gilkeybr

Its a 13 Fishing Omen Black 2. It was on sale late last year at TW. I paid $83 for it. They also offered a 7'1" ML/XF which is what I planned to buy, but it sold out before I ordered! Both of these lengths/tapers are available in the 3rd version of the rod. I have absolutely no complaints about my 6'10

I have tried 6', 6'6", 6'9" and 6'10" all ML/F (or XF). I'm really loving the 6'10" and I think I would really really love something even a bit longer (7' or so). I can't recommend a specific brand/rod. But length is something I would have a preference on.

I have RB Aviators (Green Mirror - Polarized). They're fine for fishing. But if i'm really hoping to see through the glare, i'll leave them at home and bring my Oakley Prizm glasses. You probably wouldn't regret a pair of Ray Bans. But from a strictly fishing point of view, you can do better

I have a 704CB graphite (crankbait) rod. Its exactly what I wanted, but IMO its best suited for lures like a 1.5 or wiggle wart. I have tried 2.5 sized baits and I think they're a bit heavy. If it were me, i'd get the 4 power. Not sure how the powers carryover between the reqular rods and the crankbait rods though.

Love my Poison Adrena 1610M, but it would be lighter and a bit shorter than I would want for Senkos/Flukes/shakyheads. The 611M+ probably would be great, if you can find it. Just my perspective

No, there is no special sauce that Shimano has that makes this reel less likely to backlash than a comparable casting reel. It is marketing hype, IMO

I use the water-proof Flambeau 5000 series boxes. After getting store-brand boxes for several years and having them break too easily, I started using the Flambeaus. They can take a beating and you don't have to worry about cracking as much as the store brand boxes.

Wow, the tail on that thing is pretty wild

I'm usually running a lighter leader on the end of a heavier main line (30lb braid to 12/17lb FC or 10lb braid to 8lb FC). I have never had a properly tied FG knot break. Had one come unraveled. Had one break above the leader (old main line). All the other failures have been at the lure knot, which is either a Palomar or Improved Clinch depending on how i'm feeling.

If I wanted a lure that would work in almost any condition, it would have to be either a stick bait (Senko) or a 1/2oz spinnerbait. Both can be fished effectively through moderate amounts of weeds, and are proven fish catchers.

Just got my Shimano Poison Adrena 1610M in the mail and paired it up with an Aldebaran 30 MGL. I couldn't imagine a better combo for Vision 110s. The power and action are absolutely perfect for jerkbaits, IMO. Great casting, good rebound in the rod when working the bait, and just the right power for fighting the fish. Not to mention it feels like you're fishing with a feather. I'm sure the Expride 6'10 is very similar to this rod. I have yet to fish a Ito Shiner on it. I could see that feeling a bit heavy on the cast. Time will tell. I've never fished a Kistler rod, so maybe I just don't know what i'm missing! If you're in love with it, there isn't a great reason to go another direction. Except to try something new. PS, I also fished the 1610 combo with a small tube (1/4oz jig, 2.5" fat tube). Wow! What a pleasure. Almost made me second guess using this combo for jerkbait fishing...

My in-laws cottage is on a small lake that typically has 6" of visibility. I have tried all the standards (Colorado spinnerbait, rattle trap, chatterbait, Black/Blue Jigs, etc). What has worked the best? A wacky rigged green pumpkin senko! And this weekend I even caught a couple on a Pointer 100, which I would typically associate with clear water. Sometimes, fish are hard to explain.

I have a pair of Oakley Flak 2.0s with amber prizm lenses that work really well for sight fishing. The fit is good at blocking glare from your cheek bones and temples. Also the vibrance/contrast of the lenses is much better than my Ray-Ban Polarized glass lenses, even though they are a plastic lens. I haven't tried Costas, although i'd like to. But, the Oakleys do so well I don't see myself buying another pair of glasses soon.

I haven't held one in hand, but from pictures it looks like the Antares MD is a pretty large reel! Antares A: 12lb/85yd Antares MD DC: 14lb/130yd Bantam MGL: 14lb/90yd. The Bantam is a "150" spool while the Antares is a "70". Based on line capacity, I think the MD/DC would be more like a 200/250 reel (Tranx 200 is 14lb/110yd). Should be quite a bit larger in hand

I think the scenarios are a bit different. In the back yard it is nonstop pitching and cranking your lure back quickly to do the next pitch. No pause to work the bait, or let it sink, etc.

I think this would be very fun. Maybe more of a winter challenge than a summer challenge, though

Changed the title. I always thought of the two as interchangeable... If a fish is particular enough to need a lure in a coffee can size area, thats probably not a fish i'm going to catch!

Short range fishing is not something I do much of. Pretty much all of my fishing is in open water, away from shore, and with minimal visible surface structure. That being said, *pitching* is something I still want to practice at so that I am capable if the situation ever arises. So with that in mind I set out a little challenge for myself in the back yard. It involves a common 5-gallon bucket from your favorite big box store, a tape measure and some patience. I measured 25ft to set the bucket up away from me (common tape measure length). This was on level ground (although it would be interesting to try with a stool or similar to simulate a boat deck). I tried to do sets of 10 and see what the highest percentage of flips I could get into the bucket. Surprisingly, my best results were early on where I got 6/10. As time went on I was only able to match or do worse than that. I was surprised how quickly I fatigued while doing this! Even 15 minutes was enough to get my forearms pumped! By the end I was lucky to get 3/10. I would love to hear how everyone else does at this. I bet there are some people on this forum who could easily go 10/10 or maybe even longer perfect streaks. Also would be interest to hear what people prefer to flip with (rod length, reel brand/type, lure weight). For instance I was using 7'1 H/F Zillion SV 7:1 1/2 Jig + chunk Pro Tip* Use a high gear ratio reel. It gets tiring cranking the lure back over and over again.

Reposting this in the correct place! Sorry for the confusion. I got a couple Dark Sleepers last fall and developed a lot of confidence in them this spring fishing Lake St. Clair with its large goby population. These are knock off Dark Sleepers from Ali Express. I thought for the price they were worth a try, at least. The quality seems decent although definitely not as nice as the genuine MB lures. But with the MB being sold out most places and hard to come by, these will have to do. I didn't want to have to go all spring/summer without these as an option!

Wrong thread, sorry!

I got an Antares 70HG and Bantam XG this spring. I don't have a ton of time yet on the Bantam, but have been fishing the Antares quite a bit. I'm very happy with both reels. As the OP said, the Antares is very compact (much more so than my old DC7 Antares). To me the Bantam feels a bit larger in-hand, but still comfortable. Both have a very smooth retrieve, with a slight advantage going to the Antares if I had to pick right now. I think the Antares also manages casting a bit better, being a smaller spool and all. Not that the Bantam is any slouch in that department. One thing that has surprised me is my feelings about the Antares clicking drag. That was the feature that sold me on getting it. But in practice I find myself more indifferent or even a bit annoyed by the clicking drag. Thats mostly due to my expectations of how it would work, not really because it doesn't perform well. I think the drag is still plenty smooth and strong when need be. If I were in the market to buy another reel and it had to be one of them, considering the price difference, it would be the Bantam. I think its right up there enough in terms of performance and appearance at a much cheaper price. PS, I got my Antares from Digitaka. That would save you A LOT compared to the price at stateside sellers (TW, etc). But they are currently out of stock.

I'm happy to catch lots of fish. But I would probably draw the line at 12"/1lb. If i'm catching a bunch under that size, i'll probably abort and try to look for more quality. Some of my most fun fishing days that I can remember are at golf course ponds where you catch 50 1-1.5lb bass. Other fun days are where we grind it out and finally get that one 5lb+ fish. All depends on my mood!

Thank you guys for your input. I ended up getting the Helix 8 MSI G3N. I plan to sell the 899, but on the off chance I can't get a decent price for it, maybe i'll keep it and run one at the console and one at the bow.

Best way to know is to try as many as you can. After owning lots of brands of reels, if it were my money, I would buy Daiwa over Lew's. I had a couple Lew's reels and they both had qualities that really annoyed me. Have several Daiwa reels and I'll buy more in the future.

https://thirstybuyer.com/products/electronic-vibrating-led-flashing-fishing-lure-w-rechargeable-usb-cable?variant=3674146406440 Theres your answer. Its a cap for a charging port.