kickerfish1

In addition to Calfish you can try Pizz Customs. Price will be dependent upon the number of colors, amount of paint used, and if the paint itself is more expensive. It isn't cheap. You will have disassemble the reel down to the frame or have someone do this for you. The parts you want painted you just send in. I would budget somewhere around $80-$100 for paint work. Also make sure you go with a reputable person as not all painters are equal. I have a reel that Calfish did a two tone paint job on. Absolutely love it.

Looks terrific! I really dig the bluegill rendition.

As needed. I have several rooms in the house where gear is stored. Within the the rooms there are various boxes like Plano 3700 series, and soft plastic storage systems. It is all broken down very specifically. I will have everything labeled as to what is contained in that storage device - ie cross tail shads, swing impacts, ribbon tail worms, jerks, topwater, etc. Things get shifted around throughout the year and as conditions change. I take different things with me in the boat each time I go. So there is more organizing there. Lastly when I need to get more tackle I may shift things around more or at times sell things that I don't need or have too much of. Generally it is ongoing process...

As stated above drop shot and shakey head for sure. Did you by something like the 4 or 6 inch straight tail worm? I like the straight tail worms, fx sculpin, and alive shad on a drop shot. The fat straightail is a good bait for a shakey head as is the zipper grub. Easily a top 3 finesse bait for me no doubt.

As noted above the handles alone are less than $80. If you have shimano septon knobs you can use those and you would not need to get the handle and cork knobs. Their handles are very reasonable on the price side of things. Take a look at other popular CF handles on the market. Many of these are Japanese made and range from $100-$150+ for just the handle. Both Abu and Lews make inexpensive CF handles but Hawgtech has a great handle in both swept and straight designs that will fit any reel. Plus they are on the longer side of handle legnths.

Looks outstanding! A Curado I and another order to Hedgehog Studios is in the cards at some point. I dig the simplistic color design of the new Curado and aggressive styling contours!

Sweet! I had them do a few reels for me 2 or 3 months ago when they were just getting into the anodizing side of things. I have the same thoughts ... great guys, good products, and fair prices!

Loomis competes favorably in the $300+ market. Their offerings in the IMX, GLX, and NRX lines are very good. Casting distance, components, and sensitivity are all there. I don't feel like their rod lines below the IMX are really in play when I consider a sub $300 retail rod. Look for Rep Samples at reputable dealers and you can usually save 20-35% off the price of a new rod. They will have the full warranty and wild card as well. I doubt you will find many out there that can give an honest personal evaluation of the new IMX rod against other $300 rod lines. The reel seat is now the ACS style so that may be something to consider as well.

I have tested a significant number of floro lines on the market over the past few years including both Tatsu and Sniper. I really like both, but Sniper isn't on the same playing field as Tatsu. Invisix is a similar line to Sniper but Sniper was a bit more sensitive in my hands due to less stretch. The Invisi and Tatsu lines both cast brilliantly. This year I have settled exclusively on Sniper and Tatsu on the rods that I run straight floro on. When you have an NRX and a reel spooled with Tatsu or Sniper the difference in performance and feel will be there, but not a not and day difference. For someone that fishes frequently the difference would be more noticeable and to an extent more justifiable. The other part of the equation to consider about Tatsu is how you fill your reel. You should be able to spool your reel 3x with one spool. Just use backing for about 50-60% of it and you can save money that way. Also don't forget that Tatsu has a longer life expectancy then most other floros. It is easy to get a year or year and a half out what you have spooled up. Some of this stuff you may already know but I figures I would fill on a few blanks if you didn't. Lastly Tatsu used to be close to $50 a spool. Price has came down a bit plus you can usually get it discounted more during sales. I remember paying about $26 a spool last year from TW.

First, let me say that is an outstanding setup! I fish alot of tatsu, on both spinning and casting gear. Typically on spinning gear I run 6 or 8# line. However, for more general purpose you are best going with 8#. It will give you added strength to muscle those fish away from cover. From shakeyheads to drop shots, and tubes to small hair jigs that rig will do it all. Just don't forget to apply KVD line and lure as needed as well as closing your bail by hand. I fish straight floro on 75% of my spinning setups. By doing both of these things I eliminate 95% of line twists and loops I was getting before.

Good stuff! The bluegill/perch patterns are outstanding.

Nice Curado I Booty! You have posted some great looking reels in this thread.

I am just messing with ya Matt! You know how much I love my 50 sized shimanos! Good looking outfit my friend!

Should have never sold that Conquest 51 in the first place! Now you are back in business!

Appreciate the photos and comparison shots! Anxious to see what you think of the performance once you fish it in comparison to the fine reels you already own.

Thanks hookseton3! Once folks move past the price and to an extent the durability issues, and look at just their effectiveness, it is easy to see why they outstsnding baits.

I dig the jigs and color combinations. Well done! And another pat on the back to Mike for the assist!

I would snag one. If available in a long sleeve for slightly more I would really like it.

I feel your pain. I have donated countless swimjigs to pike before. It made me re-evalute how many of my go-to colors to keep on hand. Anything less than 8-10 seems like I am running low.

I had Mike craft up some jigs for me in specific color and material requests that were not on the website at the time. He did so without any reservation and with little to any delay in turnaround time. Have shared emails and a few phone calls with him over the last year and it was like talking to a friend. Mike does a great job and will go out of hiw way to ensure customer satisfaction. Truly a top-notch standup guy no doubt! One of the better sponsors on here no doubt.

C-rig by far.

TW sells labels specifically designed for this. Not very expensieve but if you are an organization junky they may be worth it. You could also create a spreadsheet on your computer or on a piece of paper.

Depends on your definition of cold water... for me it would be ice out or the month up until ice up in the early winter. In no particular order these seem to do best for me when water temps are high 30s and into the 40s 1. Drop shot 2. Hair jig 3. Jerkbait 4. Float and fly 5. Bigger profile jig - the Northstar hippy jig or similar offerings The key here for me is that's all 5 can be worked slow or almost not at all. As water temps warm up I will add lipless cranks, flukes, and c-rigs more in the rotation as well as some swimbaits.

They are typically my last resort, but the temptation was too great this past weekend. Placed an order to add a few items for spring on Saturday. Received 2 confirmation emails that day and Monday morning was provided the tracking info with an estimated delivery of this Friday. We shall see what happens.

I have a few all purpose rods and then about 2 dozen technique and to an extent, lure and weight range specific rods. Some rods may only be fished 3 or 4 times a year while others are used nearly every trip out. If there is a favorite technique you have or two it wouldn't hurt to have a specific rod and reel pairing for it... ie dropshot and jig rod.