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Subject: "The right tools for the job" Previous topic | Next topic
swimbaitThu Feb-22-01 07:10 AM
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#52, "The right tools for the job"


  

          

Lately there has been a lot of interest in the big lures like the MS Slammer and the Osprey Talon Swimbait. The question I see over and over again is; What tackle should I be using with these baits? My answer is that you need to be thinking out of the regular bass fishing mindset when you use big lures.
Flipping sticks are not the right tool to CAST a big lure.
A good comparison to make is to ocean fishing. Down south guys throw metal jigs weighing between 3 to 6 ounces, about like a big trout plug. The killer rod to do this is a 10 foot Calstar T100. This is the furthest casting rod I have ever seen. Now it's a bit massive for freshwater fishing but if I were to throw an osprey on my T100 I could cast it further than any other rod out there and obviously kick butt on any bass that ate it! But since a 10 foot rod is kind of overkill in freshwater, a compromise is in order. I have three rods that I use for the big stuff. A Calstar 900L (9 foot), a Calstar 800L (8 foot) and a Sabre 190-9 (9 foot). The Sabre rod is a glass rod and the Calstars are graphite in the butt section and glass in the tip. Think of them as giant heavy action crankbait rods. That's what you're doing with a big lure and that's what kind of rod you want to be using.
As for line, 25lb or 30lb is a minimum for a lure as heavy as the Osprey or the Slammer. You throw a heavy plug on 20lb for a few hours and get just one little nick in your line and all of a sudden you're going to cast and that thing is going to go flying out about 100 yards because your line just snapped. I use 25 or 30lb triple fish line with 30lb sugoi florocarbon leader tied in with a blood knot. Straight florocarbon isn't a bad idea either if you got the cash money. I'd have to try it before I decided one way or the other.
The right reel is another tough question. A Calcutta 400 is probably the way to go but a Catala 300 or a Corsair 300 will also work. You need to be able to spool enough 25 or 30lb on the reel so that when you cast the coils of line coming off the reel are still pretty fat and not the closely coiled line down by the base of the spool.
With the right setup, your odds of hooking and landing a big bass are greatly enhanced. For someone who has never ocean fished before, the thought of using 8 and 9 foot rods and 30lb line for bass might seem kind of strange, but have faith in it and put time on the water with it, and the results can be more exciting than any other kind of bass fishing you have ever tried.

  

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