37th Annual Trip to TR; Spinning Rods

[DavidB]

We finished our 37th annual trip to Table Rock, on April 29th.  16 of us made the trip from Louisiana, this year, and we thoroughly enjoyed it, as always.  A shout out to Tommy and Melissa, at Happy Hollow, for being such gracious hosts!  Everyone caught a lot of fish, which made the trip even more special.  Some of us targeted smallmouth, which are a real treat for us "lowlanders", but others had luck chasing those "football-sized" spots and largemouth.  It's just a beautiful lake, and we look forward to coming each year just as much as we did in 1982, our first year.

The Ned was our top producer, but a lot of fish were caught on Texas and Carolina-rigged Speed Craws, on Z-Man jigs, wacky worms, jerkbaits, and a few on crankbaits.  Catching smallmouth on the Ned is such a kick, since so many hit it on the initial fall.  Using spinning rods with 6 and 8 lb. test is a big change for those of us who fish Toledo Bend throughout the rest of the year.   

Many of you recommend medium-light spinning rods, and I can see that they would be a lot of fun fishing the Ned.  Do they have sufficient backbone for shaky head worms and other baits, that require more of a hookset?  I may be interested in buying a couple before next year, and am interested in a 6 1/2-7 ft. rod that won't break the bank.  Any suggestions?

Thanks for any input on the rod.  Best of luck to all of you more fortunate guys and gals that are able to fish beautiful Table Rock, the rest of the year!

[Royal Blue]

I use the Lew's TP-1 Shakey Head rod.  It's either 6ft 9 inch or 6ft 11 inch in ML.  I'm a fan of that one quite a bit.  On the 3 that I have I have 2500 Pfleuger President spinning reels.  2 of them are 2500 and one is a 3500.  I'm about to switch them all to braid with flouro leaders.  I've just been too lazt to get that done.

[DavidB]

Thank you for the recommendation.  I'll be sure to check it out.  I've stayed with mono on the spinning reels, but have to admit that I struggle with loops when I'm not paying attention, because I refuse to use the anti-reverse so that I can back-reel, when needed.  Mine are Pfleuger Supremes, and they've been reliable, so far.

[KistlerLews85]

I’ve got a Shimano Crucial 6 1/2 ft medium power fast action that just works flawlessly. Paired with a 2500 series reel, I’m able to make long casts with it. Guess it depends on how heavy of a head you wanna use. I go pretty light to get a slower fall, like you said, the smallmouth get it on the fall lot of times. They’ll swallow it every once in awhile. 

[David Goddard]

I would recommend any model of st croix other than a triumph or mojo bass. Premier series is probably my favorite but the bassx series and avid series are very good. Also, shimano curado series rods are pretty good for the price in my opinion. Lastly, if I was you I'd start using braid to a floro leader. It's just so much more sensitive and casts better in my opinion. There are plenty of YouTube vids on line that show you how to tie knots. Just my 2 cents but thanks for a great report and tight lines! I can send you some links for stuff if you want.

[magicwormman]

I personal like any 7 ft. med light spinning rod combined with a 3000 model reel. I love 15 lb braid with a 6 ft. fluorocarbon leader, tied together with the modified albright knot. I use 6 or 8 lb leader with 1/16 or 1/8 oz. Ned (preferably Dave's if possible).

[5bites]

I bought my son the 6’9” model of this series for Christmas and so far it’s a phenomenal rod. Personally I’d get myself the 7’1” but nevertheless for the money it’s been excellent. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Phenix_Feather_Spinning_Rods/descpage-PFBR.html

 

I build rods for myself but I’ll be adding a few of these Feathers because of their value and I just don’t always want to build. 

[DavidB]

All great recommendations!  Thank you all.  I've tried fluoro and fireline on my Pfleuger 2500's, and really didn't like the way the line flowed through the guides.  No comparison with mono, in my limited experience.  I haven't tried braid on my spinning reels, but have on casting reels, and just couldn't get used to it.  The only time I've used the braid/fluoro combo was at Sturgeon Bay, with Dale Stroschein (a great guide).  I found it a little awkward, for me, and didn't like the way the knot hit the rod tip, if you weren't paying close attention.  But oh, those Lake Michigan smallmouth!  Shoulders!!!

[5bites]

Get tying the FG knot down and it may not bug you as bad. It flows well and it’s really pretty simple to tie after a little practice. 

[Royal Blue]

This is probably a stupid question, but how long should the leader be going braid to flouro?