J Francho

Drop shot musky sized rattle trap.

I use the Bill Dance thingy with the chains. It's literally 100% success rate has paid for itself 20 times over. Slide it on the line, and send it down. You might have to shake it a few times, but once the trebles are tangled in the chains, you're getting your lure back.

Why does the mainstream media use the term "snag" in reference to catching? That bugs me to no end. The guy didn't snag the fish, he caught them. Jeez!

If money is not an issue, then I'd be fishing with a rod and reel no one else could afford or even get. Yep, custom rod, custom reel.

I pretty much pitch with any rod in my boat. The ideal rods for this seem to be a little longer, 7' or better, and a fast to x-fast tip. Not too stout, a MH power will do.

Here you go.....so called "mean mouth"

It was just a deep water largemouth. It was just a cell phone pic. Nothing for the DEC to verify.

Uhh, that's a smallmouth.

Try a wooden toothpick.

The bunks only need to dry out to get rid of the zebes. I'm also not buying it that a quick dip to launch and a retrieve is a major source of contamination. Doesn't make much sense. Someone comes near my boat with a bucket of chemicals, they are going to have a problem. Pretty much all the lakes around here have zebes and quagga mussels, so it's not a big deal. They love to blame boaters on the transportation of these things...nevermind that all the bodies of water up here are interconnected via canals.

I attach a split ring, and swivel to all the baits. Then I tie a duo lock to my line. Sometimes I tie direct, but other times, I use the duo lock. The #2 is very durable, and caught high teens trout and salmon with this rig, so I'm sure it would do well for bass in moderate cover. Here's a pic of the spoons I do this to, but I'm sure many bass lures can be adapted this way: You can also see the full duo lock snap rig in this video, though be warned, it's from my phone and a little shaky.

I've set quite a few friends up with heavier/bigger spinning setups for frogging. For some, especially fishing in windy areas, it's just easier.

It depends on where they are, the cover present, current/no current, depth, and what bait. That could mean any combo in my rod box! I caught this on my flipping stick: And this on a ML spinning rig:

You should be able to slide rattle bands over the bait holder barb on a wire tied jig without any hassle. Mike's stuff is great, and VERY durable. I've had a Storm Series jig tied on since April. The head is worn down to the lead, but the skirt is better than any week old rubber band skirt I've used.

Why not use composite boards, and cover them with traditional bunk carpet?

Holy crap! I guess that put the original question to rest, lol.

I'm still on my second tail, after three years. The only reason the 1st tail got shredded was because I was pike fishing, lol. If I was making my own baits, I guess I wouldn't worry about it too much. Matt, on the other hand, has a reputation of making some of the finest baits on the market. Any slight improvement is icing on an already perfect cake.

I'd be inclined to suck it up, and buy a new battery, especially if it was the cranking battery.

I own several of the Chronarchs, and seviced the others, save the Lew's, so can't comment there, though I've casted them, and they work great. The Chronarch, Revo, and Lew's are all decent reels. Pick what you like in your hands. The Smokes....hmmm, not impressed, both by construction and performance. Neither the 100 or 200 series performed well for me, even after tuning.

Never said it wouldn't work. I suppose one could become a pro at a tin can for swimbaiting.. It's just that a lever drag with no line guide is overkill, and not that enjoyable to use. I have no need for a brute force, 20# drag for 1/0 Owner ST-41 cutting point trebles on my swimbaits. 4# of resistance max, unless I see barely hooked fish, then I might dial it off a bit. Have fun laying tht line down with your thumb. I'll be enjoying not letting that part of my brain think about it while I concentrate on the next cast, and enjoy the simplicity of what I (and most other swimbaiters) use. Why someone would spend twice as much on something that is harder to use, when most are already accustomed to using traditional bass tackle? Heck, I even know plenty that use spinning for swimbaiting. You can find a decent 8' inshore rod, and a 5000 series reel, load it up with heavy line and have at it. Still not a easy as what I generally recommend. And that's the whole point of this site - helping guys get over the learning curve by getting the right tools to begin with. It's not to refute tried and true best practices just because it's fun to tell someone they are wrong because your a pro at the hard way. I can see it if you fish the jetties and surf, and have that gear to repurpose, but eventually if you're serious about a certain style, you will want to get gear suited to that style. I could even put my centrepin on a heavy rod, and swimbait with that, lol. Drag? The drag is your pinky. Gear ratio? 1:1. Breaks? Spool tension? None. Bearings? Uh, I think there's one. Yeah, no. So, I'm still confused why this is part of a discussion as to whether a Cardiff 200 brakes are as durable as the larger size reels. I mean, you salt guys brought it up? It's a silly debate, really. Use what you brung, to a point. Vol's reel will work just fine.

I'm not loyal at all to any brand. I have models that I've found that work great, and have acquired more than one. I guess that makes me model loyal. And no, that does not mean I go out and blindly buy the next gen Curado, Revo, whatever.

The tails on my Mattlures Gills, MS Mini Slammers, etc. all look like the same material used to make any other plastic worms or creatures.

Nope, I'm more confused now. The only braking system on your Avet is the drag, which being a lever drag is NOTHING like the centrifugal brakes on a Cardiff. About the only thing these two reels have in common is that they have a spool and a handle, and hold line. Little else is similar, other than superficial appearances. The drive systems, drags, and levelwind (or lack thereof), and spool tensioning are very different, each suited to two completely different types of fishing. Your Avet would make a terrible swimbait reel. It lacks a levelwind, lower, sensitive drag powers appropriate to smaller game, and weighs almost twice as much as a comparable round baitcaster. They cost twice as much, too. I'm not saying you don't know your salt water stuff, but it doesn't have any comparison here. This is why I'm confused. You brought up points not relevant, and try to dispute others' first hand knowledge in this thread. All it does is confuse guys that might be thinking the same question. Next thing you know, someone bought an Avet to throw swimbaits. Not saying it wouldn't work, but it won't be fun. My experience using a Daiwa Saltiga lever drag was that you had to watch the line lay on the spool, to keep it from building up mountains. It was heavy, but well suited to lunching heavy plugs live bait rigs for blues. But it's not a great swimbait reel. Conversely, that Cardiff would get eaten alive it were used daily for that kind of fishing. The original question was about the brakes and internals holding up on a Cardiff 200. The answer is it is the same as the 300, just narrower.

Most guys that build swimbaits mold their own.

An improved cinch knot is easier and faster for me than messing with a contraption for connecting buzzbaits and spinnerbaits.