fishballer06

This is the first I've heard of this, but a quick Google search confirms they were sold in January 2019. I think the claw design and the pork fat are patented, so I don't think that design will ever change. It would be a shame if it did.

I still have yet to watch a full "episode" of MLF or BPT. I just can't get into the concept/format.

Everyone is probably going to start receiving their gifts this week. Post up what you receive in the Loot thread.

Everyone should start receiving their "Loot" this week. Post up what you get and try to guess who your Secret Santa was. Link to the Fishmas 2019 thead: Members who played this year deaknh jbsoonerfan wizzlebiz Fishballer Wisconsin heat Nh bull yeajray231 harold scoggins Fordsnfishin Roadwarrior J bab Siebert outdoors jbricker jediamoeba

Welcome to the site, and enjoy the PA/NJ winter. I'll be right there with ya.

Rusty hook keeper, huh... Sounds like you and the wife are trying to spice it up at home.

That's kind of like asking how a Silverado compares to a Malibu... It doesn't quite work like that.

That Provoke looks good. What color did you get? Be careful with the Ish squarebills. I had a few years ago and for whatever reason, they bloated and split in almost no time. Hopefully they've fixed that issue with their blanks.

I've got a mess of jig heads here and a few skirts built. Just need to get everything together.

Doing my research and making an order now.

^^ This is me to a T.

Looks like my Steel Shad is now a standard color!! Nice work, Mike.

There's a few colors there that I haven't seen before. Where did you order from?

@A-Jay Looks like he's hanging out with some shady people in some third world countries. That's exactly what I was afraid of.

I haven't seen 00 in a while. I hope he's doing well.

This is a top notch, late January post and we're getting it here in early December. I'm rather impressed. Come on man, you have this awesome proprietary jig/spinnerbait head design. Sell it without the skirt and unpainted for those of us who like to build our own. Come on man, just sell me a cheaper crank/jerkbait without any hooks/hardware on it so I can put my own on there. Come on man, every casting reel should come with at least a 92mm handle.

When don't I want flash? Mainly on sunnier days, or clearer water. We all know there are days when the fish want a ton of flash, and other days they don't. It's just how it goes. I build my own spinnerbaits, so it makes the cost of the baits down and it allows me customize them to exactly how I want. Munkin also makes his own, and definitely knows even more than I do on the subject.

I like black nickle blades whenever I don't want all the flash of a spinnerbait. Especially when I'm fishing a bluegill or black skirted bait.

I was just going to post about this. I'm not a fan of it.

The Aldebaran will always get my lightweight reel vote.

7' Avid, medium power, fast action. It's such a good rod for these finesse swimbaits like the Dark sleeper and 3.3-3.8 Keitechs.

744 is a faster action than the 734. For what you want, get the 734c. That rod is the most all purpose rod EVER.

Every angler and their experience is different, so that means every reel will perform differently for each angler. With that, here's my stance on DC reels. I've been fishing a baitcaster for 20+ years. I started using one at 8 years old. I fish weekly, including tournaments, as well as 1-2 week long trips to various destinations a year. That being said, I have a lot of experience with baitcasters and how to use them, and my hands are very trained on how to use them. About 4 years ago, I bought a DC reel, the JDM model Excense DC (which to this day is still superior to the modern SLX DC and Curado DC). I found it to be a neat little reel that was very well built, and I got some good casting distance with it. It blew my mind that I didn't have to touch the spool at all, and the DC whine is something that dreams are made of. That being said, I can think of two situations where a DC reel is necessary (or rather, nice to have): 1. Beginner with casting reels. It eliminates so much of the learning curve and all the wasted line while learning. 2. Days where it's so windy that you can hardly cast at all. Outside of that, I can do anything with my hands/thumb that a DC reel can do. In fact, certain situations I feel that a traditional casting reel is more beneficial. Pitching and short casting situations come to mind. I still have my Excense DC and I use it for one application, frogging. It's a tank of a reel, it's all aluminum, holds a good bit of line, and I can bomb a frog out there. My advice for you, is keep using your DC reel until you feel very proficient with it. Then once you get there, buy a more traditional casting reel like a Curado and see how you do with it. You'll probably find that each reel you buy can find a spot in your arsenal, it's just a matter of learning how to use all the tools at your disposal.

Sunday is the last day to sign up. Then Deak will send everyone who they are partnered with, and you'll have a few days to research their posts, see what they like, order some stuff, and get it shipped out.