masterbass

I had another heart breaker yesterday. I was bank fishing in this little pond catching little 1-2 lbers. I cast senko to a patch of weed in the middle of the pond and all of a sudden my line starts moving quickly so I set the hook and I know it's a good one because the rod bends into the back bone and stays there. I reel the fish in with a mouthful of weeds and get a good look at her. She's a beautiful 5 lber. I'm getting excited to get a great picture. I get her to me and reach down pull the weeds off her face and she's a real pig for this size of pond. Then she pops off the hook and swims away. All I wanted was told lip her and take a picture!

The sv spool has a specially tuned inductor which allows you to turn the brakes down and cast with greater control without sacrificing distance. The spools are more shallow and lighter than standard spools to handle lighter lures, but it's versatile enough for general bass fishing.

I have 12lb sniper on mine. Fluoro for me is a bit finicky, but with the alphas I can cast into a wind with no issues. I can sling it in calm conditions and get zero fluff. That 's more than I can say about some of my other reels. I tried fluoro on my steez 103 and it was too tempermental. I don't know if the alphas outcasts everything I own, but it sure feels like it does or at least is on par. I use mine for 4" and 5" senkos and other weightless soft plastics. When I cast it has that "it" factor where the lure just goes further than you expect vs the amount of force behind the cast. It pitches really well too which is important for me and guess what, I can skip lures with this reel. This summer when I hit the shore I'm going use it for some inshore flounder and reds. This is something I won't do with my steez, ito or r+.

Get the metanium. IMO I'd rather have the alphas sv over the ss sv.

Megabass XX diablo spec r

Super fluke jr or the good ole grub/jighead.

I only use mono for backing. It's braid w/leader or straight fluoro for me.

Lots of great options, but hard to recommend anything without a budget, weight of lures and type of cover. Personally I love my megabass xx perfect pitch.

If you could spare a few more dollars, it would be worth it to get the alphas sv. I've owned my fair share of some great reels, but it's hard to beat this reel for the money. Casting machine.

No bassboat for me either. I fish from my yak and shore. Once in a while I go on my buddy's boat though.

The lexa, and it's not even close.

I also use the same rod for chatter baits and spinner baits. I throw them on a carbonlite 7' mh/f and 30lb suffix 832 with 15lb fluoro leader. It's simple and inexpensive, but it works for me.

Then I'd opt for the medium casting rod because it's versatile enough to do senkos and cranks. Just make sure you loosen the drag a little for cranking. If you're using braid, I'd learn how to tie a leader. Look up alberto knot or double uni. The leader will give you some shock absorption and in clear water will help with senkos.

Is this going to be used only for cranking or will it be a multi-purpose rod? If it's only for cranks then I'd suggest you get the cranking version, but if you're want to use it for a little bit of everything then get the medium power casting rod.

Cranking rods have a parabolic taper because cranks have smaller trebles and you can keep fish pinned better. The casting version has a fast action for single hook techniques like jigs, t rigs and worms. A lot of people use casting versions for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and jerk baits. Some even use them for cranks. I use casting versions (not the ghost) for jerk baits, shallow to mid depth cranks and lipless, but you need to loosen the drag or use line that has some stretch like mono, hybrid or fluoro because something's got to give.

OK, it's 20lb test which has 6lb equivalent mono diameter. You need a moderate action rod. The power you need depends on the size and depth of cranks you use. You could go with glass, composite or graphite depending on your preference.

Have you used the 6lb braid? Why are you using such thin braid?

Reels: alphas sv and metanium xg Rods: NRX 893c, lews hm85 MH/M Line: sniper Lures: pit boss, ragetail cut tail worms

Megabass XX Perfect Pitch/Zillion 50th w/TDZ 100m spool: frogs, jigs, punching Megabass X7 Extreme Mission/TDZ Ito w/7.1 gears: T rigs, jigs NRX 893c/Metanium XG: senko, fat ika, flukes Megabass XX Jerk Bait Special/Steez 103HLA: jerk baits, topwaters, cranks KLX finesse worm/Liberto Pixzilla: wacky rig, flick shakes, trick worms, grub and jighead

I prefer casting gear, but I could use spinning gear for 90% of my style of fishing. I'm more accurate with casting gear. IMO it's more efficient when making multiple casts and pitches. I even use casting gear for throwing light stuff. However, the one drawback is the amount of money I've spent on it. It's become an addiction and the bait monkey has me under his spell. I've grown to appreciate fine casting gear which is expensive, yet I was totally satisfied with a pflueger president and a $100 spinning rod. Now I rarely use spinning gear, but I do still prefer it for drop shots.

The alphas sv is amazing.

I assume you know how to set the spool tension and brakes, so is it a new reel?

Braid made a world of difference in sensitivity over mono to me. As long as I don't fish with too much slack in the line I can feel the bites. Do you lay the line over your finger or just hold the rod? I feel it in my index finger.

Frogs, senkos and T rig a havoc pit boss w/ pegged 3/8oz.

I seem to have a 50/50 split on my budget for rods and reels.