Jrob78

My favorite wake bait by far is the Lucky Craft RC Wk, I've also had good luck with the Buckeye Wake Up, which is now the PH Customs Wake Up. One is a standard crankbait shape and one is a minnow, jerkbait shape. I've tried too many wake baits that dive below the surface and these two stay up and actually create a wake.

Sorry @AlabamaSpothunter, I didn't mean to jack your thread but I kind of did. ? The Steez is very dark but when compared to the black HD it's almost a dark navy or dark gun metal. It's a great looking reel and very smooth but the inductor is indeed very stiff.

Yeah I've been thinking about that, I might put it on a frog rod with braid and see how that goes or spool it up with some cheap 12lb mono I have for testing. I tend to run my reels loose and I'm comfortable power casting so hopefully it will work well for me. Worst case scenario I will get a different spool and not use the HLC spool but I'm hoping I can find a use for it. I'm excited to get home and open it up. I'll post a couple of pics this evening.

Yeah they're great. Digitaka and Japan Lure Shop have been my go to for the last 10 years or so and I've never had any issue at all.

I use jig rods from 7’-7’6” but I really like 7’2”-7’3” for most t rig and jig applications. For me it’s a perfect size for long casts and good hook sets while still maintaining casting accuracy.

I ordered my Steez HLC from Digitaka midday on Monday and it's out for delivery today. Hopefully I will get a chance to mess with it this weekend but I feel like I know what I'm in for lol.

Sniper is a high quality fluoro that is good for moving baits or bottom contact.

This is the correct answer, if your bait doesn't load your rod properly it isn't going to cast well. All of that other stuff does play a role in casting but if whatever you're trying to cast doesn't load the tip well you're going to have a bad time.

My go to fluoro is Sunline Sniper, it's a high quality line at a reasonable price. Seaguar Tatsu is awesome but pricey.

I don't own that reel but to me it's more of a swimbait/a-rig reel just based on line capacity. That doesn't mean that you couldn't use it for punching, cranking or frogging it's just going to be bigger and heavier than what is needed for those techniques. I'm sure it's a great reel though, try it out and see what you think.

You would think so but the general consensus on Tackle Tour is that the HLC spools are really fast, wild and hard to control for all but the most aerodynamic baits. I just ordered one to find out for myself, I guess I will be the BR guinea pig. ?‍♂️

By all accounts the HLC spools are a different animal and not suited to what he's doing, otherwise I would agree.

I agree with the others, the HD is the reel you need. As much as I like the SV, the HD is even better. The only concern I would have with the HD is the gear ratio, it's only available in 7:1 and 8:1 but you could always buy a new SV or G gear set to lower the ratio. It's listed as holding 100m of 16lb line so that's something else to keep in mind.

I have limited experience. I have an IM custom that I like and had a Xray but managed to break it the first day I had it. I also have a delta blank but never got around to building it. I want a rod with one of their top end blanks and maybe a cranking rod. I will probably call them and get the rundown of exactly what lines of rods use what blanks.

I just noticed the Silver Widow rods on their site, the 736 MBR looks interesting. I can't log in or register an account on their site and my NFC account apparently doesn't transfer over so I'm not getting the sale info. I'm going to have call them this week and order a couple of rods to try out.

I have that rod in L power and I would assume the ML would be way underpowered for what I would consider a good t-rigged Senko/Ika rod. I generally use a 7'-7'3" MH casting rod with 12-15lb fluoro. I make long casts and need a rod that can drive a big EWG hook home from distance. Senkos are also heavy and I like a stiff enough tip to cast them with some control.

It's a pretty thin weedguard and not super stiff, not sure if that's why they're angled like that or not. I've honestly never noticed until you pointed it out. Also it's a bit hard to tell in pics but the inside part of the skirt is trimmed away so it's just the outside strands, which gives them an awesome flare in the water.

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm going to have to order one to try out, maybe I will get the Epitone, it seems to be about the weight range I am looking for.

That one is sexy shad. Here’s a better picture.

Had to replenish my swim jig supply. If you guys fish Midwest style swim jigs check out Brovarney’s. I’ve used his jigs for years and caught tons of fish on them.

That's not what "one trick pony" means. I would look at something like the Daiwa Tatula 200 or Curado K 300. The have the line capacity to hold a decent amount of heavier mono but not knowing what line you're planning to use it's hard to say. That's asking a lot out of 1 reel, especially below $200. Finding a rod to do all of that will be even harder.

Yeah definitely a bobcat and a pretty big one. Like I mentioned, I see them every now and then here but this one was darker than normal and very vivid. Probably the most beautiful wild cat I've ever seen. We do have Ocelot in TX but only down south close to the border, as far as I know. Not related to this but I saw that a Jaguar was spotted in Arizona on some game cameras earlier this year. I think it was the first one seen in the states since the early 1900's, which I thought was awesome. Hopefully he stays hidden and doesn't get shot or hit by a car.

My bottom wisdom teeth came in in my late 20's but fortunately I had room so they are still there. No sign of the top 2 yet, hopefully it stays that way.

I've been lucky enough to see them occasionally, the crazy thing is I live in the Dallas suburbs, not exactly rural. They are one of my favorite animals too so I love seeing them.

Walked up on this guy at a little pond yesterday. Watched him for about 15 minutes before he disappeared into a small patch of woods.