thanks for the help

[newbasser78]

i finally got to get out sunday and again today we caught 4 or 5 sunday in about 4 hours and today got 5 in about 2 hours, but i got one that was 5 lbs. i always tried to avoid using plastics being unsure that they could produce. sunday and today thats all i fished and i am sold on them. got the big one by a dock right next to a weed bed. i seem to be missing a lot of strikes. i am using gamkatsu hooks so the should be plenty sharp. any suggestions on how to get more of those fish i am missing. any difference in setting the hook with plastics as opposed to spinner baits. when using a spinnerbait to search for fish should i just try to cover water or any reccomendations on how to locate fish?

[Rebbasser]

Good job, nb!

Missing fish might be due to your rod. With a spinnerbait you have a moving bait with an exposed hook so the fish almost hooks itself. with a soft plastic it takes an active hookset, and if your rod does not have the backbone needed getting a good hookset can be difficult. I don't fish soft plastics on anything less than a medium heavy action.

Regards to finding fish-there are a couple schools of thought. Some like to cover a lot of water with a search bait like a spinnerbait or thoroughly fish a piece of cover with a jig or soft plastic. Most people use both ways depending on the conditions.

[newbasser78]

what type of rod would be best right now i have a medium heavy browning that i picked up at bps. it doesnt seem very sensitive so i am concerned i might miss strikes

[1/4 stick]

The browning med/heavy I have is actually pretty sensitive for a rod with that action. A big part of it is experience. The more strikes you get, and the more you set your hook for things other than a fish, the more sensitive you will be to what is a strike and what is not. After awhile you get an instinct about it. Sounds like you're doing great though. Congrats on the catches!

[brushhog]

I agree with 1/4 stick.... My success rate on hook ups is much better this year than last and my equipment hasn't changed, I just fish more.

[Rebbasser]

nb, that will make an ideal worm/jig rod. It will be plenty sensitive-Browing makes a good rod. Just fish with it and you will get the feel for it.

[lunker-lander]

Your Browning rod sounds good. If you want to tell the most strikes on that rod using soft plastics, look at your line. You want a line that is fairly high-vis, like Trilene or Stren Super Strength. Look for these lines in clear-blue, blue, or purple colors. Also, keep a tite line to see every twitch that happens. You want to keep a tite line especially on the drop of the worm. When you twitch it upwards, move the whole rod up, not the tip. This way, when you go to drop the worm, the whole rod goes down with the worm and your line is tight. Other lines that work good for worm fishing are flourocarbon and braid.
Upgrade to a higher-vis line, you won't be disappointed.