Lead Head

I'm pretty new to the Daiwa game and have limited experience but ill go ahead and share what little I've learned from my SS. I don't know what the inductor swap did to free up the spool in your SS, but my SS (103) is absolutely not a long casting reel. If distance is a concern I wouldn't use the SS without getting a longer casting spool. I have the 8.1.1. gear and carbontex drag upgrade from TT in mine and use it for pitching and skipping jigs, distance isn't a concern for me.

There are several people who will be able to help you out on this... I'm not one of them. I will however tell you they will need to know if the SS is a 103 or 105. It will matter.

I've used kastking, power pro, and 832. Of the 3 832 is my favorite. It really gives you very little to complain about. It is the only 8 strand braid I've used and felt no need to try another. I would have to say kastking is the best bang for your buck. It can be found for $6 shipped fairly often and compares favorably to power pro in 4 strand (in my opinion).

You can get a spinning rod at academy for about $15-20. It won't be anything nice but will let you fish neds and whatnot until you can get a better one. I caught all kinds of fish on one for about 3 months before I broke down and got a better one. You will definitely be better served if you can keep a medium spinning rod in your arsenal.

I don't know about your rod, but that spool is definitely going to degrade any line in short order.

Be careful using a 1/2oz jig + trailer on that rod. You will likely be right at or over its recommended lure weight.

I have both and prefer the mb. The bb1 is a fine cranking reel with more line capacity but is far more finicky, especially with large cranks. I honestly can't say one casts farther than the other but the mb is much more user friendly.

I pretty much only use the pointed frogs if I'm wanting less action or coming through emergent weeds. Popping frogs walk great (pad crashers do) and create a little more splash with the added bonus of being able to "stop and pop" whenever you want. Sometimes fish like a popping action more than a walking action and a popping frog allows me to present both without changing lures.

Very interesting. I knew there were two different versions and assumed the one he was demonstrating was the one used in the test. Well... you know what they say about assumptions. At this point I am happy with how the knot handles big hooksets. 2 trips, over 20 fish with setups where I was basically trying to fail the leader. It held up great. I'll stick with it until I find a reason not to. I'll keep this thread updated if I run into any problems and hope the other guys using it will do the same.

Tom- I hear you, I really do, but I have to try. I don't know if it matters to the fish or not but I can SEE a difference in the fall of a Ned or weightless senko when using FC as opposed to mono. My next experiment will be with copoly leaders. Most of my fishing is done in dirty water where straight braid works fine, but I spend at least 2 weeks a year on a clearer lake and leaders are easier than switching everything out. MickD- I'm interested to see if you are able to pass the GT just as easily as a Alberto through those 4's. Team9nine- This is what I was going from when I said it was stronger than a FG. This test was for mono and is why I was testing with floro. The FG is widely considered the strongest and that is why I'm asking for other people's experiences.

I use the Alberto when I'm not swinging hard and have had no problems with it in that application. When using stiffer rods and big hooksets the Alberto failed on me often, so I started using the FG in those applications without issue. The GT doesn't seem that much larger to me, maybe I just need to look closer. Either way it passes Microwave guides (5's) just fine so I'll stick with it. I built my XH pitching rod with KT 6 guides because I knew in some places I fish I would want a leader.

Another trip out today with with very similar results. Used the same leaders and had zero issues. This knot is easy to tie and rock solid. 15lb setup hauled in a foul hooked 3+ lb bass. I'm excited that I have found a leader knot that can handle big hooksets and isn't as time consuming as the FG. Its honestly probably the easiest leader knot I know how to tie.

After seeing guys on here talking about the GT knot I decided to give it a shot. I never had any problems with the FG, but the GT is significantly faster/easier to tie and tested out stronger. 15lb Suffix 832 to 14lb Sunline Sniper FC using a weightless Stick-O T-rigged on a 4/0 Owner EWG hook. Landed 10 fish with a 3 and 4.1 being the biggest. That is a pretty big hook and I was slipping a tight drag on every hookset. 50lb Suffix 832 to 25lb Sunline Sniper FC using a 1/2oz Siebert Gridiron Brush jig. Landed 4 fish all small (between 1 and 2 pounds). Again a large hook and big hookset. It's a small but encouraging sample size. No failures and I was pretty much trying to break it. It passed through my guides (5 on the 15lb setup and 6 on the 50) just fine and is not noticeably larger than the half hitch portion of the FG. What are your experiences? In your opinion, did I just get lucky or is the GT actually a better knot than the FG?

If you're not breaking at the leader knot, then the leader is probably not your problem. Running straight floro isn't likely to solve your problem but straight mono or copoly might (better knot strength). Sounds like you are "crossing over" your knot, or burning your line. Bite offs seem possible as well, but I don't know anything about that.

Booyah makes one. Both regular and popping. Look for "Popping Pad Crasher".

Thanks, I'll look into it. I was strongly considering just getting a new ss sv103 and the gear/drag set from TT but now I'll start researching the 105. $300 for the upgraded ss sv103 is far cheaper than any of the used sv103 I have seen and at least the ss would be new. That's a lot to pay for old tech but the cheapest option I have found for a decent sv spool and no t-wing. I should have never picked up my daughter's tatula sv tw... The "over braked" 103 spool shouldn't bother me much as big distance is rarely a concern when skipping and flipping jigs.

Sometimes new braid can be a little sticky, I'm guessing from whatever they use to color it. Some brands are way worse than others. Try using the rod with a cast and retrieve lure for a bit and see if you can get some quick miles on it to break it in. I wouldn't think line twist is the issue with freshly spooled braid even if you did it completely backwards (however MN Fisher is far more experienced than me with spinning equipment so he could very well be right).

Back in the day I only used floroclear. After getting 2 different spools of 15lb that broke at the knot on every hookset I gave it up. It's a shame too because I really liked it otherwise. I just cant roll the dice on an entire spool failing on the hookset. This was 4 or 5 years ago. I guess it hasn't changed.

Ever seen what a 3/8oz (or possibly 1/2oz not sure) bullet sinker does when it hits your head? If your really lucky it actually goes under your skin and leaves you with some really cool (if slightly disturbing) pictures of a super caveman brow. At least that's my experience, YMMV.

If you can get to a basspro, go in and ask them what they can combo for you. Often times they will be able to combo a name brand rod with a house reel, or a name brand reel with a house rod. I have no complaints about any of their mid range and above gear I've used. Haven't tried in the last few years because I have started building my own rods but this is how I got my first lews baitcaster, paired up with a bps extreme rod.

I had a ned stuck on a submerged log. It was shallow enough I could see it plainly. As I was trying to pop it free (water was far too shallow to troll over) I watched a small bass fly in and grab it off the log. He didn't even eat it, just pulled it off the log and sped away... almost as if he was tired of watching me fiddle with it and wanted me to be on my way.

Thanks! Makes much more sense now.

Ahhh... thanks.

So now I'm confused. Are you saying the sv103 should be fine stock? I've seen them for $199 new and was considering that.

Well crap... thanks for the input guys. The search for a SV spooled skipping reel without a t-wing continues.