The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Hi Larry. Got the new Mr. Whiggleys in. Awesome. Great action. Can you recommend a rod? I fish for small stripers and wipers. Don't currently really have a rod to handle Mr. Whiggley. Any recommendation as to brand, weight, action, length would be appreciated. Probably use Curado reel. Thanks as always for your advice and for sharing Mr. Whiggley with the rest of us! Lee.

Hi Lee
Glad you like them. I use rods rated as heavy action and in the 7'6"-8'6" range, preferring the shorter end of that spectrum. I'm using a two piece mudhole configuration in heavy action that's 7'6" and really like it. I don't think they are listed yet, but some are supposed to be on the way .If you contact them you be notified when they first arrive.
The first batch of whigs is catching fish, especially if allowed to sink then fished with alternating quick snaps down on the crank, pauses both long and short, mixed with a few short bursts close to or even skipping on the the surface, then lower your time,let it sink resume.
New mold is a tweak off spec or there's some shrinkage on the top side in curing so it wants to ride higher than it should at top speed. Can correct with heavier hook, or egg sinker at nose or small egg pegged between hook and lure.

best
L

THANKS for the quick response. Would you go with fast tip or something else?

the fast tip question is a good one. It's a good question because the term has no real standard definition. some so called fast tips are flat and not fast at all while others are like limp noodles on the end of a two by four. The industry as a whole should be ashamed for not creating a standard, but all the marketing people I've spoken to over the years about this all say the same thing, "the consumer won't understand and it's too hard to explain". I for one, have more faith in the consumer than they do. Especially the consumers who ask good intelligent questions!
My preferred rod for almost all fishing is an action called a progressive taper, with aound two feet of holdout at the butt. This type of action gradually loads beginning at the tip and as load increases it's progressively passed smoothly down the blank.
best,
L