Sir Shamsalot

Not sure what you're looking to spend so small reels with capacity at mid-entry price... Shimano : SLX line save for the DC, the Casitas is great if you can find one. Lew's : Tournament MB/MP. Great reel for the price. Daiwa : Tatula Elite series. I guess the 100 is the same size frame but I don't own one. I've found the Elite to be my favorite and still first choice for long casting heavier lines like 20lb FC.

Yep. I haven't had much luck finding a hi-viz that doesn't. I keep looking at Seagar Smackdown, but the price tag keeps me at bay.

I used Spiderwire Stealth for years, and have no qualms about buying it again. I did decide to try different brands to see if there really was a difference. I do end up buying 832 first these days. PP's cheaper flat line got stripped after one use. Hopefully someday I'll find a hi-viz braid that doesn't loose its color dye.

Better safe than sorry. My friend survived a first go-around with it. Unfortunately, he got it again 11 months later. The world lost one of it's best walleye fishermen. I've had it, and it was a pretty miserable experience. First week was bad day, good, day, bad day, and so forth. The second week was horrible as I would cough, gag on my swollen tonsils, dry heave, and repeat for days. Again, different people have different experiences. The weirdest parts for me was not wanting to eat for days and then craving milk when recovering. I do know others people that wasn't so bad. I haven't had the shot yet out of reaction fears which I have had with other medications, but I eventually will.

On our usual vacation to the great white north, we carry good old fashioned bobber rigs on the boat as well as the usual gear. We'll cast till our arms feel like they're going to fall off, and then break out the bobber rigs. There's just something Zen about it. It gives a bit of time to recover, eat a sandwich, and relax. Although we have had moments where those bobber rigs where absolutely insane fish catching machines.

Like with cranks, in the cold water I prefer something with a bit less kick like a menace Grub or a flat sided boot tail. As the water warms then I up the action to eventually something with crazy action or more kick like a rage craw or a Kietech.

Having spent alot of time in the back of the boat I've found that different lures on different handed gear works, even same lures different colors. So approaching the target area off the right side of the boat, the guy up front uses right hand gear, the guy in back uses left hand. Sounds silly, but you'd be surprised at the water it opens as well as changing the direction angle of the presentation. Not always, but sometimes that change in presentation direction really scores. This is also a spot where being ambidextrous really shines as well. Even fishing "unfreash" water, it has really worked for me over the years as I have been known to out catch the guy up front. I do have to add that I don't put alot into "boat shy" fish. I use a technique where I basically drift in clear water just dunking a lure behind the boat as the wind pushes the boat. It slays them. Then if you've ever casted right into the wake of a passing boat, you'll find another little treasure spot.

If you're freash water fishing, for around $150 to $175, the Daiwa Tatula LT. They're super light and fast.

Unfortunately, there's no universal language to fishing. It's like coke, soda, pop, and more. All the same thing but called something else in different parts of the country. I think you're on the right track though.

I was out on the lake and suddenly I see this beaver walking down the shore on just its hind legs. It was carrying what looked like a shell in its front paws. It so reminded me of an old Godzilla monster in a monster movie in the way it walked into the water then disappeared.

On those days I head to the nearest and heaviest vegetation, break out the swim jigs, and set phasers to "fun."

I'd have to say... frogs. I own quite a few frog lures and frog rods. Yet rarely do I fish them.

Absolutely. Anything can happen on the water. For example, my aunt and unkle where crossing the lake one night and hit another boat that didn't have their nav lights on. Technically, it was the other boaters fault, but my unkle got stuck with the bill for the repairs to both boats.

I use alot of FC casting ranges 10 up to 20lb. The best reels I've found for straight FC have been the Daiwas. The Lew's, Abu, and Shimanos do work as well, but I have to pay a little bit more attention to them. It's important when spooling FC onto a reel to take the line off the top of the line spool onto the baitcaster. That's called "matching the cast." It's something you do with fishing line all the way up to steel cable for crane drums. Use line conditioner when spooling, it will help soften the "cast" of the line. Spray some conditioner on the line every now and then when fishing. One other thing that helps. After you spool the baitcaster, tape the spool, remove the spool, and set the spool in a cup of warm to hot water for about a minute. That will reset the "cast" of the line from the manufacturer spool diameter to your baitcaster spool diameter. Lastly. Don't overfill your baitcaster spool. I admit, I overfill mine though. Terminal Knots... learn the pitzner knot/double San Diego Jam knot... they just do not break with FC. Line-wise, I like Tatsu, InvizX, Shooter, and Sniper depending on the presentation. The only FC I wasn't a fan of was Berkley Vanish.

I'm really liking this suggestion. It sounds like you're throwing what I'm throwing which is a big 1oz Big Hammer Jig Head with 4 to 5in boot tail behind it that weights almost 3/4oz. I'm a big fan of heavy/fast rods in that 7' 2-4" range. I'm thinking this is going on my radar for sure. I do own the 7' 11'" version that I use for punching. It's got a pitching reel on it, but I've got a Curado K that I can put on and try casting with it. I'll give it a shot.

By far most of my reels are either Daiwa SV's or Elites now. I do own alot of Shimanos and Lew's but the Elite line-up is what I always go to first. My newst editions added this spring where another Elite, a Daiwa Zillion G, a 20 Metanium, and a Curado pgK (lowest ipt I could find for a designated rig).

My weakness... hooks. I had a treble buried in a knuckle. Another boat goes by waving "Hi!" being friendly. There I am smiling and waving back all the while through a grimace of pure pain as the X-Rap attached to my waving hand is digging deeper... and deeper. It just isn't a party until you have to push a hook through.

I was all set to buy a bunch of Vision Onetens at $25 a pop... then I read in multiple reviews on multiple sites of complaints of the bills breaking off. I looked at my 30... 40... plus year old lip sanded $3 Rapalas that still load the boat and thought... WHAT THE?!?!? I bought a couple, but for the price, they should have came with fish attached, fileted, and cooked in a tasty beer batter.

I'm looking for recommendations for a rod to fish 1oz jig heads (possibly a bit heavier) with a 5/8oz plastic on it and possibly 6in Little Creeper Trash Fish. This puts it a little bit outside the comfort zone of most heavy rods. I'm fishing for big walleye and bass with this rig, and the lure is a proven winner for me. Currently, I'm using an old Cabella's flipping stick that is no fun to cast. I also have a Dobyns Fury 795c, but I feel that rod is more suited for treble hooks. I feel that what I'm looking for is a fast action, for the heavy single hook, swimbait rod type that casts better. With a lure range of 1 to 3oz. I do have a 7' 11" Shimano Expride that I can use as well, but I don't feel that it would be a joy to cast. Any rod and reel recommendations would be appreciated.

I've own all the Legend Glass rods save for the great big one... I think it was an 8ft plus... what I've found is that it really depends on the way you fish. I would suspect the Victory Target Cranker is more of a... crankbait flipping rod for busting squarebills through cover up close. The 6'8" LG is really great at that but if using some FC lines or mono, a little stiffer rod may be a plus. I have one particular deep diver that I use to fish cover that a stiffer rod like that may be a plus for. The LG line really stands out long casting open water, troughs, ditches, and lighter vegetation. My favorite is the 7'2" M/M for smaller cranks. I use the 7' 4" MH/M for lipless burners (I have have those lengths backwards). One thing for sure, both or those rods will launch a lure into next week. The first cast I made with a lipless had me hoping nothing bit that far out, but I've never lost a fish on an LG.

I'm not familiar with that make and model, but I would think your carb needle valves need cleaned. On smaller motors, i practice disconnecting the fuel line, and allowing the motor idle out the gas between uses.

From my understanding, the MGL was designed with flipping and pitching in mind hence the slightly higher drag. That's something these little reels are nice for. I'm not certain if there was an improvement on their ipt though. The most versatile of the none DC bunch to me is the XT.

It's not just rods. I hunted all over for a Curado 200 pgK. I thought I found one, but got the dreaded backorder notice. I doubt I see that reel before July. As I looked about, I noticed more and more common reels where out of stock.

That's not always the case with TW. I ordered a Metanium while it showed a stock of 4 on a Saturday, and got the backorder notice on Monday. I did order two victory rods the first morning listed at 4:30am Eastern from TW before going to work. We'll see if I get another backorder notice today.

I like FC InvizX for moving baits in clearer water. Tatsu on my Jig rods. What I like about Tatsu is that with the right rod, you can feel the bite even when slack. Another thing besides line conditioner that makes a huge difference is the reel. IMO Daiwa reels work the best with straight FC. I use 20lb FC alot and I don't have any issues with it on my SV's or Elites.