chase102798

I used to fish rods in the $100-200 dollar range exclusively for years. The first time I had a custom Kistler Z-bone jig rod built, it changed everything for me. Now I have 5. I still use rods in the $100-200 dollar range, but for different things. In that range, the Kistler KLX is the best I have found. I use the mid-priced KLX for Frogs, Cranks, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, topwater. I use the high end Z-bones for Jigs, T-rigs, Senkos, shakey heads, drop shot. I am extremely happy with the balance points on the KLX for rods in this price range. Other brands in this range can sometimes be tip heavy. Split grips just makes that situation worse. I prefer full cork rear, no front. That was the motivation behind my first custom z. The Z's are just crazy light, they are made with Gary Loomis's top end blanks (which can be bought raw from NFC). And yes, they are impressively sensitive. Other guys who have used my rods while fishing with me have realized there is a certain learning curve due to the fact that no matter what line they used, they were false hook setting on all kinds of stuff that they didn't distinguish between with their other rods. Not that they didn't feel something there, its just that the ability to detect sudtle movements was intensified with the z's and they mistook those feelings for bites. You begin to develop the ability to read the bottom like sonar. Distinguishing between bottom compositions, debris, and actual fish. I was able to do this somewhat before, but it really dials you in with a light, sensitive, balanced rod. However, this takes time with your rod. You really notice it when you go back to a lower end rod. Also, due to the lack of fiberglass in the blank, the way the rod loads just has to be experienced to appreciate. I remember talking to Lance, Kistler's rod builder, and the best way he could describe it was that it has a crisp and responsive feel that isn't found in other rods. That's about right on the money. I used to attach and epoxy balance kits to rods, but I stopped doing that. The whole rod got heavier and all I was doing was trying to turn an average rod into a really good rod. If you buy a really good rod, chances are it will be balanced right, or you should shop around for one that is. I know a lot of guys say that a rod feels lighter in the hand when it is balanced, which is true when initially picking it up. But bottom line is you still have to hold that rod up in the air. Adding 2 ozs of brass weights to a rod is just 2 more ounces you have to hold up. I learned this lesson backpacking. No matter how well distributed your gear is (which is important), you still have to carry it all. Makes you think about what is really necessary weight wise. My advice would be start a savings envelope, find a high end rod price to shoot for, and get cracking. If you spend time with that rod, I don't think you will ever feel it was a waste of money.

You are missing out. I think the EXO is one of the best reels in that price point. Check out the Tacketour review they did. I love to be the odd man out. I absolutely LOVE Trokar hooks. They are by far the sharpest. I gave away every other hook I owned. With fluoro and long casts they do indeed shine and have given me a near perfect hooking percentage in the last two years with my jigs. I have never had problems with hook points rolling (I melt down beat up jigs and reuse the hooks that are still sharp) and they rust LESS fast than the owner hooks they replaced, at least for me. Salt will cause hooks to rust the fastest, so keeping your baits on extended periods of time (over days) is just a waste of good gear. I pour all my jigs with them and buy them in bulk. I pour hundreds of bulk hooks a season for myself and my two fishing partners. They each converted to Trokar and my die-hard worm buddy has been experiencing noticeably less lost fish. He may have gone through plastic less often, but he also lost more fish and at times had penetration issues with Gama and Owner hooks. I did a lot of hook testing on cold meat, and with a pull gauge, Trokars average a much lower pound force necessary to penetrate to the hook bend. Under a B&L 20x jewelers loop, mustad hooks are less than impressive. The points have noticeable roundness and sometimes deformity at that magnification. Gamas are pretty sharp as are owners. Of the round point style, Daiichi are crazy pointed under power and by far sharper than the former mentioned with the exception of the Trokar point. The end point on Daiichis are so fine, it is hard to see the actual tip clearly. We started doing these "exams" when we had some penetration issues with light line rigs for steelhead. We carried it over to our bass gear. I've never understood expensive rods, reels, lines, baits, and then everyone wants the cheapest hooks. I know guys who throw away their fluoro every tournament but buy discount hooks. Crazy to me. I pour my own plastics, so I have no problem with plastic waste. I haven't really noticed it anyway. But I don't use salt impregnated baits that shred crazy easy either. HD Density additive from CCM makes a worm fall like a senko but last twice as long. Salt rips baits and rusts hooks. I have had no decrease in catch percentage since not using salt. Buy Trokars and start pouring plastics. The savings are endless. My advice is experiment on your own. Buy a couple packs of each and spend some weeks on the water giving them a thorough evaluation. Be scientific about it and report back. Just my thoughts.

I personally would take a Kistler KLX over those three. Since Gary Loomis and NFC is building the blanks, I haven't found a sub $200 rod that compares to the KLXs I have. I was using a mix of Kistlers high end z bones and a grab bag of other brands. When the KLX came out and I ordered two, I quickly sold the following rods: Gloomis GL2, Quantum smokes, and a Dobyns Champion I had. I have converted three friends to these rods. FloridaBassDude, check for a PM from me.

I like 832 Ghost for everything. I color the last couple feet also with a marker but I use a black Spike it garlic marker the night before. The line then fades to a nice ugly reddish brown that matches lake bottoms nicely. Works well in fairly clear water grass also. I tie FC Sniper leaders to spinning and baitcasting in really clear open water. But it has to be really clear and open. I have not had a problem with this braid coloring in most water conditions. I think the white ghost is very visible above water and more hidden than yellow under the water. Plus no coloring wearing off on stuff.

Thanks guys. I have learned a lot through the years by mining through data on sites like this one. It is nice to be able to give back some info and experience to give other guys some ideas for their situations.

I had posted this on some other places and since I ended up on this forum to discuss jigs with a real nice gentleman on here (smalljaw67), I figured I would post it to contribute as I am also gaining info from here. A couple guys PM’ed me on other sites cause I mentioned that I modify my Do-it molds. I’m sure there are other guys who do this and maybe better than me, but this is how I do it so hopefully it will give someone some ideas. I’m always trying to streamline and simplify my gear. Most guys are trying to add rods, techniques, and baits but I’m always trying to eliminate or consolidate stuff. I went through a lot of commercial jigs trying to find one that would be my Jack-of-all-trades jig and there was always something I didn’t like about each one. I wanted one jig to do everything pretty well. Maybe it was the wrong hook for me, or the trailer keeper sucked, or the head wasn’t working for what I intended. The TABU tackle Open Water jig was the closed I came. It was a modified arky with the medium wire Diiachi hook, compact size for northern fishing on smaller waters, hand tied skirt, and an awesome wire trailer keeper. But at close to $5.00 a jig, the Northern Pike were costing me a small fortune. When Trokar came out with their Jig hooks, I knew I needed my own molds. So I bought some Do-it molds (6 to be precise) and found that the Standard Bass jig mold was closest to the head shape of the TABU. So, with a dremel and some JB Weld compound I modified the mold to resemble the TABU and accept my TROKAR hooks. Since Do-it came out with the arky model with trokar hooks, I have switched to that but still modified the trailer keeper. The wire trailer keeper is awesome. It holds baits so much better than the little lead spikes. Also, when the one side of a bait starts to tear, you can unthread the trailer, reverse the bait, and hook it through the other side and keep going. Here is the first step of filling in the existing trailer keeper with JB Weld. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0593_zpscf83ff0c.jpg Here is after compound dried overnight and sanded down with fine sandpaper and block. (also shows hook stud I add for in line hook conversion explained later) [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0610_zps4f1bcc7c.jpg Here are my dremel cutters. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0595_zpse08c9647.jpg This is the wire keeper I bend out of spinnerbait wire. Similar to the one offered by DO-it now. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0596_zps7cb309fd.jpg This shows the small relief for the wire keeper. You have to open the hook channel back up and then enlarge it slightly to accept the keeper. It’s trial and hopefully not error. I will place a hook and keeper in there and close the mold and see if it closes enough to pour. If not, I tap it on the outside gently with a hammer and that will leave marks and show you where it is hitting and where to remove metal. I use the large cutter to cut a new skirt shoulder which is seen as the ball shape on the mold. I make it that size to add lead back to the jig since filling in the trailer keeper lightens the jig. After weighing the final product, they are the same finished weight. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0594_zps08967a79.jpg This shows a spot where the keeper needs more relief. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0611_zps869dd0f6.jpg Next thing I do sometimes is modify from flat eye hook to in line or the other way around. To get an inline eye, I relieve the metal around the hook eye in the mold and then drill a 1/16” hole where I want the hook stud. Then a jewelers screwdriver and a stainless screw will tap itself in that hole. Carefully grind off the head so the mold closes and it’s now ready. [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0601_zps13cba4f8.jpg Same concept but with a hook and the keeper laid in there ready to pour [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0603_zpsb4c7da7a.jpg From bottom: the TABU jig, 3/8 oz standard bass mold with modifications (wire keeper and hook stud to bring the eye down in the jig head farther. I didn’t like how the hook eye on this model stuck out so far), ¼ oz same mold [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0604_zps00d4a33b.jpg From bottom: New trokar swim jig model as it comes, 1/2 OZ modified with in line eye, same but 3/8 and finished and with wire keeper [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0605_zpsd94a6920.jpg From bottom right: Trokar arky modified with wire keeper, next two are 3/8 and ½ oz with green pumpkin paint and weed guards [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0606_zps49055145.jpg Green pumpkin and black/blue jigs done with hand tied skirts in arky model [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0607_zpsd11a19f5.jpg You can see the wire keeper sticking through this grub trailer [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0608_zpsa4c8401b.jpg Two of my go-to setups [img width=640 height=480]http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae177/chase102798/DSCN0609_zps74f884b4.jpg It goes without saying that all my fishing and jigs are done with trokar hooks. I read guys say that other hooks are just as good or that they are too expensive. I think it is a justified cost. Especially with fluoro line, the effort needed to bury that hook is considerably less. I have experienced near perfect landing percentages even with lighter fluoro lines and casts of greater distances where the stretch would give me less than stellar results with other hooks. Also, they resist rusting better than other hooks. Just my thoughts though, I have no stake with Trokar. Hope this helps someone.