I've been shopping ultra light general purpose 6 1/2 - 8' rods to learn to catch warm weather crappie but it seems to be recommend not lifting fish but netting anything of any size. You guys who are throwing light jigs on 2 and 4 pound line, do you really net or lip everything with the TSS or SHSS rods? Would it be a mistake to size up to stouter rod like the Buck's Ultimate?
Yes!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimInAlabama
If you are using the line weight that the rod is rated for, then anything that the line can hold, the rod should as well. So, if the line is rated for 6# test and you're using 6# test line, you should be able to dead lift 6 pounds using the rod. Note that most line is capable of more than it's "rating", so I'd use the actual weight listed, and not rely on the line breaking before the line does. I've pulled the boat with 4# Mr. Crappie line before -- when TRYING to break off.
If you pick up a 4# fish on 4# line on a rod rated for 4#, you're asking for trouble. The knot is never as strong as the line, and as soon as the fish flips at all, the weight changes... flip up, fall back down, that's more pressure than the fish weighs.
So, $500 rod rated for 4# line, use the net on anything bigger than a pound or 2. For a $50 rod, be kind to it, but don't baby it. I pulled in a 1 1/2 to 2 pound bass yesterday with my TSS rod and didn't like it because I risked losing the fish (the line was just too tight for my liking), but if the rod broke doing that, you'd be reading a very nasty review.
One other thing to consider is that the rod is rated for that weight when new and free of defects. A slight nick in the rod or a scratch and the integrity has been compromised. Also, repetitive stressing can weaken the material (think of metal fatigue). But again, it's a $50 rod, so, I don't expect miracles.
That's just because you catch better fish than I do :)Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
You not going to boat flip many fish with any B/m rod . The ultimate was built for feel not flipping fish . :twocents
I'm going to give you some sound advice. You start boat lifting fish with UL rods you are going to regret it. The TSS and B'N"M TCB rods are of high graphite content....both of them are excellent at bite detection....but you boat lift and you are going to be on the phone asking for a new top section. I have no clue what source Schmoopie got the info about a rods line rating should lift the same amount of weight as line rating but that info is wrong. If you want to own a rod that can detect soft bites...is a true UL rod...then you need to invest in a net.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimInAlabama
Regards
I'm good at being wrong. Momma always told me to find something I can do and to be really good at it :). I don't know what the TSS is rated at, as I can't find the info on the website and I'm too lazy to walk outside and look at mine. I'm trying to come to terms with a rod saying it is rated for 4# line, but that the rod would break before the line does. I hope you understand my disconnect. If a rod is rated for 4# line and I'm using legitimate 4# line my rod shouldn't break -- the line should.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alphahawk
To encourage excitement and an element of danger, Ray Scott of BASS outlawed net use in his tournaments. Previously, the fishing partner would net the fish.
Thus, the boat flip was begun. By the bass tournament guys.
Don't be a bass tournament guy, use a net.
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The angle comes into play. You start boat lifting you’re putting stress on the rod outside of the design parameters. The TSS rod is rated for 6# test line.....as is the TCB. I could go on and on but I hate to type.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmoopie
Regards
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Agreed. The bass guys are using pool cues for rods and 65# braid. Just ignore them.Quote:
Originally Posted by slowhand
Agreed. The English use the “test curve” rating. The “test curve” is the weight that would bend the rod tip perpendicular to the ground while holding the rod parallel to the ground. A heavy carp rod would have a test curve of 3-3.5 pounds. A true UL rod would have a test curve of a few ounces.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alphahawk
Yep, I'm one o' those guys! :biggrin I bass fish a lot, usually in heavy cover and a couple of my rods are heavy and heavier with 20# fluoro and 40# braid. But even on my lighter rigs anything 3 lbs or less I usually haul in. I keep a big KastKing net on the deck for the rare occasions I need it. I'm old, overweight, bad back, knees and hips and just not very agile and I've lost more bass trying to net 'em than hauling 'em in. I realize it's different with crappie fishing and if I have to have a net so be it, I'm just trying to avoid a hundred dollar mistake out of the gate.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Guilty of charge here, I’m a bass guy and do flip a lot of my fishing and that habit is continuing even with Ultralight Fishing. I know it is not a good thing and high risk of damage the rod. Anyway as a bank fishing man and normally carry only one setup and a box of jig, I hardly ever carry net with me.
I don’t flip the fish that is too big and can put heavy load on my rod, instead I pulled up from leader line or lip them if it is really big. Sometime I have no option but to flip them no access to water from shore.
Is there technique to flip the fish. I don’t know.
I don’t have to worry about it with the 8” crappie I catch rotfl
I've flipped 4 pound catfish with my UL St. Croix Premier series rods. Heck, I've hung a lure and pulled my 16' Deep-V boat with my rod and 6# line.
I always thought that line weight listed on a rod was to indicate size line that best suited casting with, not the dead weight that you could lift with the rod!!!
flipping fish is tricky , I almost never use a net myself ,but I do ride in boats sometimes that use nets .
larger crappie fish in the over 1.25 to 1.5 range often get a pass when "flipping" fish if you are not tuned into this technique .
with 2 lb test I never ever try to flip fish that are over around 10 inches or so . with 6 lb test and an ok stiff rod I regularly flip larger fish .
the trick is to get the fish coming your way steady and pendulum them using the fishes momentum and not give it a split second slack or any kind of jerk .
a lot of the crappie tackle I handle is not made for slinging fish for sure , a good amount of it just doesn't have what it is needed for the lift . folks mention backbone a lot and I guess its a good term , but to be sure even with the right stiffness lots of things can go wrong when you go to toss one ….
my 3 cents
I’m not sure why one would want to “flip” fish. Why chance a lost fish or a broken rod?
I haven't touched my toes in decades. Haven't seen them in longer than that :) Weight and age lead to poor flexibility and stability. Imagine bank fishing from rocks with those issues. Now add bending over to the "balancing act". I used to laugh at my grandmother when I was a kid for her asking me to thread her needles. I wish she were still alive so I could apologize and explain that "I get it" :).Quote:
Originally Posted by ET Fish
I bought this just for bank fishing....and I do fish banks with riprap. It should work for any bank you are subject to fish from. It is very light weight and works great.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmoopie
Regards
YouTube
I am one who tends to boat flip alot of crappie (kayak) mainly due to the pain in the arse it is to control my kayak and grab a net and have my pole still in hand. Ive found my walleye prodigy (6'3 ML from cabelas *rated for 1/16-1/2) and my ACC Crappie stix (7'6) both are amazing rods for having to do this while still pushing lighter jigs.
I notice a lot of folks interchange UL and ML rods. They are not the same at all. I boat flip most crappie with a ML rod and have not broke one yet. I seldom use UL rods for crappie but I do use a net when I catch a decent size one. Boat flipping a good size crappie with a UL rod is asking for trouble.
I rarely use a net, but I do lip em.
I normally use an ultra light Ocuma reel On a 5' Ocuma UL rod. I use a net about 95% of the time. Problem without a net is if the fish is lip hooked, they come off really easy and you can see it while they are in the water. Most of them are caught with a net! I use 4# line.
My fishies lips don't confirm to a 4# line 4# rod rating either. My fishies have tender mouths.
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Especially when you have a world record crappie on the end of the line. Remember one of crappie's nicknames is papermouth. Think about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by ET Fish