PhishLI

One of my wading pal's confidence bait is a fluke. He probably throws it 95% of the time. He always catches fish. I can't remember a time that he's gotten skunked when we've fished together. I know he has an inexpensive ABU 7' MF rod. The spinning reel is quite old and has so much rash that there isn't any lettering left, so I can't say what it is. It looks to be a 3000 sized reel. He uses 30lb braid with no leader. I'm not suggested you should, but we fish very weedy pad filled spots for the most part. Line choice might matter in some places. It doesn't seem to matter much here. But he catches them in open water too. I think it comes down to how he works the bait more than anything. Chronarch CI4+ on a Powell Inferno 7' MH/XF. Light wire hooks and Berkely Big Game 12lb clear.

My brother has a CT paired with the Aird-X 7'3" MHF. He loves that combo even though he has far more expensive setups. Thinks it's just a great match. When we fish together he wants me to fish with it cause he can't believe how good it is. It's a fine general purpose setup.

I keep a Daiwa Fuego with 30lb braid on a Aird-X 7" MH 2pc in the truck or car at all times. I've caught a ton of fish on this combo throwing anything from light plastics to frogs. I think it's a great combo regardless of it's low price. Even when I have all of my other rods with me this is my 1/2-3/4 oz Dark Sleeper rig. When I think I'll be fishing heavier cover I mount a Pflueger Supreme XT on it with 50lb braid. I haven't busted this stick yet.

If the pins fell out when you removed the spool it's probably the inductor block ramp. If you're able to spin the gold anodized ring attached to the spool then you'll know that part has failed. Normally it can move in and out and rotate/twist slightly on it's axis, but not spin. If you look at the spool hub opposite of the inductor you'll see two small holes spaced 180°. Those holes are where the pins go through it in order to lock the ramp in position. While the part is shown on the schematic, they don't sell it seperately. The spool is 44$ plus shipping from Daiwa. They may honor a warranty repair if it's still in force.

If the spool inductor spins freely then those are the inductor block dogs you're looking at. No repair parts available. You'll need to order a new spool from Daiwa.

Ha! Good luck with that. More often than not bass won't be interested today in what you caught them on yesterday, or last week, or whatever. You can count on that. If you really really really enjoy a challenge you've chosen a good hobby.

During the past few weeks, around here anyway, the bass have been keyed in on small baits. Every fish I've caught since Friday has been on the Hazedong shad, except for one on a chatterbait. I always throw big baits. But unlike soon after post spawn and mid summer, they don't seem interested. One of my wading partners has been whacking them with a fluke, and another with a Skinny Dipper. We just got back from a quick night session. There were tons of small fish in the water swimming around us. Big bass eat them too. 7 fish in an hour and a half. Not terrible. Last night my brother was throwing a Gantarel. Nothing. Tied on a Hazedong and nailed a 5.3 throwing it in the same spot. So for now anyway, I'm sold on small swimbaits. They're getting the most attention.

One thing that'll speed things up regarding your thumb control is pitching. It's not that thumbing is the same as when casting, but pitching forces you to be more connected to the spool. It does translate somehow in practice. I know I saw a difference and had a few AhHa moments along the way because of it. I'm a righty and cast with my right and reel left. Over the past month I've put in real time casting left and reeling right. Very awkward at first. Pitching lefty is rough for me. I wait until nobody's around lest I injure them! But I'm at the point now that I can bomb a frog nearly as far as when I cast righty. I believe learning to pitch while learning to cast has helped. i know it took me longer to be able to overhead bomb cast with my dominant arm. I really didn't attempt much pitching for a few months after I'd started. Knowing what I know now I wish I had.

If I'm fishing from a boat and plan to skip and pitch the SV is great. If I'm fishing from the bank or wading I'd take a Fuego CT over the Tat SV all day long. The only exception to that rule is fishing during the cold months where I'm throwing jerkbaits. The Tat SV is quite good for throwing very light jerkbaits a good distance, even with wind.

I haven't grabbed one yet, but I'm getting the pitch/flip version to replace my Tat SV for that duty and punching. My Tat went geary on me even after being torn down and fully lubed several times. The big difference and most attractive thing about the Elites, for me at least, is the aluminum gear sideplate. Without any proof whatsover I'm partially blaming the plastic gear sideplate of the Tat for the geariness.

From ice-out thru prespawn, before the grass came in, nothing could match the Dark Sleeper. Once the grass came in it was a no-go. It'll snag up the type of grass we have here on every cast unless you burn it back in. Even then it's tough to not end up reeling in a clump. I decided to give the Hazedong Shad a try. I eventually settled on the Owner Twistlock Light 5/0 belly weighted hook. This combo comes thru grass amazingly well and can be slow-rolled while following the grass or reeled in just a little quicker to imitate suspending baitfish on the move. All I know is this: Over the past several months, but especially the past 3 weeks, this bait has been my top producer. I'm just hammering them. Last night we boated over 40 bass. Big or small, the bass seem to be keyed in on this size bait. My brother did get a mondo on a Rat 50, and I got a nice one on the big momma Mann's Baby One Minus, but the Hazedong in Moroku and Green Pumpkin Blue got the most attention by a long shot. It's also quite durable. I've gotten 10-15 bass per bait. A pickerel or two will ruin those odds though. Anyway, this bait has been a winner for me during low light and night time fishing sessions. That may change with the seasons. But for right now, with all of the small bait in the water, it's an absolute killer.

I can't throw jigs with a brush guard from June through November. Most lakes here are choked with grass right up to the surface. It's just futile unless you enjoy picking off mounds of grass and algae after each cast. These or something like them are the perfect solution: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_Swinging_Swim_Jig/descpage-SJTGSS.html I texpose any bait, if the body is long enough, from paddle tails to creatures and fish them like a conventional jig and can get through just about anything. When it bogs down a snap or two of the rod will clear the veg off most of the time. The retrieve is whatever they seem to want at the moment.

I don't have a bunch of buzzbaits so I don't have an opinion regarding brands and favorites. I have a Booyah clacker and a black single blade. I forget the brand. I found the pictured small double blade snagged in a rock while wading. I put a Kalins double tail grub on it. While I've done OK with the large single blades I have, this small double blade has been killer! It's saved the trip for me several times this season. So while I can't make a specific recommendation, I'll simply suggest that you have something similar as an alternative.

My wife is mostly pretty cool about my fishing addiction, but she never fishes. When I get home she always asks "how'd you do?" When I admit to a skunk she makes a sad face quickly followed by an ear to ear Cheshire cat grin. She's happy when I haven't "hurt a fish".

I have a few XTs. Love that reel! I can bomb baits farther with that reel than any in my arsenal, including the Curado K. I have a chunky thumb and the wide spool of the XT works well for me. The simple 6 pin centrifugal braking system works great. That reel is just a trouble free caster. It's also a pleasure for pitching. Since you seem interested in a Daiwa for your next reel, I'd look at the Tatula 150. Plenty of line cap, aluminum gear sideplate, and a slightly wider spool. The 200 doesn't have Magforce z which is a no-go for me, and the CT type R is a touchy reel best suited for someone that has the hang of Magforce Z. The type r is a beast of a long caster, but your casting stroke must be adjusted when compared to centrifugal friction brakes. This is mostly true when you set the brakes on the low end to get the most distance which is what you'll do the better you get at it. Backlashes on a Daiwas tend to occur instantly at the beginning of a cast. They're rare after launch. If the lure gets out and away you're in pretty good shape. There is effectively zero braking at the beginning of the cast unless you have the dial cranked up. This is the opposite of centrifugal brakes where friction occurs immediately. So, when you set a Daiwa up at the free-est braking settings for the lure you're throwing, thumbing is different at launch compared to centri-braked reels. The good news is is that once you've adjusted to these differences you'll find that you really don't need to really lay into casts for good distance. It took me time to figure this out myself, but I'm glad I did. I night fish alot and prefer my Daiwas in this scenario. They're generally less troublesome when casting in the dark where you can't see the lure in flight or when it hits the water. Night fishing with any type baitcaster means you'll need to get in tune with the track of vibration and sound they make throughout a cast. Daiwas work really well for me here. All of that said, they behave differently with braid and mono. Mono is stiff and will typically will fluff is you lose it, but braid is limp and will wrap around the spool quickly on an over-run. So, if you think you'll be using braid primarily I think you should just start with 30-40 pound braid. Mono isn't going to teach you much about casting with braid on a Daiwa, IMO. Like I said, the backlashes usually occur instantly using braid with Daiwas. I've haven't junked a spool of braid yet on one. The backlashes were always salvageable. Usually right where I stood. Not at home with a dental pick. I can't say the same for my centrifugally braked reels. Those occurred mid-flight where the spool was already spinning very fast. Disaster.

I fish mostly shallow weed choked lakes. There are a few exceptions. Last year at this time nothing could touch a Berkley 10" power worm in watermelon or motor oil. This year I haven't had a sniff which seems crazy to me. However, specific paddletail swimbaits have been getting crazy bites. Specifically: The Beast Coast Miyagi in Hitch and Alewife rigged on an Owner 6/0 1/4 oz Beast hook, the Norries Spoon tail Shad in multiple colors rigged on an Owner 6/0 Twistlock light 3/32 oz hook, and the MegaBass Hazedong Shad in Green Pumpkin Blue or Moroku rigged on a Mustad Power Lock Plus 5/0 1/16 oz hook. I've landed and lost my biggest fish on the Miyagi, but smaller fish will eat it. That bait gets bitten hard like a chatterbait. They really commit. The Norries is not far behind. Any sized fish will chomp the Hazedong. If they're not interested in the Grn/Pump/Blu, the Moroku will probably get action. It really looks like a shiner. Perfect for when you can see small baitfish near the bank. I just slow roll that bait and it'll follow the contours of the weed beds dipping in and out of holes nicely without getting bogged down with slime. The Norries also comes through very cleanly.

Orvis Tech T-shirt. Micro polyester. Comfy on the skin. SPF 50 that's legit. I never get sun burned wearing them and I'm as white as a sheet of paper due to the Irish half. I prefer the white shirts over the grey on high sun days. They dry quickly once wet. They're pricey but worth it to me. But they only seem to come with a big fish plastered on the back if that matters to you.

I'm a little bit south of you. When the season opened paddletails like the Beast Coast Miyagi, Nories swimmers, and wakes like Ganterels and Bull Shads were killing it. Then it stopped dead after that short cold front. I downsized to 1/4oz floating jerkbaits and it's on again. Can't get bit for nuthin' on a 10" power worm like I did last year at this time. My buddy has been whacking them during the late afternoon on a weightless 5" Dinger in Grn Pumpkin. Who knows? Maybe they're keyed in on small baitfish suspending? The small stuff is working for now so I'll stick with it. I was hammering them on the dark sleeper for a while but that's gone cold. Nothing's happening near the bottom for me at the moment.

I've had effectively zero action with paddle tail swimmers (insert any manufacturer you like) up until recently. I lucked out and got 2 on a 4.8 Keitech fat a few months ago, but that was an anomaly. I've tried small to large types using various retrieves and line types/sizes with virtually no success. Where I fish I'm restricted to weedless rigging. The veg and slime are just too extreme during warmer months for an open hook jig head. During the prespawn I absolutely slayed them with 3" Dark Sleepers, and to a lesser extent 1/8oz Storm 360 GTs. Largemouth, Smallmouth, Pickerel, Walleye, and even Yellow Perch gobbled them. I chalked it up to their profile, size, and action. However, I noticed that the bite dropped off quickly when the eyes got knocked off the baits. Tie on a fresh one and the bite picked up again. The sleepers aren't quite weedless and the Storms aren't at all, so I started buying up paddle tail swim baits of different sizes and shapes that I could rig weedless, but with eyes. The past several weeks have been epic while throwing these baits. It almost feels like cheating. I want to toss in that I'm fishing exclusively in low light through dark conditions, so the flash from the eyes may have something to do with this observation. I don't believe my strike out rate throwing face-less swim baits comes down to a lack of confidence while throwing them. I'm confident. My confidence has confidence! It's not that. Maybe just bad timing while throwing them? I dunno, but I really don't think so. All I can say is that right now I'm chucking a variety of eye-ball'd paddle tail swimmers and I'm cleaning up. So what's next you wonder? Senkos with eyes! That's the ticket! Where's my glue? What say you?

I picked up a Teton yesterday. My buddy got 2 and my brother will have one by the weekend. There are spots we wade that have way more real estate than we can reach working out from the shoreline. There are dropoffs and muck that'll suck you down fast. Casting from the shore in these spots is impossible as they're ringed with trees. This size kayak is the perfect solution. Trolleys will get us down the long paths through the woods with ease as these only weigh 53lbs. The seat seems quite comfortable to me. I think it'll be just fine. I'm definitely adding outriggers with floats so I'm able to stand and so I don't dump when I'm hauling in a donk. Youtubers have done a bunch of nifty mods to this platform. The Minibar/Hibachi mod is my fave. Anyway, I'm glad to have it for skinny water that's tough to impossible to fish by other means.

Yup! They hammer them around here too. 3" 3/4oz in pink and Shirauo are money.

There're a few places I wade that are super swampy, pad choked, and tree lined affairs. In these spots it's tough to tote more than 1 rig. What I found interesting about this rod was the 3/16 oz -1 1/2 oz rating. I wouldn't mind being able to throw lighter baits sometimes in these tougher places with a heavy stick. On paper it seems like the perfect answer for the scenario described above, especially with a Tat SV and 50lb braid. Last week my brother lent me a Lew's Carbon Fiber 7"3" Heavy Fast CF73HC to try out as he was surprised how much he liked it. I saddled on a Pflueger Supreme XT and 50lb braid. I've been chucking everything from 6" GY Senkos to frogs with it. The other night I was bombing out Dark Sleepers and dragging them through grass lines. I was able to feel everything including every bite and spit by the Walleye. Once I figured things out I started whacking them. This experience got me thinking about Lew's rods. With the TW sale upon us, why not? Looks perty in the pics too. Any current users? If so, please share! TIA!

The Pickerel around here keep retiring my dark sleepers so I stocked up. These Beast Coast Miyagi Swimmers caught my eye. Grabbed a pack in Pro Ghost Alewife. The locals pronounce Alewife "El-why". We have a few lakes with them where they're spawning, so I have high hopes. The Dope Gill looks dope. Hitch patterns get bit so I had to have those too.

I don't have an answer for you as I've been looking for one myself. I stopped by a local B&T the other day and held an Exage and I was fine with the handle. I looked into them further and found TW has them on clearance. I've got my eye on the 7'6" HXF. I wade alot and sometimes need to really launch them to hit different spots from one location. For 79 bux I think I'm going to roll the dice. My brother has the St.Croix Bass X Heavy Fast 7'4". He loves it, but it doesn't suit me. Like most everything, rods are such a personal thing.