn't come out, but not too much so you don't pull the hook. Old school drop shot rods had a mod-fast action to help with this. But I just lean on the drag for this. Tight enough drag when I turn the handle there's plenty of tension, and some slip but loose enough when the fish runs it pulls drag easily. Similar with the light crappie spinning rods and bfs rods but a little different. 

i'll ask them more if i see them again....   they were saying that the visibility was --- real bad --- the water was clearly brownish....  one guy was tapping on his rod? i assume to make noise....  the other chap said  the tungsten weight was  making noise, to attract the fish.

finesse fishing sounds kind of tuff... i guess i'll stick to non-finesse, lol...  seems interesting tho.

idk anything about drop shots, but yes, i could kind of see it maybe helping get the bait up a bit --- but then the angle of the line on retrieve just seemed so 'low' that i wondered if the bait really can get much above the weight.... but obviously you've gotten real world experience that the drop shot keeps your bait cleaner....

 

I made my 5 year son a 4 1/2’ Spinning rod with a Zebco Omega trigger spin reel with 5# Maxima UG copoly line back in 1987. I rigged him a slip shot using 3” Reapers and size #1 worm hook. Tommy used this UL combo for about 3 years and caught hundreds of bass between 1 1/2 to 5 lbs. when he was 8 years old I bought a signature Don Iovinio Phenix split shot shot rod 6’ 6” MF spinning rod and Shimano Stradic 1000 reel using the same 5# line. Tommy was an expert with the slip shot rig and fished that rod until he passed away at age 38. Over that 30 year period he caught hundreds of bass over 4 lbs, a 35# 5 bass limit in a tournament and a few DD.

Set your drag at 1/3rd the line test and trust it. Don’t reel against a running fish, keep the in front of you and the fight of a bass is rarely longer then 2 minutes.

Tom

40 minutes ago, WRB said:

I made my 5 year son a 4 1/2’ Spinning rod with a Zebco Omega trigger spin reel with 5# Maxima UG copoly line back in 1987. I rigged him a slip shot using 3” Reapers and size #1 worm hook. Tommy used this UL combo for about 3 years and caught hundreds of bass between 1 1/2 to 5 lbs. when he was 8 years old I bought a signature Don Iovinio Phenix split shot shot rod 6’ 6” MF spinning rod and Shimano Stradic 1000 reel using the same 5# line. Tommy was an expert with the slip shot rig and fished that rod until he passed away at age 38. Over that 30 year period he caught hundreds of bass over 4 lbs, a 35# 5 bass limit in a tournament and a few DD.

Set your drag at 1/3rd the line test and trust it. Don’t reel against a running fish, keep the in front of you and the fight of a bass is rarely longer then 2 minutes.

Tom

tom

i am so sorry to hear about the loss of your son.  but it sounds like you and he shared a love of fishing.  i am sure it helps  to have those good memories........

um.... ok, perhaps i'll give finesse a try...