Bass2124

I have never tried walking the dog until last summer. I used KVD sexy dawgs after someone on here, I believe, recommended it for a first timer. It took me about 5 casts and I was walking like a pro....well almost. I have tried spooks and other top water plugs and nothing is easier than the sexy dawg and they flat out catch fish.

Ran into a guy at Dicks ( who may have been an undercover salesman) raving about Keitech Swing Impact swim baits. Of course after hearing about all of the fish that he has caught, I just had to buy some in 4.5" Ayu. I have had very little luck with paddle tail swimbaits for the smallies that I fish in the river but I have not really given them that much of a chance either. One of the reasons I have not had much luck or have little confidence in them is the lack of hook ups. What are some of the better swim bait hooks that you all use?

I got a speed spool for $100 at Dick's a few years ago and it is by far the worst reel I have ever owned. A lot of slop, lost the smoothness after a few weeks and the drag is terrible. The smoothness comes back after a good cleaning but is short lived. Must have got a lemon or their lower end models aren't very good. Because of that experience I am reluctant to go with Lew's again, despite the great reviews that they have. I have never owned an Abu reel but have several of their rods. Their customer service has been excellent. It's just hard for me to turn away from Daiwa and Shimano when it comes to reels as I have had zero issues.

Thanks for the advice! Thanks. I'm guessing the one I got is real as it does have the Pointer SP on the belly of the bait. The hardware is just a little cheap as you pointed out which can be remediated with a quick change. I agree one would expect more with a $16 bait. I ordered a Spro Mcstick 110 and a Jackall squad minnow 95 which were about $5 cheaper. I have heard great things about these as well and some like them better than the pointers. Hopefully I will have the same experience as they are more in my price range. KVD's are priced right but they do not produce like the pointer from my experience.

Oh it was in the original box. It will still get plenty of use and it has been worth the price. I just can't believe the low quality of the hooks and the split rings. I have seen better split rings in the $1 bargain box at Walmart. These things were like butter. Just would like to know if that is just the way Lucky Craft split rings are made as I have never owned one up until now.

I was changing the treble hooks today on my one and only LC pointer that I purchased this fall on ebay for $16 and noticed how poor the quality of the split rings were. Very soft and bent all to crap. As I got to thinking, I had to change the hooks on it only after a few weeks of use because they were bent. The paint job is also pretty beat up with quite a bit of hook rash. My other jerkbaits, KVD and Bomber Long A's aren't nearly as beat up (then again I haven't caught as many fish either with those) and I have had them for 2 years. I did check it out and compared it with some google images and it looks identical. Now I have caught a crap load of bass on this jerkbait, way more than any other jerkbait that I have used, so I am not that disappointed but just kinda shocked on the low quality of the components. There is brand name counterfeit going on in the golf industry big time so I was wondering if it is happening in the fishing industry as well? Just a little curious??

I knew that would be the answer.....

Cabelas have these at 1/2 off. Buy or wait for the PQ's to go on sale?

I lost about 3 " off of my 90 hp 2 stroke Mercury this past summer and would like some ideas/recommendations on skeg replacement. Was wondering how those stainless steel skeg guards work out? Seems like an easy fix compared to welding but want some input before I purchase one. I even see that they have a plastic composite skeg replacement???

The best rod and reel that I own under $200 bucks is the Skeete Reese S-Glass Cranking Rod paired up with a Tatula. Never understood the fuss about glass rods until after owning one. My hook-up ratio went through the roof especially where I use braid with flouro leaders. The flexibility of the glass really gives the bass time to take the lure. You will not find a better glass rod for the price. If you're diligent you can find them for around $50 bucks at times at Dicks. The Tatula is just an awesome bang for the buck reel that casts a mile. I picked up another 25-30 feet with this setup over my other rods that I used for cranking.

Yes. I also have tried backing with flouro or mono (I use braid with a flouro leader on all my baitcasters now) but one thing that I hate with backing is that the knot that I use (Alberto) near the end of the run is irratating to the thumb. Drives me nuts. Then again I'm not sure how much line is actually on the spool so maybe with 75 yards of line you probably wouldn't notice the knot as bad. On a side note I just purchased a line counter for $9. Couldn't find the $6 version...

Well that was easy........

I don't see the need for putting more than 200' (225' for 1/2 a spool to be exact) for a season on a reel. Just want to get 2 reels spooled out of a 150 yard spool of line. Currently I am spooling the line with a random guess.

Really depends on what type of fish you are going after and your purpose. If you are tournament fishing looking into cranking bass in maybe a larger or more powerful reel would be the better tool. If you are fun fishing looking for enjoyment in the fight of the fish I would never go higher than 1000 size reels and 6 lb test from my experiences. Yes I have a few breakoffs from time to time. Now spybaiting, that would be a total different story as losing those lures can get expensive.

Does anybody have any tips/suggestions on getting the correct amount of yardage/footage on your spools? For example, If I wanted to put 75 yards of line on a reel at what point would I stop? I am sure there are expensive tools to do this but there must be a a simpler trick to the trade.

I have the Tatula and love it. I see the Lexa 100 on sale everywhere for $59-$79. Tatulas are going for around $100. Is it worth spending the extra $40 or should I give the lexa a try?

Cranks and jerkbaits. I also throw alot of texes rigged lizards and top water plugs.

Would 15 lb be too light for baitcasters? I like lighter line. Normally the lowest I go is 20lb but if the 8 layers and coating restricts digging in I am wondering If I could make 15lb work???? I find I cast lighter braid further than heavier braids but the all too often backash from digging in is a pain in the rear end.

How durable is the teflon? I really like the fact that it has a teflon coating giving it smoothness. I hate the feel of braid and that is why I like the super 8 over regular powerpro. I am deinitely going to give it a shot. I am a huge fan of Berkley Nanofil as it is it is incredibly smooth and casts a mile and has that teflon feel. In my mind I am invisioning the added distance with this stuff. The only downside to nanofil is that the durability is questionable at times. I have had pretty good luck with it but it does break off from time to time but for me, since I don't tournament fish, the smoothness and distance are worth it.

AJ.....Thanks for the feedback. I see that you are 1 post shy of 10,000! It would be an honor if you replied 1 more time to my topic if you haven't done so already!

I have used powerpro and powerpro super 8 slick on my baitcasters that I use braid. Never tried anything else. Is there anything better out there? I find 20 lb casts better than 50 lb but the line digs in quite a bit on the 20. Maybe 30? The 50 lb just seems to bulky for my liking and I fish mainly smallmouth rivers that doesn't have heavy cover so no need for the 50-65b heavy stuff anyway. Just looking to make an order and get the baitcasters ready for the upcoming season. Wanted to try something different but wanted to hear an opinion or 2.

Good idea. I'll check out brand the seller is using. Thanks for the info!

Looking for a good tube jig hook. I do alot of river fishing and fished this year with 3/8 oz jig hooks that I bought a few years ago. Not sure what brand they were as I threw away the packaging. The river I fish is quite large with pretty heavy current and am wondering if heavier jigs would work better. I had never done much tube fishing before this year. I see lots of 25-100 jigs with sickle hooks for $7-$15 on ebay. Just wondering if the sickle hooks work well?? One of the issues I have catching smalllies on tubes is they swallow it up to their ar$# as I am still learning the bite and I have to cut off often so I am guessing any hook will work. Just looking for opinions.

Couldn't disagree more with the rods I have. I have their dropshot, crankbait, shaky head/senko, and jig rod and love them all. As sensitive as my higher priced rods. No one is harder on their equipment than me and they have out lasted all other rods combined. For the price you can't beat them. I have had 5 veritas rods (love them too) but they are not even comparable when it comes to the durability. I have broken 3 of the veritas rods over the last few years. Abu has one of the the best warranty's around though so I stay with them.

Up here in New Brunswick, Fall is here. Color is changing as I speak. Water Temps are between 62-68 on the river and we have already had 2 frosts. Jerkbaits, flukes,cranks and dropshotting with 4" trickworms are working on the smallmouth but as people have aluded to, each day is a different day. No luck with jigs....ever! I must be the worst jig fisherman ever on the river. Have caught a few in lakes flipping docks but never on the river.