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Wow. Interesting to hear other peoples' perspectives. I never got to try the previous generation teflon coated hooks so I don't have anything to compare. What was the pricing for these hooks like back in the day? I'd like to believe that these new hooks are improved over previous ones. Marketing for these hooks are now a little different and no one calls them a teflon coated hook. I guess if nothing's broken for you, why pay a premium to see whether you like a new hook?

Have the BR members been using them? A-mart and some of the Gamakatsu hooks have this coating, and has a matte grey color. If you look to the Japanese market, quite a few companies are making hooks with this coating. (Nogales, Ryugi, JDM Duo stock treble hooks, and probably a few more that I'm not aware of) So far my favorite applications for them are trebles and drop shot hooks. Their downfall is you can't bend them back as they'll break. Let's hear some thoughts.

If you like it, keep it. If you don't, paint it again. Absolutely no one other than yourself cares about how a reel looks when you are catching fish. Have fun!

If given the option between a spinnerbait and a crank, the crank definitely wins every time. I'm just thinking if there's a way to cheat having to tie another knot to switch from the crank to the spinnerbait. And yes, I always use a snap for cranks.

I remember reading a post years ago about putting spinnerbaits on a snap with an o-ring to close the bend for the knot. How many of y'all started doing that after reading about it, and what do you think about the results? I've always been wary about the spinnerbait being able to swing freely and maybe affecting the hookset. The only thing is I've been using less and less spinnerbaits, so I am trying to entertain the idea of putting a snap on in case if I ever feel like throwing one. Anyways, let's hear what you guys think!

I honestly think that Major Craft makes very good quality rods, although the lengths and actions aren't your typical USDM actions. Their rods are a little softer and actions are mod-fast to fast. I only heard of one series that has XF actions but I never held them. Their ML and L actions are definitely great BFS rods. Obviously the more you pay, the more quality you get. I held the Corzza's and think that they are pretty good. Nanoace isn't bad for it's price. I only own a MSX and I think that is as good as any other top end rod I own. No help for Benkei, Go Emotion or Basspara though.

I don't have percentage of stretch in exact numbers but it claims to be low stretch and I don't disagree with the claim.

http://www.varivas.co.jp/en/Product/searchgroup/name:Cover+Breaker/type:/view3:2/id:1878 I can't compare with defier because I never owned it (only touched it, and that is awesome stuff), but this will give you a run for the money. Pull line out from your reel and the line lays on the ground like it's braid.

I've always been under the belief that bass are very similar to cats. Their ability to chase down something moving, and ambushing while waiting for food to pass by. My cat loves laser pointers, so I can't see why a bass wouldn't. Either way, if you want to practice envisioning why sometime bass need the bait sitting on the bottom for a while without moving, get yourself a cat and check it out.

After catching my first salmon on the great lakes this year, I think that the 9.5' or 10' rods could do a lot of damage for cranking. Those extra long rods definitely get baits way further than anything else and it also opens the door up for people wanting to crank with spinning rods. Of course, this is lake and pattern dependent. Good thing I have no interest in a longer flipping rod. My elbow was not happy when I owned a 7'9 punching stick. Sight fishing bed fish could also be very interesting now.

Dropshot / Power Shot is great for the non-boater. Let your boater do all the skipping under the docks etc, and wait until you have the perfect casting angle to drag it along the sides. It definitely gets you the bites that the boater isn't getting. Skipping a senko / ika is always an option too.

You are looking for more gap in your hook for a better Hookup Percentage? What I think you're needing is waiting a second longer before you set the hook. Bass don't let go of this bait... Either way, try what the others have suggested, and please report back to let me know which one you find is the bee's knees.

I have casted an Excense DC in the past, and do think it's delightful. As far as owning one goes, I probably won't until we see the yen drop favorably for us again. I compare a DC reel's whine to driving a car with a loud exhaust. The sound is fine if it's yours, but a little annoying if it's someone else's.

I'd say it's still a bait has its following but it's not as exciting as the new stuff. I fish it on a super line 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG rigged forwards with a weighty and backwards depending on the application. After it gets ripped enough that you can't t- rig it, it works great on a dropshot ?

Blade baits don't seem to work for me above 55f. Topwaters I usually will stop throwing by early October.

Hey all, just wanted to see what everyone likes for their smallmouth cranks. For squarebills, I like the Megabass S crank in Megabass Kinkuro, and for anything deeper, I am often throwing the Ima beast hunter in Fred's perch Lets hear your faves!

On the water, it's not useful at all. But to make your reel do more techniques over the course of a year? Sure. A new reel is more useful ??

I've thought of it many a times, but it never actually happened. Much easier to just own another combo I would love some extra spinning spools for ice fishing as well!

Hey all! Just wanted to start a discussion about these rat baits. Spro BBZ 1 rat, Jerry Rago Alpha Rat, and the CL8 rats come to mind. A couple of years ago, I bought a CL8 baits Vole and have thrown it a couple of times without success. After reading the articles and watching the videos out there, it seems that people are throwing these baits in relatively heavy cover. It completely baffles me as you're basically throwing a 1oz crankbait across lily pads etc. Anyways, let's hear about your successes, how and where to throw these baits.

Personally, I think that's your most generic rod. 6'6MF -7'MF (perhaps even MH depending on the size of your fish) would work fantastic. I definitely try to make the rod double duty for T rigged senkos the other days when I go for largemouth. Not sure if you're talking casting or spinning but both will work. Budget your rod according to sensitivity needed and how often you use it ?

For those reels, I'm having a really hard time picking which one I like more. I feel I can get slightly more casting distance with the morethan but the metanium is better to hold. I guess if I were to do it again I'd have the metanium because I like shimano better. Keep in mind the morethan is no slouch!

I've used a metanium and am using the morethan pe sv for frogs and toads. Imo, it casts great and I can see the spool on a long cast using 30lb sx1. (I know it seems light but it's working for me.) I bought mine second hand on a whim and Id say other great options would be the zillion sv or exsence dc. Keep in mind this is the same as the tatula body in terms of size. For frogging, the clicking drag of the morethan will be less than useful.

There's actually quite a bit of innovation coming out for raingear this past year. As always, Goretex can never go wrong, 100MPH, Cabelas Guidewear... One that really stands out to me is the Columbia Outdry Extreme. No longer using Goretex (Where its flaw is that the teflon coating is on the inside of a DWR outer shell - meaning that eventually your jackets will eventually start soaking in water into the top fabric but not get into the bottom fabric) This one has the waterproofing on the outside, which should make for a better jacket over time. It's not currently designed for fishing, but when they make a fishing version, I will probably jump on that. Columbia Outdry Extreme

Personally, I didn't think that the new one was an upgrade. Had I not broken my smallmouth rod, I would have never swapped it for the new one. That said, the new one isn't a slouch either - Plenty sensitive and the action is right. I would have been really happy if they made a 6'9 MXF in the Elite tech bass. The 7'MF (spinning) I owned briefly was quite tip heavy. Hope you've tried it at the store to see whether it balances fine with the reel you intend to use.

Looks like this will have a smaller body than the Tatula or the TWS Zillion. The round body on this makes me think of a Core 100. I have a Morethan PE SV, which is basically the JDM Zillion with an SV spool - so I've tried this so called SV and TWS combo. Casting distance definitely didn't feel like a huge improvement, but it still casts pretty smooth. Far from my favorite reel, but I'm sure this will be a performer.