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

[Alphahawk]

The Tict Ice Cube fishes just like it was designed to catch crappie. I can’t express just how good these rods are for crappie. The “ester” mono came into play here today as well. These fish were on the bottom and the line really helps you keep the jig head down. Love the Daiwa GEKKABIJIN SW LIGHT JIGHEAD. They are needle sharp......a fish sniffs it he’s hooked. Hope you all enjoy the video.


https://youtu.be/L9guYE9kcCU

[ultralight]

You like it more than the Drift?

[Alphahawk]

You like it more than the Drift?

No not really. It is a slightly different rod.......a little more rigid than the Drift. Out of all the rods I own the Drift has the uncanny ability to detect the slightest change as to what is going on with the jig head.

Regards

[ultralight]

Alphahawk, just saw your excellent vid on the jigs. DId not see it before. What size hook on the Daiwa jigs do you get to be a perfect match on those Trout Magnet bodies?

Thanks!
UL

[Alphahawk]

Alphahawk, just saw your excellent vid on the jigs. DId not see it before. What size hook on the Daiwa jigs do you get to be a perfect match on those Trout Magnet bodies?

Thanks!
UL

Thanks for the comment....much appreciated. The #6 and #8 will match perfectly. The #10 will not quite make it to the split in the tail. In the pic from top to bottom are #6...#8....#10. These jig heads are sharp. I have not used the #8...#10 yet but they are sharper than the #6 and I am assuming it is because those two are made as per “Daiwa website”....with an ultra thin hook. I know all 3 of those hooks will bite you....LOL.

Regards

[ultralight]

Thankyou Alphahawk. Cool name by the way.

UL

[ultralight]

Alphahawk,

Are those jigheads that you have 0.5 or 1.0 grams? (or some such other weight?)

And roughly, can you estimate how many more hookups you get with these compared to the Trout Magnet jigheads? Lets say you get 100 on the Daiwa, how many will you get with the TM heads?

Thanks again! The JDM manufacturers should just send you stuff to review.... I predict that the day willc oe.

[Alphahawk]

Alphahawk,

Are those jigheads that you have 0.5 or 1.0 grams? (or some such other weight?)

And roughly, can you estimate how many more hookups you get with these compared to the Trout Magnet jigheads? Lets say you get 100 on the Daiwa, how many will you get with the TM heads?

Thanks again! The JDM manufacturers should just send you stuff to review.... I predict that the day willc oe.

Thanks for the comment but I doubt that day will ever come. Here in the USA just not enough interest in high end....or even medium end....JDM UL gear. Russia on the other hand evidently buys quite a bit of it. I wish I had discovered it years before I did. As to the Daiwa jig heads. I have .5, 1.5, and 2 gram sizes with hook sizes in #10, #8, and #6. I can’t really give you a number on the hook ups. What I can tell you is the Daiwa jig heads give me an advantage when fishing. I never intended to be using a jig head that costs 75 cents on a permanent basis....but I now am and will not go back. What I have noticed with these jig heads, when catching bluegill, the jig head is completely in the mouth. This fall I have caught about 400 crappie or so. I’ve always caught a lot of crappie at that spot but this year I’m not missing many fish.......maybe a couple. I’m using the 1 gram jig head with the #6 hook. Now a lot will ask me why not a bigger hook for crappie. Well I love catching bluegill so much I know if I move up to a #2 or #3 hook I will miss a lot of bluegill. So that is why I’m using the #6....now I’m after crappie but I’m wanting to use a hook that will give me a good chance of hooking a bluegill should they be in the area. I have bought a lot of jig heads off of eBay and from individuals looking for the best I can find. I think I have found them. These things are sharp. They are a much thinner hook than is on the TM jig head.....thus they should be much sharper. I am ordering some Tict jig heads that have an upward angle hook......curious to see how that works out. Daiwa has a similar jig head on their Japan website but I can’t find them for sale anywhere. My nephew only fishes for trout......and occasionally small mouth. After I gave him a few .5 gram with the #10 hook to use with the Trout Magnet, he ordered 100 of the Daiwa jig heads. I highly recommend these jig heads. I may even order some with the #4 hook for the upcoming white bass run.

Regards

[ultralight]

Thanks. Just super. THanks for being so generous with your expertise.

The ones in the photo you posted - are those 0.5g or 1.5g? Wanting to get a sense of the SIZE of the head in relation to the weight. I assume the heavier the jighead, the larger the head?

Thanks.

[Alphahawk]

Thanks. Just super. THanks for being so generous with your expertise.

The ones in the photo you posted - are those 0.5g or 1.5g? Wanting to get a sense of the SIZE of the head in relation to the weight. I assume the heavier the jighead, the larger the head?

Thanks.

I will post a pic of the different sizes next to a Trout Magnet jig head when I get back from fishing today. That will give a frame of reference.

Regards

[Alphahawk]

Here are the Daiwa jig heads compared to Trout Magnet 1/64jig head. From top to bottom 2 gram......1.5 gram.......1 gram......the .5 gram and the TM jig head.

Regards

[ultralight]

Thank you! very helpful.

[poisonokie]

So I don't have a Tict, and likely never will, but I really love using my St. Croix Panfish rods. For the 69ULF I've been using 4# Invizx because 1) I like that line a lot, and 2) It's the lightest line I could find. I'd never heard of ester line, nor have I ever seen true 2# test line, so after reading this I ordered some. From Japan, of course. It's actually 2.1#, neon orange, and labeled Area Trout, so I'm hoping that means it casts well. Do you fish it just like mono? What knot do you use? Is it for casting or more for vertical techniques? Is there a bobber stop out there that will stay put on it?

[Alphahawk]

So I don't have a Tict, and likely never will, but I really love using my St. Croix Panfish rods. For the 69ULF I've been using 4# Invizx because 1) I like that line a lot, and 2) It's the lightest line I could find. I'd never heard of ester line, nor have I ever seen true 2# test line, so after reading this I ordered some. From Japan, of course. It's actually 2.1#, neon orange, and labeled Area Trout, so I'm hoping that means it casts well. Do you fish it just like mono? What knot do you use? Is it for casting or more for vertical techniques? Is there a bobber stop out there that will stay put on it?

The line I have is the VARIVAS - LINE - POLYESTER - SUPER TROUT AREA MASTER LIMITED 2.1# test...sounds like you ordered the same line. It casts great. The line has some sort of coating on it an I was very surprised at how well it does cast. It is not without issues though. I would only fill it about 3/4 of the way up on the spool. It absolutely must be put on the spool the proper way or it will become a big mess when you cast. I went through all of that when I first started using the stuff. I have no problems at all with it now and I love the stuff. You must use a section of fluorocarbon leader with it for shock purposes. The line is made to cast but I am sure you can vertical jig with it....and yes I fish it like mono. I don’t know why a bobber stop would not stay on it...but I don’t use them so I cant really answer that. The sensitivity is off the charts. I am still learning this line and I keep my drag set loose.....I get a lot of flack for that....but I am now using an 8 ounce weight to set my drag at 25 percent of 2.1# test. Due to there being no stretch the line has no forgiveness at all...thus that is why the manufacture recommends using the fluorocarbon as a shock leader. Tomorrow I am going below a dam to fish for bluegill on the bottom in 21 feet of water with a 2 gram jig head. Since this line has a higher specific gravity than water it will allow me to creep my jig along the bottom.....that was hard to do with the mono line I was using. Will report back how that goes......hope the fish are in there.

Regards

[poisonokie]

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!