softwateronly

The JDM Met 20 is a fantastic reel. Now that Ive put time into mine, I'm starting to dislike my curado and curado dc in comparison. The JDM bantam mgl 18 is also a fantastic reel but they don't seem to be in stock anywhere for the mid $200's. At $290 shipped, the Met is a steal imho. As far as line capacity, I just keep my mono backing as limited as possible. scott

Do you burn the 9" with success? or at the size is a less frantic stop and go produce? scott

I'm totally with Jrob78 on this and everyone disagreeing is still not comparing apples to apples. Hell, some rods behave completely different with type of line and/or lure weights. All other variables have to be eliminated for any of this power effecting sensitivity talk to be true and when that's done I don't think you'll find anything... scott

I agree with what Tom was saying as well, but this is something that has slayed for me the last week.....3/4oz dirty jigs california swim jig with a r2s dwalker 120. Completely stolen from matt allen, but it's opened up new depths to me with a swim jig presentation. I can ride the break down into 10-12' much better and keep the tail waggin and the head shaking, giving me more and bigger bass. scott

They do have great action and they do catch fish, lots of them, but I haven't noticed an uptick in quality of fish. Cheap swimbait that improves the class of fish for me is the S waver 168. Take it as you will.... scott

Great find! I really like mine so far, the 200 not as much.... scott

Every now and then I get on a bite on 2 little lakes in MI that absolutely destroy my preconceived notions of the quantity of 5lb+ some of these 200 acre or less lakes hold. I know its a far cry from DD bass, but the right water with enough of the right prey outproduces my expectations by a mile. I'm pretty sure I saw a 9lb+ follow and my A rig hooked up to a 3.5lber all the way to the boat last week. So I believe in the possibility... scott

This is the truth.....

keitech fat impact and easy shiner megabass spark shad and magdraft gambler EZ and Big EZ Scottsboro swimbait R2S Dwalker scott

So far, 8' or less - swim jig 8' or deeper - chatterbait But been playing around with some 3/4oz swim jigs and think I can make a better presentation in the deeper water. scott

Nothing beats a swim jig the last few days, Thursday was an epic day with 9 fat girls over 18" with this one looking the heaviest and coming in at 23". Funny thing is later I was reeling in a 3.5lber on a A rig and a massive girl followed her to the boat trying to steal the lure. Absolute largest bass I've ever seen outside of BPS tanks, she was definitely the PB that got away without even biting.... scott

The lb breaking strength isn't overkill, you have to think in line diameter. 20lb braid is so much thinner than mono or copoly that tension on the line forces the braid to wedge itself deeper in the spool thus ruining your line lay for the next cast. I find .28mm to be around the thinnest I can manage on a baitcaster, I prefer over .30mm. scott

That's a stellar tip and I also use the rizutto finish, seems to help the knot last longer than the leader with the guide abrasion.

I go with never, and use this method now... scott

The smallies are in the harbors if any shorebound fisherman are looking for some fun. 3 on a spro hair jig, biggest 3.5lb. 1 on a 3" dark sleeper, 4-4.5lbs. 31st harbor for me today. scott

I got an email today. Groups of baits per week. 25% off selected hard baits this week. scott

This happens to me every fall... Usually, there's an ice plug in the level wind guide that can be freed up. scott

https://images.app.goo.gl/7VRHQsi5Wqocw3oH8 Every time I get frustrated and angry with IL and its finances I remember this graph, because it reminds me that this is a nation wide problem many decades old, and I feel worse. scott

This is true for me! scott

Spinning is more accurate for me, but I can't do this.... ?‍♂️

I have the 7'6" MH and the 7'7" H. The 7'7" is listed as moderate/fast on both Shimano and TW. This seems accurate. The 7'6" is listed moderate/fast on Shimano and fast on TW. Strangely, this also seems accurate. Hard to explain, but it's somewhat inbetween. I guess the 6'10 will have a nice tip for a fast rod, or it's really sensitive for a moderate/fast rod. scott

Beautiful. Much appreciated scott

I appreciate all the knowledge being shared. Been getting through the demystifying structure threads trying to determine if I can eliminate any deep water this year on my lake. It's an odd lake in that it's very similar to a low flow, damned reservoir, but instead a natural lake that drains a watershed through marsh land to a controlled river, the St Joe. There is a consistent movement of water from North to South, numerous springs, and over 85% of the lake is 20' or deeper. There is large fish biodiversity and a healthy population of 5+lb bass and 35" pike for a small lake, but they almost exclusively live deep. Without electronics and dropping live bait to depth, I'm unsure if I can safely eliminate water. It's only 250 acres but time will be limited more this year than expected because of work. Your responses will help me be a lot more efficient. If you're up for it, would love to learn more. Vertical thermal break in relation to finding the depth that bass live most comfortably because of DO in relation to temp, water color changes in reference to lack of phytoplankton below light penetration levels? scott

- Deep lakes have a deeper life zone because there's more dissolved oxygen available because of water volume from the 2 turnovers. T/F? - Can current offer enough energy to keep the water layers mixed with oxygen? I assume dependent on water volume moved? Does it also depend on what depth the current and/or the temperature difference is, as it enters the system? - In a spring fed lake, would the influx of "new" water offer a deeper life zone? Would/could that be concentrated near the spring(s)? Thanks, scott

This is probably going to be an overcorrection, but I have a body of water that I know really well considering I don't have electronics. I feel like my years there can put me on dinks with a drop shot or senko anytime. I'm interested in focusing on deeper water, larger baits and pushing myself to stay there. I hope the only downsizing I'll do this year is going to the keitech finesse jig. I plan on fighting the tough bite days with more jig time and slower presentations of medium to large soft plastics on deeper structure or cover. I'm sure I'll fail often, but confident I'll learn more. scott