craww

We used to take senkos and cut them with a VERY sharp knife about 3/8” or so back from the tip. Then we’d take super glue gel and glue the sections back together. This would make a hard section in the middle of the bait that had to be pierced by the hook point to rig up….I found this made a noticeable difference. You may try this with fluke style baits.

The 200 has been a staple for me for close to two decades…Ive never looked up the color names, but any of the crawfish patterns with brown have been killers. From pounding wood laydowns for largemouth to boulder riddled flats for smallmouths.

I’ve been very happy with both X9 and X5 respectively. They’ve worked well on a variety of reels for several years without a single gripe.

The Smithwick Rogue has consistently got me more bites over the years than anything else. The original, non super rogue in particular will catch fish on those really tough days with cool temps and bluebird sky’s like nothing else- for me anyway. The super rogue has a massive following as well- it’s a different bait than the suspending rogue….But I haven’t committed to throwing it for whatever reason.

This is a great break down. I’ve always loved the falcon rods I’ve owned. A 6’6” MH original, a lizard dragger bucoo and Cara, and the 7’M Mod spinning rod in the bucoo line. I love throwing smaller cranks like RC 0.5’s and the occasional rebel wee craw and that bucoo spinning rod is just a sweetheart to use. Very light and comfortable, parabolic but fast enough to target cast accurately. I do wish Falcon would make some XF rods. I cast jigs and weighted caffeine Shads alot and everything I’ve ever seen from them has been a bit too slow for my tastes.

It and the X5 are great line. I run 5lb (?) on an ultralight and 15lb on a few general purpose spinning rods and am very happy with both. Holds its color well, casts great, no weird, random management issues or unreasonable abrasion/break offs. It’s just “really good” at anything I’d want a braid to do.

DVT mentioned REM Oil….There was a post on TT years back that cited REM oil has having the lowest viscosity as essentially any oil in a group of a dozen or two oils listed…I’ve found that to be the case, you need to apply it more frequently but if you want a bearing to spin fast with minimal resistance, a tiny drop of rem oil is the best I’ve found. If you want something to protect a firearm long term…not so much lol.

Use them both quite a bit. Defier Armilo is my favorite treble hook line ever. It’s pricey, but it’s also extremely durable for a nylon line. There are trade offs with nylon lines, but extremely good handling and durability don’t usually go hand in hand. It does with Armilo. It’s that good and the fact it lasts so long factors into cost….Advance is decent- one of the most sensitive nylon lines Ived used. I also seem to find way more noticeable knicks and rough spots using advance fishing the same waters as armilo and Yozuri Hybrid. Yes it’s cheaper than armilo, but you’ll be respooling much faster.

I’ve developed a lot of confidence casting/pitching Heavier or weighted Fluke style baits like the Yamamoto D shad into a tree that I think may be holding fish and allowing it to fall to the bottom. In 30+ FOW I’ve reluctantly found a spinning reel is the better tool for the job as you don’t get the pendulum effect pulling the bait away from the cover. I fish it like some guys punch mats. More focused on line-watching the initial descent and then onto the next target.

The Fuego keeps coming up- need to keep in mind it’s a reel that’s made for saltwater applications, as Daiwa illustrates by putting it in their “saltwater spinning reel” category on their US website. There are a TON of folks in specifically in the US market that use it for such, like myself. Line capacity matters in that arena. I absolutely love that my 4000 holds its own inshore fishing, and can also crossover into general fresh water stuff at just 8.6 ounces….with a large arbor that does help with distance. That’s a VERY rare niche that virtually no manufacturer offers.

Theres a difference in my experience. Generally, leader material is more abrasion resistant and stiff, but likely wont behave itself that well as a mainline. Ive had great results with lines marketed as leader, and pretty good results using mainline as a leader. Diameter matters, but I tend to use mainline a lb test or so heavier in the same situation as leader mtl to be safe.

BPS Pro Qualifier Tournament. I have 2. They were a long forgotten special run reel added for a summer flyer I believe...Same reel as the famed Gold Carbonlites everyone loved, but I believe it had brass gears instead of aluminum of the carbonlites. So theyre smoother. Handles light weights pretty well for a doyo dual brake reel. Just a nice, smooth casting, well mannered, ergonomic reel for $69 (+/-) or so about a decade ago.

Lucky craft Sammy 85 in MS American shad. Ive had a couple 50+ bass days on this lure chasing schools of spawning(?) threadfins around a lake.

Mono is the way to go for big, "tossable" treble hook baits that give the fish leverage when they head shake. Braid can and will tear the fishs flesh a little more depending on where the hooks buried. Bigger hole = easier to throw the bait at the end of a super long cast. Will that be something you see every outing? No, but it may cost you a big fish at some point.

There was a 7'3" Heavy XF in the Cabelas arachnid series that was the perfect, absolute perfect long distance heavy fluke/Casting jig rod. Broke mine and still cant suitable replacement 3 yrs later.