PhishLI

Hopefully you haven't scared away any potential buyers/suckas from your ad for Doyos in the FFM! As your manager I suggest that you hold off on doing this next time around.?

I'm not sure if this will make you feel any better. I have a '17 Tat SV. It's always been more geary feeling than my Fuego CTs which are very smooth. I put a new set of gears in it and not much of an improvement really, even with swapping out all of the bearings from a Fuego. However, I don't let it bother me. Last night I was out Walleye fishing in a big shallow flat. With the brakes turned down low, between 4-5, I was zinging a Manns Baby 1 minus way out there. Wind didn't matter. No fluffs or nests. Stress free. What it does it does well regardless of it's less than silky smooth retrieve. I didn't notice it once while bagging 14 fish before I switched rigs and baits. Things like this usually bother me, but I tune it out with this reel. If you want this type of performance with silky smooth everything, then jump up to a Zillion SV TW. They perform similarly, but the overall build is in a different class with a fully supported pinion and a free floating spool.

I got one last swing at them before the season closed. This girl hit at the end of the farthest cast I could make down the bank just outside of a pad field. Just a few whopty plops of the Whopper Plopper 75's prop and she crushed it. Huge head shakes the entire way in. Spent some time holding her while pushing water through her gills until she started kicking hard, then off she went with a bolt. Walleye season started off with a bang. That'll have to keep me going during the LM spawn.

I agree. Here's a picture of a few currently offered reels for comparison. Top to bottom: Curado K Lew's Tournament Pro LFS Daiwa Catalina Quantum Tour S3

I did a wade last night and for the 1st time in weeks there were bluegill holding tight to the bank. 3 days ago the water temp made it uncomfortable to be in for extended stretches. Last night it wasn't an issue at all. The water temps jumped up quite a bit in this shallow lake. Water temps are only 51 here, but males are staging near the flats already, and they're eating aggressively. A few more days of warmth and they'll be on beds. Algae blooms/mats exploded with just 2 days of stable higher temps. Those will help with heat retention in the shallows where they bed. A serious drop in air temp with wind would need to take place to drive them off.

It's a bomber for sure. Massive? Ah c'mon. Not really. I was alternating between it and 5 other reels last night and barely noticed the difference in size. That said I probably wouldn't want to use it for jerkbaits all day due to the fact that I have smaller reels, but for crankbaits, no problemo. The two reels I have that contribute to farther than usual casting each have taller than average spools at 36mm. This detail seems to play a role in that outcome.

I've had, and witnessed, multiple fish break off 30lb braid in Lily pads. Never 40lb or above. Maybe, but a 7'3" feels just right to me. That said I picked up a 6'7" MHF on sale from TW specifically for pitching from the bank. or casting when tree limbs are hanging low when walking a bank. Works just great for that, but I'm finding myself using this stick in circumstances other those two scenarios. I'm actually loving this rod. I barely lose any distance when it matters and my accuracy is just a bit better. The balance is better too. I'll be looking at others. True, but I frog with an 8.0:1 Daiwa Fuego CT and have never had an issue with it locking up dragging fish through pad fields. Not even close.

+ 1

10 g-ish without the bearing. Have thrown 3.5 grams for decent distance on a mf 7'er.

I agree. I could happily live with the entire lineup and wouldn't suffer in the least. One thing in particular that I like about mine is when I have the Fuego CT mounted on it the combination of that reel and the trigger/reel seat is super comfortable for my hand. Like a perfect pair of slippers. It jumps out at me when I haven't used it for a while.

I can't comment on that specific model. I have the 7' MH and my brother has two 7'3" MH and one 7'H. All 3 models run a tad lighter than their lure rating. Otherwise they're fantastic once you get a handle on which lures they'll load with. I've caught a ton of fish on mine in heavy cover without issue. Still as good as new. At this moment I'm using my 7' mh with a Chronarch loaded with 30lb braid to throw weightless flukes into cover. It loads well with a Houdini Shad which is light for a 5" fluke. No problem chucking it for nice distance. Before the slime re-emerged I had a Fuego Ct mounted on it and threw 3/8-1/2oz Dark Sleepers.

Exactly. This is the only reason I use a swivel.

Both of mine got past the infant mortality phase having been tested for multiple cycles and several fish. Hopefully I'm in the clear, but if they buy the farm I'll report back.

Perfection.

I picked up 2 of these scales after finding this post, and also because I saw a post by BlueBasser86 where he was using it. Good enough for me. $5.92 each on the auction site w/free shipping. I checked mine against an A/C powered digital postal scale and a digital diet scale using old paint cans of various weights for reference. The heaviest can weighed 8.72 lbs, or roughly 8lbs 11 ozs. All four scales were remarkably close, within 10ths of an ounce or less. These scales are nice and compact which is a bonus. They fit easily in a shirt pocket. Awesome. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Electronic-Hanging-Fishing-Digital-Pocket-Weight-Hook-Scale-40kg-10g/201182152447

Yes. Same frame on both. Same as the "pre-CT" Tatula Type R 100.

Even with the daytime temp hitting 60 on Tuesday the night time temps were still frigid as usual. NYWayfarer described what it's been like here in a recent post. "Feels like the wind is coming off the top of an iceberg right onto the Northeast." By 1:00 am Wednesday morning that's exactly what it felt like. My buddy's waders sprung a small leak, and 45 degree water sloshing around in his left boot had him looking for the exit. I was ready too. Even with 6 mil gloves on my hands were frozen. Regardless of the gin clear cold water, which is unusual for this time of year, the plants and algae are growing and picking off weeds was the theme of this outing. Tight fitting Nitrile gloves only stop the cold a little bit once they're wet. We decided to throw some topwater on the way out just to find some relief from the veg. He tied on a Livingstion wake crank and I tied on a WP75. It didn't take long before we were both on the fish. He beat his skunk with a few scrappers. I beat mine with yet another crazy Plopper eating crappie and a nice 5 lb 6 oz chunk. The next 3 days we'll have night time temps in the low 50s for the 1st time in a long time. Just in time for the LMB bass season to close on May 1st! What a crazy spring we've had. I'm not gonna miss it one bit!

Start out by holding the rod with two hands on your natural side, one on the butt and one on the reel. Look in a mirror and observe how you're positioned. Reverse that position and start from there. It may seem frustrating at first, but you'll have breakthroughs if you stick with it.

Don't be silly. I'm not using moron in the clinical sense. I believe you're well aware of that. I was a jock, and I know how the dumb ones, the morons, or the smart ones, can behave especially in a group. Bullies. I was tough enough to stand in between them and the weak plenty of times. And yes, if an intelligent jock was cruel I'd consider him a moron too. I could probably parse my words to your liking, but I'm a moron myself.

I'm sure this happens occasionally because some people are morons. Probably more of a dumb jock thing. That said I haven't come across but one guy that's even remotely interested in discussing the particulars of gear. He's a young kid who's really into bass fishing and is also former student of my son in law. He likes to quote specs of my latest gear, because he reads up, and he likes to talk about the latest baits. Aside from him absolutely nobody that I've met seems to care about talking about gear, or ever come close to running down anyone else for using spinning gear or a "lesser" brand of anything. Maybe it's more of a keyboard warrior type of thing? Most of of my fishing buddies use baitcasters primarily, but they all have and use pretty expensive spinning rigs too. There's no razzing about it whatsoever. Never. It's still funny to call a "spinning outfit" a fairy wand for effect. Sort of like saying "fart". It's just funny cause it just is.

I use 15lb Trilene 100% Fluoro on the same reel and it feels less weird and far more connected than the 12lb. I didn't care for 12lb at all, but actually like fishing with the 15lb. I can feel bites rather well with it and the stretch compared to braid can be useful sometimes.

I've wrecked two spools of braid when snagging weeds just under the surface on the end of a bomb cast which made the WP spin all the way in. Swivel for me after the second time. It has zero effect on a chuck 'n wind bait.

I use this precise tactic myself! Even though she knows I'm an idiot when it comes to gear, and this ploy is pure donkey dung, she plays along. "That's great honey" she says with a smile. There's no doubt that she's shaking her head and rolling her eyes as I blissfully dance out of the room.

I love my fairy wand.

Fish a different spot where they're not onto your dastardly tricks.