12-23-2018, 12:33 AM
Thanks for the recommendations. I've got well over 300 of my rods out there in use so far, nearly all in the Rocky Mountain region. However, my rods are NOT made for this scenario: " I noticed last year I lost a lot of the fish I hooked in deeper water to poor hookset. I was thinking I might get some braided line (no stretch) to help this issue, but really think a stiffer and maybe slightly longer rod would go a long ways too."
Without writing a book, that is not how we mack fish, and not the best way to hook and land big lakers, in my opinion. We use sharp hooks, very light drags (3-4 lbs), soft rods (Mine!), and barely set the hook to land the fish. Sharp hooks go in. hard pressure rips them out. Big lakers are next-to-never lost due to a "poor" hookset in what you are meaning. A "poor" hook-set is one where the reel moves upward, or the rod tip moves upward more than a foot or two, at most. Not those crazy over-the-head "Bill Dance" hook sets. My rods flex.
If anyone wants an overpriced rod with my name on it, they're at http://fishflaminggorge.com/custom-rods/
They're made by my builder in Idaho, to my specs, one at a time, not from Korea or China, and that's why they're $170. I have a builder now because the profit on them was not worth my time to build them any more (below minimum wage!), and I couldn't keep up with demand anyway because I fish too much. Now I have a pro building them, and they're worth his time, at least for now. Bass Pro could build them overseas and sell them for 49.99 all day. Not custom builders, unless they're desperate or stupid.
But again, if you want a big stick to rip hooks out of mouths and play the Gorge version of Wicked Tuna, these ain't it. They're finesse rods for only the discriminating angler who understands sharp hooks and short hook-sets. And we use 'em with straight mono in the winter too! The line doesn't stretch until there's a fish on! That's a good thing.
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Without writing a book, that is not how we mack fish, and not the best way to hook and land big lakers, in my opinion. We use sharp hooks, very light drags (3-4 lbs), soft rods (Mine!), and barely set the hook to land the fish. Sharp hooks go in. hard pressure rips them out. Big lakers are next-to-never lost due to a "poor" hookset in what you are meaning. A "poor" hook-set is one where the reel moves upward, or the rod tip moves upward more than a foot or two, at most. Not those crazy over-the-head "Bill Dance" hook sets. My rods flex.
If anyone wants an overpriced rod with my name on it, they're at http://fishflaminggorge.com/custom-rods/
They're made by my builder in Idaho, to my specs, one at a time, not from Korea or China, and that's why they're $170. I have a builder now because the profit on them was not worth my time to build them any more (below minimum wage!), and I couldn't keep up with demand anyway because I fish too much. Now I have a pro building them, and they're worth his time, at least for now. Bass Pro could build them overseas and sell them for 49.99 all day. Not custom builders, unless they're desperate or stupid.
But again, if you want a big stick to rip hooks out of mouths and play the Gorge version of Wicked Tuna, these ain't it. They're finesse rods for only the discriminating angler who understands sharp hooks and short hook-sets. And we use 'em with straight mono in the winter too! The line doesn't stretch until there's a fish on! That's a good thing.
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