Ideas wanted....:

IF you were going to have a custom Twitching Rod built....what qualities would you in that rod?????

Assume that the rod in ONLY going to be used for twitching.


1. What length??

2. spinning or casting?

3. Fiberglass, or Graphite

4. What action: Extra fast, fast, moderate, slow

5. What power: Heavy, medium, light

I know many of you probably did like myself......got some twitching jigs.....grabbed some rod, reel, put some line on the reel.....went fishing....found some silver or kings......If the fish were "biters", you looked like a pro......then there are the days nothing seems to work....maybe it was the rod????? maybe the wrong jig???? maybe it was a "east wind"???

Jigs can be changed.......East wind......grrrrrrrrr but maybe a rod can be designed just for twitching..

Help me out, thanks......

We have whole 'season' of twitchin jigs in Yakutat. Lots of guys like to run longer rods down in the contiguous 48. But for us, that extra length, is time wasted setting the hook fish that only hold the jig in their grill for a split second... We fish short rods, and fairly magnum tapers generally. I actually liked the bananna yellow WM in an 8 footer last year for clients! They eat it on the drop, and the shorter the distance that you have to swing to drill 'em, the more positive hookups you will generally have.

My ideal jigger would be a spinning reel seat, on a 7'6" medium action, maybe 8-17# line, moderate modulous graphite blank for myself, and some sort of composite, for clients, because Im cheep, and I hate seeing hi-stickery go awry. This coming season Im gonna try some off tha shelf Lami rods for Silver twitchin, but we'll see if they can out gun the Ugly Sticks the other guides use, in sheer effectiveness.... Ask Nick Amato, and Robert Campbell all about Ugly Sticks in Yakutat! Hahahaha!

I will say this tho, rod prolly doesnt matter as much as technique, and presentation. Some fish will eat anyones shoddy twitch, but sometimes Ive gotta be constantly giving instruction, to find EXACTLY what that remedial group of fish wants to see.

I'm actually curious to see if The Merg Man shows up here. Regardless of what anyone thinks, the dude has enough twitches under his belt to know how he would like to have a rod built... I think...

I'll be watching, interesting thread to me. Guys seem to tend to the shorter sticks...?


I don't twitch a ton. just when the meds run low.


c/22

7'6
Spinning
Med. Heavy 8-17
Fast action

I don't need a "twitchin' rod"...I use my X96JC's, they work fine...'course, I've only been twitching up coho since about 1990, so I may have missed some important improvements.

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. I haven't.

7 - 7'6
Casting
Med. Heavy 10-20
1/4 - 1
Fast action

Love my 96JC's and other long rods, but for twitchin' a quick, accurate, sensitive and less tiring short rod has it definite advantages. Let's be brutally honest, we're talking bass fishing for salmon here. These bass boyz know a thing or too about their rods. They don't just have rods for different styles of fishing, they have rods for specific lures. There's also a huge contingent of Inshore/Popping dudes on rod building forums that would no doubt provide good input on a great twitching blank if asked.

Think I'd probably have my rod done up in the new Mud Hole camo wrap too. Merg-style.

A smaller counterweight in any twitchers rod would be advantageous as well... Just sayin.

7-6 snook rods are the best there is for this....I have 3 custom built rainshadows that are the scchhit for this. I live pretty close to you if you want to borrow one for a day and see how it works for you....

peace
fly

This is the rod that Superfly has. All good strong cost effective components nothing real fancy. I think Joe actually has X flock over EVA grips brings the cost down a bit. Most like the feel of cork though.

CB76 MH Spin Rainshadow Twitching Stick

Component Part Number Part Description
Rod Blank Model # CB76MH-M 7' 6" 1pc Med/HVY Crank Bait
Butt cap: SBC20B Butt Cap 19.8mm ID-Black
Reel Seat: GS17C-B Graphite Spin Reel Seat w/Cushion
Reel Seat Shim: SHIM/17/SPIN Proof Board .660" OD 4.05" Length
Fore Grip: FG25A-250 2.5 inch Cork
Rear Grip: RG10A-345 10" Cork Rear Grip 'A'
Winding Check: BWC09 Winding Check .35" I.D.-Black
Hookeeper: BHKS Small Hook Keeper
Tip Top BPLT06F05.0 SS316-Black 'P' Top 06 'H' FLANGED Rg 5.0 Tube
Guides (see below for size and quantity) XPBFLG S/S316- Sgl Ft Fly Gde Grd w/ Ceramic Insrt H Rg RRD- Black
Guides (see below for size and quantity) BVS3LG Guide Sgl Ft VS3 'H'Ring - Black

Guide order from the tip top Guide Guide Placement - In inches from the tip top
1st XPBFLG06 4.5"
2nd XPBFLG06 9.25"
3rd XPBFLG07 14.25"
4th BVS3LG07 20"
5th BVS3LG08 26"
6th BVS3LG10 33"
7th BVS3LG16 42"
8th BVS3LG25 54"

Is that this blank ?

7'6" RX7 1PC MH FLIPP'N STICK.

That one has a Mod /fast action.


Top of my head I'd think a Extra /fast action for myself.


c/22

Even though Batson weighed in, I don't think you should decide on rod specs until the Merg chimes in and tells you what he thinks

Is the Merg back in county lockup??

A good Twitching rod, might have added many more coho in that time period????

Kinda of a newie, at twitching, some of the rods I've used 10.5' Shimano(4-8#), Fish Eagle 10'(8-15#), Fish Eagle 9.5'(8-15#), x 96 LS(8-12)10+ year old rod, they no longer make. All have caught fish but could there be that "something better"???? Seems that the general comments, so far, are the "shorter might be better" and power rating medium to med/heavy

Dang, and here I thought my Daiwa Tri-Force 8' med-light was all the shizzle. And at $30 a real bargain! This rod has produced more fish per dollar than any other I own, except a very old fiberglass fly rod that I built up for about $30 too. Must be something about that price point that makes fishing rods productive. And if the Daiwa had built-in Merg style ADHD twitch in its tip, it'd be the shizzle on steroids!

for the standard popping twitch a shorter rod

for twitching bigger water and giving the jig bigger drops i prefer a longer rod then the other style... i use 9'6"

i prefer softer tips on both rods.
i also have to use rods for multiple purposes so i dont have the "perfect" twitching rod.

i only fish bait casters too... unless its summer runs and im tossing like a 1/16th jig under a clear float with no weight or something...

Thanks alot Karry.................Those rods hae taken my abuse for two years now and if you fish with me or around me you have seen the " HOOKSET " or the chuck of anger or what have you but the rods hae outlasted the reels that hae been put on them.................best [Bleeeeep!] twitching rod you can draw up period!

Thanks to Karry and Rainshadow for the insight on this...............

Peace
Fly

I use a Johny Morris 6"6 8-17 rod, with 30 pound PP. Its the same rod that i used/use fishing senkos or worms for bass in lakes around my house. Shorter is better for jigging or twitching.

So now I gotta go order me a CB76 MH Spin Rainshadow Twitch Stick from Jim @ Xrodz.................................Dam he get's more of my money.Good luck,
SZ

What's Merg gonna tell us to use????

[chuck of anger]

That's some funny stuff....mostly because its true!

Merg's mom must have grounded him. No more using her computer till he cleans his room.