J Francho

RATT should be first!

I stab my senkos with the hook. I've only really used the Bill-O Wacky tool with the rubber rings. They work fine, and do seem to prolong the life. Eventually, all senkos tear, especially after catching fish or fishing heavy cover.

Possum are so sweet and cuddly.

Japanese Domestic Market. It refers to the intended market. What we see is usually USDM. There are differences.

Motor oil looks brown out of the water, and green under the water, to me. Take that with a grain of salt, though - I'm blue colorblind.

If he’s moving too fast for a senko, try a flick shake worm on a wacky jig hook.

Green Pumpkin with some colored flake, usually red or black produces well during algae blooms. I'm not sure why, since it basically matches the water. I usually have a couple packs of it, but it's far from my favorite color to throw. Most common baits I get in this color are senkos, flukes, and paddle tails. I might have some craw trailers, but more often I go for something brown as a different color from my usual black or blue.

Weedless Senko, jig, lightly weighted Texas rig bug. Wake baits work well, if you're into moving baits. Check inside weedlines. Always skip docks if there's any hint of sun.

These made me laugh out loud because it's pretty close to reality here.

I had a little black one with a lightning bolt on the side that caught all sorts of fish.

In relative terms, I'm going to start deep and close to the bottom, and work my shallow and to the top as the sun sets. The cover and bottom composition will determine which specific lures.

I don't use anything made by Ardent. For knob bearings and the crank shaft bearing in the frame, I use a Bearing Blaster to pack with Cal's Light purple grease. The slow wobble while fishing a contact bait is distracting to me.

Not having sharp hooks or hooks that will break is one small thing of many I do to ensure my gear is NOT on my mind catching ANY fish. Whether that means sharpening, replacing, bending, or what else depends on the situation.

Hawgtech has 4 bearing handles, for sure. TT probably has something as well. I actually prefer the plastic bush, or one of each. I don't like the knobs free spinning, and the plastic bush is a fraction lighter. If you find it bothers you too, you can pack the bearings with grease, and still reap the benefits of precision and durability.

The two above are good companies to work with for aftermarket. If you need factory parts, you can call Daiwa USA at (562)375-6800

Why can't a drop shot senko be on the bottom? You give the rod a dip and let the bait fall to the bottom like it does in two feet of water, instead of twenty feet. If you just want it on the bottom, then just crimp on an ounce of split shots. No fancy rigging, no fancy hooks. That will get bit too. You could use a jig too. Or a nail weight. Or a weighted hook. All of these solve your issue. I'm seriously starting to feel like you pose these threads simply to discount the solutions offered. What you're trying to do is not new, and not hard. It's frustrating to the people trying to help you.

I get what you're saying, and I too try to avoid certain brands, and favor others knowing the origin of manufacture. It is easier to just ask about a specific line of reels. "Who makes a such and such so and so reel?" Make sense? What reels are you looking at?

Good deal!

Fish are really dumb for pink. Almost any species bites it.

What if your favorite color is pink?

That's good customer service right there! When I ran retail, it was more important to keep customers happy. You can always resell, and recoup what you had in the inventory. Exchanges are always easier than refunds.

Reminds me of junior high, lol. I like to fish alone too. I do like taking my better half along. She's quiet, doesn't need any help, and really just likes hanging out while I do my thing on the water.

Funny you mention GLX. I returned one years ago to Gander Mtn. when it was still open. Didn't care for it for what it cost, and bought an LTB instead. What's also funny is that the cork was dirty on the G. Loomis stuff from so many people handling them, and not being shrink wrapped.

It’s the 5G gamma rays inciting the top water bite!