Pond Boss

James here are a couple of George's prior pics fyi.








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Here is George's HSB thread index.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=7781&Number=79118#Post79118

Thank you Eric for the pictures. George that sure is a fat fish. I love seeing pictures of those fatties. George I know you are going to hate me for saying this but you might want to try a swim bait that mimics a minnow. The larger hsb that I have caught this year are all either on a live shiner from out of my pond or a swim bait. My favorite brand is the tsunami swim shad in the white but cortland makes one that is almost as good. The best thing about these baits is that they catch anything that eats minnows. They also throw a long ways. Be sure and close the barb.

James, you know the old East Texas saying?
�I might be dumb, but I ain�t stupid�...

You may have noted my post above asking GW about his �rocket launcher� rod for distance casting �..Your just received post was a coincidence when I returned from the park testing my own 11ft rocket rod � in the rain I might add�!
Distance with 1/4 oz casting plug - ~50, 60, 66, and 53 paces�.more than twice my fly cast distance on a good day �..a REAL GOOD day�..
I have several *minnow swim baits that a good forum friend sent me to try and I�ll check yours out as well � but no live bait for me...

*Storm MinnowStick 1/8 oz, 1 ��
Phantom Blue, Black, Chartreuse, and Orange
Think these will work?

Ps: James I just googled your tsunami swim shad and find that I have the same soft plastic minnow lure in sizes from 2" � 6�s in my striper boxes.
In fact one un-opened 100 pack of pearl and glo-in-the dark � no fancy holographic, but I dye them in chartreuse and pink.
Thanks for the tip...

Hey guys (and gals), I need your help on tackle and techniques.
As most of you know I am a �dyed in the wool� fly fisherman but circumstances are requiring that I adjust to changing conditions and adopt new methods in addition to fly tackle.

I commonly use bait-casting equipment when fishing heavy structure for LMB and SB (striped bass) but need more distance than I can achieve with bait casting or fly tackle.

I know that Bruce and many of our mid-western and northern PB members commonly use spin tackle, as well as Al (ahvatsa) and other Texas and southern boys, and would like to solicit your opinions.

I need advise on spinning tackle that will cast small jigs and lures long distances on small diameter high strength gel-spun lines, with rod that has enough �backbone� to land a big fish quickly enough to survive.

I know we have some really good fisherpersons on this board and would appreciate your thoughts.

George

George,

I hear you. I don't like heavy weights on my lures, as it makes them act unnaturally.

I longer rod helps, and nice smooth guides help too. Keeping the spinning reel's spool pretty full can also help a little. I notice a slim 6'6" rod with a pretty stiff spine casts light tackle a bit further than a 6' rod. Line matters too, and can get you another foot or 2 fo distance, but I'm sure you're up on that.

hi george, i'm not sure how much i could help an old salt like you, but FWIW, i operate on a budget, and within those limitations i have found a couple spin combinations that work for me (along the lines of light tackle, long casts, responsive and strong rods).

as you know, there are a gazillion rod manufacturers, but it seems most of the west coast "bass" guys use G Loomis rods.....i cant afford these......as such, my aresenal contains much "cheaper" weapons. i have only good things to say about the much less expensive shimano and (yes believe it or not) newer series ugly stick rods which sell for only $30-$50.

i also found shimano's spirex reels to be absolutely wonderful. i have a couple pairings that include spirex spinner mated with a 6'6 ugly stick lite rod, and a spirex spinner mated with a 7' shimano clarus. these two combinations have worked for me to catch everything from BG to 3+ pound spotted and smb, to 7+ lb lmb, and 5+ lb trout. lately i have preferred the moss green color p-line in 6 or 8 lb test. the shimano clarus rod has alot of backbone and a fast tip, while the ugly stick seems to be a little more parabolic but are bullet proof, you can really lay into them and work the fish quickly.

good luck on yer spinning outfitting quest...

Absolutely agree with DIED.

I have G-Loomis rods, but also have Cabela's IM7 graphite setups that work great.

Like DIED I also use spirex spinning reels. I have eight of them. I love the quickfire mechanism for casting--I'm lost without it--and the drag system is really well designed, especially the one with rear drag.

bobad, who is the manufaurer of this "slim 6'6" rod with a pretty stiff spine" rod?




Thanks guys, I need 6-7 ft rod capable of handling 1/32 � 1/4 oz stuff, with enough backbone to land a decent size fish with out a �blow-out�.

So far the only rod that meets this criteria is Dave�s recommended 6.6 UL ugly stick.

Another option is an 8 ft. steelhead �jig pole� that should be able to handle a big fish if used for steelhead � a wicked fightin� fish.
Anyone have experience with this type rod?

Here's what you need George.

Spirex 2000 Shimano reel with rear drag and quickfire casting.

Cabelas IM7 Tourney Trail rod Model 601 6'.

I've landed two twenty pound HSB with 6 pound test on this combo. It's also very economical. Reel is about 60 bucks, and if I recall correctly the rod is about the same.

...you'll be able to throw a 1/32 ounce jig, but land a big hybrid, no problem.

Here's the link to the rod. $59.95

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...=rods&noImage=0

By the way, I like to use limp Stren 6 lb test, and I compensate for the small diameter by replacing the line every trip. Lusk saw this in action. I fished for those big largemouth in Mexico for a full week and only lost one fish and two lures. The other guys were using mostly 10-20 lb. test.

Bruce, have you tried any of the GsP lines with small diameter and high break strength?
I have been using Power Pro (spectra) in 6# dia/20# test with good results but need a longer spinning rod than the 5 footer I've been using.
You don't have to change this line often...

I've used Power Pro before, but to me it's strength is it's weakness. I love the fact that monofilament has some give. Really high quality monofilament, when brand new is almost impossible to break with the drag set properly, and it's sretchiness allows me to swim a bait more realistically. Power Pro is amazing stuff but every time I jig my bucktail the lure "hops", but then when it falls back I lose contact with it for a fraction of a second. This just happens to be when 90-plus percent of strikes occur.

I fish with 12# Ande mono exclusively when fishing for striped bass with bait casting equipment, and agree on the stretch factor.

I tried GsP one time striper fishing but it abrades easily and will self-destruct under icy conditions.
I don�t like small test mono lines on spin tackle for a variety of reasons one being the twist factor.

I don�t like to deal with changing lines frequently and lack of skill in landing fish quickly in order to release.


That is the main reason I don�t fish with spinning gear for stripers.
I do not lose contact with my jig with casting gear when using �stop and drop� technique, regardless of type line.

I like a 7 ft spinning rod with med action ( Quantum PT ). I use both power pro and in spinning applications Berkley vanish ( fluorocarbon). A good reel fully spooled is critical for distance.

Hey Guys, thanks for all the help.
Taking all of your advice into consideration, I bit the bullet and ordered a bargain sale 7ft BassPro �MicroLite� graphite spinning rod at a price that meets my needs.
1/16 � 3/8 oz lure wt, 4 �10# test line.

My apologies to Bruce and others for straying from rod topic to fishing line topic but guess they are as, or more important for distance casting than the rods.

I strongly believe that a good fisherman needs to be proficient in all types of tackle and techniques. Spinning tackle has never been a priority to me, so I am in a learning mode.
I have many friends that are professional LMB and SB fishermen and I don�t know a single one that uses spinning gear � most bait casting and fly rods, or combination of the two.
Maybe it�s a Texas thing.

Now I�ll be able to cast Al and James 1/8-ounce lures and plugs to the middle of the pond where the big boys play.

Thanks again,
George

For me, it's all spinning reels, except for the rare occasion that I break out the fly rod.

But then again, I'm the lazy live bait fisherman.

george,

I went out and took some measurements yesterday A.M. to try and "help" with this thread. Then I couldn't get back on the forum and the superb answers you received quickly passed my level of knowledge (about 7 seconds after I read your question).

Anyway, this unsophisticated, self-taught spinning reel user currently has 3 spinning rigs, 1) 4.5' ultralight rig with 4 lbs test mono (Bass Pro "Teeny Lite" combo that they put on sale for $15 every year), 2) a 6' medium-light rig with 6 lbs test mono (Daiwa Regal 1500xi reel on a plain jane Ugly Stick), and 3) a 7' medium rig with 8 lbs test mono (Daiwa Procaster 2000 on one of Bass Pro's $18 graphite rods). The mono is all near-bottom-of-the-barrel stuff for maybe $8/1 lb spool when on sale at Bass Pro or Cabela's.

Using the small lures (1/32 - 1/16 oz, IIRC) for which it feels right, ultralight rig #1 maxes out at about 30 yards. Stepping up a size, medium-light #2 will cast 1/8 to 1/4 oz lures 50-60 yards for me, while #3 is heavy enough to handle the heaviest lures I have (up to 1/2 oz, which I don't fish with much) and will sail them 75 yards easy. I picked up rig #2 last Spring and lure-fished almost exclusively with it in 2007 because it will let me cover all of my 0.9 acre pond while shore-fishing. #3 is IMO too much rig for the pond and fish I currently have - with strong wind I end up walking to the opposite side of the pond and pulling (heavy) lures out of the weeds once in a while.

These rigs are below the level of sophistication and, I am sure, performance level of the gear discussed above (My family thinks "Ugly Stick" is funny because of how it sounds; when they joke around with the Bass tourney friends I have who sometimes fish here, my friends seem to think it's funny for another reason.) so I am sure using better rod/reel/line selection from Bruce, et al. you can easily exceed my casting distances.

Sunil and others,

You bait-fish with spinning rigs? I have tried this a couple of times, and found that I didn't like the way slack line behaved on open-faced spinning reels while I was letting bait hang under a bobber. I am interested in hearing how you guys do things differently and, I hope, notably better.

Theo I use a spinning outfit to fish for BG/RES with hook, bobber and split shot using crickets or worms. Just flip it out close bail , take up slack and watch for action. No need to set the hook just reel when the bobber goes under. Your #s 1 and 2 would work for that purpose. I don't use spinning gear for tight lining live swimming bait. I use that method for big fish (LMB) on live shiners or BG and casting gear. You could use your #3 for that purpose if you wanted. That may be just what George should do to catch those big HSB.

For my live bait fishing with a spinning outfit, I can categorize as bobber or no bobber. I alway use weighted bobbers for casting distance. In some instances, I'll use bell weights or split shot depending on the situation.

In either case, I'm mostly fishing with fatheads or shiners, and occasionaly meal worms, maggots, or night crawlers. For meal worms, maggots, or night crawlers, it's almost always with a bobber simply for casting distance.

For fatheads & shiners, I may or may not use a bobber depending on conditions and my target fish's preferences.

I almost always leave the bail open. This allows the fish to take the bait with little to no resistance. It also allows the bait the move around via it's own power or the wind.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, I don't usually hold the rod the entire time. If the bail is closed, the rod can get pulled into the water.

[quote=ewest That may be just what George should do to
catch those big HSB. [/quote]



Theo, your modesty is under whelming...
Getting out in the snow and cold to test your three different spinning rods and recording distances deserves special commendation.
I think all would agree your # 3 rod is a winner.

In fact it sums up all recommendations for a ML 6-7 ft spinning rod capable of tossing small lures long distance, with capability of land a big fish.

Thanks to all,
George

Since I have fishing fever, might as well keep this thread alive.
OK, this morning I scanned pre-digital fish pictures and if anyone is bored with them just delete. Also couldn�t resist some digital era photos �.

Has anyone ever considered fishin� experience as a ladder?
Kinda like life?

Fishin� Ladder
1. Learn to fish � tackle/technique
2. Catch a fish
3. Catch a lot of fish
4. Catch a big fish
5. Teach others how to fish

I�ll begin with Tackle and Technique because that is where we left off.
My main arsenal is pictured below, all of my fishing rods have been handcrafted in the past to meet my needs, but in recent years high quality rods are available at affordable prices.
The 5wt, 4-piece fly rod is by Temple Fork Outfitters, one of the best high quality, affordable rods on the market.

Technique has been addressed previously by Bruce and others but merit further conversation, too lengthy for this topic.
Bruce touched on one of the most important facts when jig fishing, is to say �in touch� with the jig, or strikes will not be detected.
Let the fish tell you where they area and what they want to eat.
Vary your retrieve.
Be a line watcher��

Also pictured are my favorite �students� � �Catch a Fish��

Catch a Lot of Fish....
That's what we did in the old days - shame on me...

George I went to 14# test last year on my spinning tackle after I had a couple of fish break my 10# test. Are you sure you can land a five or six pound hybrid on that light of a line? I'll answer my own question. A really good fisherman can land a big fish on six pound test.

Catch and Release Big Fish




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