The_Natural

I have a spinning and casting setup I use for jerkbaits. Both are 6' rods. My spinning rod is an Avid 6' M Fast, which I keep 8lb fluorocarbon spooled on. My casting setup is a 6' M Steez paired with a Pixy, which I also spool with 8lb fluorocarbon. I'm tall (6'3"), but I still prefer a 6' rod over a 6'6" for properly working jerkbaits. I've tried repeatedly to use a 6-6 rod, but the extra length will rake the water or the side of the boat on the downward stroke while working my jerkbait. I use the same casting setup to work topwaters such as spooks and chug bugs (not with 8lb fluorocarbon though )

The Zillion is definitely not designed for small baits. How effectively a reel will cast light weight baits is directly related to spool weight...not only the spool material itself, but how much line it holds effects its overall weight as well. A spool that holds 150yds of 12lb line is going going to be drastically heavier than a spool that holds only 100yds of 12lb line. A heavier spool requires more inertia to excellerate it, or in other words requires a heavier bait to get it spinning. I purchased my two Zillions as my spinnerbait/trap burning reels, but I certainly don't think it is limited to heavy baits; just not anything 1/4oz or under. The Zillion is a power reel...made to burn spinnerbaits or traps, flip and pitch jigs, throw C-rigs, etc...and I feel it is the best reel on the market for these techniques.

Wow! I read about them several weeks ago, but had not heard their price point yet. I'm a bonafide tackle junky, but I will not spend $50 on a bait. I'm glad I don't live in California

I picked up a pair of Zillions yesterday myself. I went with the 7.1:1's. They look pretty sweet matched up with my 7' H Steez rods, but they won't be staying on these rods.

I joined the Zillion Posse yesterday. I've been itching to get a couple of 7.1:1's for throwing spinnerbaits and traps, and when Academy started carrying them, I pulled the trigger on a pair. Solid and very refined...they don't feel a lot different than my TD-Z when it's in my hand. I was sad when they discontinued the TD-Z in leu of the Steez. I have XXL hands, and I can't effectively work worms and jigs with tiny reels like the pixy, alphas, or steez. So I was left with going after the Fuego or Zillion, and after handling both, even with the Fuego weighing a little less; the Zillion just felt better for some reason.

That's a pretty thick line for jerkbaits. I've been using 8lb CarbonPro for two season now, and haven't broken off a fish yet. With a good knot that is retied frequently and your drag set properly, you should be fine with 10lb fluoro. Your bait will run a foot or two deeper as well.

I can get mine down to about 6 or 7ft with 8lb fluorocarbon.

The BCR's are a LOT faster than the MBR's...probably the fastest rods I have ever fished with. They are designed for a purpose, and are very technique specific. Fishing a crankbait on a BCR is illegal in 19 states ;D. If you are buying a rod solely for Senkos, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a BCR893. The 893 may be my favorite Loomis...just purchasing that rod significantly stepped up my pitching game. I can skip-pitch with this rod better than I can my spinning rod...no joke. The 853 or 893 would both make great Senko rods, but the 893 just gives you that edge when pitching, and the extra length benefits you really any time you set the hook. Any of the afforementioned rods should work great for you, but if you want a little more technique specific; go with the 893. If you you want a little more versatility...go with the 844.

I would get the 844 hands down. I feel the 843 is a little soft for worms or jigs, unless I was strictly fishing light weights in open water. I use my 843's for spinnerbaits and fat shallow cranks like the Bagley B2. The 844 can effectively cast 1/4oz, or even 3/16oz if you desire, but gives you the backbone you need to effectively cross eyes. An 844 IMX was my first Loomis, and the best way I could describe it to my fishin' buddies was to tell them it had the weight and agility of a traditional MH rod, with the backbone and hooksetting ability of a heavy action. Go 844 and don't look back!

That is good to hear about the Slim Willie. I scored a few on clearance, but they haven't been wet yet.

I really like the Booyah jigs...my go-to cold water jig is a 3/16oz Baby Boo jig in Black/red flash. Nice haul!

Craap Boondock...I think we must have been typing at the same time . I guess we are on the same page 8-)

Do you have the old Frenzy baits or the newly redesigned baits with the scaled finish and glass eyes? The old Frenzy cranks that came in the plastic box did look a little cheap, but had durable paint finishes and held up surprisingly well. The new baits are high quality all the way around; they upgraded the finish, so now they not only have a durable finish, but a textured scale finish along with glass eyes. I would agree with the sleeper comment...I've been preaching their effectiveness for the past couple of years. The Frenzy medium divers are absolute dynamite in the prespawn; maybe my favorite prespawn crank. Ike hinted to the Frenzy's effectiveness when he won the Elite Series event on Guntersville, relying on a blue/chartreuse Frenzy medium diver for part of his limit each day. I would gladly pay $5 a peice for these baits, and I can't believe Berkley only wants $2.99 a piece for them, when Bomber, Storm, etc. charge a couple dollars more. I just purchased 50 of so of the medium divers at Cabelas when they put them on sale for $1.99. If you are going to be attending the Bass Pro Spring Classic in your area, they will be $1.99 there as well. I promise you all, if you will tie on a Frenzy medium diver when the water temp gets into the 50's, and go hit some rocky ledges or points...I PROMISE you will catch fish.

As said, it all depends on what you need. If you need cranks; get a few Rapala DT series. If you need jerkbaits; score a few X-raps. Worms? Culprits and Power worms always work. Terminal tackle? Get some Gammy hooks, reel magic, line, etc. Our Walmarts are closing out Wave Worm lizards, and they are .50 cents a pack.

I use two: 6' M Croix' Avid spinning rod with 8lb fluorocarbon 6' M Steez casting rod paired with a Pixy and 8lb fluorocarbon

+1. You just can't get around this.

I utilize two rigs; a Loomis cbr843 paired with a Scorpion and 8lb Pline CXX, and a Loomis cbr845 paired with a Scorpion and 10lb/12lb Pline CXX. My go-to cranks are L/C Moonsault cb100's in chartreuse shad, RC1.5's in purple perch, L/C BDS 2's in Rootbeer or Chartreuse Shad, and Bagley B2's in black pearl.

+1. I use straight shanks for all traditional worms, offset round bends for lizards, craws, and all C-rig'd baits, and EWG's for Brush Hogs, Tubes, and Senkos. I read KVD's newest book a year or so ago, and he pretty much got me back using straight shanks for all my worm fishing. Kevin stated he was worm fishing with Larry Nixon (the godfather of the worm 8-)) a few years back, and Larry taught him that using a straight shank would improve his hookup percentage, and KVD claimed since going back to a straight shank for worms has "dramatically improved" his hookup ratio. Straight shanks are not as weedless, and hence the reason even if you are fishing a worm on a Carolina Rig, you should stick with an offset round bend or be subjected to frequent snags. KVD stated he also prefers an offset round bend for fishing C-rigs because it "props your bait up off the bottom". Don't make it too difficult on yourself though...all hooks work, yet once you reach a certain point, you start looking for ways to capitalize on an extra bite or two.

Bandits are notorious fish catchers here in the south. I throw the 100, 200, 300, and the Flat Maxx in the shallow and deep versions. My favorite colors are Taco Salad (a killer stained water color), baby bass, rootbeer and rootbeer/chart, pearl, and spring craw. I should be good on Bandits until the year 2015...I purchased over 200 baits when Academy put them on sale for $1.38 8-)

I have a couple of the crankbaits, but I haven't given them any water time yet. I picked up a few last year on clearance for $2 right before the new models came out (mine don't have the snazzy red hooks ). The quality seems decent, but that doesn't really say much I suppose. It will be hard to outdo my $1.99 Berkley Frenzy medium divers that will start to kick arse and take names here in a couple of weeks

I posted this on Bass Pro around the first of January when I received these baits, but I haven't heard them mentioned over here, so I figured I would share and give you all the scoop if you haven't seen the new baits. The Lucky Craft Stacey King jerkbait was released last spring, but didn't catch my attention all that much. It was styled much like a Rogue but with a hunch back, and the diving lip was set back about an inch from the nose like a Rogue or Husky Jerk. I happen to be scrolling throught BPS in December, and noticed they had released a couple of new colors of the Stacey King, and the new colors were also a totally different design. This new design was aggressive, and the hunch back was not only higher, but the diving lip was at the nose of the bait, perfectly in line with the slope of the hunchback. I have not taken these to the lake yet, but I played around with them this weekend at a nearby pond, and the action is eye-opening, and quite a bit more aggressive than even the Slender Pointer, and reminiscent of an X-rap with an added twist. The finishes are extraordinary of course, and the fact the fish haven't seen these coupled with the fact they are available for $9.99 at the Spring Classic should peak your attention. and if you can't tell by this pic...this thing digs, and digs hard! If you click on this link to Bass Pro, you can see the old design along with a couple of the newly designed baits which are on each end of the color chart. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=73284&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=5&hvarSubCode=2&hvarTarget=browse

If you visit a Bass Pro Store, you might pick up one of the newly redesigned Stacey King jerkbaits that are on sale for $9.99 (msrp $15.99), or Standard Pointers are 2 for $22.

Like Senko77 recommended; I keep all my 'on deck' soft stickbaits in a 3700 style box, and my spares stay in their original bag in a deep 3700. I do use worm binders, but stickbaits can become crooked or mishaped, and I prefer a box for them. I may take my whole 3700 full of 10 different colors of Senkos when I am fun fishing or prefishing, but if I am fishing a tournament, I will usually just take a couple of ziplock bags with me loaded with the color(s) that I narrowed it down to in practice.

The 1- is a pretty good bait, but I find that Mann's baits in generally are low in quality; on par with Strike King.

Glad to hear it's doing okay ;D