Darth-Baiter

I've wandered from the DS-rig for the past two years, but to tell the truth..I have YET to catch up to the numbers I got on the Drop-shot. that set up killed for me. (I got bored with it?, maybe) my setup exactly. 20 braid on a 2500 spinning reel. about 8 feet of 8lb flouro leader. (Daiwa brand). I use a #1 owner Downshot hook almost exclusively. all on a 7' Med Phenix Maxim rod. I tex-rig two baits. both green pumpkin colored. The Zoom Dropshot worm (Z-Drop is the name I think), or the 6" Zoom worm. 3/16th tungsten sinker cast out as far as I can manage. and let it sink. pick up the slack and sit there. maybe reel some, maybe jiggle gently. a bite feels like a TICK. any tick, I reel up and lift the rod back. it is usually a bass. my drop shot game turned on when I went to relatively lighter lines. and I have done a lot of it hiking in to a pond and casting from shore. heck...I am about to go Halibut fishing. guess what? I am going to Dropshot one with a Zoom Fluke. that is the plan. just a much bigger rig.

go cheaper maybe. I think the Med Phenix Maxim throws finesse jigs awesome. very sensitive. goofy looking (to me), but I still use the spinning version everyday out on the water. I bought several Maxims and leave them in Texas for my trips back.

10 pack from Amazon. till then you can take the line (from reel to tip section) and wrap it around the shaft and hook it on the first and biggest line guide. it really minimizes that jangled mess.

maybe. he fishes a lot and has maybe 40 reels. he gave me five of them when he switched to all lefty reel due to an injury. I passed them all along to my brother.. every trip together we do have a casting contest. distance and then accuracy. fun..he wins some, I win some. it was funny when he lost a fish. he went to set a hook and the knob on his handle came off, and he lost the fish due to the surprise. he had to tape it with medical tape. it was a good look.

I'm ruined. this was supposed to be a bucket list fishing trip, but I am already forming a bait list to bring next time. I know what to NOT bring as well. with recent Criminal activity at the other lake, this one got crowded when we were there. the fishing companies just loaded everyone up and brought them to this lake (some good stories from some of the transplants) . they dragged a few boats with them. despite that, there is still plenty of shoulder room to fish. we did find ourselves leaving earlier and earlier to get to the well known community holes. I lost some big ones, because I apparently get way way to excited with a big momma sucks in my bait. but I got so many fish in the size range that would make me happy here domestically. I did get a bunch of fish I called, "I can catch this at lake Berryessa" size. hahha..I took a lot of 4-5's and with my short bass fishing history, I was stoked. very very fun trip. food was okay, sleep accommodation were good. I didnt get sick. one dude got a big crank bait stuck into his back right between the shoulder blades. his partner unknowingly clipped the hook too short and we couldn't get leverage to take it out. he had to find a local doctor...I learned, that a human has really thick skin on the back. my wife saw my face picking me up at the airport and didnt say NO to my next trip...hahahha..LETS GO!! travel time is much more palatable that flying to the Amazon River Basin.... and thank you Mr. Gonzalez, my HS Spanish teacher.. I was hanging with my guide, communication wise.

I will probably go with the Devil I know, and buy a new Curado. it was pretty fantastic. a tad heavier, but I am okay with it. I see they have a Curado 200 DC now. kinda cool

my fishing bud took 100% Lews Reels to Mexico. I asked him why he doenst try the Big-2, offerings. (1)cost and (2)he feels Lews can hang in quality. he is probably correct on the first part (never priced Lews). on #2 it was comical. he would whip out a bait, and quite often, the bait would fly out and abruptly stop when the line got jammed up. he ended up taking his reels on shore at lunch to respool multiple times...and he brought 2 spare Lews which he dipped into on day 2. then he had to tape on his grip handles... I kept my mouth shut because that is what my dad taught me, growing up. I never had issues..I had the big-2's with me. I have one ABU in my garage. I use it to hold line. haha..like if I spool up my spinning with braid and the spool doenst fill up, I can put the line on the Abu, put some mono backer on the spool, and put the same braid back on. voila!! ABU for the win.

Thanks! Results were surprising. RIP to my Curado MGL 150. Dang it!

?

any reviews? seems like a good step up from my Curado MGL150 DC.

I sat down, and laid my rod down and out of the way.. I was frantically tying on a deep diving crank and was struggling a tiny bit without my reading glasses.. I hear a loud clack, and the line disappears from my pinched fingers. I look up befuddled and I see my rod (well, the guides-rod + my reel) sinking into the lake. "NOOOOOOOOO!" my fishing bud lost track of his surrounding and shut off situational awareness and had casted with too much line hanging off his rod tip. his crank, hooked my rod and basically flung it Trebuchet style into lake Picacho. that one hurt...hurt bad. it was a Curado MGL150 DC attached that rod and it sank fast as F. deep water. I thanked the heavens it wasn't my lucky Zillion or Bantam..and clipped a lure off and started tying the crank on a new rod. my guide tried trolling for my stuff, but it was a goner...the wind moved us off the spot immediately. I love that DC reel. it was my Oklahoma reel where I needed to "Surf cast" to the horizon for Stripers. and in Mexico, it flung a big deep crank so far, my guide would sometimes applaud in jest. in wind, there is no rival (in my hands). I might take this opportunity to upgrade to a Met DC but need to verify line capacity. (and cost). my friend wants to buy me a new DC, but it was an accident. he didnt do it on purpose..and my friendships hold zero grudges.. moving on! hahhaha..

Just get a touch closer to the target. Even if it means I’m putting in chest waders.

I pride myself on my lifetime pledge to try any dish before commenting..and if I comment, I refrain from any negativity. I never BLEH any food, because someone clearly likes it and who am I to judge along those lines. having said that, BALUT has yet to pass my lips. I've eaten a giant roasted spider! that egg thing..I cant do it. my Philippine friends swear it is delicious. I'm gonna ocean kayak fish with them his year, so I know they will bring some to get me to try it.

I might have one of those in my remnants bait box. gotta go look at Elephant Butte lake. bass colors did well

well, I am packed. except my toiletries. thanks for answering my question. I minimized for sure. I will have one checked bag and one carry on. BUMMER. my trip advisor from the guide service suggested I check my reels. she said, she is starting to meet TSA agents that one allow fishing line inside the passenger compartment. WT..? I dont love the mental image of me stripping line (I already spooled up fresh stuff) at the TSA line, not wearing my belt, shoes, hat..hahah.. all my reels fit into a survey gear bag that is HIGHLY padded. I am not sure I am wiling to roll the dice.

As an adult, I have adopted all my dogs. I’ve had some good ones. Harry was a senior dog nobody wanted. My wife brought him home and it’s was challenging and rewarding. my current dog. A good one with his own challenges. For realz

my biggest and smallest bass have been taken on a Crankbait. sad, I have hundreds of dinks and only one big.

I like shopping from the MB P5 lineup. there is almost a flavor for everyone. having said that, I have a shiny new Oricchi X10 that feels like a fantastic moving bait rod. it is fairly parabolic and cant cast a chatter bait across my front yard with authority. lessoned learned..I chatter bait Hooked up in a manzanita tree is no joke.

Digitaka is always sold out on Zillions. just saying.

Not so sure about that. Looks photoshopped. AJays head is much smaller, like its way back in the photo. Like in the background small.

Wait! CA state record is 21.75 pounds?!!! That is a big denominator! Yikes!

Ajay..the man with the biggest set of hands in his selfies..and the longest arms...!!

Thank you sir!

Bringing two sets of clothing. No socks. I am flying with fishing clothing. Hahaha

I leave for a vacation bass trip in a week. I am packing early. my soft plastics are in the original clam shells. it takes up a monumental amount of space. I want to take them all out and put them into zipper type sandwich bags to save the room! will I distort them beyond use? hate to get there only to have stick baits and a wad of melted expensive Japanese baits. I dont have any ELASTEC stuff. OSP baits, Fat impacts, etc. I know Yamamoto Flapping hogs are okay in a crunched up baggie. if I dont get this down into a smaller package, I will have an huge luggage. yuck.