Kevin Van Dam Forums

Fished a one day tourney this past weekend on Monroe Lake. Horrible weekend to have a tourney needless to say. Very dangerous with all the pleasure boaters and drunken idiots.
Well, stupid ol’ me found 2 schools of fish in practice. Both of them just happen to be offshore. Too close to the boating lanes to fish safely.
I was able to fish one school early in the day without much problems. I had caught a 5 pounder and a 3 pounder here a couple days before on back-to-back casts with a 6XD. Well I pulled up to my waypoint and let the cranking begin. After 30 or so minutes of trying to relocate my fish with the crank and a football head I finally took a second to re-group. This lake is fairly clear, 3 to 4 foot of visibility. I took that into consideration when I was prefishing and adjusted pretty well in practice. But with all the boating traffic the water turned cloudy-blue….not stained or muddy, just turbid. So I reach in the box and grab my spinning rod (something I RARELY fish). I practiced with this back in a couple idle zones and had a Kiwi trick worm on (just in case). Well, it turned out to be a huge component for my day. The point I was fishing was right off a bluff wall. It was mostly rock and gravel and went from 40 FOW to 2ft up on top.
After a few casts with this shakey head I hooked up with a solid 3-12. Catching this fish got the school going somehow and then began busting shad right at the boat. I had a rod with a LC Gunfish tied on already on deck. So I flung it out there and hooked #2. Smaller, but still a solid keeper.
The schooling was short lived so I went back to the shakey head. My next bite came a little while later at the same spot I caught the 3-12. This fish was scary. After I set the hook on it she began pulling drag. I pulled her out to deeper water and played her for a couple minutes. My co-angler was standing there with the net doing her part. At this point I was beginning to think I had hooked a catfish or something. I couldnt get the fish to come up. So I MAKE A BONE-HEADED MOVE…........I tightened the drag with 8lb test fluoro. Well, it wasnt a catfish. It was a big big bass. It came to the top about 10 feet from the boat. When I finally saw the fish I got nervous…and didnt loosen my drag back. Well she took another hail-mary dive and broke me off. My inexperience with spinning tackle just kicked me in the a$$.....
I’d like to say that was the end to my mishaps that day. But breaking off that fish really got into my head. So I missed the next two fish that bit because my drag slipped on the hookset. When I finally stuck another fish, it was the whole situation playing out again. Big fish pulling drag. This time I was being tossed around by the waves now on the lake. So my hook-set wasnt the greatest. But after a minute of fighting this one, she just pulled off. My hook point wasnt out much past the barb.
So, I finished 4th with 5-15…one spot out of the money. Tough day for eveyone. It took 10lbs to win. I had the winning fish hooked twice and couldnt seal the deal.
For an hour or so yesterday I went out in the backyard with my spinning rod(s). I have one reel and 3 rods. So I tried it on each rod and practiced setting the hook on a 10 lb anchor….over and over again to gain confidence in the strength of my line and to learn where to set my drag. I also ordered another reel and some 15lb Spiderwire Ultracast. Im driving back up there this weekend prepared and ready for some payback!

What are you guys throwing your shakey head on? I have two 6-10MH Kistlers and a 7M Quantum Super-Lite….....just wondering if a longer rod in a lighter action is better for throwing braid. Something like a 7’2ML or M.

I would probably stay with a M powered spinning rod with braid. The braid will help with getting the fish out of some cover and IMO a you need a rod to help with it. A ML powered rod wouldn’t really help out the situation if you ask me.

I run a 7’M with 15lb PP. tough break twitch, I didnt even attempt getting on the big lake this weekend. I didnt want to mess with the idiots. The more you use a spinning rig, the better you will get with it and the more it will save your butt.

I dont throw braid so I have no advice for you except that using spinning techniqe is quite dif from baitcasting as you well know just sounds like you forgot.
Sorry you missed the big girls,on an added note tnx for the detailed report.
I know you will compensate and kill them the next time.

That sucks twitch, losing a couple big girls like that, especially in a tourney where it would’ve been a difference maker. I have been using my 7’ M Lucky Craft for most of my finesse stuff, but my new St Croix LE 7’ ML will probably be my new primary finesse set-up, with my LC getting bumped up to heavier(1/4oz up) finesse stuff & if I need more power beyond that, I’ll go to one of my M powered casting rods. With braid, I’d think you could get away with the lighter power better, since the lighter power will still have the hook setting power due to the no stretch & you’ll gain extra flex from the lighter power, helping keep the fish pinned, but you’ll lose muscle power. I’ve got some 8lb Nanofil I’ll be using on my LC/Patriarch 9530 set-up & 7lb Cajun fluoro on my SCLE/Premier 30 set-up with the drag set just hard enough to get the hook set & light enough they can surge without breaking the line. I’ve caught a couple 4+ with the 7lb line, they’d surge & fuss, but I’ve never broke off on anything but snags.

Man, I hate to hear about your bad luck.  I thought for sure that it was going to be a happy ending at the end. 

As you know, finesse fishing is my strong point.  I really like a 7’ M rod for fishing shakey heads.  I mostly pitch to my targets, but it will let me cast a good ways if I need to go that route as well.  There are two things that I just changed to that I would try if I were you.  I swapped over to the Chompers jig heads.  They stand the worm up really good when they hit the bottom and the worm stays on these better then some of the other brands I’ve used.  I also put #30 lbs Suffix 832 braid on my reel.  It casts like a dream and I can feel everything to jig head is hitting down below.  I fish a lot of lay downs and brush so it also helps when I need to pull something out of there without the fear of breaking it off.

I have had many issues in the past with the drag not being set right in both casting gear and spinning.  I always, and I do mean always, check my drag on every reel before that first cast.  I simply twist my finger around the line twice and give it a pull.  I want to make sure I can pull some line off, but not let the line dig into my finger like it’s going to cut it off.

Good luck on your next outing.  If you pull in a couple of those 5 pounders you’ll have to post some photos for us.

lesson learned albeit a tough one but take the satisfaction that you found the winning fish and got her to bite, fixing your errors is doable. congrats on the tourney, i bet your heart was pounding out of your chest!!!!

I would use a 7’ M rod and not less than 12 lb Pline or Silver Thread. i’ve pulled in some pretty big bass on the 12 Silver Thread Excalibur before but i think PLine CX premium is better. 15 lb PLine has the diameter of 13 lb test in other momo’s. go with the 12 lb pline, if she breaks you off then she is a monster or your line got nicked somehow. or i would use 20 lb PP.

Man what a heart breaker for sure,  loosing a big one would have gotten in my head big time.  I like to throw my shakey head on a 7’4” Loomis Bronzeback rod.

Twitch,

Sorry to hear about the tourney.  I’m sure you won’t let that happen again.  I was fishing with a friend and family once with a baitcaster and felt like a duck without water because I’ve fished mainly spinning setups my whole life.  I hooked into a nice fish and it started pulling line and like a dummy I put my thumb on the line to stop it from peeling off the reel when the line just went limp.  I pulled the bait right out of the fishes mouth!  Damn was I jacked.

A lot of people in this forum dream of hooking the fish you do.  The good news is you’ll be on them again and they will be in the boat next time!

Smash

My favorite shakey head rod is a 6’8 M XF. Longer the rod, the less feel they seem to have. I can feel much much more with the shorter rods than I can with 7’ers.

I think im going to use the 15lb braid on the 7M and continue to use the 8lb fluoro on a 6-10MH. Ill see how that plays out this week when I give it another shot. Hopefully I have some nice fish to show you guys when I get back!