Jrob78

A long M/F spinning rod sounds like the exact rod you would want for throwing small Keitechs on a light jighead. Also, what makes a spinning rod "tactical." lol

It sounds like the person who told you that nonsense is a moron.

I think the regular, black FX68 looks the best. What rod are you putting it on?

That's a great pattern. It looks a lot like LC's Nasty Bluegill but it's only found on certain baits.

I didn't know we were talking about custom painted baits. $20-$25 sounds about right for custom painted LC's though.

$22.00 for original 1.5 and 2.5's? What baits are you talking about?

Ooh..burn.

You can't really make a comparison until you've used both for a period of time.

You're right, I didn't realize the US version wasn't mag sealed. The JDM reels have a little more style too. The Met XG should be a sweet reel!

Finally got a SS Hardgill. Such a beautiful bait.

I would personally wait until the SV 103 comes out but who knows when that will be. The TWS Zillion can be had for under $200. If I needed a reel quickly, especially in a 9.1, I would go that route.

I did get it but I haven't had a chance to take it out yet, I'm not a big spinning gear guy. My initial impression is very favorable, the reel is buttery smooth. I do wish it came with a spare spool though.

I like to arrange the page by price from lowest to highest. Sometimes they have some pretty good stuff for less than $9.99 if you don't mind scrolling through a bunch of pages.

Best store on eBay.

I would first establish the places you can get to the water. Look at maps and find what cover/structure is in those areas. The lakes around here are mostly very large with very little shore access. There are certain times of year where fishing is good at some of those places. You just have to do the leg work to determine when/where/why those places turn on. That is usually easier said than done and can take a lot of time.

So the top 8 finishers in the 7th event at Cayuga will fish this event and have a chance to make the Classic. That seems really random.

I know a lot of people fish swimbaits on the bottom with swing heads. Not quite the same as a shaky head but similar.

Heck yeah it is! After owning many reels from many different companies over the years, I only fish Daiwa and Shimano now. I've sold off or retired everything else. I have roughly an equal number of each, best of both worlds.

Digitaka has a special addition 9.1.

I'm in a kayak, (or kyack) right now, wishing it was a bass boat.

My understanding is that the Fuego is a Tat without the TWS system. If he liked the tat, other than the grooving, he would probably like the Fuego. I agree that the Alphas SV is the best thing Daiwa has going right now, or at least in the sub $200 price range. It's a much smaller reel that is geared more toward finesse fishing but is capable of non finesse techniques.

The ID of the guides used on the Rage rods is pretty large. You shouldn't have any trouble.

If you're going to use a snap you should remove the split ring.

The problem I've had with those rubber inserts is they aren't big enough to peg a 1.5 oz punching weight. I know they make larger ones but I don't have any. If your inserts are working for you, no reason at all not to use them. As long as your weight stays with your bait, that's all that matters.

Don't feel too bad, I left just about as many points on my bench.