Master Bait'r

Hadn't really thought about it. Let me figure out how much labor there was in it and I'll let you know what I could make you something for.

Was walking the dog and picked up one of the rusty railroad spikes from the old line they pulled out years back. Decided I was going to give it a whirl and pound it out into a simple fixed blade. Came out pretty good for a quick college try! Might have to scrounge up a few dozen more!

Uuuugh I did that once, they flew straight up my pants!! Stung me up something fierce and so fast all over I thought I was being electrocuted! I had to rip off my belt, literally somersaulted out of my shoes/pants and ran away from my jeans barefoot and swatting like you see in the cartoons- 2ft off the ground the whole time haha wow that hurt... Jewels saved though, totally worth it!!

It's really nice to see people posting in this thread regularly again!

Yeah Sunline makes great lines too but Seaguar flat out kills it with their high end products like Tatsu and Smackdown IMO. CXX and Gliss are the only non-Seaguar lines I even buy anymore.

I use 15# smack for finesse on my MXF casting rig and loooooove it. Just have to use epoxy-sealed eye hooks, because it's so thin it can get caught in the wire end crimping of normal hooks and break off. I also went from 50# FX2 to 40# Smackdown on my frog rod and picked up at least a good 30% in casting distance. No discernable loss in any aspect of heavy cover muscle or bait action either, just crazy quiet and never had a nest either. Smackdown is just the best braid I've ever found. Most of my rods have Ti recoil guides as well so noise can be a factor with low carrier count or coarse braid, but I love how smooth and supple it is. If you aren't afraid of the price, just do it. It's awesome. Oh and if you're reeeeeally concerned about breaking off in uber cover, you can likely go another rating higher with the Smackdown vs. other stuff and still be ahead in casting and handling.

I've used SX1 & FX2 extensively, and even though they are extremely durable they're also pretty rough and so are loud. I have switched over completely to Smackdown. It's thinner, smoother and more supple. I love it. Best braid by far!

That's not so much a shot at fame as it is a brochure for facial rendering software. That's a pretty cool program if you ask me!!

Good! If any species needs to be overfished it's the d**n snakeheads.

^lol Go ML. Great in-between power that can do so many things so well. Light action rods I'd be using for super tiny baits and trout/stream fishing.

Pretty sure I just bought 5 packs of Biffle-Os instead of 3 lol

Also you can always color the last 2' or so of braid with a black marker if you think it'll help.

Better PM BigBill. I bet he knows.

If it's clarity and non stretchiness you're after CXX may be worth a look. It's the least stretchy clear line I've ever tried and I really like it.

I like to think I don't, but as time goes on all I want are Shimanos. It's a pretty clear preference in my mind but I don't disparage any other maker and quite enjoy my Ito.

I really like those little pocket frogs. You can throw them on lighter gear too, I've upsized the hooks and replaced blown legs with skirting too, absolute killer!

Yes and if your reel is in that range it's likely you can buy bearings, spools, dress parts and all kinds of goodies... The reel itself can be a blank canvas if one is so inclined. The rod you spend the money on once. Even if it's a gorgeous custom, it's generally done only once. The reel purchase itself could very easily just be opening a door.... A big expensive anodized and carbon fiber honeycomb door!

So I can see it, also so they can see it. I have a philosophy. I keep realistic colors for when the bite is finicky and I'm moving slow and I keep loud colors- white, yellow, pink etc. for when the bite is on fire, I'm moving fast and they're hitting anything. Color is the same in any discipline- usually it doesn't seem to matter a whole lot, but sometimes it seems like it's the only thing that matters.

Every time one of these "pick one" threads pops up, all I can even think is "Dang- sure am glad I don't have to!!"

I put a Stella on one of my rods recently. It was an older model and I got a great deal on it, so was even cheaper than an FJ. Still a wonderful 15 bearing reel with a stellar drag and line management, but a fraction of the cost of a new one. I couldn't be happier. I have an NRX 852c with a wildcard also, but I got that used too- killer deal. I put a Megabass Ito Ai reel on it, which again is a great reel but older and used... Pair perfectly. Spent way less than half what people would assume otherwise. I think people who buy new or pay retail are the crazy ones, but fishing and collecting gear is like eating a Reese's PB cup- there is no wrong way. Do what works for you!

Depends 100% on what deals are available at the time and what I'm trying to do with the combo. It's worth noting, however, that you can tune a reel to cast just about over the moon- the rod you buy is the rod you'll use until you sell it. You can't really change a rod.

Lol nope!

Heck for $20k you can set your sights a little higher! Check the Western Mass pages, I remember seeing a sick '04 bass cat for like 18k.

If you want crappie tubes check out the slurpies (they may have changed the name) from northland tackle. Awesome little panfish tubes with fish heads. Also Biffle-Os are like straight tail tubes and are a great tube/worm/Ned crossover presentation as well that gets bit.

Grabbed some keitech tungsten mono guard jigheads in 3/32oz, some tungsten j-heads in 1/12oz and two more of those cool Ecogear ZX vibe craws, one in 35mm/Crawdad and one in 40mm/Mantis Shrimp. The ML setup is going to be working the bottom so hard this year.