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technique . Anglers have gone to lighter and shorter rods to enhance accuracy .
“ Actually , the football jig and pitching rod have become kind of the same rod ,” he explains . “ The 7-foot medium-heavy fast action rod was what everyone fished a worm and jig on . Now they ’ ve moved to a 7-3 , and they use that same fast tip , medium-heavy rod for pitching . The extra three inches of length give you more leverage . It is absolutely perfect for a football jig , too .”
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ing deeper than 20 feet , I ’ ll go to the 7-6 .”
Lew ’ s will launch a Jeff Sprague signature line of rods including these three models late in the 2021 season through Walmart stores .
Many anglers use the same rod for jig and Carolina rig fishing , though Mark Rose ’ s rods are similar – but different .
“ Football jig and Carolina rig fishing both require long bomb casts and being able to set the hook in deep water with long line , a 4 / 0 or 5 / 0 hook , and chunk of
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PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
His Carolina rig rod addressed the challenges posed by the rig ’ s heavy sliding weight and tailing leader and bait .
“ The extra three inches in the rod enable you to make that lasso-like cast with a long leader to get the weight and bait moving for the launch ,” he says .
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Mark Rose |
crankbait conundrum Competing schools of tackle logic divide crankbait aficionados into two camps : one prioritizing a delayed hookset and getting the fish into the boat ; the other to “ reading the wiggle ” and heightening the crankbait ’ s “ search bait ” potential . |
PHOTOS BY JOSH GASSMANN |
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Size matters in football and in the sport ’ s namesake jig realm , too , where wide lure weight differentials come into play . The tackle used to fish a 1 / 2-ounce football jig with plastic trailer might be overmatched with a one- or 1 1 / 2-ounce jig worked in deep water or heavy wind or current .
Three medium-heavy rods handle MLF pro Jeff Sprague ’ s jig chores .
“ My 7-2 and 7-4 rods are a little more limber and parabolic ,” Sprague says . “ I use them for lighter and shallower applications and depths to 20 feet . If I ’ m fish-
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Jeff Sprague
plastic ,” Rose explains . “ Fishermen lose lots of fish because they aren ’ t getting a good enough hookset .”
Rose designed both a 7-2 jig / worm rod and a 7- foot , 4 1 / 2-inch rod ( listed at 7-5 ) made specifically with the Carolina rig in mind for the “ Ledge Series ” rods in the Custom Pro line and Team Lew ’ s Signature Series rods . Rose sought “ more backbone ” in both designs .
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His Carolina rig tackle includes a lightweight Lew ’ s Hypermag reel ( 7.5:1 ) with 17-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon main line and 15-pound-test leader . |
Today ’ s crankbait rods span and straddle the divide . Rods with high fiberglass composition stress forgiveness . Those high in graphite composition heighten sensitivity . Most cranking rods today are a composite mix of both materials . Why the divide ? Blame the bass . It creates a vortex , sucking in the bait in such a manner that we often feel the strike before the fish has closed its jaws on the bait . A highly responsive and sensitive rod or tackle combination frequently leads to a premature hookset or a lure ripped free from a jaw . Factor in crankbait weight |