Master Bait'r

Ooooh I like that. Like a cleaner northland but without the top hook & such.

I'm from down around Springfield... You can make the T-rig do anything and it works great. Either unweighted or pegged as shown before, or the Carolina rig can be very effective deep. If you want deep baits you can run with weeds and muddy/weeded bottom, jigs and things like the weedless Huddleston grass minnows/shads as well as covered hard baits like the yo-Zuri prism crayfish are made to target that too. The options are endless but that doesn't mean the concepts are complicated. The best advice I can give though is to read, pay attention on here and fish as much as possible. Get to know your water and think about presentation on what's there. There's way too much to tell you in a simple response.

Love sling packs. When I'm standing in the river and I want to change something, a walk to the bank is a no. Pack light, don't waste time or motion and adapt quickly. You don't have to take it off, just slide it around and open it- acts as a catch basin too so you don't drop stuff. After river traipsing with a sling I could never go back. Cabelas, DSG and even a few other brand names have offerings in the $30 range that would do you well. It doesn't have to be fancy. Even check Amazon etc.

Haterade maybe haha nobody's making you live there man

13 *** black. If it fits your hand you will not find more rod for the price. Ti recoils, ultra light blanks with tons of backbone and a nice springy tip section that let's you feel and cast baits all the way to the bottom of their rating. Very versatile rods for sure.

I hate WelfareMart. Honestly I won't even go there for a fishing license anymore.

When I'm a guest, I act like one. I bring snacks, I bring phenomenal beer and I bring high fives. I also offer to throw in gas, but it's usually refused on account of the food and beer.

Super sized s crank? Looks like fun!

Thankfully no. Just a close call or two. I've actually found somebody else's anchor when I needed one the most though haha- we were getting blown all over the lake and no sooner had I said "Man, we need an anchor bad!" than we noticed a yellow rope coming up from the depths... Paddled over and wouldn't you know it- an anchor. Just when we needed one. Definitely one of those "You know you're livin' right when..." moments haha

FWIW if it was pink with purple flowers on it I'd still fish it every day.

Being a metal guy, they unfixed a problem that had been fixed long ago because they figured it looked cool haha... Making it out of solid round wire was a bad idea for a lot of reasons. Torque loading, overall weight needed to compensate for lack of structural rigidity and long term durability all come to mind. This reel is more like de-evolution to me- looks cool but doesn't think worth a lick. Would not buy.

Whoa! That looks REALLY nice, man. Sweet combo! Borderline distractingly beautiful haha I got two reels in the mail last night. The Ito Ai I immediately took apart and cleaned/re-lubed as it had some grime in the cracks, then polished the frame with Never-Dull/microfiber cloth for over an hour and stuck 'er on the 852 to see how it balanced. It's like they were made for each other! Incredibly light for sure, palms perfectly into my hand and looks awesome too. I can't wait to spool it up and put it to use! No sooner had I put that combo in the rack then the doorbell rings- it's the mailman with the Curado 200i AND my flash carp slide swimmer. STOKED AGAIN. Opened 'er up and freespooled it to the sound of a metal ticking- OH NO! Pulled it apart, gave it a full clean and proper re-lube, reassembled it and it's smooth as a baby's bottom now. Put it on the 705cb champ and called it a day. I had sweet dreams last night to say the least.

Straight braid unless I'm putting a smaller swimbait on my heavy braid setup in which case I use a FC leader.

You just picked up more jerkbaits than I even own haha

Glass isn't what it used to be and technology is moving at an incredible rate. IMO any enthusiast would do well to keep a close eye on innovation and be willing to disregard what they held true in the past more and more. The 705CB glass/fast Dobyns Champ is actually lighter than its graphite counterpart strangely enough. Modern glass/graphite hybrid blanks are engineered to give the best of both worlds. You can get fast, crisp action while working the bait and once the fight is on and the blank loads it has the parabolic cushion that only glass can really give to keep those trebles buttoned. I know everyone is different and some people want graphite which is totally cool but to apply the old adage that glass rods are heavy noodles would be doing yourself a disservice given the recent advances in technology and application. Not all glass blend rods are created equally either, so just as with graphite you still have to find your comfort zone in a manufacturer or you aren't going to have a good time.

I know I was just messin' with ya. I love crazy colors. The crazier the better on a big fat loud topwater like that! (Or black of course)

All the more reason to buy the coolest reel you can manage!

You know why I do it? Because I like it. I want to open my tackle box and see every gleaming piece of hardware my heart desires looking back at me, ready to do my bidding. Perfect colors, actions, function, rattles and components- all of them. I work my hands to the bone in a really tough trade and I don't even want a lot back out of life- but the things I do enjoy like skiing and fishing I will not dilute my pursuit of simply to entertain someone else's satisfaction paradigm. Sexy baits that tickle your fancy are their own reason. If someone has a problem with my collection, I'd have to remind them that the problem is theirs and theirs alone. One of my favorite quotes is from Robert Fritz: "If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise."

A Gan Craft Song 115f is gliding my way as of right now. I hope I can resist stuffing it into my mouth when it arrives.

A+++ For fun, gear aquisitions and advancement B- for effort put into diversifying beyond my favorites and go-to styles

A wise woman once told me "That's why they make more than one flavor of ice cream" It is truly a beautiful thing that we can all find our comfort zone in this day & age, as there is no shortage of quality options. There really is something for everyone, and there is no wrong answer if the reel fits your hand, wallet and situation. It's a great time to be fishing! Cheers to our first world problems!

Not while there's jars of bacon grease in my fridge. I shudder to imagine the smell during those long summer months should TUNA OIL spill in the boat... Bacon on the other hand, well that's another story!

I have one still somewhere. It was my first baitcaster and I must have birds nested it a good 20 or 30 times. That reel was what led me to this place in an attempt to figure it out. I was pretty frustrated. Got it dialed though and caught a couple fish on it and that was that. I should sell that combo now that I think of it. It's just sitting there and somebody could be putting it to good use. I might have to put that up for grabs today. I hate when stuff goes to waste.

^ Gonna catch all the hippie bass with that tie dyed rat! Should chum the water with some patchouli incense haha

Will it be a 4 carrier braid? Sounds like it.