F14A-B

I tried to stream it, I got to see John Crews catch one and the feed crashed.. Ike in 10th? Wow.

I tend to agree, 10 years ago I bought ceramic bearings and put them in a Curado 50E. Very little gain, I’d say it pitched a little easier and those bearings were straight up noisy 😂. I removed them and went back to stock.

True and drama, lots of drama 🤣

Interesting, doesn’t feel like a locked down bite to me. 🤣 Exactly. A tough bite and cold fronts are real life scenarios..

I’m not surprised tbh, it was like that last year and I haven’t even tried to watch this today. But I had equally frustrating problems watching MLF on the Harris chain last week. It was an interesting tournament though. I was shocked that Lane pulled it off..

What pray tell is wrong with liking a Florida Tournament on the St. John’s river? Maybe I’m biased, having lived in Jax for many years I love it!

Very nice. Bulldog is a cool dude with a bunch of technical knowledge on reels/rods etc. This might be surprising, but back in maybe 91-92 I snagged a Shimano 500 off the rack at Walmart for $10.(on clearance) Put it on a 5’6” Light/fast Manns rod. With that I could sling 1/8 a country mile and caught hundreds of Crappies, big Redear and my second largest Indiana LMB on it. Bait was a 1/8 roadrunner she was on a bed , on a sandy beach. I threw over the bed and hopped it right into the bed. She inhaled it and if she hadn’t swam off the bed I’d likely never knew she had it. 7 or 8 minutes later I was holding her, 3 minutes later she swam away.. she was easy 7 pounds and full of eggs. I’ve never mounted a fish. I simply used the rod and guided her to me using pressure. Nothing even remotely like tournament fisherman do. Although lately with FFS and spinning there has been a resurgence in proper technique w a rod and reel. It’s probably the most fun fishing there is. Line was 4# stren. The other bait I threw on it was the tiny count down Rapala model.. those two baits were incredible fish catching lures for me on light/ultra light gear I’ve ever used. I tried BFS but it just doesn’t appeal to me really, I’d rather use spinning for that work. Truthfully, I really enjoy using eggbeaters 🤣 All fishing is fun but ultralight/light is very fun!

Yea idk about fishing docks, I’ve kind of abandoned that whole fishing tactic. Those dock owners are very protective and now I can see why.

I sold my crank bait collection in 2010, maybe 300 or so, but I had Bagleys from the late 70’s on into the 90’s. Same with Rapala.. etc. one of my all time favorites was the Risto. Remember those? Those are the ones I regret selling, nonetheless I got a crazy price and a couple Loomis rods. Nowadays I roll with about 100 mostly square bills. Mostly Lucky Craft and Rapala. Some Shimano. IMX crank bait rods. But in late winter, early spring I’ll be throwing a square bill or a trap. I love a horizontal bite in the spring. I been trying to deal with the bait monkey but it doesn’t seem to work. I’m a sucker for crank baits 😂

I have a Stradic 3000 (FL) that has 1 black knob on it and I love it on that reel. You definitely can put some power into that handle fighting fish. I use that reel mostly in the Gulf..

I wanted to say that, really I did 🤣🤣

Couldn’t say, I personally use the GLX line. I’ve been using Heavy rods for close to 40 years. I’m in Indiana as well but I go to Kentucky lake, and others as well as Florida and the GOM.

@Mike L is a resident. Hopefully he can chime in here.. @Dwight Hottle just fished that water, that rod 894C is definitely a much better choice. You would be well served by that rod in Florida.

On many Florida waters there has been a State effort to kill off Hydrilla. But obviously not all lakes have been dealt with on that issue. I’m sure you’re going to need a MH at a minimum but a Heavy is likely your best bet. I use MH to Heavy at 7’ to 7.5 or so. We have a few guys here that live in the state and 1 moderator also. At any rate 3/4 plus bait brings you closer to 1 ounce plus. That rod isn’t going to work for that scenario you’re describing. Where are you going to fish and for how long? Are you a resident? PS: I lived in Florida for several years and fished it extensively. I still travel there and fish. I fish the salt a great deal as well, again, I travel there. That NRX+ is a fine rod, but imo it’s the wrong tool for the weight you want to use and the heavier vegetation you are targeting.

For Florida that’s a little weak on power & 3/4 ounce. Is that 3/4 ounce weight plus bait or just a tungsten slip sinker? I mean you’re not gonna punch with it, but perhaps on shell beds, sparse vegetation and 3/8 you’ll likely be fine.

Very nice color on those fish.

Do you get a free NRX+ with it?

That’s not too bad, last time I bought them they were a buck a piece. For me anyway, the worst part of using them were the gar love them I think better than the LMB do 🤣 They were catching them pretty good on Harris this past week. (MLF)

Nice bag Mr. Florida 😁 curious.. what’s a dozen of wild golden shiners bring these days?

Why do you think they were that incredible? I’m curious, knowing you’re currently a rod builder, what made those rods so good? Do you think it was an issue concerning profit margins or something else that made them change the line up? Appreciate it.

Exactly right, the monkey is only rumored to be signing a contract! Btw, @Swamp Girl the monkey has never ever lost a game, no ties either just straight up victories! 😂🤣😂

I have a MH/fast made with a NFC blank, spinning. As well as a new ML/F spinning. Both are stellar rods, new blanks are S Korean made and I’m sure you’re aware, they are exceptional, what makes it even more special is the affordability vs my GLX rods. I also use Edge/NFC as well. (2 spinning) very good rods as well but Treys CS is exceptional vs Edge imo.

So are you gonna force yourself to do a lefty reel? I mean it’s your choice, I can’t speak on the Curado with MD, I use Metanium reels and Bantams. I’ve recently bought 2 Daiwa Zillion 1000HD reels in 7 speed and I like them a great deal. Since you’re asking I’m voting for the Tatula. What I know about it has been solid, people seem to like the 80 size.

Have you upgraded the spool bearings on the 1000 HD?