kickerfish1

On a rod combo I am planning on exclusively using for plastics and jigs I like to keep the weight down of the outfit to help amplify feel. It is not necessary but to me lighter magnesium framed reels are ideal. For gear ratio anything 7:1 + helps take up slack line quickly for deep water hooksets.

Got some hooks on mine. Going to see how they fair against my Excalibur Zell Pop-rs

I used to use and still occasionally use a Citica 200 DSV. It is beyond heavy and pretty slow at 5:1. However it is very powerful and can really winch those bass out of the cover. I also use a few Daiwa T3 reels for frogging mainly due to their extreme casting distance when fishing large weed beds when you need a bit more distance. IMO a guy can get buy with about any reel for frogging though like anything else with time he might develop preferences. To me a faster gear ratio allows me more casts and also if I miss a fish or the fish misses the bait I can burn back really quickly and get it back out to the fish before it moves off. So if I was picking an ideal frog reel it would likely have a high gear ratio, a solid frame, a great drag, and super casting distance. This next year I am going to try my Escence DC for frogging.

That is pretty awesome. I had some nice gifts purchased for the GF as well. She had some for me but as of a few days ago we are no longer a thing. Guess I will be exchanging her gifts and just using the funds to order a few fishing related things to get me by.

I am not a big cold water/weather guy as it is tough on my hands but I do get out a few times a year when the conditions are like this. I usually use the following: 1. Mop style jig combining silicone/living rubber with a dead action trailer like a beaver 2. Hair jig usually without a trailer 3. Drop shot almost worked painfully slow or not at all 4. Smaller slender pointer or 78 series pointer 5. Jigging spoon / bladed jig/ spinnerbait

If price isn't a concern, Sunline Shooter Defier is what I feel is the best. I use the 13# for my casting rigs. Note: the diameter is thinner than other mono lines. It is pricey but quite good and very limp and manageable. http://www.sunlineamerica.com/shooter-defier-300-yard-spool/

Absolutely. And I have picked up some used baits and NIP pointers for roughly about $8 a piece. So when you are getting a premium bait for about 1/2 the price it makes it easier to use them. Now for the guys that fish waters lined with toothy fish this would probably be the only way I would want to use them but at the same time I would also have a handful of cheaper baits on hand.

I have a handful of 110s. Now it seems like they are just sitting in the boxes on a shelf collecting dust. I too am using less expensive jerkbaits and have found some good deals on LC pointers and other less pricey yet equally affective offerings.

Congrats Clayton, another keeper!

I have typed a good amount of info on the E-DC's and if you look around you should be able to find it. They are great reels once you get passed the weight. I love all the external adjustments and it's ability to be able to cast with no thumb and result in no backlash. Their downside is they aren't finesse reels so anything under 1/4 oz is a no go. Some also don't care for the DC whine either. I bought mine for about $250 a piece and they are a steal for that. For someone wanting a spectacular frog reel this would be a great choice.

I can only speak to the Charcoal/Black Gen 1 JB Carbonlite. Initially I purchased the 7:1 model and it worked well at first but got progressively more grindy. I took it back to BPS and they exchanged it for a new reel also the Charcoal/Black version. Well it is as bad or worse than the other and has been sitting on the shelf. I even sent into a Reel Tech and he thought he could make it better and smooth it out but to no avail. While I know there are always bad runs of reels at times for various manufactures this really turned me off from reels that didn't say Daiwa or Shimano on them. Perhaps the White reels are completely fine and not plagued with this issue...

I have every flavor of that 50 platform. Core 50, Alde 50, Scorpion 1000xt, Curado 50, and Chronarch 50. From the Curado 50 to the Core you will a few differences. The Core has a faster gear ratio, higher quality internal bearings, a magnesium frame, and a few other minor differences like the thumbar piece and its quality. It isn't really 2x the reel but for those that appreciate a super light reel that doesn't feel hollow and cheap the Core is one of the best.

If they don't boat flip I gaff them.

Anything over 5 pounds I just boat flip

We are currently in off season mode here. During this winter break I usually: 1. Order more tackle I don't need and occasionally restock the stuff I do 2. Organize and put away everything for a fresh start in the spring. 3. Do a basic cleaning on my reels and send some of them off for a more thorough deep cleaning 4. Sell off tackle I don't need or want to keep around any longer 5. Spend time researching techniques as well as watching some videos explaining them.

Dobyns Champion. Never been impressed with anything St Croix.

I am with Goose on this. I like the light stuff for two things. Bottom contact to amplify the feel of what is going on with the business end of the line and also for working cumbersome baits like a jerkbait or topwater bait aggressively for extended periods of time. I will say that a 5.5 ounce Core feels more solid in hand to a Steez 100h. The heaviest LP reel I own is a Citica 200DSV for big resistance baits. Most of my reels are around 6 ounces to just under 7 ounces.

There were 3 versions of this reel. The original labeled CI4 did NOT, end of discussion.

They are great reels. Light, nice drags, sharp looking, and the newer versions have the X-Ship. I would think a 2500 would be plenty for any bass angler and some may opt for the 1000 size. I have both 1000 and 2500 series reels for finesse tactics and never an issue with either. The only real difference between the 2500 and 3000 is just the spool as the frames are the same.

TW and Keitech sales did me in! Fully stocked until spring... Or maybe just I-cast! Some views of the same like just different angles plus one pic showing it all.

Plastics by sheer numbers of packs. My jig collection might be the biggest around ...maybe!

Kyle, that my friend is a frightening question. When I counted in the spring of this year the number was around 1000. I hadn't fished this year as much as I would have liked so I didn't lose that many. My guess is that I lost probably 10 max. So this haul plus another 25 or so that I assembled would probably move that number a little north of 1000. When I get bored enough some time I will probably try to count. They are broken down into categories such as hair jigs, silicone/living rubber, swim, flip/swim, football, alien head, etc. You could say jigs are my obsession like hard baits are for some guys. Maybe sometime I will try to get some pictures and accurate count together. I am not sure if I have enough fingers and toes to count that high! lol

Nice haul of NorthStar jigs and spinnerbaits during their Cyber Monday sale!