jbsoonerfan

Yep, I prefer an XG for all my bottom contact baits. Here is a list of what I am currently using for the technique 8 gear all bottom contact baits buzzbaits frogs 7 gear jerkbaits spinnerbaits squarebills lipless 6 gear shallow cranks med cranks swimbaits 5 gear deep cranks a rigs BTW, I apologize, I lied earlier. I forgot that I switched my jig rods over and put my scorpion 70 XG reels on there that I recently acquired and moved my Chronarchs over to soft plastic rods with fluorocarbon on them. I just looked at my list and noticed my mistake. I am always tinkering and switching things around trying to find different combos that work the best for me. Here is what I have on paper. I am pretty certain that is what is in the rod box, but the way I change things, I really never know. I just re-did a lot of these over the last couple weeks.

Excellent reels, I have 2 and they perform really well.

I was going to mention the same but he said he wasn't interested in a glass rod. I would go with the 6'10 M if I were just going to throw cranks, but if you want a versitale rod I suppose you could go with the 7'2 MH. I have the 7'2 MH and I use it for jigs, not sure I would throw cranks on it.

Not out in the sticks LOL Most people in rural areas use a septic system, either with lateral lines or an aerobic system with sprinklers. However, some places that are older still have a pond where their waste goes.

Well these are just my opinions after having fished with a number of Shimano reels over the years and most recently spending a ton of time on the water with the newer models. First and foremost, the new Metanium B is probably my favorite reel that I own. I use them exclusively for t-rig fishing at the moment. One is mounted on a 7'3 MH Poison Adrena for 1/4 oz and the other is mounted on a 6'11 M+ Poison Adrena for 3/16 oz. I have tossed around some moving baits with them and they are just amazing reels, I would own 20 of them if given the chance. My 2 Chronarch MGL's are on Jig rods. One on a 7'2 MH Expride for 1/4 and 3/8 and the other on a 7'2 H Expride for 1/2 oz +. These reels are lightweight and they feel like it. By that I mean some people say they feel "hollow". I don't feel that as much I suppose, but I do get where that could be what some think. I have heard these reels get "geary" feeling, but mine have yet to do that. Currently my Scorpion MGL's get to throw my heavy weighted texas rigs (1/2 & 3/4 oz). However, I have used them for jerkbaits, squarebills and lipless in the past and these reels are awesome reels for what you can find them for. My SLX MGL is the only one that I have dedicated to a "finesse" set up. I wouldn't call it finesse, rather light weight. I throw 1/8 oz t-rigs or 3/16 oz ned rigs on it. It sits on a 6'10 ML Zodias with 20 lb braid. Now the Bantams, these are my workhorse reels. They do the moving bait work. I use them for squarebills, spinnerbaits, med cranks, deep cranks, lipless and frogs. These reels are amazing, they were my favorite up until the new Met was released. They feel solid and palm incredibly well. If I had any complaint at all about them is that they do get pretty cold in the winter, but that is a minor issue. If I were building a lineup today with only 5 reels it would be 5 of the 2020 Mets if I only wanted one reel. If you wanted a little variety here is what I would do: 2 Mets, one for texas rigs & one for jigs - 2 Bantams, one for lipless & one for crankbaits and a Chronarch MGL for jerkbaits. I chose those 5 baits because I consider those my 5 "go to" baits, YMMV. Yes, for a true "finesse" set-up I would go with a spinning reel, especially if you are going with 5 BC's. Take this for what it's worth, just my opinion. BTW, if I were to rank them 1. 2020 Met 2. Bantam 3. Chronarch 4. Scorpion 5. SLX

Okay, apparently my post went over some peoples head. Where I am from (southern Oklahoma)a small square pond is used as a "tank" for peoples waste coming from their home. I would prefer not to fish where people poop, but that's just me. I'm not saying you are fishing in a "poop pond" but a square pond around here, that's what they are.

I never said owning a hundred rods and reels made anyone a better fisherman. But just the other day you were asking what an MGL was and now you are telling people they were made for finesse presentations, which simply isn't true. Shimano makes reels with light weight, SHALLOW, spools that were intended for finesse presentations. They are BFS reels and you should check them out sometime. I apologize if you took my statement as anything more than me trying to say you weren't fully understanding what an MGL reel was.

A one acre square shaped pond near me wouldn't be for fishing in, just saying.

I don't think you quite understand what an MGL is at this point. It is simply a lighter spool. That doesn't make it a finesse reel, not in the least bit. I have 6 Bantam MGL's, 2 Met MGL's, an SLX MGL and 2 Scorpion MGL's. So I have 11 MGL's and only one of which I would even consider a finesse reel. Most people, guessing you included, don't have a clue what a true finesse set up is. A wacky rigged 5" senko on 20 lb braid is a finesse presentation to some people when in actuality a 1/32 drop shot with a #2 hook and a finesse worm on 6lb line is really a finesse presentation. I owned 2 Curado DC reels and a Scorpion DC, owned as in past tense, They are far from the top of the Shimano line up. EDIT* I have 2 Chronarch MGL's as well, so 13 I guess.

A couple factors at play here, at least I think. 1. When you hit the SL button your TM thinks you want to sit right there, so if you are on 8 or above your TM is going to have to whip the boat to stop in the exact spot where you hit SL. 2. Always position your boat into the wind with your TM when you hit the SL, it won't whip your boat if you already are faced into the wind since that is the way it wants to turn your boat.

They wear flat bills, enough said.

LOL, I am definitely one of those guys who hates any visible wear on his reels. I use reel covers all the time when mine are in the rod locker. Sort of off topic, I get made fun of at the golf course because I use club covers on every club in my bag. "Bag chatter" isn't as cool to me as it is others. Haha

Winning at all costs is just a natural instinct for some and when cheating to win becomes the only solution there are some who have to go to those lengths to get the satisfaction they desire. Not only the winning aspect of it, but when money is involved, the need or desire to win is amplified by the reward.

I should have mentioned that. I will only use a 1/8 oz if I am throwing a 5 or 6 inch senko or a big 11 or 12 inch worm. I want the weight of the bait to make up for the weight of the weight lol

Well, I fish a TON of wood. The lake I fish is covered in it so I have a little bit of experience. Here is what I have found. If you are going to fish a texas rigged soft plastic with a bullet weight you need to use the smallest weight you can get away with to get you into the cover. Sometimes for me this is 1/8 up to 3/4 depending on the wind, depth of water, etc. I ALWAYS peg my weights and put the hook into the bait without exposing the point. The smaller the weight the less likely to get "caught" on something. IMO the most important thing to fishing wood is your line. Braid just loves to get down into the "bark" of old timber whereas mono or fluoro tend to not be as bad. I have bumped up to 18lb Sniper for fishing a soft plastic or jig in cover as it really shines for me. As far as a jig vs a texas rigged soft plastic. For me, it's all about the profile and what I think the fish want. I ALWAYS have 2 jig rods set up and 4 texas rig rods set up ready to go. All with different weights and I can just try a few till I find what is working (sometimes it's nothing LOL).

YUM maybe? Big show I think

I wish the water here was down to that temp. The lake I fished today is still between 84-89

Managed to catch one good one before the wind got so high I just headed home. I think maybe the one I caught yesterday was so skinny because this one has been eating everything in sight. Just 4-2, but holy cow it was fat.

Finally got back out on the water this morning. I only had about 3 hours to fish so I was changing tactics often. We got abut 8 inches of rain on Tuesday and the lake has come up about 3 feet. I couldn't find them in the flooded grass so I moved out to the submerged bushes that are usually in about 2 ft of water but today they were in about 5-7 ft of water. Nothing on a soft plastic so I switched to a black/blue jackhammer and that was the ticket. I managed 2 good ones before I had to head back to the ramp. The first one I caught hit it pretty close to the boat and when I saw it roll I thought I had a good one. Well, it was long that's for sure. This thing needed a meal in a bad way. I should have measured it but I would guess it at 22-23" long and a measly 3-14 LOL. The next good one came right off a stump just like you would imagine in your mind. Perfect cast, slow rolling by the stump and BAM! Only 4-1 but a good one in my book.

Yea, all the handles I have will interchange with all the newer shimano reels. I have even put some of the newer handles on the older reels like the Chronarch 50, Core 100, Citica 200e, etc.

Yea, I think shortly after the pandemic started they were doing free shipping on any order. I would hop on and order a couple knobs, or screws, or handle nut, etc. It was super easy to realize you needed something and just order it with the free shipping. Now I have to make a list and be more organized so I can get up to the $35 LOL

Free shipping on $35 or more

I might have some extra 7mm acorn nuts to put on that handle if you want one. Once again, I will be out of town for a few days, but I will look when I get home.

I have NUMEROUS handles at home. I am on my way to a funeral in Louisiana and I won't be back till this weekend. If you want to wait, I will see what I have and can make you a deal. I know I have at least one, possible 2 SLX stock handles that I would let go. You can always order them from Shimano though, that is where I get all of mine from. I don't mean for this to sound rude, but when you start replacing knobs, handles, spools, bearings, etc. you might as well have bought a different reel.

I have both. I prefer the feel of the Curado to the SLX. I think it is smoother as well. Casting wise I would say they are about the same. Worth an extra $50? That is up to you to decide how much $50 is worth to you. Pocket change? Yes it is worth it. Could be used for bills? No, pay the bills