hatrix

I 100% agree. There is no reason to not out that on every rod. They are so superior to any other keeper. If my rod doesn't have one and almost all don't I just ass one my self realy quick. All you need is a paperclip and some tape and you can make it happen super easy. If your all worried about your setup looking flawless then that's not for you.

I almost always use a swimbait for a trailer. I have caught fish using other stuff but for some reason I can't stick with it. i have just caught soooooo many fish using swimbaits of chatterbaits and swimjigs it's hard to use anytbing else some times.

That's like the opposite how I decide to use a ewg. I like a ewg on baits they totally engulf in their mouth. Any bait they will slap at I stick with round bend. The hooks are pointed slightly in on ewg so I figure if the just slash at it you have less chance f them catching a point.

Does licky craft, duo, or Megabass even make a UL sized jerkbait? I am a huge fan of the size 6 x-raps. They absolutely kill it and I would bet one from those other company's would be even better.

Jerkbaits are one of those lures that really make a difference when you pay for the expensive ones. I am not really sure why it is jerkbaits but something about them realy matters.

If I am changing trebles it's cause they are crap quality or beat up. It's not really for a bigger size. I also do it because I want ewg and they don't have it. I don't really fish spinner and the few I have changed now have weedless single hooks on them. I don't see the point in needing any kind of treble on those. It just limits the places you can fish it.

I really wish I could tell everyone some of these places. In all honesty way to many people come on this site and read stuff. Some places are to good and not easily found that's and a huge influx of peole would ruin it. I am sorry

I don't know what kind of longevity you think or expect from a black max. If it has been fished super heavy it could just be beat. If it feel rough and like gears when you crank it's likely cause your main gear is beat up even if you can't see it. The best way to flush bearings is lighter fluid. Not the big bottle of grill stuff either that doesn't work well. I find actual zippo brand to be the best I have tried. Clean your gears out with a toothbrush and then out about half a gear of grease on it and that should be good. Also just a drop of very lightweight oil on bearings. Maybe 2 drop but less is usually more.

Ya if you switch you do notice a lot lot less of the holes from a hook set in their mouth. I also kinda feel sometimes I have better sensitivity on baits. Anything that makes some kind of vibration or wobble and that transfers all the way to the tip. You can just watch that tip go back and forth way more then it would on graphite and to me it almost seems like it amplifies the feel of the bait.

Well if you think you are missing fish because of line stretch flouro is only going to make it worse. The only flouro I can comment on that probably has less stretch is Tatsu. Flouro is very stretchy compared to the monos or copolys I use. Just a couple days ago I put 15# red label on a reel that was on a glass rod and was trying to fish swimjigs and hollow body swimbaits. It was like impossible to hook fish. If I would of still had 12# CXX on the reel I would of caught every fish that hit. If the fish are jumping off its because you are letting them. Stop being a Nancy with them and gingerly reeling them in. Put your rod top down and crank them in like you mean it. I find it's pretty much impossible for fish to get off when you are completely dominating them and they can't do anything except just go with it. They give up the fight when they know there is nothing they can do. A great example of that is when you grab a bass by the shoulders. If you grab it like a wuss and all lightly try to hold it I guarantee it will try to shake around. Now if you grab it like you mean it so they know who is boss they almost never ever try to do anything.

Actually in that comment I was going to say there was only one other guy I knew of who was saying the same thing. But I couldn't remeber their name. It was you though who was also praising the slower action rods I also agree it is your personal preference. If something is workin for you and you like it then go with it. There is no right or wrong way to fish. Keep trying stuff until you find what you like I supppse. I just got to a point where I felt I was missing fish. I would get a lot of really hard and quick hits where they almost take the rod or I would have fish come off when i really didn't think it shouldnt of. I just came to the conclusion I could eithet use a line like a rubberband or change my rod. I wasn't about to change my line so I started using a rod that me or most people I guess would of never considered for all kinds of things.

I just want to clarify that I don't actually believe some perceived loss in sensitivity I should of had was because of a snap. It really was just because of the line I was using. Yes I really wouldn't use any kind of snap on jighead or soft swimbaits my self. It was just already on the rod and I was lazy and didn't really care to take it off and tie on the jig head. The fish didn't care either. It was because I had a snap and nornally wouldn't that's why I thought about it. Speaking from a physics standpoint I guess I would have to assume there are times a snap or split ring would make you loose some type of feel you would nornally still have if tied direct. It just never really had crossed my mind before till today.

I never really thought about it but I would imangine it has to a little. I had one of those KVD fastach on a rod and was fishing one of the small keitech fats that are like 2.5" or whatever with the snallest heads big hammer makes 1/4 oz maybe I don't know. Anyways I caught a good number of fish most all 1# or less but I rarely ever felt that tick. It just felt like a big fish bite or getting dug into weeds where it gets heavier and mishy. I was actually burning them kinda as that's what they liked. It's also not that I was using a junk rod or really crappy line. The rod was a smallmouth elite tech and I was using 6# XL. It is really stretch in 6# though. I had just never really thought about it before is all.

It's funny after reading these recent posts how many peole advocate the fiberglass rods or moderate action. I had been sayin I like them for all my moving baits that I can use them on for a long time now. It was crazy talk but now it seems like there are many more converts. Peole have seen the light I guess.

They probably don't put out the spring catoluge because new stuff comes out that they promote in it.

Other people show up at these private farm ponds and fish or is it a public place? Any farm pond I fish is only ever me there as its private and you need permission. I am also from Ohio and fishing has been ok for me. I haven't caught as many 5 and 6# fish as I would like but I didn't fish much this year. It's hard to compare this year vs a other since I have maybe fished 1/10th of what I nornally would have.

Rakuten is not a Amazon type site. It's is basically just a buying search engine that only returns results for Japanese listings. It's ok but not great as it only searches a handful of different sites and only those sites. It doesn't always show every listing either. There are better engines and sites out there besides ones you listed. To the OP they for sure make different reels ect depending on location. The JDM stuff is always so nice. The US get the garbage while they keep all the gems. Some reels can be the same though or just have a different name and color. A great example is a Daiwa millionaire. If you are familiar with the US models they are relatively cheap. Starting digging through the Japanese ones and it all changes when you find ones that cost $500-600 and are some of the nicest reels you will ever see.

Well knowing when to change lures or switch spots is the million dollar question. I guess it all depends on the angler and when they finally decide it is time to change something. I will say that making 5 casts with a lure and changing cause you didn't get bit is not a good plan. You should try and have confidence in the bait your using as long as it seems reasonable and what your fishing apllies to what your using. That's not to say I never ever won't make a few casts with something then change. When that happens it's usually because I came up to something that might require a different presentation. Like say a downed tree so I pick up a rod with a T-Rig and make some pitches all around it then keep movin and go back to what I was doing.

I don't really know what else there is to explain. I used gammy hooks and the weed guard on them are pretty crappy really and easily trigger. I wasn't throwing it like on top of matts or anything. I was fishing like sparse weeds to randomly hit the surface or just below it but enough that without the hooks it would foul pretty quickly. I think maybe I missed 2 fish that went after it. It might be the hooks or they just missed it. I haven't really fished it that much honestly. I have a way to actually make a treble weedless but de have what I needed at the time so I used what I had. This is what I used. As for hat size I really have no idea. I don't even always knot what size hook I use. I just know by looking at hooks what size I need or want.

You don't actually have to pay outright for eveeything that would be in your store. You know this right? You get stuff on consingment.

They are all good brands that make a fine reel. There is no reason to start picking brands and claiming one is superior to the other. I mean cause really if you want to get into it Daiwa is the best hands down. That being said I would have no issue fishing any of those brands. I don't know why there isn't ton's of Daiwa fan boys like there is for shimano. I think maybe because shimano is big in the US but in Japan its Daiwa.

This really is the deal. I have been doing it for years. I also use a single cd case. I don't like the double or the four slot books as they are to big and I don't need that many spinnets and buzz baits.

It's possible it is almost all snall fish as everything they ever eat is even smaller. I would try a UL and if you can't catch some fish on that then really no other lures are going to work. There are plenty of UL baits that are straight up fish magnets. Inline spinners, tiny suspending jerkbaits, I like a size 6 X-Rap. Those little tiny snell rigged creme worms with the prop and beads. Crappie crankbaits, those crappy poppers that come in the round container spitshots come in. Today actually I was fishing a 1/8 oz rat-l-trap I bought earlier this morning and caught all kinds of fish on it. Lots of real big bluegill actually. If a UL can't get you a couple bites nothing will.

For sure a MH rod. It is kinda a universal rod that you can do anything with. Usually they rate about 1/4-3/4 oz I like a rod that is rated to a ounce or even 1 1/4 oz. For frogs I would look for one that says it is rated for like a ounce or so.