FishTank

Straight braid for heavy vegetation but I actually use fluorocarbon most of the time. I have 12lb and 15lb rigged for 3/8 and 1/2oz jigs and up to 20lb for bigger jigs.

I like it for buzzbaits and jigs. Most prop baits I like to fish with a slower reel and fluorocarbon. I know FC sinks but with a prop bait I'm just reeling it in.

Scum Frog Trophy Series, Jackall Gavacho, and the Megabass Big Gabot. Also any frog bait from Teckel. Three colors should cover it.... white, black and something natural with a chartreuse belly.

I always wait until the fish turns the bait over. If I don't wait and pull up immediately, I ended pulling the bait out of its mouth. If I set the hook with a side swipe immediately, the fishes' head has to be turned the right direction and they have to bite down in order for the bait's hooks to be exposed. If the fish turns over with frog in its mouth, the weight of fish, the mouth positioning, and the direction of the bait are all at your advantage. Down side to this.... hope the fish doesn't spit it out before you wale on them.

I think the rod is fine. I used a 7' MH Fast for years for flipping and pitching. I have to admit I'm not the best but I get the job done. With that said, I would ditch the braid and go to a cheap 15-20lb mono like Big Game to start and eventually switch to Fluorocarbon (Invizx 17lb). Practice like @Captain Phil had mentioned. Set the spool a little loose but up the brakes. Let your thumb control the spool. Time and practice.

In case anybody is wondering..... https://common-cents.info

Another thought on this.... The clutch could be broken causing the pinion to fall out but this unlikely. The springs that hold the clutch down could have broken or fallen off causing the clutch to loosen which would allow the pinion to fall out. That would probably be the rattle that is heard inside the reel. If it is still under warranty, take it back to BPS and ask for mercy. If not, I would invest in a new and better quality reel. Shimano, Daiwa and Lews each have one around $100.

13lb Sunline Defier

Before I share this story, the BPS Extreme has improved greatly over the years but the OPs scenario sounds familiar. I guy I used to fish with about 10-15 years ago would buy 5 new BPS Extreme rods and reels every year. He was retired and would fish 5-6 days a week, tournaments every chance he could get and travel to any where there was fish in the winter. By the end of the year about 2 or 3 of them would be missing paint, all were having issues of some kind and at least one would be non functional. He would take them to BPS and trade them in during the spring sale. He would bring $500 to the sale and buy the 5 setups, a bulk 100 bag of green pumpkin Zoom lizards, 25 pack of 3/0 worm hooks, and a bulk spool of BPS mono. That would be his only tackle purchase all year. He might get a few baits for his birthday, at Father's day and then again at Christmas but nothing else. I finally after a few years asked why and he said the Extreme is a one and done reel. Meaning one year of his fishing and it was toast. One year I asked if I could look at one to see if it could be fixed. When I started to work on it, it was falling apart in my hands. Once apart, I could see what he meant. This reel wasn't meant to last. Also, no parts available from BPS and the repair from them cost as much as a new reel. I later asked why he didn't invest in better reels that could be repaired and last him longer. He said, it was what he liked and he wouldn't pay any more money for a his combos, even if it saved money in the long run. He was kind of set in his ways but he could catch fish anytime, anywhere.

Topwater and jerkbaits.

I have a Med Fast St.Croix Mojo yak and it has sort of been my beater rod when I am kayak fishing. It can stand up to some abuse, the sensitivity is ok, the tip is soft which makes it versatile, and it has plenty of backbone to land fish.

There is one right handed one in stock at Digitaka. My only complaint with this reel is that when it is cold, the reel becomes very cold. It's like holding an ice cube.

Heavier hooks have worked for me. I have a few Lucky Craft Pointers that don't suspend well in cold water. I put on some heavy duty Owner Stingers and problem solved.

I use a G Loomis 844C GLX with a Shimano Curado and 12lb fluorocarbon. I fish them backwards with either a 4/0 EWG or a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus.

I don't cut the tails off of Keitechs. I just buy the Spunk Shads. They are pretty inexpensive.

Ribbon tail worms are deadly all year long. Patience pays off.

A Beatle Spin. I don't use it often but when I do it produces..... lots of Bluegill.

I think you'll like it. From the Daiwa's I own, I would say they are more consistent casters than most other reels but again this is sort subjective. Being consistent and effortless to me is more important than max casting distance. If you do get into distance, the Shimano Antares 70A has out casted everything else I own. The problem is if I want to cast something to a pin point spot or say under a dock, I might end up in a tree instead. It starts up so quick that it can be hard to control, even with my thumb.

I have both reels. I have liked my BB1 a lot so far but the Zillion HD will out cast it, if that's your thing. I have the BB1 on a Megabass Levante Jerkbait Special with 10lb Sufix mono. The Zillion HD has been used on a Megabass P5 Super Destroyer with 16lb Sniper BMS and also on a NRX+ 895C. Overall the spool with HD should be fine. The size of the reel is small, similar to the BB1. It's slightly smoother than the BB1. The brakes are definitely different between the two. The brakes on the HD seem heavier compared to the BB1. Depending on how you set them up and the weight of the bait , the BB1 to me seems more squirrelly but better capable of handling baits in the 1/4oz range (this is marginal though). The drag on my BB1 has been sporadic for me but does the job just fine. The drag on the HD is smoother, more consistent, and a little more powerful but it could be the bigger handle. The T-wing to me at first seemed like a gimic and another wearable part but I have had no issues with it. Is it an improvement? Not sure I notice any difference. I have tried spinnerbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, a punching rig and one big crank with the HD. I didn't care for it for jerkbaits. The bigger handle seemed weird. I think BB1 is an overall better reel for this purpose but the HD was better at everything else. I intend to use it for big jigs and punching but it would be ideal for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits and big cranks.

I have the 7'4" Legend Tournament MH Mod. and it's an amazing rod. I can't speak from a sensitivity standpoint on this rod as I use it for crankbaits but the construction and quality are definitely a big step above the Victory. The only thing that seems odd is the reel seat nut. It seems cheap but it does the job. If you check around you might find a way to get one discounted or with a coupon code.

I have Zillion HD and would say this reel is the way to go. It's been great so far but I have been using it for big jigs and heavier Texas rigged soft plastic.

Not much is working these days when it comes to crankbaits or moving baits in general. It's like the fish at my lakes disappeared.

I have not tried the Kantana yet but I have had good luck with the Vision 110 Max LBO. Mat Shad has been favorite color in this bigger bait.

I have the Chronarch MGL, the original Bantam, and the new Metanium. I use the Chronarch for spinner baits, the Bantam for crankbaits, and the Metanium for jigs. The Chronarch is not a whole lot different, to me, than the Curado but overall it is a better reel. The Bantam feels like a round reel in a small package. The Metanium feels like a lighter and somewhat smoother version of the Bantam. If I had to pick, the JDM Metanium would definitely be the one to go with. I would also look at the Zillion SV. Just a perfect reel.

Wacky rigged 5in Senko Black with Blue Flake Easy Shiner 4in