TrippyJai

I have thinned out my tackle quite a bit over the years. I know what I like, what I need and what works around here. I won't be buying anymore tackle unless I need to replace them. I'll probably try some new baits here and there though.

Spro Aruku Shad in Perch!

Every new bait is worth a try. I'm not sold that it will catch more fish with the concept of painting or putting 3 fish into 1 bait. A bass won't know what he's looking at either way.

I recently recovered from the flu. It's was brutal. I didn't know what to do at first because it had been so long since I had a fever. My body had cold chills and I couldn't warm up, my head was burning and I couldn't cool it. I drank a lot of water and powerade to stay hydrated and always had an ice pack on my head. I ate lot of soup base food like chicken noodle even though I didn't have much appetite. When I was getting better the heater blew out and I got sick again, which absolutely sucked. Fevers are no joke, the worse part of it was when I fall asleep, my head would get so hot, it would wake me up and I couldn't breathe and felt like I was going to faint.

Shimano did a good job to redeem themselves. I hope they've put an aluminum star drag on this reel as I can't stand the plastic composite ones because they flex and I managed to break 2. Too bad they didn't keep the green, I know many people who like it and some who don't, but the green was unique to the Curado name. I'll probably end up getting one to try as I don't see a reason to swap out my E series yet. I still love the 200E frames and the green is awesome the way it changes colours in different lighting. I'll have to see what happens.

x3 I don't like those videos. A stock SS bearing completely flushed of factory grease will spin just as long as ceramic bearings on a full spool, except you shouldn't run SS dry because they overheat. If you put a big drop of oil on your boca bearings, they can slow the bearing down up to 60-70%. Recently, I've gone back to the stock bearings because they are the easiest to maintain. With ceramics they are finicky, no oil and they spin too fast and are loud, too much oil slows them down a lot, the right amount of oil, you'll have to reapply often if you fish a lot. What I didn't like most was oil would run off the bearings and get everywhere (I don't run OS Boca bearings with the shields) with the thin oils, which you should be using.

The only thing I like about the new Shimano rods are the reel seats and the warranty, though I've never broken a rod before. They are noticeably tip heavy once you get a rod longer than 7', the blanks are thicker, the guides are bigger, the handle is too short on some models and they don't feel as crisp or sensitive compared to the old cork model. I would either pass or find a used model on eBay or one of the forums. I see Crucial's pop up all the time in great condition for like $75-100.

My favourite lipless is the Aruku Shad in Perch. I catch so many fish on this bait and colour. I really like the nose down feature and you can literally crawl this crankbait.

Paca Chunk. Plenty of colours and at a very reasonable price. I also like the Zoom UV Speed Craw for a smaller profile.

I won't be trying them for $15 each. They look cool though.

Is it written anywhere that a Pro must use their sponsor products are all times? If I was a pro, I would not limit myself to what I carry in my boat. Every pro has lures that aren't from sponsors including old treasured bagleys, 110s, wiggle warts, etc.

Very disappointed that they aren't updating the episodes week by week, The first episode has already been spoiled and I have to wait another month for it.

Awesome Mike!

If you like the Gary Yamamoto baits then get yourself some Kut Tail worms. They produce for me always when I want something finesse.

If you go to the MLF Extended Cast website and create an account, you get episode one of the 2013 Summit Cup Elimination Round 1 for free, 2 hr+. Here is 17 minutes of free video from season 1 on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEilWmRdzMw I can't wait for the new season, one more day!

I have caught a few bass right beside geese and ducks before so I don't think they have a negative impact on them. The only I see is they get in the way and can be aggressive with their babies.

Another huge fan here. I paid for every season of the extended cast online. The format is great and it's like being in the pros boats. I also like how they need to fish in the same areas and are forced to figure it out. I remember Ish switching up to a 1oz flipping weight and catching fish over the guys who were doing the same thing. Lots of detailed information.

The KVDs use oval split rings for the line tie. Buy a pack of #2 and #3. #2 for the 1.5s and #3 for KVD 2.0. http://www.***.com/6th_Sense_Oval_Split_Rings/descpage-6SOSR.html

If you love fishing gary yamamoto senkos and don't want to change brands then you need to get yourself a bottle of Mend-It and a tube of MegaStrike. I always start off by rigging it texas style then when it starts to tear, I rig it backwards and finally wacky style to get the most out of each bait. For the ones that are no longer usable, I throw it into my repair bag. When I have enough baits to repair, I mend them together and let them air dry for a few days to get rid of the chemical smell. When they are ready, apply MegaStrike to each bait and put them into the used plastics bag. Here are some of the baits I have repaired and is still airing out. The second picture is a senko that I've used for 3 seasons and caught more bass on than I can remember. It's beat to death and is ready to go again. A tip: after making the repairs with Mend-It, remember to also seal the damaged area for extra strength and to smooth out the edges of the repair.

I can't say that after the hooks chip and lose their colour, it won't catch fish. It's the same as buying crankbaits that have cheap paint. Strike King, specifically their chrome baits will lose their colour very easy and it bothers me even though I continue to catch fish on a bait that has less than half the chrome left. I'm just picky like that.

It's mostly a confidence thing. A better idea would be to buy a red Sharpie and colour the bait red like the Strike King bleeding colours. Not to say that there isn't a time and place for them, but I personally change them out if I get red hooks because I'll have to do it later when they lose their colour.

List of upgrades: -BNT3048, clear smoke brake weights -Core Mg7 thumb bar -Chronarch D7 handle with larger power knobs, there is 1 bearing in each post -Curado E7 drag star, you'll also need to order the nut, spring and innertube -Carbontex drag washers -Boca OS bearings In terms of performance compared to the Core, they will be the same because the spools are the same weight.

Feels nicer and looks a lot better than the stock reel. Overall, not too expensive to do than compared to some of the tricked out ones you see on TT. All parts can be ordered from Shimano except for the drag washers (Carbontex) and bearings (Boca).