gilkeybr

I recently purchased this rod, a 741 MHRB as said in the title. I had a particular usage in mind when I bought the rod, but as i've used it a bit i'm afraid I may have bought the wrong rod for my intended purpose. What would you use this MH-Regular action rod for? (I'm trying not to lead the witness by saying my intended use, or what I think the rod is best suited for...)

Got a Z-Man Flip N Cast (California Craw 1/2oz) jig from the Outlet Bait and Tackle sale last week at a deep discount. Threaded on a shortened Vilecraw (California 420) that came from their big clearance a few weeks ago. Can confirm Cali colors work in Michigan too.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-FISHHEAD.html?from=basres I like these. Small blade would match your 3" keitech well. Comes in pretty light weights to match the smaller baits too.

One of the nice things I notice about my one higher end spinning reel is it has much finer adjustment of the drag plate. I would compare it to a micro-ratchet wrench as opposed to a tradition ratchet. Other than that, I don't notice a big difference in smoothness/etc.

Good tip. Have been wanting to stock up on trebles for some time

I wait for labor day for the stuff I "kind of need". The "wants" get saved for black friday. Only way to justify the not necessary stuff is with the extra 5% off!

+1. Part of the thrill of the catch for me is tricking a fish into eating an artificial bait

Combining the 20% off on Ebay with the deal American Legacy has going on the Abu Garcia ALX, you can get an ALX-HS for $112. Thats a heck of a deal. Really like the one I bought ~1 month ago, although it feels like I got ripped off now!

There are few things that rival the thrill of steadily retrieving a glide/swim bait and you feel that tell-tale tap of a fish smacking at the bait but not getting hooked. Two quick reels or a nice jerk to get the glide bait to do a 180 and WHAM. So satisfying to be able to manipulate the lure in a way that really cranks the bass up! I don't have a Gantarel, but I have had really good luck with my S-Waver 168. Wanting to spend more time throwing the 200 around in the future

You saying this brought a smile to my face. I mostly go fishing with my brother in law these days, and we always have a great time. But he LOVES to talk trash when he catches more fish, or catches the biggest fish, or really any other excuse he can get. I just think to myself, "You're on my boat, at my spot, fishing my lure that I told you to use and how to work....your fish are all at least half mine" Part of the fun of fishing!

I got a pack of water absorbing silicone from Amazon for pretty cheap. Have put a few of those in each of my WP Flambeaus and so far no issue with wetness

This is where things get a bit sticky, as I don't think they're consistent seller to seller. I typically am ordering a package of several different sizes, so I never sweat it too much. In general i'd say size 3 for jerkbaits/small cranks. 2s will cover most cranks and 1s for DD cranks and other HD hooks

You can also get them on ebay via China. They are almost unbelievably cheap, and usually take a couple weeks for shipping

Got bit really hard last month. Rediscovered my love for jerkbait fishing so went searching for a new jerkbait rod. Ended up finding a 2 for 1 deal on these Daiwa Zillions. A 6'6" MH-F will be my new jerkbait rod. Hoping to use the 7'4" MH-R as my new jig rod. Also needed a reel to go with the new jig rod. Found ebay had a good deal going on the Revo ALX-HS, especially with the promo codes people post up around here. So far I love the reel. I don't think i'll notice the extra .5oz compared to an MGX. Finally got lucky (no pun intended) with a local Ollies. I had given up hope in the spring time after visiting 3 local stores. Happened across a new one and got lucky. Got the LC lures for $5.99 and the Arashis for $2.99. I don't need any of these lures, but I figured at that price why not give them a shot! The bait monkey is satisfied....for now

I have a special box for all the lures I bought that were junk and i'll never use, does that count? Heres looking at you, Double Plopper....

Don't have any Crawlers, but have a few Pompadours. Those crawling type baits have a killer action, and can excel on a retrieve that might otherwise be too slow for a plopper.

A jerkbait bite is the most exciting for me. That sensation of excitement when you feel the rod load extra heavy on the next jerk! Especially as the water warms and you get to work them a little faster. Early spring with long pauses can get a bit tedious. Second favorite would be a walking bait on the surface. Blow ups are fierce and if you aren't catching anything, its still fun to be moving a bait quickly!

Because it hasn't been mentioned: Fluke: Caffeine Shad. In my experience more often than not, this will catch more fish back when compared to the Zoom Fluke in similar situations.

I like 30lb braid as a good middle ground for line. Plenty strong, so you don't have to worry much about breaking off. But also fairly small diameter so its manageable and casts well. Its what is on the majority of my reels

^^^Agree with this about not over-filling the spool. You'll have a much easier time casting with a spool that isn't full to the brim. Also, as mentioned line could contribute. FC will probably be harder to work with than the alternatives...

2.8 Keitech (Regular, not fat) and a light jig head. Like a swimming Ned rig.

I got a couple of these last fall during a TW sale. They look nice. I haven't caught anything with them yet, but I also haven't fished them much. They are quite big, for a crank bait. They cast a mile!

Discovering Tackle Warehouse two years ago was the worst thing that could happen to my fishing addiction. Getting unique, hard to find, baits all of a sudden because an issue of just a couple clicks. Prior to that it was 2-3 trips to the local BPS or similar each year. Now...some days I feel like i'm single handedly keeping TW in business.

Another aspect to the Keitech that I really believe in is their "strong squid sense". Those baits REALLY stink! But action wise I do think the swing shads are very similar, if not identical, to the Keitechs. I like to rig a 4.8" weightless on a 4/0 hook. Long casts and crank it in EXTRA slow

I did grossly underestimate the water temps for the lake last weekend. They ended up being 71ish, and surely warming all the time with how hot it was. Managed to catch a few bass, not much bigger than 1lb, on senkos. My brother in law caught a few dinks on a 1/4oz swim bait. One observation was that he threw a crappie jig a little bit and could more or less catch a crappie on every cast (all in the 5-6" range). I wonder if a crappie overgrowth would cause a decrease in the bass population? Did try a jig for a bit as well as a couple cranks, but didn't put enough time into them to probably catch anything. The confidence just wasn't there