FishTank

5in Senko black with Blue Flake or any finesse worm. When the bite gets tough, I can fish slow with patience and confidence if I have a light rig and a finesse presentation. The hard part is finding the fish first. A good example of this is two weeks ago on Saturday, I was fishing with a buddy on a clear lake with no wind. He was fishing chatterbaits and lipless cranks and I was using a wacky rigged senko. He fished fast and I was fishing slow. He caught 2 and I caught 15 > it could have been more.

Is this for both rod and reel? Also, you can do it but a round reel for jigs is usually not ideal and would not be my first choice.

I tear down my reels once a year but I do oil the spool bearings once I see a little difference in casting or when I accidentally dunk a reel on my kayak. As far as what I use on them, I like Shimano's drag grease on gears, bantam oil on a few moving parts, and now TSI 321 for bearings. I use to use the Ardent stuff. There grease wasn't bad but the oil was just not that great. And my thoughts below on Quantum Hot Sauce.......

I have two reels with an MGL spool, an Antares 70A and a Bantam MGL. The MGL spool does make a difference when casting lighter baits but the important part is the rod. The rod needs to be light enough to load the smaller baits you are looking at. I would like at either a M or ML Fast or Mod-Fast. The St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast would be one I would consider.

Might be good to let us know your budget and what you intend to use it for. I don't know of any off the rack combos if that is what you are looking for. My personal favorite is a Shimano Calcutta 101 TE GT and a Megabass P5 Super Destroyer.

Hollow core is good for saltwater. I really don't see the benefit for bass fishing. Also, I might pass on braid for big cranks and swimbaits. I tried it multiple times but I like the stretch of mono for both baits. Currently I have been using 19 and 25lb Sunline Defier Amarillo. Good line, tough, some stretch but not as much as most others. No complaints.

I respool as needed depending on line type and which setups. Usually mono is three times a year or more but I have gotten away from using it as primary line. FC maybe once a year for Invizx and up to four years with Tatsu. With braid, I change it about once every two to three years, again, depending on the usage. Now depending on the application...... Jigs> FC can last a long time if I am using heavier line and I am just pitching/flipping Texas Rigged plastic > FC won't last as long but if use Tatsu, it will last at least two years Crankbaits > regular mono will get beat up here. I have been using Sunline Defier and it has lasted two seasons so far. My previous choices were changed frequently. Topwater> Braid. Changed once a year. It gets torn up in all cabbage I fish. Finnese > Braid to Leader. Last as long as I can keep it on there but usually two to three years

1. Senko (wacky and texas rigged) 2. Jerkbait 3. Jig Honorable mention...... Shallow Crankbait

For me each line type has a specific purpose..... Mono> Crankbaits and some topwater Braid> Topwater and heavy cover FC> Everything else Each line has its pluses and minuses. They just need to be used appropriately to fit your personal needs. If one line does the trick, all the power to you. On a side note, fished Big Game for years and it's good line until it isn't. When I started fishing tournaments, I was changing it too often to fit my needs. I quickly switched to FC for most of my fishing. I haven’t looked back since. I only know a few guys that use Big Game anymore.

The newest one I had seen was the HLC version.

Caught these guys today on a wacky rigged senko.

Another thing that's odd, I have used baits down to 0.25 oz and up to 1.5oz and they all fish well. Also, I have the the 803S not the 803C. Typo on my part.

I have the P5 Super Destroyer and it's just an awesome rod. I have been considering the Windbuster but I have a G. Loomis NRX 803S which seems very similar. The Super Destroyer though sort of a jack of all trades. It's a weird rod in that it sort of has a different feel with each different type of lure I have tried on it. I don't know how Megabass did this but it's mind blowing.

Yes. It's normal. I went all in on this line years ago. To this day, it's still one of the worst lines I have ever used.

How are you fishing? I am still new to this bait. But when I have used it, it has been killer. I have fished it on a small shaky head and on drop shot. Both have been productive. All I do is cast it where I know there are fish and let it set or just bounce it slowly. The one downside, for me, with this bait, is Bluegill love the tails of these things. They bite them clean off. I tried fishing them in one of my favorite lakes for the first time and before I knew it, I had gone through eight of them with only one bass to show for it. All of them had missing tails.

I have yet to find a good substitute that is readily available. However, I do like the Megabass Spark Shad and the Magdraft.

I have two Calcutta 251s and a 101 TE GT. One of the 251s I have had for almost 15 years. The thing takes a beating and still feels like it's new. I updated the drag and the spool bearings and that's it. I get the since it will out live me. In general though, there is something special about how they feel.... slow and smooth.... like me. ?

I have tried both mono and FC over the years. I would generally use whatever I had left over from a filler spool. I didn't give it much thought other than trying to match the diameter of the braid to the leader but once I used a little left over Tatsu my thoughts changed. FC is my line of choice now for leader. I like the smaller diameter per lb test and it seems to have the correct balance of long life and sensitivity. I hate retying a new leader as well. This year though I have been using Seaguar Premier and Sunline Xplasma. This combo has been killer for me. I can't give a solid reason as to why but I have caught more fish on this setup.

St.Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' M or for heavier cranks the 7'4'' MH. I would also recommend the G.Loomis IMX Pro Crankbait rods but I actually like the cheaper St. Croix better.

I fished Friday, Saturday and Sunday at three different lakes and had two baits that worked and only these two baits..... Weightless wacky rigged 5in and 6in Senko (any dark color) 6in Zoom Lizard (black with either a blue or yellow tail) I tried all sorts of baits> cranks, ribbon tail worms, jigs, topwater of all kinds, and finesse rigged soft plastic. The main thing was patience. No power fishing. I just let the bait sit a longer and took my time. Friday I caught 12, Saturday 15, and 11 on Sunday. Won this weekend's tournament to boot. Best week of fishing I have had in long time.

Any of the Daiwa's with an SV spool will do the trick.

Check the X-ship bearing, BNT4194. I replaced a few of these over the years and it's usually the culprit. Without seeing it, that would be my best guess.

I have had good luck with 6lb Trilene XL 100% FC since it came out but it does have more stretch than other FC. Its super soft compared to most FC, casts well and tends to hold up depending on how you fish. Only downside is the abrasion resistance is not thet great.

The best advice I ever got on fishing a jig was that most jig bites don't feel like bites (strikes) at all. It's when you feel something different than the bottom, the line getting heavy or something besides structure that the fish has actually just picked it up but not eaten it. This is when you set the hook. You may swing and miss a lot but eventually that odd feeling is a fish. A good example of this and this is one my favorite things to do when jig fishing, is to toss a jig onto a down tree trunk and just drop it off to one side or drag it down the middle till it drops. Usually when it bounces off of this structure the fish hit it and the jig just feels suddenly light It doesn't really feel like a strike at all but more like the fish it just holding it for a split second.

I have the Chronarch MGL and the older Revo ALX. Between the two, the Chronarch is the better reel and it ain't even close. Don't get me wrong, the ALX is fun to fish but it's not in the same class as the Chronarch. As far as the rod goes, you are asking, in my opinion, for three different technique rods in one rod which is hard to narrow down. You might look at the Megabass P5 Super Destroyer or the G. Loomis GLX MBR series (especially the 843 or the 844). The Super Destroyer is an odd, sensitive rod and can be used for just about anything. It's kind of a do all unicorn. The MBR series have a fast but soft tip and can be used for a variety of techniques but generally crankbaits are not one of them.