War Eagle 44

I used to Own a Pixy (yellow) and still own an Alphas, I agree with the guy above who stated that if you already have a "finesse spool" for your Alphas then you aren't going to gain anything with the Pixy. Just my opinion.

My two favorite brands are Spro and River2Sea. I prefer Spro overall and think the original Bronzeye 65 is still the best frog out there. R2S Bully Wa frogs are a close second in my book though, I can't wait to try the new Bully Wa 2.

Agreed but as I stated earlier I'd rather have the compromise be here than the hook. I'm just a huge fan of the no jack hooks in my swim jigs. I've had the 3X Mustad bend so that's why I'm very high on the no jack. I'm not aware of which hooks the other two brands you mentioned use (or their available options) but in the pics I've seen they appear to be Mustad hooks so this is why I feel the Dirty Jigs are better. I'm not at all trying to imply my opinion is "better/more correct" than yours, I'm simply saying that I place the most importance on the hook.

Quality, in my opinion, doesn't have anything to do with a company using a rubber collar on their jigs. It's super simple to just replace the collar with braid and therefore eliminate that "problem". I'm much more concerned with paint, skirt, and especially hook quality in my jigs than I am about which method of holding the skirt is used. Dirty Jigs has those 3 areas covered and then some. Best hooks out there (No Jack), great color selection for their skirts and heads and the paint has proven to be quite durable. Again this is just one man's opinion so there will, as has been stated already, be people who don't agree with it. That's perfectly alright as everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I find that there are usually compromises that have to be made when selecting jig brands and I'd much rather that compromise be the rubber skirt collar than any of the other three qualities I mentioned earlier.

Speed Craw, Baby Paca Craw, D-Bomb, 7" curly tail worm, Baby Brush Hog, etc...

I own both the FJ and the FL Symetre, I very much like the new FL but I have limited time with it as of yet. The FJ on the other hand I've fished a ton and if I were in a position in which I had to choose today between the two I'd go FJ all the way. I'm just comfortable knowing what I'm getting with the FJ, it's been a very solid performer for me in every aspect.

Chronarch CI4+ doesn't have dual brakes or magnets. Just centrifugal brakes as with most Shimano reels. All the adjustment dial on the outside of the reel does is move the brake race closer or further away from the brake tabs.

I just picked up 4 D & M chatterbaits earlier this year and I can verify that they are indeed very high quality lures. They are my current favorite by a wide margin.

I'm currently fishing 30# S8S on my Curado 51E with absolutely zero problems. I'm not using a backing on this small of a spool, you certainly can it's just my choice not to with this reel. I have it mounted on a new Crucial 6'10" MH (which is a very nice & powerful stick by the way) and although I don't have a ton of fishing time with this set up yet I did manage to pull a few bass out of some tree tops last weekend on a night trip. I had my drag set fairly tight, as in no slip on the set, and had it tied directly to my hook (Owner 3X 1/8 oz weighted Twistlock) "Rage riggin' " a Zoom Speed Craw and the bass were eating it in those tops. I didn't have a single issue with dig in all night, I will add that I spool my braid with more tension than most I think. Of course I can't be certain about that but I'm just making the point that I get it on there tight. Also for the most part I was pitching so I wasn't taking a ton of line off the reel to allow for "looseness" to occur. I did make some casts throughout the night but they weren't all that long.

I started out using straight fluoro but the very first time I tried braid w/ fluoro leader I was "hooked". I just enjoy fishing braid on spinning gear so much more than either mono or fluoro. I'm with Bassguytom on this issue, best of both worlds. I know some guys say they can't detect the slack line bites using braid like they can using fluoro but I personally don't have that problem. This is only my opinion so take it as such but I don't ever foresee myself switching back.

Another Dirty Jigs fan here, I especially like the "no jack" swim jig of theirs. I use 3 of the 4 varieties of their swim jigs. I use the California swim jig for deeper water, the no jack swim jig for basically an "all purpose" swim jig but mainly in thick grass, and the regular swim jig is also a "do it all" type swim jig for me. The only swim jig I don't use from DJ's is their finesse swim jig. I just don't see the purpose really as I've never had trouble getting great hook sets using the regular swim jig with the bigger 3X Mustad hook. I basically decide between the regular and no jack jigs depending on what color I'm needing that particular day. I have some colors in both jigs that I don't in the other. As for trailers I use a pretty wide variety, I'm really liking the Basstrix hollow bodied swimbait as a trailer right now though. Other favorites are the RI Skinny Dipper, Rage Menace, NetBait Kickin' B, Rage craw, etc.

Another fan of these weights, as you pointed out they're simple, cheap, fast, and effective.

Cell Mate

4/0 in the Bronzeye 65.

X3 Power Pro.

X2, I've found this line to be fantastic! I've tried SunLine fluoro and while it's a very good line I don't feel that it has any advantages over the P-Line. I will say at this point that I'm a big P-Line guy, I use their lines exclusively except for braid. Don't get me wrong I love their braid as well I just can't buy it locally. I'm very excited to try their new braid that they introduced at ICAST as soon as it hits the streets so to speak. I prefer the 100% over Halo but it's just a personal preference thing as I've had very good results using it as well. Halo is easier for the angler to see so if you're really into line watching then it may be an option for you.

Ordered two new Crucial rods this afternoon. The more I've thought about it the more I think I'm going to order one more tomorrow. I picked up the 7'3" H and 7'11" MH today and I'm fairly certain I'm ordering the 6'10" MH tomorrow. I've been waiting on a sale to try these new Crucial rods every since TW got them in. Wait is almost over though as they're suppose to be here tomorrow by 4:30!

Zonda Hedgehog for sure for me, the Alphas is the only Daiwa reel I still own. I tried quite a few of Daiwa's high end reels some years back, TDZ, Pixy, Steez, and of course the Alphas. Every one of those reels were great, I probably fished my TDZ and Alphas the most. I put in a good amount of time with the Pixy as well though. After everything was said and done there was just something about the Alphas that set it apart from the others for me. I know this really doesn't help you all that much but the TDZ would be my second choice. I never had an ITO so I'm not exactly sure how much "better" it was than the TDZ but I know I've read tons of great things about them over the years.

I've certainly used MH rods to fish a frog in a pinch but I just prefer my frog rod to be a H powered stick, even in "open water/sparse cover" type situations. This is just my personal preference. You can absolutely use a MH rod for this technique but I'd only go with those that have an XF action. As I said these are just my opinions on the subject and you may find that your preferences are totally different from mine. Good luck in your search.

Another vote for the Metanium.

My thoughts as well. My previous "favorite" was the Spyderco Delica 4, it's a very nice blade as well but it's lockback can't compete with the Axis lock. Of course these are just my opinions, I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there that prefer the lockback design.

Please report back on how you like, or dislike, this rod when you've had a chance to fish it. I'm seriously considering ordering 6 or 7 of the new Crucial rods and switching brands from Powell. It's either going to be the new Crucial line or the new Powell Max line. I'm going to order a whole new "set" of whichever rod I finally decide on. You're input on the new Crucial rods will be very much appreciated, especially since you have higher end rods to compare them to and therefore are able to give an informed opinion of them.

Ha ha ha, that's true. I've been a big fan of both Benchmade & Spyderco for years so the combination of the Axis lock and "Spyder hole" translates into my idea of a perfect pocket knife. Love this little blade!

I'd go with the new Crucial, but I'm also a "Shimano guy". I've owned a few Daiwa rods in the past, my highest end being a Steez. Daiwa makes great tackle in general so either way you're going to get a nice rod.