PhishLI

I use this on my worm gears every third trip. Reels are removed so that I can crank 'em and work it into the bushings or bearings. Seems to have kept them healthy for years.

This is why you'll see me in a heavy sweat jacket, jeans, and wool winter cap during the height of summer on night missions. This is my only solution to keep them from eating me alive. They simply cannot sting me through the thickness of these garments. The last time I wore a ball cap I had several lumps on my scalp that lingered for days. They stung right through it. The wool cap also keeps them from flying into my earholes. What a nightmare when that happens. Zzzzzzzzt. The upside is that I'm not spraying myself and inhaling deet every half hour, just some natural stuff on my gloves. The downside is that I'm soaked through during and afterward, but I can live with that. Besides, a nice schvitz is good for the heath. I keep fresh shirts in the truck, so I don't freeze in the A/C during the ride home. The first two weeks of July were brutal here, and they're brutal again. July 9th. It was steaming hot, but I went untouched.

Not with a Daiwa, but he should check it to make sure it's in a neutral position. Zero play, but no tension.

The spool bearings come heavily greased for some reason. It'll break down and get expressed out over time with use, or you can add a little oil to them to thin it out which will speed up the process. It'll open up afterward and your distance will increase.

You're going to lose track of your lure while it's in flight most of the time when it's dark out. You'll need to key in on the sound of your spool spinning up then slowing down to inform you of when to start slowing the bait down or to stop it before it lands. The easiest way to train yourself for this is to practice by launching your bait on a higher trajectory than usual which will allow you the time you need to hear how the spool bearings change tune during the process and what that actually means with reference to where your lure is. You'll not only hear this but feel it through your grip. Once you've processed this info, you'll be fine. I mostly fish at night, and I haven't trashed a spool in years because I've identified this factor and keyed in on it. I believe that anyone who successfully fishes with bait casters at night has registered this whether they know it or not. Something else that will help ease your time while night fishing is using clips instead of tying on baits. Not snap swivels, but high-quality clips. Having tried just about every type I've settled on these shown below. I've never had a failure using them, and I fish in choked out jungles. Everything from Ned rigs to big swimbaits get clipped on painlessly without the chance of my pricey spectacles flopping into the drink because I don't need 'em for this. So nice.

The 7'6" MHF mentioned above is an outlier rated up to 1 3/8oz. The MHF models below it like the 7'3" and 6'10" are typical MHF rods rated up to 1 oz which are both all around rods.

Same here. Everything set up perfectly. Very low light with a nice southern wind is always very good news to me. Worked four zones with 6 baits over 3 hours, and my photo'd catches all came very quickly, but I couldn't find anything else other than a few basslings on mini jigs in those areas until I moved down. The water's quite low here already with the drought, and they're scattered again just like they were this time last year. Tis what it is.

Sometimes things don't make sense until they do. Last season I felt like I was playing with house money early on, so I focused on areas that rarely produced for me over a span of years. They all panned out wonderfully. Now I understand them better.

Can't comment on the Daiwa, but I wouldn't discourage you from getting one if your budget allows. My G Loomis freak buddy has a few of the Kastkings that he keeps in the trunk. Loves 'em, hasn't had any issues at all, and he's picky about rods. Whatever they aren't, they make up for in convenience he says.

Not sure what Daiwa says about that, but it's a crisp rod that feels much more like a fast+ heavy than a MHF. I'd say heavier gauge single hook moving baits and heavy wire jigs. I have a 7'6" Omen Black 2 MHF with quite similar specs and the Tat feels similar in power and taper.

Got up to my spot after the moon was already below the western tree line, which is just how I like it, but couldn't find a better bite. Sometimes a skunk-beater is as good as it gets, and I didn't harpoon my finger with a treble hook this time. No siree. I'll take it!

Midway USA's 10% off sitewide sale is on. Use code JAE072623. It even applies to some deeply discounted items like this: Daiwa Tatula 7'3 Casting Rod Med Hvy - Open Box (midwayusa.com) $73.21 after code

Yup. I just checked too. $73.21 for the 7"3" MHF. @Bassinheimer is batty if he doesn't grab it at this price. It's a level up from a Fury, plus it has a jazzy cork handle. P.S. Here's the code for the discount: JAE072623

Hopefully much better than they smell. The ones I've caught in Upstate NY were stinky little bastids. Pew.

Same thought here. Have you tried really downsizing yet? All types of trailers too? The Bitsy Bug jigs on the left all have some type of worm-like trailer. The one on the bottom left is a 1/6oz BB with a Big TRD Ned worm (4") just for perspective. Every fish in the lake will try to eat a jig worm if they're in the area and you work slowly or soak them a bit. Try something like this and see if your fortunes change. It's a funny thing in retrospect, but I've had several baits that have really kicked my azz over time, and once I broke the ice the floodgates opened. Doesn't mean they work all the time every time, but they become viable options afterward, and I begin to understand when and where to use them. BTW, I caught a fish on my very first cast of that 1/16oz BB/NED jig, and my home lake isn't really a great jig lake. BTW, @Team9nine is one of the more levelheaded posters here. You're taking him wrong. Some of us, including myself, can be a little salty or jerky occasionally, but he's not in that category.

Skipping a 6" weightless wacky rigged senko is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. If they're not hitting jigs, then give that a try.

I'm counting the minutes. Can it go any lower?

For 81$ and with free shipping I'm trying to block out the monkey's sweet whispers. La la la la la la.

Gotta love a night mission with some new moon velvety blackness. Yeah man. I don't think my mind is ever clearer.

Here's a super deal for a new Tatula 7'3" MHF. Totally trustworthy company. Daiwa Tatula 6'10 Casting Rod Med Hvy - Open Box (midwayusa.com) Scroll down for the 7'3"

Sounds familiar, except I wrenched mine out at home. Not sure I could do it again, but I was determined in the moment. Just got the bill yesterday for a tetanus shot and antibiotic. 438 smackers. I wonder what it would've come to had they removed the hook?

It felt like I was being broiled midday yesterday, but by the time I hit an eastern lake with my brother at 11:00pm the temps dropped to 61 and it felt like we were freezing. It was a dry cold though... Not a lick of wind was swirling, and not one pop was heard in the pads or weeds. It was really tough to find anything biting, so after humping a Jon boat 300 feet down a beaten path we were questioning ourselves for fishing a brand new cold front. Finally nabbed some wading a super shallow shoreline then jumped back on das boot for one last shot and got a few more. The lake holds golden shiners and good thing I brought a Berkeley Grass Pig in Swamp Gas because they wouldn't touch anything else. The toll for crashing on my brother's couch is levied by Sammy the cat. He's very pushy and won't let me sleep unless I agree to be his pillow. It was 5:00 am by the time we drove home and unloaded, so I was too exhausted to negotiate with him.

You can sign up for email alerts by themself if you like, or texts. You'll get 10% off for your 1st order.

That's crazy talk! Got a link??

Of course they will and they do every day for people who elect to use spinning reels. I watch crappie guys using them who end up catching bass quite a lot. Do it to it if that's your budget. Personally, I don't throw anything lighter than a finesse TRD on a 1/16oz head and coming in at 5 grams I can chuck it almost 85 ft on a Tat SV on light line and a 7ft MXF rod. I use spinning gear for this too, but with the Tat I don't ever have to deal with the inevitable line twist and wind knots. It's only a matter of time for that, so here's one of the appeals of casting reels for this application. If budget is your issue with BFS gear, check YToob. There are several guys who've invested plenty of time buying and trying budget options from overseas. There are more than a few that work well at this point. You don't have to break the bank to play with this stuff if you do your research.