Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

How small is your rod and how light is your line? It's not about the size of your tackle, but how you work it. Come share your Ultralight and Bait Finesse System (BFS) fishing success here!
Alphahawk
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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:49 pm

poisonokie wrote:Thanks for the rapid reply! Yeah, it's the Varivas. I just picked that because it was the least expensive. Glad to know it was a good choice. I almost ordered that Daiwa Presso line a while back, but never did because I thought it was regular nylon mono. I'm pumped to learn it's something entirely different. I can't wait to see what the sensitivity is like. I won't have it til probably mid-December, so it will be a while before I get to use it. Just in time for the trout ponds to get stocked, though. I can't wait for that. I've had a tenkara rod all summer that I never got around to using.

I'm glad you mentioned the shock leader and that you shouldn't fill the spool. I probably would've had to learn the hard way because I haven't been able to find much info about this stuff. I'm guessing it must be pretty stiff and springy on the spool. What do you use for the leader? Is there a certain minimum length to use? I'm guessing I'll go with the 4# that's spooled up now. As for the bobber stops, I've noticed that the rubber ones like to slide around on the 4# line, but if I'm using a leader, it won't be an issue because it won't go past the knot. I like floating jigs under those thill Crappie Corks with one rod while I take a more active approach with the other, dragging a jig around on the bottom or chucking hardbaits, at least for crappie and gills. There's a one rod rule for trout here. Still, I do the same thing, with power bait under a float and spoons and whatnot on the other, just not simultaneously. This year I can mix a fly in there, too.


Thanks again for the advice and good luck with those gills!
Thanks.....I use about a 2 foot section of Phantom fluorocarbon leader, sold by Trout Magnet. It is 2# test rated but probably breaks closer to 4#. I have a YouTube channel and there are a couple of videos about the line. Here is the best video of why someone should try this line. My son and I were fishing same lure.....Trout Magnet......same jig head....exact same spot. I had on the ester sinking line and he had on 2# test mono. There is a reason I only show him catching one fish on the video...that is all he caught. He is an accomplished fisherman. We were in 21 feet of water and those KY bass were on the bottom. As we cast out and waited for it to bottom out we would start a very slow retrieve with what we call a twitching action. Since my line sank it stayed much closer to the bottom while my sons retrieve just kept working the jig way up in the water column due to the neutral buoyancy of his line......away from where the fish were at. I felt bad for him. The next time we went out he had a reel spooled up with this line and he caught a lot of fish. Here is a link to the video....I’m convinced had I been using regular mono...using same weight jig head and lure....1/24.....I would not have caught those fish. This video was from August. I have proven this line attributes many times since then.

Regards
https://youtu.be/ieb1mYrRYFY

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by ultralight » Thu Nov 22, 2018 4:24 pm

Hey Alphahawk,

If you could keep just ONE of your JDM rods, which would it be and why?

And if the TICT Drift and Finesse were the same cost, which would you pick based on performance for your needs?

Figure I'll ask you here and not start a new thread.

Thanks.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by hungry_cow » Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:19 pm

Where do you buy the Daiwa jig heads? They have them on Amazon but seem to be at a premium price.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:23 pm

hungry_cow wrote:Where do you buy the Daiwa jig heads? They have them on Amazon but seem to be at a premium price.
Yeah....they are way over priced. Here is where I get mine. https://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/def ... ad-ss.html

Regards

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:00 pm

ultralight wrote:Hey Alphahawk,

If you could keep just ONE of your JDM rods, which would it be and why?

And if the TICT Drift and Finesse were the same cost, which would you pick based on performance for your needs?

Figure I'll ask you here and not start a new thread.

Thanks.
Very hard to answer since I am a multi specie guy and all of the rods I have I bought for a specific specie...style of fishing. But.....if I could only keep one it would be the new 2018 Lunakia 610 I just bought and here’s why. It truly is a multi purpose UL that can handle trout...crappie....bluegill....and still give you a lot of fun. It can also be used as an UL Smallie rod. When you get past the Magna Flex tip the rod has some power. I was pleasantly surprised when I got into some smallish white bass yesterday on my first trip out with it. As to the Drift or Finesse if cost is same......I would go with the Drift. It is the best casting crappie rod on the planet in my opinion and is a little softer than the Finesse thus giving me a lot more fun with bluegill.

Regards

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by ultralight » Thu Nov 22, 2018 9:17 pm

Thanks.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by poisonokie » Sat Dec 15, 2018 4:47 pm

That ester line is awesome! Talk about smooooooth casting! It is absolutely silent and your bait just sails. It's smooth on the retrieve, too, and extremely sensitive, so with a smooth reel, all you feel is whatever your tiny little bait is doing. I didn't use it very long or manage to get any trout to bite, but I'll hit some crappie with it tomorrow and see what's what. Spectacular line so far, though. Can't believe they don't sell it here for trout and panfish.
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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by ultralight » Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:27 pm

poisonoke, great to hear. What size reel did you spool it on, and that weight lure? Thanks.

Which reminds me, Alphahawk, how is the power of the Corto compared to the Lunakia? You mentioned that the Corto was very stiff....

Thanks to you both. I'm enjoying learning about all these JDM stuff.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:11 pm

ultralight wrote:poisonoke, great to hear. What size reel did you spool it on, and that weight lure? Thanks.

Which reminds me, Alphahawk, how is the power of the Corto compared to the Lunakia? You mentioned that the Corto was very stiff....

Thanks to you both. I'm enjoying learning about all these JDM stuff.
The Corto has a lot more power than the Lunakia. The Lunakia is my first of the so called hybrid Ajing/Mebaru rod that is just called “light game”. It is going to be a great rod for multi-specie. The Corto on the other hand is not going to be good with crappie......smaller Gills. It will shine where you need sensitivity and or power. It will make an excellent UL rod for Dale Hollow smallmouth. In the past my Truzer and Blue Current TZ handled that job. But the Lunakia will be a great rod to take there to fish for the bluegill.....which get pretty big for Gills in TN.....but the waters are so full of Smallies when you’re fishing up there in the spring for Gills you better be using a rod that can handle Smallies.....many at the 21 inch mark. I think the older I get the more excited I get about fishing.....LOL. Hoping to get out this week to test the Corto on some white bass.

Regards

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by ultralight » Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:21 pm

21 inch Smallie!! Wow.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by timinmo » Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:28 am

Alphahawk, really enjoy both your posts and Youtube work. I am a small stream smallmouth fisherman and out of the rods you have mentioned and tested is there one that you would recommend for smallie specific duties. While most of the streams I fish are smaller the fish are not necessarily small, so it would need to be able to handle a decent fish. 4 to 6 lb line, lures up to 1/4. length not really important. Thanks.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:50 am

timinmo wrote:Alphahawk, really enjoy both your posts and Youtube work. I am a small stream smallmouth fisherman and out of the rods you have mentioned and tested is there one that you would recommend for smallie specific duties. While most of the streams I fish are smaller the fish are not necessarily small, so it would need to be able to handle a decent fish. 4 to 6 lb line, lures up to 1/4. length not really important. Thanks.

Thanks for the kind comments. The only rod I own to fit that bill is the Truzer 6’ 5” H model. It meets your line rating requirements of 6# test max. My other Ajing rods are rated much lower than that. It is a great UL for Smallies.....white bass. Some are on eBay right now for as little as 227 bucks and free shipping. It is rated for 12 grams max and I have fished mine with 4# test and 1/4 ounce. I think I paid around $280 when I bought mine several years back.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by timinmo » Sun Dec 16, 2018 4:07 pm

Would your suggestion be different if I had specified 4lb line which is what I normally use when ULing for SM? And thank you for the reply.

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by Alphahawk » Sun Dec 16, 2018 6:10 pm

timinmo wrote:Would your suggestion be different if I had specified 4lb line which is what I normally use when ULing for SM? And thank you for the reply.
If you step it down to 4# test then I would say get the Corto and never look back. I have not fished with it yet.....am going in the a.m. to test it out. But setting it up with some 4# test mono, and casting a 1/16 ounce jig in the back yard, you get the feel it is a fantastic rod. The 1/4 ounce would be at the very top of its lure rating though. I get excited about any JDM rod I get but the Corto casts like a dream. While the Truzer is a great rod with Torzite guides vs Sic-S the Corto is just a much better rod in my opinion.....and the Corto is really lesss money. If I catch any fish will report back how it works out. I’m actually hoping to put in above the dam at Nickajack and below the dam. Below the dam I’m pretty sure I can catch some white bass but up in the lake I know a spot that this time of year holds yellow perch and smaller bluegill. I want to see how it handles a fighting fish such as white bass yet want to see how sensitive it is on the smaller panfish bite.

Regards

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Re: Tict Ice Cube.....ester mono....equal crappie.

Post by poisonokie » Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:21 pm

ultralight wrote:poisonoke, great to hear. What size reel did you spool it on, and that weight lure? Thanks.

Which reminds me, Alphahawk, how is the power of the Corto compared to the Lunakia? You mentioned that the Corto was very stiff....

Thanks to you both. I'm enjoying learning about all these JDM stuff.
Yeah, thanks for turning on to this stuff. I can't believe you don't hear more about it. It's spooled on a Daiwa Exceler EXE 1500sh casting 1/32 jig head+BG baby shad on a 6'9" UL/F rod. Getting probably 20-25 yards or so in calm air. I didn't manage to try it out again today, but I want to put on a 1/8th or 3/16 Kastmaster and see what it'll do. If this stuff holds up I'll never go back to braid or fluorocarbon for ultra lite spinning. And really, if it doesn't hold up, it's not like it's expensive. It's just the wait for shipping from Japan that sucks. The leader knot seems to be really strong, too. I just tie the same one I do for braid, doubling the line and tying an Alberto, 5-up, 5-down.
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