Setup tips for throwing Rapala OG Tiny

Looking for tips on a better baitcaster setup for throwing the Rapala OG Tiny flat side. I struggled with it last winter from lack of gear but I was just getting back into fishing after about 10 years out of it. It was my most producing bait last winter in December and January. For those who haven’t thrown it, it’s marketed as 5/16oz, but it feels more like a Pringle. I’ve got a couple of setups that will throw a 1/4oz trap 3x farther than I’m throwing the tiny. I bought a low rider Mansfield and a 200 size Curado thinking it would be a good setup, but I have been sorely disappointed after 2 trips now. I don’t want to crank with a spinning rig past the shad rap. Any advice on a bait caster setup to throw Tiny? Thanks BBC.

The gear was there, but I can't remember if it was actually a category with a name 10 years ago, but do a search for "BFS baitcasting finesse fishing gear."
I have the Mansfield rod and throw smaller cranks with it, but use a 50 size Chronarch or Curado. Haven't thrown the OG Tiny with that setup, but I actually have two of those sitting on my desk beside me that I plan on getting wet this week. lol
A reel with a lighter spool should help you out quite a bit.

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Originally Posted by fishinjim

The gear was there, but I can't remember if it was actually a category with a name 10 years ago, but do a search for "BFS baitcasting finesse fishing gear."
I have the Mansfield rod and throw smaller cranks with it, but use a 50 size Chronarch or Curado. Haven't thrown the OG Tiny with that setup, but I actually have two of those sitting on my desk beside me that I plan on getting wet this week. lol
A reel with a lighter spool should help you out quite a bit.

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Thank you sir. I’ve had the thought in the back of my head that I needed a lighter spool and that I put the wrong reel on it.
There are probably a few BFS threads to read through. I appreciate the advice Fishinjim. Good luck fishin.

:thumb up2:
Good luck on your quest!

The Frittside junior throws well on a medium light moderate action 7 foot casting rod. I know it’s not the OG Tiny but a similar type bait. The key is the moderate action so the rod loads up on the back swing. Any of the small balsa flat sides are tough to cast with bait casting gear. The Frittside is not balsa but is a great flat side and casts really well.

There are plenty of mag-finesse and BFS reels on the market today...from OEM and rebranded American namesakes to Daiwa and Shimano. It all comes down to your budget and preferred braking, ergo, brand preference, etc.

I would personally toss that bait on my Daiwa BLX 6'10" limber spinning rod, or one of my mag-finesse/BFS rod/reel combos in ML power with mod-fast taper. I have an Evergreen Tactics Super Nova that is glass and it will load 1/8 oz no issues, paired with a Daiwa Gekkabijin (with Ray's BFS SV deep spool) or Scorpion 1000XT and Avail BFS spool, either one is excellent.

I throw a Norman Tiny N on a Loomis IMX 782 with a Shimano Curado 100 spooled with 10# Flouro and it goes a MILE !! Smaller reel, lighter line, a lighter action rod.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. You had me in the yard yesterday evening testing out rod load versus spool size. I ended up with a temporary combo that slings the Tiny reliably without backlash. Also got a Curado 70 on the way to see if it will improve the experience with the Falcon rod. This will allow me to move the 200 Curado to my bigger glass cranking rod that will be a nice upgrade. It’s neat seeing what people found out there to cover the medium lite moderate action rod niche. That will be my next splurge I guess. Main reason I ended up with the Falcon trying to cover this area was price point. Also appreciate the bait suggestions. Y’all be safe and go fishing.

I throw it just fine with my old Abu Garcia 7' med Winch with a Citica E with ABEC 7 bearings. Maybe try a spinning rod. I throw a lot of light weight wind catching type baits like flat balsa crankbaits on a 7' med St. Croix Premier spinning rod. Works great. I throw all my jerkbaits on a med lit spinning rod.

Like they said above...BFS should be your new best friend...It's mostly about the reel & their ability to handle light line/light baits. I would probably start with a cheap reel. The Tsurinoya Dark Wolf Ultra can be had for less than $70 and is probably the most used budget friendly bfs reel. Will throw that bait all day long. Just a warning...going bfs is a rabbit hole...once you start you won't quit....so much fun...give it a try.

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Originally Posted by SoonerFan

I throw it just fine with my old Abu Garcia 7' med Winch with a Citica E with ABEC 7 bearings. Maybe try a spinning rod. I throw a lot of light weight wind catching type baits like flat balsa crankbaits on a 7' med St. Croix Premier spinning rod. Works great. I throw all my jerkbaits on a med lit spinning rod.

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I second the spinning rod. I keep one rigged this time of year with straight fluoro specifically for small shad raps and jerkbaits like the 3.5" ripstop.

SLX MGL reel with an old burgundy G Loomis crankbait rod 7' M. 12 Lb fluoro. Will throw as fair as you need to throw a shallow diving crankbait.

Update:
Went back fishing today with the new mgl 70 Curado on the Falcon Mansfield rod. Much much better experience. It was pretty windy today but it consistently delivered without making a line mess. Could throw the Tiny about as far as you need to throw a shallow crank. Too bad Tiny wasn’t on the menu on the Dead Sea today. I appreciate the suggestions. I’ve got more equipment on my wish list now for sure. Thanks BBC.