Master Bait'r

Cheers to a fantastic consolation rod! I have an 852c with a PXLR and it’s the lightest, most sensitive combo I own. The P5s in certain flavors got snatched up QUICK. I just found a Tequila Baccarac recently and feel very fortunate to have been paying attention when I was. I wish there was more feedback on the ICBM, that seems like such an interesting rod to me.

You’re going to have fun completely spooling that thing with a 1/4oz bait lol what a perfect combo!

Cheers and happy Father’s Day everybody! Been a while since I’ve had a day off and some couch time so I wanted to stop back by and say hello/ share some fish & gear stoke as nobody in my immediate circle even knows what any of this is lol Life is still insane, and so of course fishing has continued to take a backseat but I’ve gotten out a few times this summer. got a new PB Also just picked up a Megabass Tequila Baccarac and a Shimano Grappler to pair up for slinging all my biggest freshwater gear and also my salt stuff- I love low profile/high power salt fishing! Can’t wait to put them together, spool it up and take it out for a spin!

Ugh. Megadogs. OF COURSE They're a better casting version of the big Doc striper walkers. OF COURSE they're 3x the cost. OF COURSE I have to have at least 3 now. *sigh* the struggle is just so real.

Never fished any finesse jerk that held a candle to the X-80 trick darter. Be advised though- they’re highly addictive, they aren’t cheap and the katsuage hooks are suuuuuper sticky but prone to destruction when fighting the big girls.

Been away from the game for a while due to some career obligations that took up literally all my time and then some, but I'm currently pretty deep in the throws of a preseason quiver shakeup and it's been fun to get back into the literal and figurative swing of things- my basement is in complete reorganizational disarray. It's awesome. Determined to get back out on the water with some sexy new gear this summer and reconnect with my love for the obsession. Currently liquidating one hobby's extras to grab a few new Megabass sticks and some heavy plastic to chuck, and I'm already stoked to gush over the unsheathing of a new rod. It's good to be back!

I haven’t posted actively here in a long time but these frogs still just kill it for me time and time again. Even the kids can just slay with these because they require 0 specialized technique. I still make them up the same and I haven’t changed the rod, reel or line and it still lets me pull frog fish from just about anywhere the top water bite exists. Now if I just had more time to get out and fish ‘em! Also, what happened to pictures in my absence? This one is stripped and so is my boat thread, both make me very sad as I’m not sure I have those pictures anywhere else.

You aren’t kidding! Customs is probably a nightmare too. Best of luck with that, post some close-ups when you get that beaut in hand!

That tinyklash is SWEET! ??

I’ve been a custom fabricator my entire adult life and I never tire of seeing the fine handiwork of a person whose attention to detail is that exceptional. Craftsmanship is an art, and that man is a true artist!

I love my song 115s!!

I don’t know the OP, but Cat Crap does work darn well for ski goggles while snowmaking- the worst fogging conditions on the planet.

That is just ridiculous. Never even conceived something like that could occur in a million years, Catt. Let this be be a lesson to us all, when the wife asks where we’re going the answer henceforth shall be “Headed out to try and win a new truck!”

Well, I’ve been laying low for a few months while the mountain was open- so much going on I haven’t had really any time to myself since last fall. Now that I’m off for a while I decided to warm up my trigger-pulling finger and get set up with some saltwater gear. Really got into it last year at my buddy’s cabin on the beach in MA and after pulling blues, stripers, black bass, false albies and others it’s hard to avoid obsessing about getting kitted out for the likely scenarios while the ice is out. I set up my Exsence DC with my 8’ green/cork swimbait Crucial that’s good for 1 to 3oz and I use that for lighter plugging, topwater and jigging. Works amazing, could not imagine a lighter and more crisp rig for feeling light bites or keeping a super spook/sw Sammy walking in the strike zone all day. I also picked up a chunking setup too. 10’ Team Daiwa Surf MH spinning rod, fast blank and good for 2-6oz baits. Paired it with a KK baitfeeder III reel w a 2 stage drag and will be using it for weight & bait along with really big jigs. I also grabbed a 9’ Brutus combo for a beater rig, good for 1-5oz that I only really use for gigantic topwaters like the 7 & 9” docs. Then I grabbed a huge stack of baits. Literally filled an entire tackle bag in the past few weeks. Super spooks to docs, diamond jigs to bucktails and Ronz, SPs, spoons, terminal tackle, weights etc etc etc. It’s going to to be a heck of a season. Can’t wait to grill on the beach and wrestle some salt donkeys! Fresh water is right around the corner and I’m excited to get out but I have so much new gear to use at the beach it’s got me buzzing to get it all wet and fish slimey. Cheers BR, the snow is almost gone!

One of these days I’ll have to do a write-up. It’s a killer setup for TRDs, Biffle-Os, TRD tubes, ECO gnats, keitech spin jigs etc etc. just keep the drag low and you’re $$$

I ended up buying the one piece Benkei 6’5” UL with the solid tip section. Paired it with a Daiwa BG 1500 and it is pretty sick, but I am definitely putting a true UL 1000/500 reel on it for long term. Very crisp rod though, when your bait passes through a fish fart you can feel what they ate!

Easily my favorite rod series so far. If you ever see a leviathan for sale at a decent price please let me know

Man I love my perfect pitch. Makes me list for a leviathan. So upset I missed them for $200 at TW’s clearance

Bought my first fishing related purchases in months. Got a Kastking Sharky Baitfeeder 3 for chunk/live baiting in salt. Looking forward to having a 2-stage drag with a clicker for sure. Also picked up a SW LC Sammy 128 for $8 which is too good to pass up.

That’s excellent news, very glad to hear that! I will definitely be picking one of those up before the leaves are out again.

I am definitely going to be picking one of these up (or selling the boat altogether) but I’m seriously getting sick of the rollbacks of their release. Any word on when they’re *actually* going to be available to buy? Looks to be a slick unit if it EVER comes out. Maybe they’ll throw in a copy of G&R’s Chinese Democracy on release haha

This kid is going places. Likely a homeless shelter, but still... Strong work!

It's pics like those that make me feel totally fine with all the cash I've spent on gear.

For topwater, jerkbaits and things like smaller sinking needlefish lures etc. I use an 8’ MHF Crucial swimbait blank with a Shimano Exsence DC and love it. I find it to be a great Goldilocks setup where you can have a really nice twitch action for walking topwaters and jerking with super light weight & sensitivity but still have the length to bomb that sized bait out past the surf and the power to horse them in. In freshwater its it’s a great swimbait setup too, and I primarily fish from a kayak. Brings me joy year ‘round and I personally like longer rods even from a yak. I toyed with selling the crucial a while ago for something with more power but it just handles that slot so well I’d rather do a full-on Calcutta 400/10+oz rod setup for deep water and chunking than “break up the band”. Trying to work lighter salt tackle with a trolling or surfcasting rig is torture.