Crankenstein Crony

As bass fisherman, if we don't take care of the bass or their habitat for that matter, who will? I do my best to make sure the fish I catch go back in the water in the same shape and just as healthy as they came out.

I have bought several different Trokar hooks and had problems with rolling the point of the hook on all of them. I won't ever buy them again. I stick with Gamakatsu and Owner.

No, Im not running braid. They have fluoro on them. The reels Im having trouble with are reels I've used on my jig rods and I've done a lot of flipping with them also. I've had the reels for probably 5 or 6 years and I use them a lot. I just kinda figured they were a little wore out and needed some new innards to make the drag work right again.

Skipping jigs takes a lot of practice... I like Duckett rods, and use a Micro Magic and White Ice to skip jigs. They both have micro guides and I don't have any problem with them. Get on youtube and look up videos on how to skip jigs with bait casters. I found those helpful when I first started learning the technique.

I have several of the orange Quantum Catalyst bait casters and I think the drag washers need to be replaced. Even with the drag tightened down completely, I can't stop a baby blue gill. I can't find drag washers for these reels. Didn't find anything on Ebay, and can't even order them through Quantum... Wondering if anyone can get me pointed in the right direction.

Thanks for the info guys. I have thought about giving them a shot several times. I mean they seem to work for Brent Chapman. I was considering getting the UV beaver, but I do so well with "normal" beavers. Kinda one of those things where if it's not broke don't fix it.

I really like both reels. I haven't had any issues with them yet. If I had the extra cash laying around, I'd buy several more.

Goose52: The weight difference between the two reels is so minute you can't tell. They are both super light. I bought the Komodo first because of the 5:4:1 gear ratio. I wanted a reel for deep cranking and the Komodo has been an awesome deep cranking reel. Both reels are really smooth, they both have a strong drag, I get great casting distance out of both reels, the break systems are easy to set up, and they both have a 3 year warranty... Practicality for me is decided by what best fits my specific need. There's only about $20 difference between the two reels, so price didn't affect my decision making. I bought the Komodo specifically for deep cranking because of the 5:4:1 gear ratio which is not available in the Helios lineup. I bought the Helios for flipping, and because I don't like high speed reels. There's nothing wrong with high speed reels, I just don't like them. For me, the only practical difference between the two reels is their specific gear ratios. If the Komodo had all the gear ratios I was looking for in its line up, I probably wouldn't have bought the Helios. And same goes for the Helios, if the Helios had all the gear ratios I was looking for, I probably wouldn't have bought the Komodo. But each reel fit a specific need I was looking for.

I have several Duckett rods. I have a 7'6 H I use for flipping and a 7'6 MH that I use for just about everything. I really like both rods. I don't have any of the Duckett cranking rods, but I would assume they would be great rods too.

I have a Helios and Komodo. I really like both reels. They perform very well. They are both smooth reels. Both are very light weight. I do a lot of deep cranking with my Komodo and it's still just as smooth as the day I bought it. I've been using my Helios reel on a Helios 7'6 H rod as my flipping rig and I love it. Its so light weight, I can flip with it all day and never get tired. Great color scheme. So far the finish has held up very well. The Helios has a strong smooth drag, it casts very well, the breaks are easy to dial in for anyone no matter the level of your fishing skill, and as Bassman Dan said, there is a $30 mail in rebate on the Helios rods and reels through June or July. If I had the extra cash, I would definitely be buying another Helios. The only thing about both reels I really don't care for are the foam grips. They are a bit to square. If they were rounded off, they would be much better. But you can't go wrong with the Helios!

I use 7'4 MH for cranking with baits that run 10-15 foot range. For the deep(er) divers like the 6xd, I use a 7'10 MH. I like the Quantum Tour KVD cranking rods. I have picked them anywhere from $130-$160.

I haven't really been on the forum in quite a while so I apologize if this topic has been brought up recently. Just kind of curious what everyones thoughts are on UV baits. Are these UV baits the real deal or is it just a gimmick? I've never bought or used any of them. Just curious what you guys think.

Hard bait: SK 1.5 square bill Soft Bait: Robo Worm

Motor oil, ox blood, junebug, aaron's magic, baby bass, dirt, cotton candy, pumpkin

baby brush hog and the pit boss

Lipless: SK red eye Square bill: SK 1.5 Medium Diver: SK series 5 Deep Diver: SK 6xd

I have a bunch of broken Strike King crank baits sitting around in my garage collecting dust. Does anyone out there know if SK will replace those broken baits? If so, who/where do they need to be sent to? Thanks for the help!

SK square bills or Xcalibur square bills SK red eyes SK series 5 Bomber Fat Free Shad or Bandit 200

Hard baits: I only buy colors that are similar to the forage in the water in my area. Blue gill is the main bait fish in my area, so I stock up on blue gill colored baits. I do however use brighter colors such as chart/black back and an orange craw when I fish in dirty water. Soft baits: When Im fishing soft plastics, I stick pretty much stick to watermelon and green pumpkin. Im pretty boring when it comes to my plastics.

This is what I've picked up so far this winter: - Re stocked the square bill box with SK 1.5's - Added some of the new colors of 5xd's and 6xd's - Peppers flipping jigs - 2 Quantum Catalysts - Okuma Helios casting combo

It seems that right now, 20 ft is the consistent bench mark for deep diving crank baits. Strike King now has the 10xd that reaches 25ft, but its the size of a small mail box. Mann's has the 30ft Plus crank that supposedly reaches 30 ft down, but I continuously hear and read reports that it doesn't come close to the 30ft mark. Does anyone out there know of a bass crank bait that reaches 25 feet or deeper besides the 10xd? Price isn't an issue, and I don't care if its a custom bait someone makes in their garage, any info will be much appreciated.

Never tried oatmeal. The corn and Wheaties balls worked so well I haven't deviated from those two baits.

I had high expectations for the Komodo when I got it. I took it to Lake St. Clair last weekend to break it in and was very impressed. Its very quickly becoming one of my favorite reels. I love the fact its so light. It makes a long day of deep cranking so much nicer! Im definitely planning on buying at least one more.

Picked up an Okuma Komodo this Wednesday. Already had it on the water several times this week. So far I'm extremely satisfied with the reel! It is super light weight, very smooth, has a very solid drag, sweet color scheme, and handles every size of bait I've thrown on it very easily. I went with the Komodo in the 5.4:1 gear ratio to be used specifically for cranking purposes. I've used it for square bills to 6xd's and absolutely love it. Okuma did a great job with this reel! Hopefully I will be picking up another one very soon!

I have used the cherrywood rods before, bought it for panfish. It was ok. I actually preferred the Tactix over the cherrywood, but Berkley no longer makes them. Lately for panfishing I have been using a Daiwa Spinmatic. Its been a great rod so far. I got a 7'6 ultra light, I think mine was $30. I picked it up brand new on ebay with free shipping.