jeffc wrote:
"duty-honor-country" wrote in message
ups.com...
question- considering the incessant amount of tangles and backlashes
with ANY bait casting reel, and the fact your thumb must ride the spool
at all times to (try to) prevent it- why would anyone bother even using
a bait casting reel for fresh water fishing ? I can see the cranking
advantage to a bait caster, for hauling in huge fish, and dragging
lures through weeds, etc.. But in my actual experience, the bait
casters can't cast as far, and not as accurately, as a cheap open face
spinning reel or even a spincasting reel.

Being able to thumb the reel GIVES you control, it doesn't take it away.
Think about it. You fling a spincasting reel, and you're done. There's
nothing you can do about it. Anyway, once you get over how to keep control
of the reel, it's kind of like using a manual car instead of an automatic
one. And there's a feeling of being in "direct drive" rather than going
through an inefficient system - the line is "directly" attached to the reel,
not going through some system of pulleys and gears to get there
(exaggerating slightly :-)

I'm getting the notion the reel industry is doing a lot of bs-ing to
sell bait casters.

Don't be ridiculous. For what possible reason?

thumbing the reel adds friction, and will give control- at the cost of
distance.

you need to realize that baitcasters are slowly being superceded by
spincasting and spinning reels, for bass especially

read about it here

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fields...456529,00.html


Do A Little Jig
Think small when largemouths get picky.
by Mark Hicks

Downsizing may have dire consequences when it comes to corporate
America, but in bass fishing the concept can be a day saver. When bass
grow temperamental, as they often do in response to cold fronts,
fishing pressure, and other myriad factors, they curb their appetites
for standard-size lures. Experienced anglers keep on getting bites by
switching to small plastic baits, such as 4-inch finesse worms, but
when bass are holding in thick cover, these are close to useless
because they can't penetrate the brush.
In this situation, Ron Yurko, who has won hundreds of thousands of
dollars in tournaments held on small, overfished impoundments in his
home state of Ohio, reaches for jigs that weigh only 1/8 ounce or so.
While lightweight jigs have long been a mainstay for smallmouth and
spotted bass anglers, Yurko is happy to admit that those who target
largemouths have little regard for these diminutive lures.

When other anglers can't buy a strike, Yurko consistently hooks bass
by flipping, pitching, and casting his bantam jig to shallow cover.
Aquatic vegetation, submerged wood, rocks, and boat docks all yield
largemouths, including some heavyweights. Most hookups come from water
3 feet deep or less.

Bantam Weights
Yurko's go-to jig is a homemade 1/8-ounce model he dresses sparsely
with either bucktail or squirrel hair. A few strands of thin rubber
over the hair add the final touch. A subtle wire weedguard protrudes
from the pointed jighead and shields the hook. Without a trailer, his
creation looks more like a streamer fly than a bass jig. On the line,
Yurko's bitty jig sinks slowly, settles lightly, and sneaks through
cover. It lures bass close and coaxes a feeding response.

The commercial model that most resembles Yurko's homemade one is the
Big Buck Hair Jig from Venom Lures. Bass Pro Shops' Smallmouth Jig,
which features a bucktail-and-silicone skirt, makes an excellent
substitute when you fish rocky bottoms and sparse cover. Also available
are a number of small-profile rubber-skirted jigs, such as Stanley's
Smallmouth Bass Jig. Don't let these smallmouth tags throw you-tip
these little jigs with tiny trailers, and they'll do a number on
those fickle largemouths.

Of course, every bass lure has drawbacks. Due to its lack of weight, a
bitty jig is much more difficult to flip and pitch into teacup-size
openings than a heavy one. Yurko employs Abu Garcia's discontinued
model 507, an underslung spincasting reel that easily manages 20-pound
line with a featherweight jig. Since it can be difficult to locate one
of these vintage reels, your best option is a spinning outfit loaded
with 12- to 14-pound-test.

In superdense cover, try a thin superbraid coupled with Rippler's
Lo-Pro Jig designed by Frank Scalish, the former Citgo BASS Master Tour
Rookie of the Year. The slightly heavier Lo-Pro jigs come in 1/4- and
3/8-ounce sizes, yet maintain the small profile of a 1/8-ounce model.
The wisp of added weight will help you probe the thick stuff, where a
finicky bass is bound to be waiting for an appetizer. When you get back
to the dock with a load of fish, do Yurko a favor: Don't tell anyone
about your itty-bitty secret.