TrippyJai

Shallow water grass is my favourite. I also enjoy rocks.

I use a 7' MH fast action rod that has a little slower tip than most fast actions with 15lb McCoy Mean Green and a 6.3:1 gear ratio reel. This set up works better when I upsize my hooks to Mustad KVD size 2, 2x strong.

The only reason why I bother to look at TT reviews is to get information like whether or not there are bearings in the handle knobs, what the reel is made out of, etc. Take the Curado I for example. I did not read through it all and found out the following useful information to me. -There are no bearings in the handle, 2 bushings that can be replaced. -The drag star is in fact aluminum. -The gearing teeths are smaller than the previous generation, but they are not micro gears. I also like seeing pictures of the reel taken apart. It's a review and it's by one person so take it for what it's worth.

My ratio is about the same. 3:1 reels to rods. I'm always buying and selling reels to try. Not many options these days for trying out new rods. I am a full handle cork/ECS reel seat guy. Being from Canada, the options are less and shipping is expensive when buying and selling. I stick to what I like.

I would take the Citica 200D. It does have a big profile though. Maybe consider a Citica 200E.

The 200 size holds more line and the 50 size will cast lighter lures better. Pretty much it.

They all work, use 2 or 3 if you need to for punching.

If it needs to be a certain size, you can Google: "image resizer online" to adjust it then upload your picture.

If this is the case, then the cork will be worse considering the Expride is a split grip and they still use crappy cork. Even the IMX/GLX cork is disappointing. My old Crucials corks are better than them. I guess this has to do with the ever high price of cork.

I hope they don't mess with the baits. I love my Paca Chunks.

I only buy Lucky Craft jerkbaits and top water baits. I'm not really familiar with their crankbait line up. I do have a bunch of RC 1.5s which I bought on clearance.

Moving back to cork is a step in the right direction since almost every rod company is making rods with split grip EVA handles. I can't wait to see what they have to offer. Please have some full handle cork models, but I don't see that happening if they decide to keep their proprietary reel seat.

My smallest and biggest:

Learn how to walk a crankbait over cover and you'll reduce the amount of snags. There are plenty of good videos online you can watch and build confidence from.

My old Honda accord was a pain to get to the cabin air filter. You had to take the whole right side apart to get to it. My new CRV takes 10 seconds to get to. I'm glad they made it easier to change them out.

6:1 as well.

I used to use a Falcon spinnerbait box and that thing is great. Easy access and very organize, though no ideal for a bank beater. I now use a worm bag to place my spinnerbaits. Less convenient than the box, saves space when you want to travel more compact.

When I buy 150 yard spools of braid, I use it for 2 reels. 75 yards each is more than enough. I never make super long casts with braid, usually flipping or targets. 100 yards will be fine even if you need to make a super long cast on a crankbait.

Pass, I still have a rod that needs replacing.

The new Rat-L-Trap hooks are Bill Lewis Set Lock treble hooks. They are great stock hooks compared to the old crappy silver ones. There is no reason to change them out unless you want to put on a 2x hook or up the size.

Baby Brush Hog.

If I had to guess, they use size 2 split rings and size 4 hooks.

Take the time to tie a San Diego Jam. The issue I have with fluoro is the price. I find it really expensive when comparing to braid which you can reuse the other end or copolymer.

Aruku in Perch is my favourite lipless.

I'll give these a try as well, not sure which one to buy though. Any suggestions?