FishTank

Just curious.... When I went (and still am) down the BFS rabbit hole, the baits was the thing that stumped me. I have found a few that suited me and bass fishing in general but I think I need the right conditions to make everything work... wind, water conditions, and what mood the bass are in. On off days, it could start out bass focused with the lures and next thing it either becomes a dink fest or I am suddenly catching everything but bass. Two lures that I have confidence in are small swimbaits (Easy Shiner and 3in Spark Shad) with a 1/16 or 1/8oz head and the Baby Pop Max. Honorable mentions, 1/16oz Shakey Head and 4in or 6in Roboworm and the Megabass Great Hunting humpback.

Dodbyn's Sierra Ultra Finesse 7' and a Daiwa Alphas Air with 6lb Fluorocarbon (Invizx or Sunline Shooter).

For reels, I look at it two fold..... There are reel brands that I like to use and reels that I have learned to avoid by working on them for the past several years. I try to rely on what I have learned from both of those experiences. So for me I am pretty much like Daiwa and Shimano but I do have one Lew's that I really like so far (BB1 new version) and I have a few from Abu Garcia and Quantum that are just OK. When comes to rods... G. Loomis, St. Croix and Megabass will see most of my money in the future. I do have one Dobyns that I really like and it may, in the future, steer me towards another. Line..... I like specific ones from different manufactures but I like to experiment each year and try new ones or some that have been around but I just haven't got to. A lot of lines are really good now a days so I don't mind branching out. As far as brands go that have been the most consistent for me, Sunline and Seaguar. Lures... Whatever they are biting on.

Either one, it's become kind of a no brainer at that this point with the exchange rate. Both great reels. I own both. They have been a blast.

I have thought about inline hooks but the VMC's you mentioned only go down to a 1/0. I would need size #8's, #10's, and #12's, which can be harder to come by. Single hooks are great for trout and panfish but I have used trebles for bass for so long, it would be hard for me to switch. Plus, I would need new split rings, maybe a size bigger. Those are not easy to put on these little baits. Right now I have been replacing them the #10's with Owner Stinger ST-36s and Duo Nano Trebles, #12's and #14's. These were somewhat hard to find as well.

I am still new at the whole BFS thing but @bulldog1935 is correct with the spools I have on the Silver Wolf and the Aldebaran BFS. If I understand this correctly.....The more machined the spool, the more chance it has to be crushed by mono/FC but I think there may be some operator error involved as well with this phenomena. So far I have had no issues with the spool on my Aldebaran BFS. I caught a 7-8lb catfish with 5lb test Sunline Sniper. It was a blast to say the least. The spool is in perfect condition after the 5-10min fight this fish put up but the treble hooks on a Megabass Great Hunting 51S I used were not. They were bent and broken. This is another fun topic with BFS hard baits..... bent hooks. If you buy these small trout baits for bass fishing, invest in some more hooks while you're at it. They are great at hooking fish but most are fragile.

Mono from what I can tell is the hardest thing on bfs spools. I haven't tried a hole lot of braid yet on this guy but I have really been liking the PE 1.0 Dead or Alive from Varivas. I still use leader but it looks like this stuff will last forever.

So I finally had my leader knot break and needed to retie. This is what my Albright knot looks like with 6lb leader tied to PE 1.0 Varivas Dead or Alive. This is about as good as I can tie it.

Just a guess but the next time you cast watch the spool and not the frog. See if the line is hitting the face up hook keeper on that rod and creating loops at the end of the cast. If so, the next cast will end up looking like the one in picture. I never thought it was thing until I had a rep from Megabass go into great detail about the spiral wrapped guides on the Valkyrie I have. He said that when you cast, the line (especially braid) tends to loop to one side as soon as it comes out and supposedly spiral wrapped guides help. All I know is I can almost empty a spool of 15lb mono when I cast a frog with this rod. After watching, many times, the line peel of different reels, I could see where that hook keeper would get hit.

I picked up my Zillion from Asian Portal Fishing and it has been fantastic so far. I almost picked up the Limited Edition Steez SV when it finally came back in stock at Digitaka but I have liked this reel so much I couldn't bring myself to fork over the extra cash as I like it almost as much as I like my regular Steez SV. I think it's a toss up between Digitaka or A.P.F. Both are great. I have never had an issue with either of them. I think Digitaka is a little cheaper and I like their site a little better but APF carries some of the harder to find crankbaits and jerkbaits I like.

Maybe but.... Think of the data bank of knowledge we have and then multiply it 3x over for just their time spent on the water. They are also faster at making those make or brake decisions based on the conditions they are given, they can find fish better than we can and recognize what pattern they are on. Plus, fishing isn't the only thing they have to worry about. Just fishing for them is a a full time job alone, then you add what the sponsors want out of you and you are now working two high pressured jobs.

I use to use one but it kept sliding down. I eventually found just the right set up for my Hobie seat and I haven't gone back. I still keep it with me just in case.

Not to hijack this thread but..... Fishing there has improved some for bass but not so much for crappie. You can catch some of them but there are people there that keep whatever they catch and it limits the amount of big ones. The enforcing (no joke - $2500 tickets to start) of the 9.9 motor limit has helped to keep some of the pressure down on the bass by keeping some of the bigger boats out. The wind out there is about 15-20 mph almost all the time and sometimes in two different directions. I still like it because its close to me but it can be challenging for a kayak.

Yes. Sure is.

The Evoluzion I have is the 30th Anniversary Edition (previous model) and so far it's been fantastic but it is way different than the NRX models I have. Like most JDM rods, it's more parabolic but not moderate, maybe less stiff/crisp. It very versatile. I have actually tried it with everything from crankbaits to jigs and have no real complaints, except that it may be too sensitive for cranks. As far as the P5's go, I have the Super Destroyer and the Criffhanger. Both are sensitive and work well for bottom contact baits but they are not my favorite. I tend to lean towards the NRX's rods instead. Both of the rods I have I tend to use as general purpose rods on my kayak, which is what I wanted them for. One is for heavier stuff and the other for BFS. I have little to no experience with the other P5 models. I have only toyed around with the X-Bites and the Dark Sleeper. The X-Bites felt awesome but the Dark Sleeper was kind of just OK. Can't explain it. Which rods do you have?

I go with the top 6 that I own.... 1. G. Loomis NRX+/NRX 2. Megabass Evoluzion 3. Megabass P5 4. G. Loomis GLX 5. St. Croix Legend Elite 6. Megabass Valkyrie Depending on what technique/lure, line, and specific rod, I could change the order of these slightly. For instance, I like the NRX for over all, slack line sensitivity but the Evoluzion might be better for bottom contact. So kind of a toss up there.

Going to keep this simple..... I disagree and I am out. This sums up my experience with the wind.

There is an old timer that fishes at Eagle Creek near my house that has a boat similar to this. I saw him breaking it down and he looked like he had his hands full. I asked if he needed help but he told me he was a retired member of the Coast Guard and that he had been doing this for 30+ years. So I stood there and watched for 20-30 minutes as this almost 70 year old man meticulously and quickly broke down this boat in military fashion and loaded it up in the back of his truck. The boat was old, maybe mid 80s but the material looked thick and almost bullet proof. If breaking the boat down wasn't enough, the old guy picked up the 9.9 engine and put in the bed of truck too. I felt humbled.

Not sure about that one. With the reels I own, I have all of the current available braking systems. The only thing better than the DC reels when casting a bait in to the wind is my thumb. Daiwa's Magforce system has been around for years and was not initially without its own problems. The DC reels were in Shimano development for many years prior to their release in 2003. Many of the original Calcutta DCs are still in use today without issue. What other reels braking systems have lasted almost 20 years without maintenance? I know DC reels aren't for everyone or for every situation but they are a proven system. The question for me is... Are they worth the extra cost over any other regular reel to use day in and day out? To me, not really but they do have their place whether it's for the inexperienced angler learning to use a baitcaster or for a guy like me that adds this reel to his arsenal to use under special circumstances.

I have the Elite 28. It is comfortable to wear all day if need be. It is definitely well made and a premium product for what it is. I hope I never have to test it out for real but it's nice to have the security of it.

I know I should but there is this thing in head that wants to see how far it will go. When it counts, I will retie the hook but the Albright knot to the braid is the one I really want to test. So far Gold Label for its intended purpose has blown me away. Also I hate tying on a new leader when I am out on the boat. Light braid and wind makes for a hard time of tying a good knot.

Over the years I haven't fished braid much. I typically only use it for topwater and thick vegetation. Depending on the situation, I might not use leader at all but when i did it was whatever I had left over from a filler spool. Then last year I started using braid on spinning gear again and realized that leader was almost a necessity to get the high pressured fish at lakes I go to, to bite. So I started using the various left overs I had from Big Game to Tatsu and again realized I needed something better. That's when I picked up Seaguar Gold Label. I have had the same leader tied on my main wacky rig set up since March. I caught 100s of fish and I have not retied or seen any fraying. As my numbers went up, I won't go back. I have very little confidence in fishing straight braid anymore.

Yes sir. I talked a guy kayak fishing last weekend that said he would only buy Lews because of KVD. When I asked about Quantum, he was clueless. KVD does have a fan base and his pull with them is strong.

Take a look at Varivas. Both of the lines I have tried, have not bled. I have also been using Sunline Xplasma. It bleeds some at first but then it's good to go. Great line though.