War Eagle 44

Sorry, I totally misread your meaning. I like Spiderwire just fine, I currently have 50# Stealth on one setup and 50# Invisibraid on another. I also picked up a spool of Ultracast Ultimate braid in 50# to try. I've not had any problems with either of the two I'm currently fishing though I don't have much time on the Invisibraid. The Stealth has held up just fine. The ultimate braid feels like it might be the best of the bunch as far as Spiderwire goes.

Not for frog fishing. Sinking braid is absolutely the worst thing you can have for this technique.

P-Line Spectrex feels and fishes just like these two lines. I really like the line but what can you expect I have some form of P-Line on most of my reels. Power Pro is almost exactly the same it just isn't as "limp" straight from the box as the other 2. Also I forgot to mention in my first post but 832 is a really good line, just not for frogs. It's great for flipping or really anything else you'd use braid for.

Without a doubt, not even close, frog fishing is the best thing in bass fishing (to me of course). First I like hollow bodies but there are just some days when Toads catch more fish. Either way it's great fun. It doesn't matter to me which type of cover; weeds, wood, rip rap, boat docks it's all the same. Second I'd have to say a square bill. Again it doesn't matter to me if I'm fishing it through/over wood, grass, shallow rocky points, or flats. Third I really like to flip/punch heavy grass. I pretty much like to fish just about anything the fish want that day with the exception of a Carolina rig, I absolutely hate those. I enjoy shakeyheads, finesse/pitching/swimming/football jigs, spinnerbaits, scroungerhead flukes, etc etc... In the end though I like frog fishing so much that if I were granted 3 wishes I'd use one of them on being able to catch fish on a frog every time I go fishing 24/7/365.

From your choices above I voted FX2 but I'd also suggest regular Power Pro over all of them. I used to be a huge fan of S8S but I had a bit of bad luck while frogging last year and lost confidence in the line. It casts great and is very limp after just a little use which makes it great for getting good "walk the dog" action out of your frogs but it cuts very easily. I realize no braid is really abrasion resistant but S8S is at the bottom of the class in this regard. Regular PP is much better in this department. 832 sinks so it's horrible for frogs. Tried it last summer, only lasted two trips. Never fished the Daiwa braid so I have no opinion on it. I also tried FX2 this year, there's nothing wrong with this braid. It casts and handles great right out of the box but I found it to have a little to much stretch for my liking. I bought two spools, 60# in the blue & green color and 80# in solid green. Both pound tests exhibit the same stretchy feeling. I'm currently fishing P-Line Spectrex braid and absolutely love the stuff. Nothing fancy, it's only a 4 carrier braid just like PP but both these lines just flat get the job done IMHO. I'm also fishing the Spiderwire Ultracast Invisibraid right now and so far I'm really liking it as well. After this I have a spool of Spiderwire's Ultracast Ultimate Braid to try. Oh the Invisibraid feels a lot like S8S so it may be in the same class abrasion wise.

My favorite is the Zoom Magnum Lizard. In either Pumpkinseed or Green Pumpkin, both of which I dye the tail chartreuse. My favorite way to fish them is weightless but I've also caught tons of bass texas rigging them. About the heaviest weight I ever use is a 5/16 but in my experience the lighter the weight the better. The most common weight for me is a 3/16 and second is an 1/8. I love to fish them around grass and sunken trees, that super slow fall of a weightless lizard can really get them going some days. I use both spinning and casting gear, both spooled with braid. 20# on spinning and 50# on casting. Sometimes I run a leader if the water is really clear but 80% of the time I go straight braid.

Like the majority here if I were forced to pick just one I'd go with regular Power Pro. I was a huge fan of Super 8 Slick but had an unfortunate breakoff/cutoff that left me with very little confidence fishing this line using any technique without a leader. I was fishing a Spro Bronzeye Shad when it happened so I of course had the braid tied directly to the bait. I fished S8S for over a year and never had a single issue with it until that one but it was enough to cause me to switch. You asked earlier if S8S was as abrasion resistant as Power Pro and in my opinion no it isn't. No braid is really abrasion resistant, just the nature of the line, but S8S cuts very easily. I'm currently using P-Line Spectrex Braid and love it. I'd used it in the past but it became difficult for me to find locally so I switched to Power Pro. I decided to just break down and order some. I also like Spiderwire Stealth and Ultimate braids. I've got one reel spooled with the InvisiBraid that I'm liking as well but it feels really similar to S8S after it gets broken in so it may be another braid that cuts easily. I've tried Sufix 832 on a limited time basis and didn't like it due to one minor thing, it sinks. I frog fish a lot and it was affecting the action of my baits so it had to go. Otherwise it seemed like a great line. Sufix Performance Braid has been trouble free for me as well the times I've fished it. As I said Power Pro is a very good "all around" line, it may not be the best in any single category but all totaled it's pretty good.

If I were you I'd give that Castaic SF a shot before spending more money on another reel. I know it's not the "latest and greatest" but there are still tons of guys out there flipping with those reels. There's actually a guy that fishes the same lakes I do that hoards those things, he has like 5 or 6 on flipping sticks of different actions and powers with different types of line and then 4 or 5 more still in their boxes in his boat just in case something goes wrong with one he's using. He exclusively flips 12 months out of the year. I've fished in a handful of tournaments against him and he beat me more times than I beat him. In fact I only won one tournament that we were both in. I can only recall seeing one other rod in his boat in the 10 years I've known him, he had a deep crankbait setup with a DD22 tied on. Every time I've seen this guy on the lake he's been against the bank flipping wood, grass, boat houses/docks, whatever is there. Sorry I got carried away there, just give that old Shimano a try, you might be surprised how much you like it for flipping.

I have 5# white Power Pro on my ultralight rod, it's easy to see and seems to me to be a little more manageable straight out of the box than green. Now I can tell you it will stain, I've been fishing this line going on two years now and it's a light brown color now that won't "wash off" in cleaner water. I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow. I really like the white line though and plan to pick up more in higher pound tests.

I love to frog fish, it's my absolute favorite way to catch'em. I use a wide variety of colors, the one in this pic is a Bronzeye Jr in Outback. That has been an absolute fantastic color for my local lakes.

I've been using a Curado 301E for a little over a year and absolutely love this reel for A-Rigs. It holds plenty of line has a great drag and it is solid. I'd recommend this reel to anyone looking for a reel for A-Rigs. In a pinch when I've fished with a friend on his boat I've used an Abu Ambassadeur 6601 that worked perfectly fine but it sure isn't in the same class as the 301E. Not nearly as much cranking power and I couldn't get the same distance on my casts. It works but just not at the level I'm used to.

I like a few different baits; Spro Fat John, KVD 1.5, RC 1.5, RC2, and Bandits. I'd like to try the Biggie baits just haven't gotten around to it. Absolutely change the hooks on the KVD baits though. The RC2 as well. There are lots of good sqaurebills out right now. I really like the KVD and Bandit lures for their combination of performance and price. I think my all time favorite is the Fat John. I also like the new Little Fat John's. I've caught more fish on this particular crank than any other single crank I've ever owned. There's just something about this one that gets bit.

I use these for ALL my flipping/punching and they have been fantastic. I never have any trouble hooking or landing fish using these hooks with the Palomar knot. I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 to 90% hookup ratio with these hooks. No bending or flex that I'm aware of.

I have one new Cumara and one new Crucial, in my opinion they are definitely worth the difference in price. Sensitivity is very good with the Cumara A's, I believe they are approaching GLX level.

99% of my flipping/pitching is done with either a Citica 201E or a Chronarch 101B. I'm a Shimano guy so I'd look in their lineup for a new flipping/pitching reel but I'll also add that Daiwa makes great gear as well. Also two of my fishing buddies flip/pitch with Quantums and I've never seen them have any issues with their reels either. There are lots of good choices out there for you to consider, just have to figure out which one suits you best.

I can understand you liking that reel but I'd have to try something different. I don't mean it in the sense that I'm a Shimano guy so I'm trying to steer you in that direction, I just mean if I were in your shoes I'd try something new. Either way good luck in getting your replacement reel. Oh and if you do happen to change your mind let us know which reel you went with.

10# P-Line CXX.

I'm not sure where you got the info that the Owner 3X straight shank hook is weak but it's totally untrue. I also tie my own keepers and I've never had a single problem with the hooks strength. As to the other criteria you mentioned, bulk packs and welded eye, I'm no help with either of those. I really like the idea and design of the keeper that's on the Mustad Grip Pin Max flipping hook but I'm not sure where you might be able to purchase them in bulk. I know you said you liked to tie your own keepers but the ones already on the Mustad are, IMHO, the best design out right now. If you haven't already I'd give the Owner 3X hook a try if you like Owner's cutting point, they're really good hooks in my opinion.

I'm not 100% clear on all the details but as best I remember this is pretty close to what took place. I'm not a fan of straight shanks for flipping/punching myself but I will say these were the best of all the different hooks I tried.

X2, I agree 100%.

I also have a Stradic 1000FI but luckily enough I've not experienced this issue. I would do as DarrenM did and take the bail apart and inspect it to see if your problem is indeed the same gouging issue he's experiencing. If so, and I suspect strongly that it is, then I think I'd either send it in to Shimano or try and fix the issue myself. There has to be something causing the damage so identifying this culprit would lead to ideas on how to resolve the issue. Good luck in getting this sorted out and be sure to let us know when you do as I'm interested because one never knows when his own reel might follow the same path.

I've had a very similar experience to A-Jay, since I picked up my first DD22 HD last year I haven't thrown the regular DD22. My favorite color is chartreuse blue back.

I'll agree 100% with ww2farmer, the KVD 1X strong 2X short Triple Grips are very good trebles and I wouldn't worry about bending them. Especially with 12# mono. I use #2's on all my 1/2oz lipless baits and 1.5 squarebills. Doesn't effect the action of either of these baits. Nothing wrong with using #4's I just prefer the bigger hooks since they can easily be used without any negative consequences for the lures.

I agree P-Line CX is great for spinning gear IMHO and I use nothing but P-Line CXX on any of my baitcasters that don't have braid. My main reason for using this line is the plain & simple bottom line fact that it just doesn't break. Fantastic copoly.

I'm not a huge fan of straight shanks while flipping heavy grass but find they work really well for me texas riggin' open water. I've tried a lot of different brands, Gamakatsu and Owner are my favorites. I'm talking about just straight shank worm hooks, not flipping hooks. These versions are smaller in diameter and don't come with any type of "keeper" except two barbs. I then make my own keeper with braid and heat shrink tubing. Very secure rigging of the plastics without much damage and I've never had one slide down the shank. I've also tried the Owner's in 3X for flipping but still came away with the same results as all the other straight shanks, very poor hookup ratio. As I've said before I know it's me not the hooks but I just can't get the hang of it while flipping. Owner's Twistlock flipping hooks take care of me while flipping though. Anyway guys I just wanted to post a pic of these hooks with my homemade keeper just in case it might help someone else.