FishTank

I caught alot of fish on the Chatterbait last year but then I tried the Booyah version and I liked it even better. The problems I found with both of them were knots breaking and snags. I fixed the line breaking by changing the way I would cast them and by using a braided knot. As far as the snaging goes, I found that if you leave some slack in the line the bait will turn over. So a slow retrieve with no slack line and no hard jerks works well for me. But bottom line, there are better options out there to catch fish.

Before I bought a high speed Zillion, I used a Shimano Sustain spinning reel. I have found that this baitcaster to be the best for jerkbaits. I love the Sustain but for a specific purpose it boils down to how much slack line I pull in to get a quick jerk and short pause. Of course this is a personal preference.

For under $200, it would have to be the Johnny Morris rod from BPS or the a St. Croix Avid.

After today I don't care who knows about the Ika as long as the fish bite on it like they did today. I caught so many fish on the Ika, including an 8lb channel catfish, that I lost count. I went through a whole bag of Green Pumpkin with Black Flake. I was rigging it backwards at first but when the bait started to look tore up, I rigged it the other direction. Just an awesome bait.

I looked at both and decided on the Zillion. It just looked and felt like a better quality reel. So far it has been just short of perfect.

Up until last year no one I knew fished the Ika and they were always easy to get at Dick's or Gander Mountian but now everybody is using these things and they are getting harder to find. For example, I bought the last 3 bags they had at Dicks tonight. So I guess the secrets out.

I stopped at Gander Mountain tonight to pick up a new bag(refill) of Fat Ikas Black w/blue flake and some other odds and ends and as I went to pay the for them a guy in line told me that Dick's had them on sale. So I went across the street and they had them 20% off. Not bad. But when the cashier scanned a bag of Senkos I had also picked up, the price on those was $4.78. He then said that all of these are $4.78, meaning all GYCB. I asked him to hold on so I could go get some more and as I went up stairs, a guy hands me a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. Bottom line, I paid $41.58 for 11 bags ($3.78 each). I bought Ikas, swimming senkos and laminate senkos which are all normally $6.99 a bag. I have often spoke out against their lack of customer service but when they have a sale I am nothing but .

I have to say the Senko is my favorite of all baits but like Avid I tend to mix it up. Sometimes, based on what mood I am in, insticts kicks in and says "One fish, one bait." I usually have three rods set up for a specific bait so once I catch a fish on one rod/reel/bait set up, I put it down and pick up something else. Of course, this depends upon what conditions I am fishing in and sometimes when a particular bait gets hot, I won't stop until fish stop biting.

Terminator has to be favorite and maybe Booyah second. I don't care for Strike King. I have a few that have rusted and in general, I was not pleased with how they performed.

Topwater: Sammy or a Zoom Lizard with a light weight and slightly faster retreive.

For me it's a tie between the American Shad and the Misty Shad in the 100sp size.

I have not fished or seen a TD-Z. How does it compare to other reels on the market?

The Swimming Senko has become one of my favorite baits. I have been T-Rigging it with either a 4/0 ore 3/0 EWG and a 3/16 bullet weight. I have yet to fing a color the fish won't bite on. I caught nine LMBs today on the Purple with Emerald flake. I have also fished them with a screw in bullet weight but have had better success with a regular bullet weight. I tend to very my retreive and sort of fish like a jerkbait sometimes.

For me they are money well spent. They run true, catch fish and for some reason I don't tend to loose as many as I do others. For example, I lost 5 Rapala Silver DT-4's last year compared to loosing only one LC and I tend to fish LC's more than anything else.

I'd go for the MBR843C.

I hate the Senko so much I bought a jumbo BPS worm bag that holds about 60 bags of Senkos in various colors and sizes. Yap, I really hate those things. ;D ;D ;D

5in senko in Green Pumpkin black flake.

The Bomber Fat Free Shad. I tried several colors and I never caught a fish on any of them. But on the other hand, I have caught tons of fish on Bomber Model A's.

For now it is the 6in Senko and Lucky Craft 100SP in Misty Shad. I'll be using a jig set up next month.

I tried out the Skip Gap Hook today and I have to say it is a pretty cool invention. The bait stays on perfectly. I found it especially good for lizards. Have any of you tried these yet? Today was just a first impression so it would be great to read about some other opinions on these hooks.

I am looking to replace some treble hooks on a few old bait and just wanted to hear about everyone's favorite. Thanks again for any info.

I picked up some Phantom Red tonight. I hope it is as good as the Moss Green. As dodgeguy stated, the magic marker is great tool to keep the line colored.

I'd go with Trilene XL 12lb or Berkley Big Game 15lb. When I was learning to use a baitcaster, I tried both and I think I went trough one 300yard refill of each. Try to remember it's just practice ;D.

For me, it's either Strike King or Storm. I have tried several different items over the years and have been disappointed. What I have purchased has either not caught fish or has fallen apart. They both have been a total waste of money.

I had a Truimph spinning rod last year and had nothing but high praise for it until the blank had what sounded like a crack in it. When I would cast I would here a sort of creaking noise. It would get even worse when the rod was under stress from a fish. I ended up returning the rod and purchasing another Avid. Just as a side note, I did have an Avid 6'6'' MH casting rod and did not care for it. It was way to stiff, the hump was uncomfortable, and just did seem as sensitive as I had hoped. But with that said, I love my Avid spinning rods :-? :-? :-?.