haunted

I wonder what ken thinks when he sees Eric's trouts going for $100 used. And this one going for $250+..... I love me some baitsmiths. If they were still for sale... I dont know if I'd buy another Hudd tbh. I've gotten too many duds over the past few years. Buying a $30 bait, rigging it up with stingers, painting the hooks, doing up the pectoral fins & gills, then take it to the lake only to find it swims on it's side is infuriating. For $30, a blister pack to hold it's form would be nice (like the Decoy 5" & huddleshads used to). I fish those baits, and being able to put them back in the package to keep em straight is a godsend. Hudds need to evolve. When they run true they catch fish like a champ, but some improvements would be welcome. Better packaging, better top hook, better eyes, gills, etc. Sorry, getting off topic. I hope we'll be seeing more of these new baitsmiths. That thing is boss.

The diameter of the handle, diameter of the exposed blank in the spit, the the Eva/cork butt. That's 3 different diameters. Depending on the handle length or how I'm holding casting the rod, my hand is wrapped around 2 or 3 different diameters. I find it akward and distracting, and split grip= 2 extra edges that are digging into my hand and into my ribs/underarm when tucked. Others might not be bothered, I can't stand it. I didn't say it was unbalanced, I said full grip balances better(if I did say it forgive me, I meant better balanced). It's basic physics. Take a 7ft stick, tie a 1lb weight on the end of it then hold it straight out. Now tie a 1lb weight on the other end(the end behind your hand). Even though you just added an extra pound, the weight acts as a counter weight and takes the load off your wrist. Now in terms of swimbait rods, if you replace the 7ft stick with an 8ft stick, the pound at the far end becames waaaay more heavy in hand, even though it's still 1lb. And the extra length of the rod is more weight in front of the handle, increasing the need for counterweught behind the handle. By using less counterweight(split grip), your making the rod more tip heavy and throwing off the balance, which means more stess/weight on your hand & wrist. There's other variables, like the weight of the reel, the lure, range of motion, etc. But the premise doesn't change. Well if your a rod builder you understand balance. You can build the rod to balance perfectly for the specific reel to be mounted on it. But if your balancing long swimbait rods... What your saying is that you convert the full grip to split grip to reduce the weight, yet... Your adding weight to the butt of the rod to balance it. Essentially your removing weight(useful weight that serves a purpose-grip surface), then adding weight to balance it. You'll have to forgive me- that makes no sense at all to me. I'm not trying to say full grips are better than split grips, I'm just countering what you said- that full grips are just extra weight, serve no purpose and are just for show- which is inaccurate. They provide counter weight, better balance, more gripping surface and no snaggy edges. It's actually split grips that serve no purpose(other than looks if you find them attractive). Like you said- I don't do things to my rods that don't serve a purpose either (like cutting a chunk out of the handle). But, imo, doing something for asthetics does serve a purpose. Smile factor. Im down with smile factors. It's all good, we like what we like. Factors like comfort, confidence, style & smile factor are important imo. it doesn't have to be form or function, it can be both. Fish on.

Good stuff there. The more I think about it in use, the more it warms up on me. My only reservation is that during a cast, the trigger helps me keep the rod from rolling to one side from the weight of the reel(usually the handle side as it's heaviest). At I think it helps me, may be subconsciously. I guess it's like anything in that the more you do it, the more natural it feels. I mounted a bc on a spinning rod last night, I definitely like being able to move my hand around. Being able to tuck a longer swimbait rod under my arm seems like it would help with balancing the reel(especially a big heavy round bc) and keep it from rolling over.

The "14 inches of Eva foam" your asking about- you mean a full grip handle? If your talking about handle(and not foregrip)- I get it because I hate split grip handles. Fishing em doesn't bother me, it's the cast. Wrapping my hand(s) around 2 different diameters is distracting and uncomfortable. On long days & multiple days of heavy casting, the edge of the grip digging into my hand is just more wear & tear to my already worn hands. Especially if the edge of the grip has an exposed metal winding check ring. It also catches on my clothing when tucked under arm. I'd say the opposite- I think split grips serve no function other than a 'cool factor'. They make a rod 'tip heavy' (Moreso on tip down applications vs tip up). They also throw off the balance bigtime. Full grip rods balance much better. I'll happily take that extra... what, 2 or 3 grams of Eva foam weight for better balance and having 100% grip surface from butt to reel seat. (And I use all that surface at one point or another- during gripping, casting, sliding hand down after the cast, switching hands, pressed against me, when fighting a fish, landing, finaggling a snag, stowing rods, etc.). Think about it- would you want a 'split grip' on any other type of handle? On a hammer? Shovel? Axe? Nunchucks ? wrench? Gun foregrip? Etc. I can't think of any handle I'd want a big chunk taken out of it. It's all personal preference really. But full grips most definitely serve a purpose. Grip. The no trigger set up is starting to warm up on me after hearing you guys use them & like them. I can see how having more purchase to move your hand around could be a plus, as well as palming. When I get the chance I'm gonna mount a bc on a spinning rod and give it a go.

I noticed on Gary Loomis's new rods (EDGE rods), none of the big bait rods have triggers, and the 8' mag heavy has what looks like a spinning reel seat(?). Check it out- http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gary_Loo ... -NFCC.html (Click on 'handle type b, c, d, e'). Anyone know the science behind this? It's new to me. I can't imagine not having a trigger on a bc rod, especially a big bait rod with a heavy reel. Any of you guys getting your customs built without triggers? *(for anyone considering one of these- you can have em built any way you want on the edge website. This is just how they come stock.)

*And I hear Florida bass like eating rats

Absolutely they work in Florida. Or anywhere. Match the hatch' is a good place to start. If you don't know what the main forage/baitfish of that lake, you can ask dnr, lake mgnt or guys at the boat ramp. Is it shiner, shad, tilapia, gills, mullet, etc? Ask if they prefer certain bait this time of year? Where do said bait tend to stay this time of year? Then study the lake. Study the shoreline. Watch the birds. Find bait and watch em. Study depths(if you don't have a fishfinder get a topo map). Find structure, staging areas, points, ambush areas, drop offs, etc. Find a swimming pool or clear water to cast and study your baits. Practice different retrieves, twitching, sweeping, etc. Find out how much a 3" twitch/sweep moves your bait vs a 5" twitch. How the action changes at different speeds. How slow does it sink with 20lb test vs 25lb test. Every little thing. (Ex: I spent almost 2 years throwing one bait on one rod, I threw it year round, on the lake 2-6 days a week trying 'master' it. And I still feel there's a lot to learn about it). You have to have confidence in the bait your throwing other wise you'll get discouraged, hop from bait to bait, and end up spending more time shopping for lures than fishing them. These are good starting points. When you hear people say "you gotta put the time in" here on the forums, these are the kind of things they mean. You'll learn so much more putting the work in yourself vs asking "what lure should I throw on this lake" on a forum. Match the hatch, master your technique(s) then find where the fish are and what they're eating. Pretty much the same thing as any lure, your just using big ones now.

Yeah man... I guess you're right. If I caught the WR I wouldn't want an asterisk by my name. I don't know if it'd be against ifga rules... But I reckon it'd weigh on my conscience.

Now you're crossing into a level of douche that will surely (hopefully) be shot down as a bad idea. That's shady ish. Period. When compounded with the fact that you shouldn't be there in the first place...well, good luck to you. How is catching a record fish at 4am and keeping him alive till 6am douchie? I'm only doing that for a world record, I'm not interested in registering a lake record fish. What would you do if you caught the world record fish at night?

That's a valid concern, and one we've discussed. We decided if we catch a record fish, we'll have to keep it in the livewell(if we have one atm) or on a stringer in the lake until morning and say we caught it that morning. You thought right. They absolutely do feed at night, especially in the summer. Those big bass have adapted to fishing pressure. Fish are very aware and have memory. An easy test to prove this is go to a high pressured lake and throw a worm to bluegill on a Bobber. They won't hit it because of that bobber. Replace the bobber with a little floating twig or leaf & you'll catch em all day. a lot of animals, especially big game only move at night as well. Here's a prime example- I have a buddy that's been hunting the same deer for 6 years. Year round he sees this deer on his trail cameras, in the same spot feeding on crabapples. But the deer only feeds at night. He's an absolute monster- he has one of the most beautiful, weird, non-typical antler spread I've ever seen. He's definitely a record deer. But that deer didn't get that big by being dumb. He knows it's safe at night and has completely adjusted his feeding and movement patterns. The only shot my buddy has is catching him chasing tail during the rut.

Right on, thanks for your thoughts guys. Im going for it. I'm not looking to sneak into anyones private property, just public lakes that close at sunset. I'd be ok with sneaking onto a corporate lake or golf course, but not an individuals. I'm not worried about getting caught, that's the last thing preventing me from doing it. It's an ethics thing for me. We'll just play dumb and eat the ticket. Plus my fishing buddy is decorated ex special forces, if worse comes to worse he said he'll just show him his military ID & tattoos and pull rank. No need for a gun on any of the spots I'm looking to fish. I don't think that's a very good idea in any case(unless you're fishing in gator territory). Like I said, I don't care about the laws, I'm more concerned with what my fishing brethren would think. Yalls opinion means more to me than law enforcement's.

Guys can I get your opinion on something? Do you think it's morally wrong to sneak in and fish lakes at night after they're closed? A lot of the smaller lakes I fish close after dark. We've been talking for years about sneaking the kayaks in after dark and fishing all night(catch & release only, as always). No doubt the fishing will be on fire. But... It kind of feels like cheating. My old man was a big hunter/outdoorsman, and even though he turned into a piece of sh*t alcoholic, he instilled solid morals in me regarding the outdoors. Never poach/take game out of season, always have license/tags, never litter, etc. Now there's other laws I break on a regular basis but I've always respected the hunting & fishing laws. I'm just not 100% sure on this one. There's no law against fishing at night here, it's just those particular lakes' 'rules'. What do you guys think? -Morally wrong, Bad fish karma -Get in there & slay em *(I saw some 'ninja fishing' threads, I didn't know if that's what this is referring to, or if that's just what folks call night fishing).

Phenix makes good blanks, that's good to hear. Thanks ya'll.

Thanks for the replies guys. I waited until I could test it with split rings before replying. What I found(this is specifically for the freestyle floater shad): - Tying directly to the line tie had really poor action. Nothing like the 3:16 video. - Tried it with a #5 hyper wire split ring(until I could get larger split rings)- swam a little looser but still not good. - Tried it with a #6 hyper wire- wow that woke the bait up! Super loose, can swim it wide or tight, beautiful action, 90° & 180° look-backs with ease. - waiting on #7's & #8's to come in the mail. Trying to match the size used on the 3:16 wakes. *of note: I bought this bait used- it was also repainted. Either of those factors could've had something to do with the dull action. But there's no doubt that a split ring made this bait come alive with the action I was hoping for. I had the exact same results with the Cl8 water vole. Split ring enabled it's full potential. YMMV

Anyone know what blanks the LDC rods are built on? They don't say on their website, I emailed them and they never responded. I searched on here but couldn't find any mention blank brands.

Do you guys add a split ring to the line tie of your freestyles, or tie directly to the line tie? If so, what size split ring? *specificly wondering about the floating/topwater freestyles, but curious about all of them in general. My floating shad's action is a bit... Lacking.

I doubt there will be a 300 size. I don't think there will be any other sizes to be honest. Looks like they made this one a 'one size fits all'. Although I can see them maybe bringing out an updated 300 with xship & new brake system in the same body.

looks like 300 & 400 sizes come out in 2015. I really wish they would release them all at the same time. As for the price- looks like it's only gonna be $20-30 more than the old model. I'm good with that. XShip & micro gears in a smaller profile with improved line capacity- I'm stoked!

http://fishing.shimano.co.jp/product/reel/3507 Only a 100 & 200 size atm (no word on larger sizes). The reels have gotten smaller but seems to have improved line capacity. 200 size holds 100m of 20lb.

Done. Hang in there dude, things will get better. They always do.

Legit seller. Would buy from/trade with anyday! Thanks Jose!

6" hudd rof 5, if I'm going for numbers.

* just read the angry thread about newbs coming in here & starting gear threads... My apologies if my thread is considered one of those. I'm new here but not to sb fishing(I actually signed up 4-5 years ago but just read, never posted. Long forgotten my login info). I searched but didn't find anything on th NRX 916. It's new, and I thought it's a pretty interesting rod, given that it could very well be the most sensitive sb rod in production at the moment(tbd). I was interested to see if anyone is fishing it and can speak for how sensitive it really is.