The_Natural

I had one (lost it). It had a very nice action, but must be retrived at a medium speed or faster to get the desired tail action. I'd say go for it...most smallies probably haven't seen it.

Come on now...the guy is just getting started :. Just make sure you have the basic offset worm hooks and bullet sinkers in a couple of sizes (this will rig all your soft plastics), and build your arsenal from there. Happy B-day brother!

CX as in CX Premium, or did you mean to say CXX? The CX Premium overtests, but not as significantly as the CXX, but the CXX is also a lot thicker. I will would like to correct myself; I once stated that Yozuri Hybrid was the thickest line per rated test than most any other line, but that just isn't so. Yozuri is quite thick in the lower lb tests, but in the 10lb and up, it is very average. Pline CXX is pretty thick stuff...the '10lb' is .014", which is little thicker than the Yozuri Hybrid 12lb, which is .013". I imagine the CXX 10lb actually tests out at close to 20lbs. I have no data on this; I've just fished the line for a long time. I straighted a heavy gauge jig hook with the 10lb recently, and I can't break it with my hands at all.

Sorry didn't see your post earlier when I browsed this thread. I honestly liked to show my tackle when it was about 1/4 of the size it has grown to now, but now I'm afraid others will think I'm being pompous or bragging, and I don't want to come across that way. I'm putting some shelves in my closet right now, but if you want to see I guess I can post a pic later this evening.

I purchased several spools of the BPS fluoro last year at the spring classic on sale. I was impressed, and when I read the TT review I wasn't surprised. Toray makes the line for BPS, hence why they tested very similarly. I had to try all the fluoro's though, and when I run out of all the random spools I have, I'm just going to start buying the 1000yd spools of XPS fluoro.

Without digging out KVD's book, he essential said white blades for cloud cover, and metallic blades for sunny skies. He went in to detail about scuba diving in Michigan lakes, and when you look up at the surface on cloudy days, the surface appears a whitish gray. Also...no sun-no flash (referring to metallic blades).

+1 All the R&D in the Steez will be readily available in reels that cost $150-$200 if you are willing to wait several years .

Lucky Craft RC's and Stacey King Jerkbaits are big ticket items that you would benefit the most from. Everyone should own a couple of the RC's.

I use Kick-n-bass garlic, which is 100% pure fish oils spiked with a little garlic. I don't believe ANY of them actually attract bass, yet erase unwanted smells/tastes and buy me an extra second.

Sol

The Loomis crankbait series, or 'CBR's', are true crankbait rods in the sense they are a moderate-fast blank. I don't believe Kistler has anything but fast blanks made for them. You can get by with a medium power/fast action blank, but if you are buying a setup specifically for crankbaits; nothing will work better than a moderate/fast blank. A Loomis cbr845 (which is a medium-heavy power) would be my choice as an all around crankbait rod due to the fact most people throw 3/8 or 1/2oz baits the majority of the time. If you throw 1/4-3/8oz baits the majority of the time then you should select the cbr843.

Loomis cbr845 paired with a 7:1 Zillion would be the ultimate trap rig IMHO. I also own the cbr843, but prefer it for 3/8oz baits such as bandit 200's and the like. The Loomis cbr's are the lightest crankbait rods out there, are an ideal moderate fast action, and are more sensitive than most companies worm rods. You can score one from Fat Fish for $165...and this is a lot of rod for that price.

The original is pretty dang soft...it's been a while since I fished it, and I found it to be softer than I remembered. No memory or castability issues. It was much softer than the pline CXX that I'm used to. I can't imagine why you would need it any softer....maybe it's just me.

It should not grind or rub, but magnesium reels do have a different feel than aluminum framed reels...Shimano or Daiwa. You can't compare a high-end Magnesium reel to a high end aluminum framed reel; they just have a different feel, more like a high performance sports car versus a luxury sedan. I love my Mg50's, but TD-Z's just shame them. Is this your first magnesium reel? Regardless, if you are not happy with the reel, you have a great opportunity to make money on the reel. I just purchased one off of Ebay last week for $290, which I thought was a great deal. You are sure to make a decent profit on it. Wrong company and wrong reel style ; these are baitcasting reels, whereas the S-Concept pertains to Shimano's line of spinning reels .

Wayne is right on. The first time I used a slider was in a tournament about 14 years ago on Lake of the Ozarks. It was in the middle of August, and the fish were deeper and had lock jaw. My boater had located a ledge with bass stacked up on it, and as soon as we landed on it he started hauling out fish on his slider. I looked at his bait, and figured it was just a weenie worm, and tied on a weenie worm on a jighead. After he had his limit, and I didn't have a fish, he tossed me a slider worm in Camo color and slider head. I had not seen or heard of a 'slider' at that point. He instructed me on how to fish it, and I immediately started catching fish. He came in first place, and I came in second. Now sliders have a permanent home in my tackle box .

+1

Loomis mbr843c IMX

I'm actually on the verge of having to turn in my stripes. I had 8 high-end Shimanos a little over a year ago, and now I'm down to 2!! I've been bit really hard by the high-end Daiwa bug. I decided to trade several of my Bentley's for Ferrari's...I just felt the need for speed! (and color )

. +1, and I own several reels including JDM reels that won't produce the distance the Zillion does. Honestly, the only thing I can attribute this to is the Magforce Z. Holding 150yds of 12lb line, you know it isn't due to a featherweight spool . Simply incredible casting distance...

I have two that I consider killer.... Pointer 100 in Chartreuse Shad, and a Slender Pointer 112MR in matte pumpkin. Both are dyn-o-mite!

Which other Steez rods do you have besides these two? I thought you had one or two of the US market rods. I forgot to mention that I will be testing out that lifetime warranty...I broke the tip off my 6' Steez last Monday .

Unfortunately, the TD-Z was priced that way to merely liquidate the rest of Daiwa's stock. My uncle is a Daiwa Pro-staffer, and is able to order 15 reels a year at cost. He said TD-Z's through his pro-staff deal were $212.60, so I think Daiwa was barely breaking even or losing money on those TD-Z's at $199. They never had a problem selling them at $350; I just wish they would have kept it in the lineup. It seems to fill a void in-between the Steez and Zillion. Daiwa could have added the flashy metal trim peices that the Zillion has, and renamed it the Zillion Mg. I should work for their marketing department

Raul is exactly right, and he posted something that I always preach, yet don't ever hear others mention. I'm talking about line capacity and the effect it has on spool weight. It doesn't matter how light in weight the spool is...if it holds 140yds of 12lb line, it will weigh a ton, and a small bait will not produce the necessary inertia or torque needed to make an effective cast. I think line capacity is overrated; I prefer shallow spools for most of my casting outfits. The only rigs I use deeper spools on are my C-rig, flippin' and spinnerbait rods. I have used my Pixies for almost every technique, and have never casted out the entire spool.

The spools are interchangeable. Zpi also makes magnesium aftermarket spools for the TD-Z, and come in a deep and shallow model, and your choice of Legend Blue or Racing Red. You can't buy a better spool than the ZPI... shallow... deep...

The 103 is still available you guys! There is barely any difference!