FishTank

The San Diego Jam has worked for me. No issues with it. It's easy to tie and works on just about everything. For leader I use the Carrot knot. It can be a pain to retie in the wind but not impossible. I use regular fluorocarbon leader material, either Seaguar Gold Label, Seaguar Grand Max or Seaguar Grand Max FX.

Went out Sunday on my kayak and had a blast. The weather was perfect and the fish were active. I caught 15 like the one bellow and handful of wipers and crappie. I brought 6 setups, each with a different lure. I caught fish on all of them. Just an awesome day all around.

I just started using Almight one of my BFS set ups and it is really good. It's one of those "you don't know until you try it" things. I will give it some time and see how it goes long term. I paid $10 for it at a JDM site so I thought why not at that price.

Might take one musky fishing.

Not exactly a monkey purchase but I was given a $50 Amazon gift card through my health-care for getting a physical. So I needed some line and saw this on Amazon for $58 for 200 meters. Digitaka sells it for $78. Crazy price for line. I wouldn't pay that much for it but for $8, I think I can swing that. This is supposed to be the best YGK makes. We will see.

I picked up some bullet weights and a pack EWG Ned Heads. I ordered them from Amazon. Instead of receiving a 5 pack of EWG Ned Heads, I received 5 packs of 5. Amazon said I could keep them. They have been pretty good so far.

I don't feel much difference in weight. The C2000S Twin Power is 6.3oz and the Certate 2500 DH is 7.2oz. The rods I have them on seem to balance OK with them. One note on both of them, the drags seem tight at first, then loosen. So hook sets are immediate. I have actually snapped my leader a few times on each even though the drag is set lightly. Once engaged, both are smooth, with a slight edge maybe going to the Twin Power.

@ConnorC I took them both out this evening. I caught a ton of fish in just a few short hours on the water. I stopped counting at 20. Most of what I caught were dinks but I did catch a few good ones. For me I think it's still the Twin Power but the fun factor of the 2000 size reel and Megabass P5 Whippet kind of skew my preference. This combo is just outstanding at throwing little paddle tail swimbaits. I have the Certate 2500 on a G.Loomis NRX+ 872S JWR. This setup is nothing but Senko fishing so far. I would also agree with @bulldog1935 that the line lay is better on the Twin Power. Both setups have braid to leader.

I have both and both are great. I personally like the Twin Power better. It might be slightly smother but not by much.

Find a crankbait that goes to the same depth as you jerkbait and fish it the same way, just like a jerkbait but a little quicker. Another option is to go to a Shad rap style bait that suspends.

Realistic looking baits. The ones that try to mimic the exact patterns of fish. They just don't seem to work for me. Like this guy from Storm. Every color I have tried from them seems to work but this one.

I have a couple of the lures mentioned above. Casting those baits a mile can be difficult even with the perfect setup and under the best conditions. With light line and light lures, I have found rod length becomes less of factor. It has to do with how well the rod loads given the lure weight and the type of line you use. So the rods I have liked best so far, Megabass P5 Six Eleven, Megabass P5 Z-Crank (my favorite 110 Jr rod), and for really light weight baits the Kistler Hunt BFS. For line, I use 5lb Sunline Invisible.

A local shop had these on sale during the 4th of July. The rod and reel were $75. They sold out quickly. They are really nice for the money. Way better than what you could get at that price 5-10 years ago.

If you keep your eye open to the JDM sites you don't have to pay $25 for a Megabass 110. Also, the 110 Jr +1 the past few years has been better for me. They run $20 at the regular price. For an alternative, I like the Lucky Craft Pointer. With the Megabass 110 and the Pointer, they are sort of a one two punch when it comes to jerkbaits. If one isn't getting bit, the other one will. Another I like is the Ninshine Erie 115 MD. It has a weight attached to it that can help with getting it to suspend or sink depending on the water temp. One more... The OSP Veruna 110 SP. I fish this one fast with small quick pops. It's almost like a straight retrieve but not quite. It tends to roll and flash. It gives off a totally different look than other jerkbaits.

I was debating on leaving a comment but...... I have the Chronarch 51e. It's pretty much the same reel as the Curado 50e with a few more bells and whistles. One of the reasons I stopped using braid years ago was because I put 50lb 832 on this reel. It was none stop frustration. With that said, I really didn't have an issue with 832 on any other reel. In the years since I have owned it, I have found that 10lb fluorocarbon has worked the best but I have tried other braided lines and mono on this reel. Last year, I tried YGK Upgrade #2 and really liked it. No issues but I was using leader on it. Since then, I have gone back to fluorocarbon because the main lake I fish has a forest on the bottom and braid just gets dug in tree stumps and limbs like crazy.

I've been using this on gears as of late, Cals for the drag, and TSI 321 for the bearings. So far so good. All are relatively inexpensive and one purchase of each should last a lifetime.

I caught a few but the bills broke on all the ones I had except one.

So far this year I've been using the Shimano Calcutta Conquest 31 Shallow Edition for jerkbaits. It's small, palms easy, and I like the flat drilled spot on the frame.

I like it but it needs more blue to fall in line with other so called electric shad baits. Looks like a winner though. I'll definitely pick one up on my next order.

The ponds and lakes I fish all get pretty hard. I go with BFS gear or something finesse. I like the Shimano Tiny Macbeth, Evergreen PC-5 and the Megabass BFS Griffon for crankbaits and I like small trout minnows, like the Megabass GH Humpback 50. Also, down size your line and your gear if possible.

Zillion HD would be my choice. Plenty of spool capacity, great drag, and lots of power. It has worked great the past two seasons.

I can confirm that they have it all backwards. I took the chance and ordered a 1000 yard spool but I received a 200 yard spool. Luckily I am able to return it and the drop off place is located within walking distance of my favorite pond. It was worth a shot.

In shallow water, around 3 feet, I use a regular wacky hook. In anything deeper, I use either 1/16 or 1/8 wacky jig head.

I would guess about a third or more of the members on this site have ordered from a JDM website. The downside is, no warranty but the value and quality are great. What you see when you check out is pretty much what you pay unless PayPal charges you a currency conversion fee. Good sites to order from..... Digitaka and Japan Lure Shop.