NJBasstard

That 70 handles 20lb braid well but I honestly don't see a noticable difference between 20lb & 30lb besides getting a little more line on the spool. For finesse applications I believe either one would do just fine. J Franko is right though that occasional line dig in is unavoidable. Doesn't matter how you spool it on it's going to happen. It does seam that anything below a 10lb mono equivalent is more susceptible to it. I prefer braid most of the time and have been using 20-50lb on most my setups for years. The 40lb seams like the sweet spot as far as line management goes.

Not sure if there's a real definition. I may be wrong but I think to most people here, including myself, dead sticking is when you don't do anything but let the bait sit motionless.

I bought a few of the SK 1.5's a long time ago but they never became a go-to for me like they have with a lot of people. Maybe I should give them a chance again. My favorites are the Rapala Crankin Rap 3 & 5 but they're discontinued. Don't know what it is about those baits but they've produced on days when none of my other SB's would. Spro Little John is my favorite flat side. I also like Bagley Balsa B's, 6th Sense Crush 50X & 50S, Lucky Craft LC 1.5's and Rapala BX Brat. I only keep what works for me in my box so I'll have to check and see what else is in there.

For that price I think it's hard to beat the Daiwa BG 3000

I think rod length is mostly all preference. I fish from the bank or a kayak and find a rod between 6'6" & 7' are where I'm most comfortable and accurate. Not sure but if your just learning skipping theres a thread from a couple week ago on here with some tips called "Skipping and backhanded casting" or something like that. I tell you what helped me.. 1. Learn to do it without making reel adjustments and learn on multiple reels. The spool on your reel is more forgiving than many others but I always recommend switching it up as not to limit yourself. This probably really slowed down my learning curve but I didn't want to rely on messing with reel settings or picking up a specific setup everytime I want to skip a bait. I keep my brakes set to a minimum and my spool tension loose like always. 2. Start heavy and work your way down. Heavier lures skip easier. Two lures identical in size & shape, but one weighing 1/4oz and one weighing 1/2oz the heavier bait will always have more momentum. If it doesn't skip easier than your trajectory is off. A large profile trailer helps. 3. Pull out some line and tape the spool. Your going to backlash a lot at first. Even when your comfortable with it you'll still have your share of backlashes. Start with sidearm cast. 4. Thicker diameter line is easier to manage. I had better luck with 15lb flouro before downsizing or using braid. 5. Watch your target. Where ever your rod tip is pointed at the end of the cast is where your baits going. Also raising the rod tip at the end of the cast seams to help with spool over-run. 6. The biggest issue I had was trying to force it. With spinning gear I was use to just whipping the rod however much I wanted too. I tried this for a while on casting gear and it just never worked out. Once I learned to relax and let my wrist and rod do all the work I had a lot more success. Besides all of those things it really just came down to gaining thumb control. Once you get the concept down and know the trajectory needed you can even practice this stuff in your driveway. Their are guys like Gerald Swindle, Jacob Wheeler, Andy Montgomery and many other fisherman who all have videos covering this on YouTube. Watch closely and try to mimic their actions while out on the water.

I believe CNR should allow the bail to spin back so the line is facing the rod where it'd be when making a cast. I'm not sure how how else to explain it so maybe someone can chime in with a better explanation.

You might find it here.. https://www.reelschematic.com/reel-schematics/shimano-reel-schematics/shimano-bantam-schematics/#gsc.tab=0

What braid are you guys using? What lb test?

I just use a 3600 with dividers because that's what fits in my bag. I haven't found anyone making what I guess you'd call "speciality" boxes in the 3600 size. Those are all 3700 and bigger.

I mostly tie direct but I'll sometimes use regular snaps without swivels when I'm switching between treble hook baits a lot like cranks and jerkbaits. I did notice when clipped to the split ring that the baits action changes some. Wether that's good or bad is up to the fish to decide. Personally if I used clips full time I'd probably remove the split rings and clip direct to the lure. I've done this and feel the action is the same, or atleast much closer, to what they'd normally be tied direct. Honestly if whatever your doing works for you than I wouldn't worry too much about what others say.

Yes the flip just has a heavier hook.

You buddies right that how it is sometimes. The Spro popping frog is one of my favorites in open water however the bodies aren't the softest. I like to bend the hooks out about 1-2mm from the body so the frog doesn't have to compress so much when setting the hook. It certainly helps my hookup ratio. If you haven't done that already give it a try. If you do that already than I'm not sure what to tell you. Frog fishing is fun but your bound to lose some fish.

I use Power Pro from 20-50lb on my casting gear. I spool the line on tight but still have issues occasionally with the 20lb & 30lb. The 40 and up is never an issue though. Seaguars claim to their Smackdown braid is that it doesn't dig in like other lines do. This year I decided to spool a couple of my casting reels with there 30lb and I have to say that so far it's been good. Haven't used it long enough to want to switch over just yet. Might be coincidence but I've had zero issue with it so far.

If you have time I suggest reading the Jig thread on this sub-forum here.. That thread covers almost everything when it comes to fishing different jigs and how to detect different types of bites. In my opinion your already one step ahead by fishing the arky since that may be the most versatile jigs there is.

I learned this a few years ago. Tried it once and have been doing it on my flouro & mono ever since. Can't say I've ever noticed any negative effects from it but it does make the line easer to manage.

Most places are closed off but live about 1/2 mile from the Delaware and have two creeks that run off of there within a mile from my house so that's where I've been. Just bank fishing though. It's been rough with the water temp still being low and the way the weathers been hasn't helped. Most of my bass have come off that bitsy bug/paca chunk, jerkbaits and Fat Ika's. Caught a few snakeheads on spinnerbaits. Hopefully things get better in the next few weeks.

Netbait Tiny Paca Chunk and the Havoc Pit Boss Jr are my two favorites. Small profile and a lot of action.

Anybody get their hands on the new 6th Sense Axis squarebills yet? Apparently a small production run was made and were being sold at Academy Sports stores. If anyone has got their hands on one I'd like to hear how you feel about it. It's certainly different than any other squarebill I've seen. https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/axis-metal-2-0

I just placed I order with Siebert a couple days ago and didn't see the Sniper either. He does have the Dredge Arky which is a smaller profile 1/8 jig. I really like the Improved Arky Jig which is what most of my order consisted of this time. If your undecided you can always contact him on here or FB and see what he suggest. I know he's put together a few bundles for others before. For a off the shelf small profile jig I really like the little Strike King Bitsy Bug jigs. They're like $2 each and the bass love them.

Basically what everyone else said.. Just want to add that even lure rating can be misleading. I've had rods rated up to 5/8 that feels over powered with a 5" weightless senko and I've had rods rated 1/4-1oz that don't like anything under 1/2oz.

Biggest difference is the K has micro gears and X-ship. Both are fine reals but theoretically the K should hold up better for heavy applications making it more of a "workhorse" reel than the SLX.

For a <1/2oz jig rod that can do it all look at the 4 power Dobyns. Either a 704 or 734. If your going to be fishing in heavy cover step up to a 5 power rod. Other rods to look at are the Daiwa Tatula Elite and the St Croix Avid.

Theirs a lot of choices around the $200 range. What size jigs are you throwing? Any specific reel you're pairing it with? A particular length you're looking for?

Mind sharing who makes that handle and how long it is?

Yes the bead is used for sound and helps protect the knot from the weight when not pegged. Size depends on where I'm fishing but my most used are 1/8 and 1/4 weights.