Hook2Jaw

I own Fuego CTs and my brother owns SLXs, and they're both excellent reels. I feel the SLX wins in a distance battle and the Fuego CT does a better job of controlling the cast. I feel the Fuego CT is built tougher, but that's probably just opinion. It feels like a more solid offering than the SLX. On the flip side, the SLX palms exceptionally well -- so well, that as a Daiwa guy, it feels foreign to me. The CT drag feels better, but the SLX feels like the smoother reel of the two. Rather than offer you an answer, here are my thoughts about both reels. I hope it helps you make your own informed decision.

I'm about to grab one or the other and I'm pretty undecided on which to get. I've got my eye on both 7'3" Medium Heavy Fast models. Which'un?

Four alternating half hitches.

I'm going to break the trend and go with something besides the ZOOM Trick Worm. 5. ZOOM Ol' Monster in Junebug 4. YUM Ribbontail in Green Pumpkin Purple 3. Roboworm 6" Straight Tail in Aaron's Morning Dawn 2. Netbait T-Mac in Kentucky Special 1.YUM Dinger in Watermelon Red

I've done it in a pinch to power shot, but never with bobber stops. I do most of my dropshotting with $0.99 a pack Eagle Claw Bass Casting Sinkers, so doing things outside the norm isn't really foreign to me. What's your theory with the bullet weights, @Catt? Drop your knowledge on me, or are you just being more cost effective?

I really, really like using VMC Touch-lok Snaps for squarebills and lipless cranks so far, and I remove the split ring.

For some reason, I like to say "bwaaah," when I've got a bite. My brother tells me I sound like Hank from King of the Hill.

I gotta say, I don't believe in the Perry record at all, and I'm also from Georgia.

This year was probably more of the same and much like @A-Jay, I should probably start tracking it. I imagine it helps to up his game. I'm always looking for ways to elevate my own. My number one most productive bait for putting inches of largemouth on the Hawg Trough was a BOSS Gary Klein Original Flipping Jig in Light Green Pumpkin. The skirt matches the trailer perfectly, the silicone is also by BOSS and is the Black Brown Amber variant. A YUM Craw Chunk 3.75 in Craw threaded onto the hook leaves you with a giant profile that attracts giant bites. I like to pitch it and cast it. My breakthrough baits of the year were squarebills, one the H2O Xpress CRS and the other the 6th Sense Crush 50x. I primarily threw these in bold colors(matte whites, chartreuses) and the Crush 50x colors allowed for some ghost shad patterns to be mixed it. The 6th Sense offering was a murderous affair in the densest cover, it's buoyancy backed it out of snags on the regular. The H2O Xpress CRS is, in my opinion, the best value in a hard bait. She is a 6x6. She is a Marsh Master. It has better deflection properties than the 6th Sense bait and all the others I've thrown. That's enough about squarebills. Ol' reliable? That goes to the dropshot. The YUM Killshot was my limit getter year round, catching my deepest spot at 32' and first sonar fish. It also caught bass between 8" and 20". It gets smoked. Sadly, YUM smoked it, because it's no longer in production. I have a feeling 2021 will see the Missile Bomb Shot and Roboworm 6" Straight Tail vie for the title of old reliable. Honorable mentions go to Neko rigging a YUM Money Craw, the Booyah Pad Crasher, winding and waking a Booyah Blade spinnerbait(double willow), and... STOPGOREGULARBURNFASTPOPSNATCHKILLING a 6th Sense Quake 70. Congrats, Quake, you're the first lipless I believe in. Merry Christmas, ye animals!

I wasn't accusing every braid to leader user of mistakenly thinking their breaking point would increase, just those in this thread that were. I use 15# Berkley X9 to 6# Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon and reap all the benefits you listed. As far as parachuting the presentation, I'd have to switch braid for that. X9 sinks pretty well in comparison to other braids I've used. I also wasn't aware that I was making the bait pendulum down with a floating braid, excellent point, sir.

For all ya folks thinking you need braid to increase breaking strength but you're slapping on a leader, your line is only as strong as the weak point. The braid will increase your casting distance and up your sensitivity, but tying 10# braid to 6# fluorocarbon in no way increases your pop off point, or p.o.p.

I used to only throw H2O Xpress Ultimate Jerk Shads, and have done pretty well with them for numbers and size. I've never had success with Rapala jerkbaits. I've never bought a Megabass Vision. My faith is currently in the H2O Xpress baits for faster jerkbait fishing and the Jackall Rerange 110 for fast and cold water jerkbaiting.

Gerald Swindle is my real dad.

Despite being on a kayak, I wish I had gotten a Helix 10. I only have room for one unit, and split screening on my Helix 7 just isn't enjoyable. I'd love to be able to run my sonar and charts in conjunction, but I feel that compresses things too much. What I do enjoy is the ability of my little Helix 7 MSI to show me structure and cover very effectively, mark it accurately, and show me red arches when I've found some juice.

Shoot, I've never caught a bass at night and I've tried quite a few times. I'm with you here. This year I've decided to hone a few key presentations.

Buzzbait. Jigging spoon.

A dropshot will throw a long way. Huck one out and fire up a Perdomo.

I run the @Bluebasser86 method based off water clarity and light penetration for all my hard baits. Clear water gets a ghost pattern, stained to dirty water gets a bold, solid pattern that's often white or chartreuse. Overcast days get a reflective finish. So, I've got three colors of H2O Xpress Ultimate Jerk Shads, three colors of Jackall Rerange 110s and MRS. I catch fish. Color selection can be as simple or complicated as one prefers.

I have Aird-X rods that I've outgrown, but I was never able to put one through something it couldn't handle. Between spinning and casting rods, my Daiwa Aird-X sticks have done it all from bass fishing to being pulled on by 30" redfish. They haven't even complained once, much less malfunctioned. Each and every Daiwa product I've put my hands on has done the job. The one Kastking product I used for a single test cast was a reel, and it squealed like a shot hog. Would not recommend. Get the Aird-X.

Berkley Trilene 100# Fluorocarbon. 12# for both ⅜ squares and ⅝ lipless. That's my line choice for winding, grinding, and deflecting off hard cover. It seems to allow me to get fish out and casts well. I also use it for deep cranking. I'm still trying to figure out a line for ripping lipless through hydrilla and eelgrass.

I started seriously bass fishing from a jon boat, but soon after bought a seven year old Hobie Outback. I touched the boat two times after that before I sold it. My advice is to grab a nice kayak.

I prefer straight fluorocarbon for most bottom contact baits. I do have two casting rods I run braid to leader on, but those two pull double duty. One is my heavy worming and jigging rod but it also pulls double duty as my punching rod. The other is also a worm and jig rod that pulls double duty as my frog rod. For most everything else that isn't topwater and not a spinning rod I'm running 12-17# fluoro on it.

All I know is if you switch some letting, you end up with Meko Nacho. I love nachos.

I'm primarily a junky shallow water angler with a yearning to up his offshore game in love with squarebills and pitching jigs. Give me a log. Give me a laydown. I'll give you a fish.