Hogsticker

Full cork is getting hard to acquire off the shelf these days. One of the many reasons I went custom. You could probably have a rod built on a Rainshadow Revelation and it might be less expensive than you think. Plus that blank is likely better than any of the 5 sticks you listed. Wouldn't hurt to get in touch with DVT and get a price quote. Otherwise, I'd keep my eyes peeled on the sale forums for a used full handle Kistler klx or maybe an Orochi XX. You didn't mention how much money you're willing to spend. Falcon has a 7' heavy in the Lowrider 20 line.

The best way for me to answer this is in terms of heading to the lake with a single bait I know I'LL catch fish with. Jackall Flick Shake 4.8. It's not just a bass bait. Greatest lure of all time - Search bait, Rapala Rattlin Rap. Inexpensive and works just as well as any lipless crank available in my experience.

Exactly. I disagree with portiabrats strategy. That's actually what I do when I want to shake a small fish. Horsing a big smallie in open water is poor choice imo. I'll play her till I know she's done, which generally translates to less airborne time when you're ready to land it. It may mean less time to caress the fish. Whoops, I mean take pictures (haha), but at least I got the picture!

I always keep my rod tip at water level and WATCH that line. As soon as I see the line start to rise I stick that tip under water and start reeling down in an attempt to get them to head that direction. Trying to keep them from breaking the surface as much as possible is the only play, but obviously it doesn't always work. In shallow water up us the only place they have to go, so hold on and cross your fingers.

Child birth in the back woods of Louisiana

I thought that was discontinued and NuCanoe has no pedal drive as of yet. I don't think Jackson does either. I take that back. Looks like Jackson has a Coosa FD in the works - TBD

I wasn't at all impressed with the Slim Jack. Very little movement / action. Check out the Yo Zuri 3DB series minnow. It's a floater somewhere between a slow and fast rise. You could probably tweak it to your liking. Well constructed bait that I've had good results with.

That's what stemmed my question. The Atak 120 only weighs 70 pounds, where the Radar is about 15 pounds heavier. I'll wait to see what transpires regarding pedal kayak options. The Pescador Pilot is the only other one I know of at this time. I wonder if anyone will get around to making a pedal drive canoe, if it's feasible or if there's a market.

Trying to expand on my ever growing paddle tail arsenal (can't seem to put them down) . My top producers thus far in order are Jackall, Keitech, a little company called river rock baits, Reins and Reactions Innovations. The Swammer has caught my eye. Everything I've read says they're smallmouth magnets. What's been your experience?

Wilderness systems is releasing the new Radar series which indeed accepts both the motor drive and pedal drive. They are also releasing the new ATAK 120. I know this will accept the motor drive, but it's unclear if it will accept the pedal drive. I can't find any information confirming it anyways. Does anyone know for certain? Thx

Fuji EZ hook keeper. I would never place a hook on my reels.

Whatever you do DON'T go on flea Bay and look at all the limited and specialty patterns!

For me it's all about finding that perfect blank that is optimal for the techniques I intend to use it for, and behaves in the manner it should for said technique at the highest level. I'm not saying it has to be a high dollar premium blank, rather the best blank for the job at hand. I understand not wanting to take the time to accomplish this, but for me it's totally worth it. Most mid tier custom blanks trump most anything off the shelf from a manufacturer other than those who are produce or utilize some of these same blanks. Too many companies are using cheap blanks and charging a premium for their rods. And then you add in the at times crap quality control so why not at least consider having it done right. Even though I might find a rod I feel will excel at what I want it to do, it may not have the exact components I desire so why spend my money on it. I will state once again that the ability to catch fish on a 50 dollar rod is completely irrelevant. I can drive a nail with a two by four but I'd rather use a hammer.

I prefer a fluoro that has a little stretch, and honestly Tatsu wasn't that bad for me. Like at all. Sniper seems to have the same amount. If it's any less it's marginal. I can understand if you're looking for stiff low stretch fluoro to serve your needs, but it's definitely not what I'd look for in a finesse line personally. Every Co Poly I've used had far more stretch than Tatsu and didn't handle as well too boot.

Why do you think this? Just speculation? I think it is Tatsu in lower tests called finesse fluorocarbon.

I own several customs and the balance point is with my pointer finger is right on the reel seat hood. A rod and reel that balances below the reel seat would be hard to accomplish and finding one off the rack I just don't know. Of all the non custom rods I've owned the Dobyns rods seemed to balance very well, but that's where the fun stopped for me. No need to elaborate there.

My SJ705 IM made it to my builder safe and sound last week! Got all the goodies picked out too! Can't wait!

Gotcha

I don't think line conditioner has any affect on braid does it? Braid doesn't really retain memory so I don't really see how it would help. Maybe during the break in period?

Well played. So are you wacky rigging these or just using the wacky jig like a standard jig head? In short, where are you sticking your hook -

It's either too much or not enough, it's unclear. Custom rods is another story.

New line introduced at Icast - Is this the finesse version of Tatsu? This fluoro also utilizes the double structure process combining two separate resins. 150 yards at 28 bucks makes it 50 yards less than Tatsu but still expensive. More so than the typical 200 yard spool of many fluorocarbons priced at 20 bucks. Not available till late October. Perfect time for some finesse trout fishing!

Or save until January of next year and purchase a new WS Radar 115 / 135 with pedal drive.

Springer Spaniel. Huh?

Try Global Rakuten. I believe they spell it Kronos for some reason.