FishTank

If you're having a hard time seeing the line and lure, a brighter colored braid won't hurt (and maybe some glasses 👍). Brighter braid might be more visible to the fish in super clear water but with a leader you should be good. Also, I'm still not convinced fish disturbed by line especially when they're hungry. Another option.... Sunline BMS Fluorocarbon. Its high vis line that is multiple colors but disappears under the water. Great line but it can get pricey.

I use spinning gear for Wacky Senkos. I use Sunline Xplasma 16lb and 10lb Seaguar Gold Label for leader. My leaders are usually 7-8ft in length.

I fish all of my setups from time to time. Probably the reel that is too pretty to fish is my Daiwa Steez SV Limited Shallow Spool edition and for the rod a Megabass Evoluzion Super Diablo II 30th Anniversary Edition. I fish both but they are like Ferraris to me. Fun to use but not something I use everyday.

I have started to get hooked on them too. I have 2 Shimano Calcutta 251's, a Calcutta TE 101GT, a 21 Conquest 101, two Conquest BFS's, a Daiwa Millionaire CT and a new Conquest 31. There is just something fun and comfortable with these reels. Plus, they are built like tanks. They will probably out last me at this point.

Wacky rigged Senko for me. Next would be a lizard or a goby bait. Topwater poppers in the morning and shallow cranks in the afternoon also work well.

If you want to go all out for a luxury item..... the Megabass Great Hunting Huntsman has been on my list for a while. I dream of pairing it with a Pagani/Isuzu reel but another Shimano Conquest BFS would work. The rod I currently use for panfish and trout is a Tenryu Rayz Integral 4'8'' L-4 piece with a Shimano Conquest BFS. Great rod but like most trout rods, if you hook into anything big, you will need a net. It has been a pleasure to fish. I can through a 3 gram lure a pretty good distance with this set up. For some true fun and the group of guys I fish with haven't done it in years..... The Barbie Fishing Rod Challenge. We would all get a cheap Barbie rod, put some money together for charity and the guy with the most fish gets bragging rights. It's was a blast. Just in case, I probably wouldn't use the two trout rods mentioned above on a boat.

From what I remember of Megabass rods, the Levantes (a bargain at $200 but can be had for around $150) were made in Vietnam but almost all others have been made in China for about 20 years now. There hard baits I thought were still made in Hamamatsu Japan, at least that's what the package still says. There soft plastic stuff has been made all over the place but mainly China as of late. Duo is a powerhouse in Japan. They manufacture their own baits but they also produce or engineer all kinds of lures for pretty much every Japanese brand. Companies also out source testing to them as well. As far as pricing goes, the first JDM bait I bought in the US was a Lucky Craft crank bait. It was $15. The second I bought was a Megabass Vision 110. It was $25. I purchased these lures sometime between 2004-2006. The prices for these lures have not changed here in the US since. What has changed is our ability here in the States to purchase baits from Japanese websites with an awesome exchange rate. This availability has changed the US market and fishing in general. If anything, US companies have copied the baits we are getting from Japan without repercussions and profiting by the time and money Japanese companies use to develop the bait designs they are stealing. That said, the prices are high because JDM manufactures are chasing perfection, which is overkill to us here, because bass fishing in Japan is so highly pressured and it is much more difficult. Most lakes and ponds there require/practice catch and kill of bass so everything there is under a microscope to be the best it can be.

I've been using YGK Ohdragon x4, Upgrade and Super Jigman.

I have the Super Destroyer and I have thrown down to 3/8oz and up to 1.25oz. A 1/4oz might be hard to load on this rod but not impossible. It's probably the most versatile rod I own. You can throw about any style of bait you want on it.

I have the Fantasista Regista and it's a pretty good rod. I would compare the sensitivity to somewhere around a G.Loomis GLX but the components feel cheap. I think I payed around $200 for it but would never pay the regular retail price, $500+ I think.

The 844C IMX is my favorite for swim jigs as well.

Overall, no but if the rod you have is out of stock or no longer made, you might be given some options. This also depends on who you talk to.

I would agree. I use to have several of these. I think I got them clearanced out for $2 at DSG. From what I remember, they snag easily.

I'll second this one. Great set. works for all sorts of odd ball stuff. It's worth every penny.

I have several Daiwa reels with SV spools and none of them handle the wind as well as my Curado DC. With that said, I rarely use it. For everyday casting, I like the SV spool better. But for jigs and long distance casting, I like MGL spool on the Metaniums. The Steez SV Limited Shallow Spool edition might be the exception. Fun reel to fish. I hope the tech and spool from this reel get passed on to other reels in their line.

I know few guys that have Kistler rods and most tend to like them. I have only heard of one guy braking one and he is notorious for breaking rods. If a jig, for example, gets stuck he tries to horse it out with the rod and then the reel. From across the lake, I usually can hear his reels making that gear slip/click sound when he tightens the drag all the way down and tries to pull a lure out with the braid he is using. It makes what hair I have left stand on edge. The Kistler Hunt BFS rod I have, has been great. It's has been the perfect BFS rod for my style of fishing from a boat, kayak or on the bank. I put it to good use last weekend. I caught about 30+ crappie, at least a dozen bass, and about six or more bluegill. All on the same lure as well.

Shimano Bantam oil and Shimano Drag Grease are what they use to use. Oil for the bearings and worm gear, grease for drag and gears. A small amount goes a long way. Personally, I use TSI 321 and either Cal's or Shimano Drag Grease.

I use the 802C NRX+ for small swimbaits and it's overkill but it's fun. I have it paired with a Daiwa Steez CT and 8lb FC.

I like Sunline Sniper BMS. It is multi colored fluorocarbon. It shines bright out of the water and can be easily seen in pretty much any condition. For braid, I like YGK Upgrade in green. It's easy to see the green and it has a white marking about every 3 feet.

Great reel. I like the Curado but the Zillion will out perform it every day of the week.

I would start by switching lines. You will get better depth by using 8lb or 10lb FC. It's based mainly on the diameter and the specific gravity of the line.

@fin I stole the following from Core Tackle's website. No more need for bullet weights when fishing a Texas Rig Hooks fish in the top of the mouth every time by keeping the hook point up as the bait falls Gives any soft plastic bait a natural gliding motion by redistributing weight along the body of the bait This unique rigging design allows an angler the opportunity to present Texas-rigged soft plastics into those hard-to-reach places without the need for a bullet weight. The Ozark Rig has weight strategically balanced along the hook shank to increase gliding motion on the fall, creating a tantalizing action. Whether you're casting or pitching, the Ozark rig will bring new life to your traditional baits and offer the fish something they haven't seen before! I think it's a different thing all together that the fish haven't seen, depending on the bait. I think it will be great for flat bottom baits, like Sweet Beavers and the Bellows Gill. I not sure yet on a things like a Senko or a ribbon tail worm. For me, I like the way the bait sits on hook. I also noticed I got hung up a lot less with this than I do on a Texas Rig.

I was intrigued by the design of these hooks since the came out but I really wasn't convinced that they would be any different than a Free Rig or Texas Rig. So I gave in and ordered a couple. I fished it pretty much exclusively the past two days and I can say it is different but it's not necessarily a replacement for me on the Texas Rig or the Free Rig. Depending on the bait it gives it a sort of natural death spiral and it makes the bait fall slower, a lot slower. I tried both an 1/8 oz and 3/16 oz with a 4/0 hook. I caught several good fish with it but if you throw it in deeper water you need to be patient. Also, it rips baits easily when you hook into a fish. The hook is strong, sharp and it pins the fish well. I think I will continue to use it but for the price and the hype, I'm indifferent to it. It will be a good addition to the Texas Rig and Free Rig I'm already using.

I'm pretty hard on companies that copy a bait and market it as something different or even original. In this case I found one I like better. The Gobius from Z-man has been great for me this year. It doesn't snag as easily as the Dark Sleeper. It holds up just as well, if not better. The only downside is the hook is better on the Dark Sleeper. It just does a better job of sticking fish but overall, I think the Gobius will be my new go to for this kind of bait.

10lb 2oz. A 6' ML St. Croix Avid and a Shimano Stradic 2500 on 6lb FC with a weightless Zoom Lizard.