Finesse Weightless Plastics and light jigs on a baitcaster 2024
smallmouth89 reply :
I had a fair bit of success last season tossing various Case Plastics weightless with my Bass Pro "Pro Lite Finesse" baitcasting combo. I would like to put together another outfit capable of fishing this way and have read that the Pfleuger President does a good job of tossing lighter lures. Does anyone here have any experience with this reel?
God Bless,
Don
P.S. I know this is the realm of the spinning rod but I really enjoy baitcasting.
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justfishin reply :
One of the older Shimano Curado's is great for this on a 7' med/fast action rod. I use #12 test and have not had a problem chucking Senko's.
smallmouth89 reply :
QuoteOne of the older Shimano Curado's is great for this on a 7' med/fast action rod. I use #12 test and have not had a problem chucking Senko's.
Are the newer Curados less suitable?
God Bless,
Don
smallmouth89 reply :
Abu Garcia Torno or Shimano Citica work for this application? How about The Abu Garcia Revos?
C'mon guys help me out here. Avid must have some input on this. I'm not he only one who prefers baitcasters to spinning outfits. Geesh if I have to I might toss some of this stuff on the 8/9 flyrod.
God bless,
Don
Crestliner2008 reply :
I don't understand the desire to use bc gear for smallies, unless you are using heavy spoons or blade baits in deep, open water conditions. You can even crank with spinning tackle. Going to a lite bc rig is like using a .375 H&H magnum for rabbit hunting. Yep, it can be done, but why? Smallies & spinning equipment go hand in hand. Can't get around that fact. But, like everything else in life....to each his/her own. 
roadwarrior reply :
I use a baitcaster for jerkbaits and 3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow
Blade Spinnerbaits. Otherwise, spinning tackle rules!
8-)
K.Fox reply :
You don't want to hammer in a screw. Gotta use the right tool for the job. Spinning gear!
Dwight Hottle reply :
I don't have any experience with the pfeuger president. My favorite baitcaster combo for smallies is a st croix avid avc70mm coupled with a shimano calais cl200a with 20lb ultracast braid and a maxima ultra green leader. I use this combo for cranks, jerkbaits, blades & jigs/plastics. The moderate action crankbait rod loads nicely when hooked-up but cushions the non strech braid. I probably use this setup as much as I use a spinning rig.
smallmouth89 reply :
Thanks Dwight,
That's the kind of info I'm looking for.
God Bless,
Don
P.S. You must be pretty close to all that great Lake Erie smallmouth action.
justfishin reply :
No, I don't see why it would have to be a newer Curado. I just like my older ones because I have so many. I use them for spinnerbaits, cranks and such for smallies. Other than that I use spinning gear. They are all just tools for different jobs.
JeepnFish reply :
My favorite outfit is:
Loomis IMX CR721C Light action, 6', 6 - 12 pound test, 3/16 - 1/2 oz.
paired with:
Shimano Core 100MG (weighs less than a spinning reel at 6.1oz and 90 yds 12#)
I can cast anything from weightless 3" skinny Senkos to 3/4 oz. 4" swimbaits and it's so light and sensitive anything I catch with it is a thrill.
The 3" Senkos I mentioned were castable with 8 pound test, but I am currently using 10 on it. I fished almost 100% spinning for the past 10 years. I do have to watch it with those, but hey, I also had not used a baitcaster for a long time!
This was only since September, and I bought 2 more baitcasters since then..another Core and the Curado E. The Curado E is a VERY good casting reel. I have read that the new Citica is NOT as good with lighter lures.
I am still amazed at how much more fun a "Good" baitcaster is to use.
Hope this helps
roadwarrior reply :
Welcome aboard!
We fish much differently, but it's always
interesting to me to hear how other guys roll.
8-)
Bass Dude reply :
QuoteWelcome aboard!We fish much differently, but it's always
interesting to me to hear how other guys roll.
8-)
Me too---and I think that's the beauty of our sport, there are no hard/fast rules. The success in this sport is only limited by your imagination.
BTW---spinning tackle for any light-weight lures!! 
J Francho reply :
I don't think it would be that difficult to throw most of my finesse baits with a baitcaster. I just find it a lot easier to find a spinning rod in my price range that suits it.
Many of the optimal casting rods for this stuff are really pricey, as are the reels capable of tossing light offerings. Not that the two Kistlers I have for finesse were necessarily cheap, but they were accessible.
I also find that the drag on a mid range spinning gear seems to protect light line better than mid range casting gear.
As far as what I mean about accessible, most of my rigs are in the $200 to $400 range.
JeepnFish reply :
Thanks for the welcome!
Don't worry fellas, I don't think anyone's going to have a spinning rod bonfire anytime soon 
smallmouth89 reply :
JeepnFish,
QuoteI am still amazed at how much more fun a "Good" baitcaster is to use.
This is exactly why I started this thread. I use my spinning and flyrod gear for really light weight jig, in-line spinner and tiny spoon presentations but prefer baitcasting for pretty much everything else.
God Bless,
Don
Ern reply :
I would say it depends on the size of the fish that you have access to in the water you are fishing. Smaller river fish in the 3lb and down I would opt for a light or med/light outfit in a spinning rig. If I was after a bigger size fish say a 6lb smallie in a good bit of current and grass, I would tote a Med baitcaster and spool it with 10-20 lb mono. Just me. I tried the braided lines but find I have to many twist issues to make me happy with it in a current situations.
Ern
smallmouth89 reply :
I ended up purchasing a Shimano Curado 200E and a 6'6" Medium Power Fast Action St. Croix Avid. Got it spooled with 20/6 Power Pro.
Backyard casting with an 1/8 oz. jig and a twin tail grub worked fine. I suspect that the weight of the grub brings it closer to a 1/4 oz. lure. Can't wait to try it on the water.
God Bless,
Don
SissySticks reply :
QuoteYou don't want to hammer in a screw. Gotta use the right tool for the job. Spinning gear!
I suppose that's true, but where I live we often have good size smallmouth (~3-4lb.) and good size largies (~3-6lb.) living in the same lakes. Also, when I'm jig fishing (read, 3/16oz.-3/8oz.) with Eakins Jigs and Bitsy Bugs, I like casting gear. My favorite combo for this type of fishing is the Powell 683ce, which is a MH XF 6'8" casting rod. I use, actually, an old Shimano Citica on it w/ 10-12lb. Big Game and it throws spinnerbaits, weightless plastics, and small jigs really well with the XF tip. I won't throw anything under 3/8oz. on a casting rod unless it has an XF tip though.
I still throw weightless plastics on spinning tackle though. Basically I throw jigs/texas rigs/spinnerbaits/frogs on casting gear and thats it.
smallmouth89 reply :
Parker,
XF I assume translates to extra fast?
God Bless,
Don
SissySticks reply :
QuoteParker,XF I assume translates to extra fast?
God Bless,
Don
Yes, XF= extra fast tip. Only way to fly in my opinion. I fish for both large and smallmouth and some spots too, and in all honesty, I carry 5 spinning sticks and only 2 casting rods, but 3 of my spinning rods and both my casting rods are XF. The only thing I don't really like them for is grub/small swimbait fishing and topwater, because I like the slightly more parabolic flex of a fast or mf taper for those techniques, but for jig and plastic fishing, I think XF is far superior.
smallmouth89 reply :
My new St.Croix baitcasting rod is fast action but I don't know if it's extra fast. Flex is mostly in the first 8 to 10" of the tip so I think it's pretty fast.
God Bless,
Don
SissySticks reply :
QuoteMy new St.Croix baitcasting rod is fast action but I don't know if it's extra fast. Flex is mostly in the first 8 to 10" of the tip so I think it's pretty fast.God Bless,
Don
St. Croix makes nice rods. St. Croix's tend to run plenty fast and a little on the heavy side in my opinion, so the fast should be fine for you. I went with the Powell rods because for $140, which is less than the high end St. Croixs, I get a lifetime warranty and some really nice actions. Also I don't care for St. Croix's spinning reel seats. Hope you enjoy your new rod and catch some big bronzies with it!
J Francho reply :
QuoteQuoteMy new St.Croix baitcasting rod is fast action but I don't know if it's extra fast. Flex is mostly in the first 8 to 10" of the tip so I think it's pretty fast.God Bless,
Don
St. Croix makes nice rods. Good that you went with the fast though, as I've heard reports of St. Croix's XF rods breaking at an unusual rate. Not my personal experience though, so take it with a grain of salt. St. Croix's tend to run plenty fast and a little on the heavy side in my opinion, so the fast should be fine for you. I went with the Powell rods because for $140, which is less than the high end St. Croixs, I get a lifetime warranty and some really nice actions. Also I don't care for St. Croix's spinning reel seats. Hope you enjoy your new rod and catch some big bronzies with it!
Heard? Where? Links?
SissySticks reply :
I've edited my original post. I spend 20 minutes looking for the thread (on another board) where several guys had said they broke an XF st. croix, but now I cannot find it. It was quite a while ago when I was looking to upgrade my arsenal, so the thread may be gone from the engines. Nevertheless, since I can't find the evidence, I retract my statement about St. Croix. All the ones I've used have been nice rods. I just like the warranty and reel seat of Powell's better. I should have been more careful with my words. Enough said.
J Francho reply :
I was just wondering. I never heard anything about an unusual breakage with St. Croix. I have heard of issues with Dobyns and Kistlers, but those were all solved by both owners, and breakage is a non issue.
I have a few Kistlers, and they are as tough as nails, and light.
I also have a few St. Croix, including an AVC62MXF, hence my concern.
I too like the Powell casting rods, I have 6 sitting in my cart at TW right now, just waiting to decide to pull the trigger.
J Francho reply :
St. Croix uses the following naming convention:QuoteMy new St.Croix baitcasting rod is fast action but I don't know if it's extra fast. Flex is mostly in the first 8 to 10" of the tip so I think it's pretty fast.God Bless,
Don
AVC62MXF
Rod Series Casting/Spinning Length Power Action
FishingPirate reply :
A little late on this since you already got a reel but Ive designated a Daiwa Sol as my finesse reel. I put it on a 7'0" 1-8 to 1oz rod. It works very well. Im glad you got a new reel though. Good luck.
bassmaster3000 reply :
All I can say is that my baitcaster doesn't do light...
smallmouth89 reply :
Thanks guys,
All I have to do now is find the patience to wait 3 and a half more months for bass season to open in S. Ontario.
God Bless,
Don
Jig Thrower reply :
i have one of the older curados and it will throw anything to a point but using a lighter tackle seems to work better with spinning outfits
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