Question About Weightless Yum Dinger

[chsmith]

So I just saw a Bill Dance episode that has me so very confused. He was throwing a Yum Dinger weightless Texas rigged on a baitcaster. He was using 20 lb braided line with a 3 ft Fluorocarbon leader. I just tried this in my garage and oh boy do i have a bird nest to pick out. So my question is... how on earth did he pull with off with a baitcaster using no bullet weight or any other form of weight?

Thanks for the help!!

-CS

[danielbasspro]

He has his brake settings correctly tuned. These worms are more than heavy enough to cast. You want to have the small metal circle under the drag set so when you open the bail (have your rod pointing out) and your bait should slowly fall to the ground.Once you are comfortable casting that you can gradually loosen it until it casts as far as you think it needs to and your not backlashing

[MIbasser]

I'm going to go with the fact he has been fishing his whole life and he is just that good with a rod and reel. Oh, and practice, practice and practice some more. Once you think you're good, go and practice a little more.

But as Daniel said, he has his reel setup just right as well.

[cassidyta]

Like everyone else said it is having the reel set properly. The only thing I would add is that depending on when you backlashed it may be your brakes as well.

[BlueDaksi]

It shouldn't be too difficult to cast given a good and properly tuned baitcaster. How was he fishing it? Was he "snaking" it over the top of lily pads or other vegetation and letting it sink down a bit into open areas? That is the only way that I can think of that I might want to fish that Texas rigged and weightless on a baitcaster. In this situation, you are less concerned about the Dinger sinking too far in the water and you need a baitcaster to be able to quickly horse the fish up out of cover.

When I fish a Yum Dinger or Senko that I want to sink deeper and to the bottom slowly, I prefer a spinning reel because the free line won't interfere as much with the action or fall of the bait whereas the spool of the baitcaster would. But who am I to question Bill Dance?

[Bassboss]

He had it tuned right

Do you know know how to set the tension knob? Put the about horizontally in front of you. Push the button. If the dinger falls fast, than tighten it, if it don't move, than loosen it! You want the dinger to fall slowly to the ground.

Once you have that set, turn your reel on it's other side. You'll either have this knob that you numbers on it, or you'll have to pop the side plate off that will revile these switched.

If it's the kind with numbers, first set it it 10 (or the highest number). If you cast with out back lash, but it dose not go very far, than set it to 9 (the net lowest number). If you still don't back lash, than set it lower until you don't back lash, but get good distance.

If you have the kind that you pop off to it reviles the switches. Than turn them all on (outward position). Cast. If don't back lash, but still want more distance, than turn one off (inward). Basically do the same thing as the one with numbers until you get good casting distance, and no back lashes.

Hope this helps... and what size dinger are you using?

[Jrob78]

I always fish stick baits weightless with a baitcaster, in fact it's the only way I fish them, to me that's the way they were meant to be fished. They are aerodynamic enough and heavy enough to cast really well. You can launch a 5" Senko really far, but even the 4" ones cast pretty easily weightless. Like everyone else has said, the key is to have your brakes set properly.

[chsmith]

WOW!! Thank you all so much for the help!! I did have my baitcast set up properly but I wasn't getting the distance I wanted. So being the semi-new angler I am I turned the braking down and "POP" a birds nest! So I took BassBoss's advice and turned my magnetic bake down every number until i bird nested. I am now getting decent distance every cast! Thanks again to all of you!! This is my first post but will defiantly no be my last!!!

P.S. I am using a 7" dinger.

[Jrob78]

Keep playing with it, you should be able to get some pretty good distance with a 7"! I like to pull a few feet of line out by hand immediately after the cast so that the dinger sinks on a slack line. This helps make sure you get the proper horizontal fall. Slowly raise your rod tip after it's been on the bottom and let it sink back to the bottom. Good luck!!

[Garry2rs]

Glad to hear you got your bird's nest problem sorted out.
As a rule, Senko's and Dinger type worms weight about 3/8 of an ounce.
Don't over look the writing on the side of your fishing rod...
To make decent casts with a weightless worm, a person needs a rod that is soft enough to handle that light of a bait.

[BigBassin144]

Once you're reels brakes are set, you shouldn't have any problem, especially with a 7".

I'll go down to about a 4" senko, but any smaller, I switch to a spinning reel. I throw the 5-7" on a MH rod and the 4" on a M rod.

BB

[Raul]

Originally Posted by chsmith

So I just saw a Bill Dance episode that has me so very confused. He was throwing a Yum Dinger weightless Texas rigged on a baitcaster. He was using 20 lb braided line with a 3 ft Fluorocarbon leader. I just tried this in my garage and oh boy do i have a bird nest to pick out. So my question is... how on earth did he pull with off with a baitcaster using no bullet weight or any other form of weight?

Thanks for the help!!

-CS

Correct brake settings, correct tension and an "educated" thumb.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by chsmith

WOW!! Thank you all so much for the help!! I did have my baitcast set up properly but I wasn't getting the distance I wanted. So being the semi-new angler I am I turned the braking down and "POP" a birds nest! So I took BassBoss's advice and turned my magnetic bake down every number until i bird nested. I am now getting decent distance every cast! Thanks again to all of you!! This is my first post but will defiantly no be my last!!!

P.S. I am using a 7" dinger.

Good to hear it worked out for you! I had to help my little brother with the SAME thing today! We where using dingers, and he was using his new baitcast, with my help he got that thing casting a good 15-25 yards (6' rod).

[BeaverIslander]

With a nice, soft tip on a rod and the reel's brakes turned off, you can throw just about anything, even a Beetle Spin.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Originally Posted by Raul

Correct brake settings, correct tension and an "educated" thumb.

I second that my friend. Plus a whippy rod will help sling the senko style baits. A super stiff rod can kill your distance when fishing weightless.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Bruiser

I second that my friend. Plus a whippy rod will help sling the senko style baits. A super stiff rod can kill your distance when fishing weightless.

True, too stiff won't give you as much distance, but becareful not to go too whippy or you'll ruin your hooksets.

BB

[bassassasin]

Originally Posted by MIbasser

I'm going to go with the fact he has been fishing his whole life and he is just that good with a rod and reel. Oh, and practice, practice and practice some more. Once you think you're good, go and practice a little more.

But as Daniel said, he has his reel setup just right as well.

This is a true fact!

[BlueDaksi]

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a tackle snob and don't claim to know any better than anybody else on this topic but I want to learn more about different fishing techniques.

My initial input on this topic was not in regard to whether a weightless Yum Dinger could be cast and fished from a baitcaster, but whether it was a good idea in the first place. It seems that many folks here seem to think that doing so is a fine idea and I'm curious to learn why. Isn't this bait weightless better fished on a spinning reel? What would be some advantages to fishing them on a baitcaster? Am I missing something?

[Bender]

I fish them wacky on a spinning reel and T-rigged on a baitcaster most of the time, unless I am skipping. A lot of the T-rigged worms I throw into the junk and onto pads and I guess it is easier to get through with a baitcaster, plus the rod with that reel on it is a little heavier action than my wacky rig rod.

I do agree with you that it is much easier to let the worm fall using a spinning reel than peeling line of a baitcaster. It's hard to change and set the hook if you get a hit when stripping line off.

Edit: It also seems to just be a preference and sort of regional thing. I don't think spinning reels are as popular down south and I have talked to some people that have 20 reels with maybe one being a spinning reel.

[BlueDaksi]

Originally Posted by Bender

I fish them wacky on a spinning reel and T-rigged on a baitcaster most of the time, unless I am skipping. A lot of the T-rigged worms I throw into the junk and onto pads and I guess it is easier to get through with a baitcaster, plus the rod with that reel on it is a little heavier action than my wacky rig rod.

I do agree with you that it is much easier to let the worm fall using a spinning reel than peeling line of a baitcaster. It's hard to change and set the hook if you get a hit when stripping line off.

Edit: It also seems to just be a preference and sort of regional thing. I don't think spinning reels are as popular down south and I have talked to some people that have 20 reels with maybe one being a spinning reel.

Me too. In my original post, I asked how Dance was fishing it. If he was fishing it on the surface in the lily pads, slop, etc., it makes perfect sense to me. If it was being fished on structure and more open water, then I think that a spinning reel is best. You make a good point about folks just fishing what they own.

Over the last couple of years, I've tried to pay more attention to my setups and and what works best for me (doesn't mean that the same techniques are best for everyone...) and it's made a huge difference in my catch rate and quality. I own a mix of spinning reels and baitcasters. I fish baits like jig n' pigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and frogs on a baitcaster. I fish lighter baits like hair jigs, senkos, and dropshots on spinning reels. In all cases I've also tried to match the best rod for the application - albeit adjusted for fishing from a kayak.

Whenever I've fished a Senko on a baitcaster, I'm basically fishing it like I would a plastic frog across lily pads - really more like a snake. Casting a Senko weightless onto a lily pad, letting dangle off the edge a bit, and then letting it wiggle down into the water is a deadly for bass!

[BigBassin144]

One thing I've learned is while some specific rods work better for specific things, you can get by with what you've got.

For t-rigged senkos I prefer a baitcaster. To me, working them (like a jerkbait or fluke) is MUCH more comfortable on a baitcaster. And their weight makes fishing them on a baitcaster possible.

This is a fairly versatile lure. I've had success fishing it like a jerkbait like I mentioned above and by letting it fall to the bottom and lifting it up, kind og like you would a jig or a normal t-rig.

Like Bender, I fish my wacky rigs on a spinning rod though. I think the main reasons I do this is because its easy to rip a wacky rigged senko off the hook while casting with a baitcaster (which causes a big backlash most of the time).

BB

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Originally Posted by BlueDaksi

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a tackle snob and don't claim to know any better than anybody else on this topic but I want to learn more about different fishing techniques.

My initial input on this topic was not in regard to whether a weightless Yum Dinger could be cast and fished from a baitcaster, but whether it was a good idea in the first place. It seems that many folks here seem to think that doing so is a fine idea and I'm curious to learn why. Isn't this bait weightless better fished on a spinning reel? What would be some advantages to fishing them on a baitcaster? Am I missing something?

BD, personally, I would never pick up a spinning reel if I could avoid it. But I just don't like them due to accuracy and distant issues for myself. I due use them sometimes for shakey heading or drop shotting. I am not knocking anyone for using them though, I know I should practice more myself. And it could possibly help make my arsenal more versatile. But with the right reel and rod set up, I feel like I can throw anything with a baitcaster. About the only thing I have trouble with is a 4" curly tail worm with a 1/16 oz weight. But with the size of those plastics, you are virtually casting a weight and a hook. But I can still get it where I want it most of them time. Something that light just seems to be trouble to get the spool turning efficiently and requires more of a lob cast for slow travel of the bait. If you whip the bait to hard, the spool is going to start spinning faster than the bait is traveling and hence the backlash. I could probably correct some of this with a different rod, maybe longer than my 6', but I can make do for now. But that is not the case with the senkos and like baits due to their density and the way they are built. You gotta look past the reel sometimes though, one is nothing without the other. Just my .02.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by BlueDaksi

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a tackle snob and don't claim to know any better than anybody else on this topic but I want to learn more about different fishing techniques.

My initial input on this topic was not in regard to whether a weightless Yum Dinger could be cast and fished from a baitcaster, but whether it was a good idea in the first place. It seems that many folks here seem to think that doing so is a fine idea and I'm curious to learn why. Isn't this bait weightless better fished on a spinning reel? What would be some advantages to fishing them on a baitcaster? Am I missing something?

For me it's a variety of reasons. More control, more power, and especially better casting distance!! You can also use heavier lines with baitcasters, so you don't have to worry about getting the bass where they live with out breaking off!

[Reel Deal]

For me, choice of reel depends mostly on the size of line I want to use. I will pick up a baitcaster for anything that I throw with 10 lb test or heavier. Spinning I use for 6 and 8lb test. I can throw a weightless Yum Dinger with 10 lb test and baitcaster with no problem and that's the combination that I usually use. Drop shot and split shotting with lighter line I always use spinning gear. I can cast a baitcaster more accurately also.

[coolbreeze]

For me if Im fishing 6 or 8 #line and want distance to cast a light lure its going to be a spinning reel . Usually with 1/16 or 1/8 weights. 10 to 14 # line with weights 1/4 up then I can get my distance with the casting outfit. This is just in accord with how my rods are rated for weights and line size.