War Eagle 44

I agree completely.

Just started using the Yumeya spool in my CH 101B this week, it was my first experience with an aftermarket spool. I'm "hooked", this thing really makes a difference in the casting ability of this reel. I've always been very fond of the CH B and the addition of this spool only makes this great reel better. I'm running 30# PP (which this spool doesn't hold all that much of) on a Crucial 6'10" MH. The fellow I bought it from had only used it a few times and it was in brand new condition when I received it. It originally wasn't meant as a casting spool so it didn't come with a VBS brake hub. The previous owner had already installed one so I of course left it on, I didn't add any brake blocks though. I wanted to see if I could get away without using any. I'm very happy to report that I can! Having successfully fished with it on two occasions now I'm probably going to remove the brake hub altogether. It casts small light lures fantastically but the area that I'm most excited about is it's ability to pitch them even better. I was having a blast with this small jig, it's so effortless to present this lure now. Anyway sorry to have gone on so long.

I agree with this point of view. It seems that this action works best when using braid while a faster action is better when using fluorocarbon.

I have a first generation Cumara 7'2" MH spin rod, it has the same lure specs as the ones you stated above and I have absolutely zero trouble casting weightless trick worms or flick shakes. I'd definitely go with the Cumara over the Crucial.

X3 I also really like these jigs. They make a great "all purpose" jig.

Will do! They feel really nice to me, especially in this price range. I again compared them to the new Zodias rods today and I came away with the exact same impression as last time, these feel like the better rod. I know "better" isn't really the correct word here more like the E6X feels more like how I think a rod should. Doesn't mean I'm right, just means I made the best choice for me.

Stopped by the tackle shop this morning to pick up a couple of E6X rods and what else did I find, the new for 2015 Dirty Jigs swim jig colors. I was pretty surprised to see them because I haven't seen any pics of them yet, just the pre order on their website. They have 4 colors but I can only remember 3, Blue Glimmer, Sexy Guntersville Shad, and Spot Special. I picked up 1 Blue Glimmer in 5/16oz and 2 Spot Special's, 5/16oz and 3/8oz. Can't wait to fish the Spot Special, hopefully I'll get to Sunday.

Picked up these two this morning, MBR 843 & 844. Hoping to fish them Sunday.

Along with the above mentioned two lines, regular PP comes in a white color as well. Been fishing it on a couple spinning reels and it's great. To me it seems to be ever so slightly softer or more limp than the green PP. Could just be my imagination though.

I've been using Owner's with the CPS for some years now and they've all but stopped this problem for me. Primarily I've used the standard 3X Twistlock hooks in 5/0 & 6/0. Last year I started using their Zo wire flipping hooks with CPS and they seem to work just as well if not better. I leave both hooks buried slightly under the skin and never have any trouble getting solid secure sets.

Same as some of the other guys, Owner Beast. I fish them on the un-weighted version the most.

Granted I don't fish a ton of lily pads but I do flip/punch a lot and I've always had the best results with a 3/4oz. I had a conversation with the owner of our small town tackle shop and he said he also has the best luck with 3/4. I know that this isn't always the best weight to use, obviously, as other have already pointed out you have to have enough weight to get your lure to the bottom but I'd try 3/4 first just to see if it's adequate. If it is then that's the weight I'd stay with. Good luck.

The 6XD & Spro Little John DD are my two favorite deep cranks at the moment. As suggested the DD22 is also a "must have" but it doesn't quite make it to 20', if I'm not mistaken I think it dives to about 17'. The Rapala DT 20 and Lucky Craft D20 are also very good plugs.

I own 2 DC reels, the Calais & Calcutta, I haven't picked up any of the newer reels because I've been disappointed in the direction Shimano has gone with the DC unit. I think the 4x8 unit in the Calais is by far the best they've offered. I really like being able to pick the setting that's "right" for me instead of them practically choosing for me. I just feel they limit the newer reels to much in this regard. Otherwise the newer reels are great. Good luck with your new Metanium and I hope you get many great years of fishing with it. I know I've certainly enjoyed my two, especially the original DC, the Calcutta TE DC.

I was able to play around with a few in the tackle shop last week and really liked them. In fact I'm planning on picking up a couple at least maybe 4 or 5. I was also able to handle the new Shimano Zodias at the same time and I came away much more impressed with the Loomis rods.

S8S isn't overly noisy with recoils in my opinion, yes they do make the braid sound slightly louder than "regular" type guides but nothing that really ever bothered me. I only use the Albright knot and I haven't had any failures so far. I practiced tying it a lot though in order to get a good sense of just how the knot performed before I first fished it. I didn't want my failure to tie it properly to influence my opinion. I try and tie my leaders so that they are just long enough to not go onto my reel. This, of course, is a different length depending on which length rod I'm using so I just try and eyeball it. I really only use a leader on slow moving "bottom contact" type of techniques. For flipping mats, frogging, swim jigs etc I just tie the braid direct.

Nice review, thanks.

Loomis MBR rods are specifically meant to fish like a rod one power heavier, so for instance the MBR842 will fish like a 3 power JWR Loomis. The MBR rods also have a very different taper when compared to a JWR. I can't remember exactly where I read this but I just thought I'd throw that out there just in case it helps.

I have 4 flipping sticks at the moment, 1 Loomis, 1 Crucial, 1 Falcon Expert, and 1 Powell Max. I've fished the Powell the most by a wide margin. It's the 7105 with a Citica E spooled with 65# braid. I know this isn't the most expensive set up but it just flat out works. I love the moderate action of this blank because it really has helped me hook more fish while punching. The Loomis GLX rod I have is a nicer stick for sure but it's action is much stiffer and I have missed a few fish while punching with this rod. I just have to be mindful of which rod I'm using and then I have no problems with the GLX. Both rods offer more than enough "power" for the heaviest mat fishing but the Loomis definitely has more. The Falcon is a really good little flipping rod as well, I've used it a lot over the years and love it. It doesn't have quite the same amount of power as either of the other two rods but it more than makes up for that with it's super light weight and great sensitivity. I can't really put into words how this rod fishes to me but I can say that I will be absolutely crushed if/when something finally happens to it.

I've never tried a Horny Toad as my swim jig trailer but I've only heard good things. I do however use a NetBait Kickin' B and it is a very similar bait. Really bulks up the presentation as well as gives great action. It's a fairly heavy plastic as well so it helps with good casting range too.

As others have already pointed out this size works super on a shakeyhead as well as being just as effective punching mats as the larger versions. Some days the fish under those mats just prefer a smaller bait.

I've got a couple packs of those new Owner ST-35's in size 2, haven't fished them yet but I'm pretty sure they will replace all other trebles for me. Well, at least on any bait that I use short shanks with.

Owning 2 DC reels myself, a Calcutta TE DC & a Calais DC, I'll have to admit that I too love that sound! I'm sure the reel you have on the way is going to be sweet, let us know how much you like it when it gets here.

I'm a big P-Line fan so I've been fishing CX on spinning gear for years. I've tried to tell people how good this line is but most guys simply won't try it because it isn't the "latest/greatest". About the only P-Line product that I've not liked is Fluoroclear. It has a ton of stretch and poor knot strength, or at least in my experience it's performed this way.