GReb

Theres a chance the storm weakens a bit before landfall to a cat 4 but if it lands north of Tampa the surge in the bay will be problematic either way. Hoping for the best

The coastal is a solid frogging reel. It was designed for braid and holds plenty of it. It is available in 8.1 ratio. It has aluminum frames and side plates and has a 100mm handle.

ALX Ikos Buzz. I called Alex and asked the difference between it and the Zolo dream which is $100 more and he said in that model they were basically the same rod. Mine weighs just under 4 ounces and is a great all around top water rod. Also a good 1/4oz spinnerbait and mini max rod.

I’ve owned and sold a bunch of St Croix rods but the only one I regret is a LTB. Instead of spending that $200 on Megabass’s cheapest offering, use it to upgrade the Mojo to the LTB.

Good luck finding either unless inventory has changed recently. Most Expert and Cara models have been out of stock for 6 months or longer. I have the current Expert Amistad and it’s a fantastic rod that can handle most anything well. It’s a Jack of all trades heavy stick. I have Caras in different models and they tend to be more technique specific than the Expert. Both fish well but feel much different in my hands. If you are solely using it for bottom contact I’d lean Cara. But the Expert is perfectly fine for it too There’s a Falcon rod discussion thread you may want to check out.

I always run mine dry. No clue if that’s standard but feel like it locks down better. In the slop I fish in drag slipping is no bueno.

Budget?

It’s odd how some folks in its path got 10 inches of rain and others say it barely rained and there was no thunder or lightening. The conspiracy theorists are having a field day on X

Send if to DVT

Winning the classic has its advantages which is exactly how it should be. That exemption looked real nice while staring at the MLF cuts.

I pitch squarebills around lay downs like a jig and catch fish doing it. I don’t see many others doing it but I can get further back into pockets by pitching.

I always loosen mine after taking apart older reels and the drags were glued to the main gear and deteriorating

If you’re fishing cover too thick for a spinnerbait or chatterbait, a blade on the back of a swim jig isn’t going to do anything beneficial. If you want to add something extra to a swim jig to attract a bass’ attention attach a rattle pack on it.

I don’t know the name but think it’s a Bass Pro only color and it’s very dark grey with lots of glitter. Works well in the fall for me. Other than that any shad or white

The Shimano Ci4 composite frames are solid. A lot of variance in the “composite” frames from manufacturers. Just know if you buy a cheap reel with a composite frame it’s most likely just plastic.

Winn grips are trash. The LFS is a much better reel in my opinion. I’ll be honest I think a lot of these Lews are gimmicky to attract younger anglers. The main line of the LFS, pros, BB, heavy duty, etc are really good products.

Rare breed and the Russell’s are my favorite Turkeys. I can get Rare Breed for $38 at Costco which at that price point it’s really hard to beat!

It’s not overly hard to do but takes patience. My advice is to learn on an old or cheap reel you don’t care about. Take it apart and put it back together over and over until you get comfortable. You will make mistakes and troubleshooting will help you learn. You’ll also lose small parts from time to time it’s just part of it. Also buy a good set of precision screwdrivers from Wiha or Wera. It makes life so much simpler. With that being said if you have really nice, expensive reels sending them off for a $20 clean is well worth it in my opinion.

The yellow braid is easy to see

Just poured a glass of Kentucky Spirit. Definitely not my favorite Turkey and will probably not buy it again. It’s just what I currently go for when I’m not really in a mood for a certain pour.

The strategy around this will be interesting and good for tv. And sonar will be discussed heavily throughout entire broadcast which is good for brands. If a guy catches 20 pounds in period 1 and 2 without FFS and then catches 50 pounds in period 3 with it the brands will be able to say “see! It’s worth $2000” lol

They are either gar or bass feeding in tiny shad. It happens a lot this time of year as giant schools of shad get pushed into chokeholds. If there’s any cover or transitions around I’d focus on that. That’s what works for me at least. Blind casting to open water rarely gets bit. Try downsizing or using a loud bait. Something that will stand out in a crowd of millions of shad without looking unnatural. It can be tough These can work when nothing else will

I have a speed bag that has nothing but curly tail worms, 4/0 hooks, and 1/8 oz weights and there are many days in the summer it’s the only thing I pull out of the box.

People will still pay near msrp depending on the model.

I’ll be waiting on my consultation fee NPFL 😂