kickerfish1

For spinnerbaits like the War Eagle, I leave the skirt as is and typically don't add a trailer.

Flush and relube the stock bearings. Braid is a great choice for mind distance casting. For a mono line Sunline Defier is incerdible for managibility and casting distance.

Yes sir! That is how it is done! - Jeff do you have any comparison between the MGL and the new Antares DC? Are they pretty similar in smoothness of the retrieve? Guessing the Antares DC for baits 1/2 oz and up and the MGL for baits under 1/2 oz for weights they shine with?

Lucky craft slender pointer Excalibur one knocker Excalibur Zell Pop Lucky craft flatside crankbait MB x-pod

Same thing as every other year and that is jigs and plastics.

Congrats Clayton! Your my boy blue!

I haven't heard much of the MB reels being counterfeited but that doesn't mean they are not. Hopefully you didn't spend too much just in case it is a phony. With MB reels there is usually a small amount of tuning, sometimes a different spool, smoother retrieve, or lighter in weight due to CF handles and cork knobs. Plus add in the looks, paint job, and rarity and you have the collectors value there too. The difference between MB and Daiwa might not be night and day to some and may not be worth the premium price but to some it is. Hopefully your reel with be a genuine MB reel. Let us know what you find out when the reel shows up.

Buy it before he changes his mind about selling it. Any E series reel is going for a premium right now.

Here is your tease MB, ya ain't seeing no more!

Oh, it's happening alright! Don't you have wedding festivities to attend to!

Just got word from my builder that he should have the 2 custom builds completed by this coming week in my hands shortly after. After waiting a few months for these to come together they should be worth it. Was going to post a few teaser pics I received but decided to wait until I get them.

After two straight weeks of near record highs every day we finally got a bit of a break from the heat. Temps were supposed to cool to under 90 today with low humidity. A friend and I decided we were going to get out rain or shine. Well about a 2:30 am a massive storm rolls in. Lightning, thunder, heavy winds and what appears to be endless rain. Alarm goes off at 4:30 and quick check of the radar shows green, yellow, and red plus a flash flood warning. Decide to sleep in until 5:15 and check it then. Storm is loosing intensity and the rain is letting up. We decide to give it a go. We pull into the lake to find a small club tourney going on which isn't the worst part. What is troubling is that the flash flooding was true and the dock was under water. If you walked out onto the dock there was a good 2 inches of water on the surface. When the lake water temps are in the low 80s getting your feet went isn't a bad thing. We got to scouting the lake quickly and noticed the elevated water levels reduced the clarity that was go good about 2 or 3 weeks ago. We went from probably 4 to 5 feet of clarity to about 1. Decided we would take advantage of the cloud cover and milk the topwater bite for what it was worth. Buddy used a walk the dog MB Giant Dog X and I used a classic Excalibur Zell Pop. The little popper did its damage and was able to put 8 fish in the boat to just one for the Dog X. This was the first chance I have had to get into a topwater bite and it was certainly worth the wait. Nothing too big was caught as this was a small newly made lake that just opened last year.

Well are you referring to the Gen1 or Gen 2 Cumara rods. Most prefer the Gen1 sometimes referred to as the charcoal or black blanks. I have 4 of those (2 casting and 2 spinning). They are great rods with great looks. What model are you looking at? As long as it fits what you are looking for spec wise it would be a good buy. They used to retail for around $240.

It is my understanding that any rod used as a dealer demo or rep sample rod must be advertised and sold as such. They still have all the warranty and such of a new rod.

Good to know. The drawback for me would be ordering from Japan and the lack of warranty support. I have seen them here in the states for around $400 give or take. Looks like they are worth the $100 difference over the Orichi XX rods.

They need to rethink the GLX line. With rep sample and dealer demo pricing in play a NRX can be had for under or just slightly over $400. When they put the GLX line between $375 and $440 that doesn't leave much difference. They should consider moving the GLX price down a bit more to more of what Dobyns sells their Champion Extreme HP rods for. At that price they would likely sell more. With the minimal difference in price as it currently stands, it seems like a no brainer to get the NRX when you are already sinking that much money in a rod.

Thanks for the follow up post Where would you put the feel on these new Destroyer rods compared to other higher end rods you have used or other MB rods? Was wondering if the jump from the Orichi XX rods to the new Destroyers would be worth it? I know the looks are much sharper but I am wondering if the difference in price is primarily just for the cosmetics or if the blank is a step up or two from that found on the Orichi XX.

I would say it was a pretty perfect trip. That many fish over 7 pounds is the stuff dreams are made of, especially where I am from and where I fish! I am lucky if I can get one that would go 6 on annual basis. Well I was more or less referring to the language. Some clown posted several videos on here several weeks ago that had F-Bombs every other sentence after he caught a nice smallie. Before clicking on the video there was no warning about it. I applaud how you refrained from this during your trip despite the excitement of catching big fish! Thanks again for sharing and providing the videos. Well worth watching

I like the deep diving Fat Free Shad, but then again, I don't use deep cranks as often as some guys do.

Amazing recap and write up and the videos made it seem like you were part of the action. Looks like a trip you and your pops will remember for the rest of your life. Thanks for posting the video and especially for keeping the videos clean!

Recommended blank for what technique? Something in general? You didn't mention price so that is another piece.

Custom builds aren't cheap but are nice for sure. Make sure you are aware of the builders labor charge, misc materials charge, and shipping up front. These 3 pieces can easily clear $100 before your blank, guides, reel seat, thread wrap, winding checks, and grips.

That should look sharp. Feel free to add more photos as the build progresses.

Welcome! Nice entrance

So did all your tackle as well as rods and reels get dumped into the drink? Nothing was lost or damaged I hope? Sounds like a wet and wild time! Thankfully you took the swim in the summer!