War Eagle 44

I'm going to say this is correct, I've never even heard of anyone being able to get them in bulk.

That fish didn't want that lure at all did he.

I promise you these guys that keep telling you that you're going to kill your casting distance with 65# are wrong. Yes 50# will cast slightly farther than 65# but nothing drastic, I'm talking a few feet less not yards. Look up Dean Rojas or Bobby Barrack frogging video's on YouTube and see what pound test line they tell you to fish. Now I don't really have a ton of experience fishing pads but I fish heavy grass all the time. In my area when the grass "tops out" and is to thick to have actual lanes through anymore then I have to start targeting the small holes. I would think this is very similar to fishing the openings between the pads (though I could be way off), when I do this I find my best method often involves dead sticking the frog on the edges of the opening. Both sides, I'll ease it up to the edge of the opening and let it sit for maybe up to 30 seconds before I "hop" it into the water completely where I'll briefly pause it again maybe 5 more seconds just to see if there are any takers then I'll swim/walk it across the opening to the other side and again pause the bait for as long as I feel I can stand it. 90% of my bites are when the bait is sitting completely still on one edge or the other. It's pretty rare that they hit it as I'm walking it across the opening. It seems to me though that if they do hit it as I'm working the lure I can just skip all the waiting junk the rest of the day because they are in a very active mood and they just want to eat. I'm also not big on the whole counting or trying to remember to say a phrase before I set the hook, the only thing I wait for is to make sure I can't see my frog anymore. If my frog isn't there I swing as hard as I can right then. It seems to me that over the years I've had far less fish "roll" or "boil" on the Bronzeye Jr than the regular size so if I've started my day with the 65 and I'm getting plenty of strikes but they just aren't taking the bait I'll switch to the Jr and usually that will do the trick. I guess if I were in your shoes I'd try dead sticking the Jr in the holes between the pads and see what happens from there. Just to clarify here when I say "holes" you know I'm talking about the really small holes between the pads right, I'm certainly not telling you to go look for some really big holes in this thick cover to fish. I'm sure you did understand it's just I've been told several times in the past that I don't always do a great job of getting my point across well.

This way my exact thought as I just ordered 3 three hundred yard spools earlier today! Although I did get the White which I never see in the stores so I would've probably still had to go this route. As a matter of fact the guy I was ordering from told me those would come directly from PP and would take 2 weeks to get here. He said that was the only color they didn't have in stock, (I ordered by phone obviously) which I thought was weird since they were advertising it as if it were in stock. It's no big deal I wasn't in a hurry to get it anyway I just ordered it because at the time it seemed like a good deal until this was posted.

I, like the vast majority of the other guys here, would go with a minimum of 50# braid. I've fished (this year) 20, 30, 50, & 65# on my casting reels and I just don't see this big "casting distance" guys are claiming to get just by going to 40#. I've always felt that 50# braid is the magical size that just has an all around great feel on casting gear. I find it to be my sweet spot as far as braid and "regular" 100 to 200 sized baitcasters are concerned. I've used as low as 20# but moved up to 30# on my Curado 51E that I use mostly for lighter lures and more open water, "around the edges" type fishing. I didn't have any major problems with 20# as long as it was properly spooled the first time. Meaning I had to spool it using a fair amount of tension to prevent the dreaded dig in on hook set. Also not a necessity but I found it very helpful at the end of the day to make an extra long cast and while I reeled back in just hold tension on it again for the next trip. 30# doesn't really call for as much "special" attention, just spool it good the first time and it should be ok. For the last year and half or so I've switched to 65# for all my frogging, I haven't seen that big a difference in the distances I'm able to cast. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I can cast 65# just as far as 50# but I get at least 90% of the distance. I never once broke 50# while fishing I was just starting to get scared I was going to so I made the switch and haven't looked back. I like the extra peace of mind I have with 65 over the few feet of distance I lost with the 50. Either way 50 or 65# braid with your set up and you should be good to go. I wish you the best of luck because there's nothing like a good frog bite in all of bass fishing.

The only lures that I won't fish with straight braid are prop baits. This is because when you pop your rod and the lure moves forward the front "blade" or prop runs into you line and then wraps itself effectively ruining the cast. I always use a copoly leader with these type top water baits. Pretty much anything else is up to you, I'm a big braid guy so lots of my fishing is done with braid without any type of leader.

I had a Zillion some years back, shortly after they were released, it was the HS model. I used it for a frog reel and it was great. I'm a Shimano guy now, back then I was still figuring out what tackle I liked best so I had rods from many manufacturers and reels from Shimano, Daiwa, Garcia, and Quantum. Though I haven't fished with a reel that wasn't a Shimano in at least 5 or 6 years now I still feel very confident in saying that Shimano and Daiwa are by far the top two tackle manufacturers. Their product lines are both excellent it simply comes down to the type of braking you prefer, (or it did for me at least) magnetic or centrifugal. Some guys are able to switch between both without causing any problems but I wasn't one of them. Going from one brand to the other quickly while out fishing often caused my casts to be off target or backlashes. Thus my decision to choose just one and stick with it. All the Daiwa baitcasters that I previously owned were great and as best I can remember I never had a single issue with any of them. I had a Pixy (yellow), Alphas, TDZ, Fuego, Zillion, and a Steez. The only one I kept was the Alphas because it was my favorite. I think which ever direction you choose to go you'll be happy because Daiwa really hit a home run with the first gen Zillion line of reels. Anyone picking one up now at the reduced prices is really getting a smoking deal. Plus Daiwa reels have more aftermarket parts available for them that anyone else.

Yes definitely a great deal if they are in fact 300 yard spools. There is always much debate over which braid is "best" on numerous forums not just this one and the one constant you'll find in all these debates is PP. I'm not saying it's the best, all I'm saying is that it's a very good line, especially at that price.

Wrong again, learn to read. He said around $200-220.

Well just based on actual facts this statement is 100% BS. The spool in the CH 50 is lighter than the spool in the Sol and as we all know spool weight plays a big part in "finesse" fishing with a baitcaster. Therefore the Sol actually isn't a better finesse reel than the CH 50. The CH 50 has more total drag pressure while also making smoother more consistent pressure.

Yeah I'm on board with you regarding green fingers after spooling fresh braid. I'm trying to remember if any I've tried didn't turn my fingers green if I held tension on it with my hand and I can only come up with two. Sufix 832 Ghost and PP White I think the reasons are obvious .

I've never had PP "flake" on me before. Performance Braid is a very nice line, you're right about it being a little more manageable right out of the box. My biggest gripe with PB was the color bleed. My hands always turned green the first trip or two. Never have this problem with PP. I think the coating (whatever it is) is what makes PP last as long as it does as well as help with abrasion resistance. At the end of the day though it just like Oregon Native says "variety is the spice of life". Also the real point of this sport is to have lots of fun catching fish. They don't care what braid we're using so use what makes you happy and have the absolute best possible time on the water you can each time you get a chance.

P-Line 100% Fluorocarbon

I'm only using your post as an example to make my point, I'm in no way trying to single you out nor am I insinuating that my opinion is any more valid or important than yours or anyone else. I see this type of post all the time regarding PP and 832 but I for the life of me can't understand why. I mean PP isn't even that much louder than 832. PP S8S is much quieter and at least for me handles better. I'll give 832 this, it does have better abrasion resistance than S8S. I don't think it has a single advantage over PP except the slight noise reduction. I have four almost full spools of Sufix braid (three 832 one Performance) just collecting dust in my tackle room right now. Granted I don't have a single "horror" story to tell about how Sufix braid let me down time and time again, it hasn't. In fact the times I've fished with it the line has performed just as it was suppose to. I just don't find anything exceptional about it. It just isn't my cup of tea so to speak. That's why there are so many different brands on the market though, there will never be a time when everyone likes the same line. As I said up front, this is only my opinion, it isn't right it isn't wrong it's simply an opinion.

You aren't leaving enough slack in your line.

I'm not sure that's happening before the hook is going into the fish, I think it's more than likely just the body being spun around during the fight but yes that does happen quite often. Sometimes the hook even comes completely out of the frog and the body is way up your line when you land your fish. Strange things happen sometimes, no big deal though. Frog fishing is my favorite way to catch bass so I spend way more time than I should with my frog rod in my hand.

Spro is my favorite brand as well. Lots of guys seem to have durability issues with them but that has never been the case with me. You definitely need to do yourself a favor and get a Bronzeye Shad ASAP, if you think the other baits walk well you just wait. Nice job catching those fish by the way!

I picked up two of these at the Classic Expo back in Feb. and in my opinion they aren't nearly as well made as the R2S S-Waver. The R2S also has a much more fluid "swim" and better finished paint. About the only weak point I've found in the S-Waver for the money is their stock hardware. It may appear robust but it isn't. Or at least in the case of the hooks, they are strong but they're strong to the point that they don't bend but break. As far as the split rings go I just automatically switch them out because of a previous bad experience with stock R2S rings on a Whopper Plopper. Other than those minor details, for their price, the S-Wavers are a solid buy in my opinion. I will add though that the 200 is a big bait for guys not accustom to throwing swimbaits, it may not sound or look like it online or in pictures but in person and out on the water it is.

No, I don't. Not the shade they chose anyway.

I hate the looks of every single line of rods Powell has except the Max, I'm not fishing with anything I'm not 100% satisfied with, there are way to many options out there to settle. Don't get me wrong here I fully realize Powell won't close it's doors because it's lost me as a customer but there's a 99.5% chance that I'm moving on. This also doesn't mean they don't still make great rods.

Owner 6/0 Twistlock CPS XXX

If I'm not totally mistaken Spyderco will send you a new clip for it if you call or e-mail them. As long as you didn't strip the screws you can just put it back on the same side, in the case that the threads are bad well you'll just have to get used to the clip being on the other side OR you can buy a new liner for the handle which or course will come pre-drilled and ready for installation. Yes you're going to love the CU 300. I think it's well established here than I'm a Shimano "diehard" but I really do try and keep my posts honest. I was very surprised the first time I fished my 301E by the power of the retrieve. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it but you'll understand once you've fished yours. Mine is also one of my most solid reels, I'm talking this thing is a tank. I've "upgraded" my spool bearing to Boca hybrid 5's but honestly the thing fished great with the stock bearings after I properly cleaned and oiled them. So much so that I've seriously given thought to going back to Shimano bearings in this particular reel because really all the Boca's have added are manageability issues. The reel was much more controllable if that makes sense to you with the stock bearings. I've never spooled it with anything but 20 or 25# CXX as of yet because I don't like braid for my A-Rig fishing but I'm sure that's when I'd be able to really appreciate the Boca's slight performance gains. I'm a real braid fan and the only two rods I don't have braid on are this one and my crankbait rod. I've always been able to cast much easier and farther using braid than mono, fluoro, or copoly so I might spool this reel up some day soon with some braid just to see how it does because it will absolutely launch a Whopper Plopper now.

Those do look awesome! I'm a big Powell fan and I've been fishing the Max series a long time now but I was seriously about to drop them altogether in favor of the new Crucial line because I haven't liked any rod series they've released since the Max. These might keep them in consideration. I'm thinking these are the redesigned Max series, though I'm totally taking a shot in the dark on that. Either way I really like them.

That surprises me that your bigger bites on the Bream imitation come while using the swimbait style trailer. That just hasn't been the case for me at all down here (AL), I have a very difficult time even getting bit at all using say a Skinny Dipper with a Bluegill swim jig. The best numbers trailers would probably be rage craws, menace, and baby paca craws. Those trailers will definitely catch some nice quality fish along the way as well. If I'm really in the mood to just fish for one or two big bites all day I'll use a NetBait Kickin B, it's a big hunk of plastic that really bulks up the "body profile" of the jig and all those ribs really move a lot of water. Not to mention the flapping claws. I rarely use it as my trailer because as I said I get very few bites when I do but... if I can get one to bite it's usually at least 4 pounds.

95% of all of my jigs are now Dirty jigs. This wasn't the case as short as 2 years ago but the more I fished with them the more I came to realize just how good they truly are. Anyway back on topic, it seems to me that a "swimming" style trailer such as the RI Skinny Dipper is the most effective for me when I'm imitating shad. On the other hand it seems I get far more bites from a "chunk" style trailer such as a Rage Craw, Baby Paca Craw, Paca Punch, Kickin B, Menace, etc. when I'm imitating Bluegill. I've tried mixing and matching all shapes, sizes, and combos as I'm sure you have as well but these seem to be the basic rules to follow. I've not found many of these trailers that won't work both in light and dark colors but I've found the Rage Menace to be very very versatile indeed. I might just take this one if I were forced to pick just one trailer for all my swim jig needs. I guess if I had to name a few colors (keep in mind these are all Dirty Jigs colors) of course Black & Blue, Bluegill, Phantom Chartreuse Shad, Pearl Ghost Shiner, Dirty Chartreuse, Magic Craw, Green Sunfish & Sprayed Grass.