Angry John

first should be a huddleston. The second should be a ms slamer, and then look at something like the r2s swaiver. None of these baits are very expensive but proven fish catchers and a grate way to get into swim baits. Check out some dedicated swimbait forums and you will get a lot more information on this technique.

I use the jig to increase volume and provide secondary action. The swim jig is the middle presentation for me for weedlesness. The ball head can pick up muck on the open hook then swim jig and a weighted hook Texas rigged is super clean.

He said good reels that only leaves one choice.

Megabass, deps, avail, ITO lots of cool reels around. Budget form and requirements would help a lot

The weather sucked today for obvious reasons so i ran over to the bass pro on 40 and sycamore view. Found lucky craft square bill cranks for 6.99. I got two but this is half price and they have some good colors left. Checked and the SK KVD's i normally get are the same price.

You should be able to see if the shaft threads are bad. The keeper for holding in the shaft has a screw that has locktight on it. Make sure you have good engagement as many have ruined the head and have had a hell of a time afterward. PM me for details if you want help before hand.

The nut is aluminum and will deform and come loose if over torqued. I have a bunch of these reels and keep a few extra 10mm nuts handy. I would bet that a new nut retainer and screw and you will be good to go. the shaft can be replaced and i have done it a couple of times. I had to change it out to add the clicker mod also found on the tackle trap. For the cost and it being winter time you may want to take the time to upgrade and break down and clean the entire reel.

I am new to the area i am fishing and have found success on two baits that have worked year round for me. The first is a swim jig with a 4" keitech on the back. This is able to be worked from slow to a crawl on the bottom. This is a year round bait for me and you can try just the keitech on a ball head if you dont have a good swim jig. The second bait that has been working is a 4" weightless green pumpkin lizard. So far this winter it has worked best just swimming it fast enough to move the legs and tail. This lizard has worked best in very shallow ponds around Memphis.

If your a lefty there is a deal on fleabay that includes four of the original fuego's used and it would be a great deal on the older better reels. Think it was 250 for all of them!

what type of wacky rig are we talking her? i most often wacky the dean rojas cane stick in 4" and that is a light bait. this drop shot and flick shake along with ned rigs will all be good on a ml or L depending on the power and size of your presentation. If your talking a 5 or 6" worm then maybe two different rods would be better.

One of the most talked about dedicated drop shot rods is the dobyns dx 702s. I think most of what this rod has is perfect but would change things up a little. I think a rod optimized using the 25x method for guides would result in a lighter more responsive rod. I use 2000 series reels and most bass rods are set up for 2500-3000 series reels so the guide train could be optimized a lot. I have yet to see a production rod use the new fuji h series guides. I like the sc5 blanks in the ml fast range and a 7 foot blank would be good for me. A good rod builder can trim if you want a 6 10 insted. A custom would be the best to fit your exact demands but i am still working on my dream build. My current ds rod is a fenwick elite tech bass 610mlxf and it works good.

I used 832 and performance braid. The reviews and my experience say that the gore fiber is not very helpful and the regular performance braid is better than 832 in my eyes. The 4 carrier PP is the standard and if your worried about cutting vegetation then it works the best. For the same reason it makes noise threw the guides and some people don't like that. Each line works better in some situations and for most applications I like the 8 carrier braids.

The wire size goes up a lot on most 3/0 hooks. I use 4/0 punching hooks a lot on weighted beavers.

There are a lot of flakes these days and to have people pay the season up front tends to drive them to come. Is it worth loosing their money to skip the event. If they have nothing invested then a no show is no big deal to them.

i like beaver type baits for pitching and flipping either on their own or on the back of a jig. I also am very fond of the super , and brush hawgs. The supper hogs are also good for punching. Black blue and green pumpkin with your flavor of sparkle work great for me. I dont want to carry a ton of plastics and these three get it done for me with only one hold out for netbait craws for special situations.

I use a ac66mf which is short for me as I am 6'5". I am in a yak so I am already so close to the water. Ten pound yhb and a daiwa alphas keeps my rig light and compact.

I have an older lamiglas excel. That rod is a tank and is my frog and light punch rod. Lamiglas is a reputable company and his experience may be a problem in a certain product. He'll gloomis had an issue with reel seats failing at the glue joint.

I don't think so but the sc3 is my workhorse blank of choice

The dobyns dx 743 spinning is great for smallies from tubes to dropshot. I use mine for 4" keitech swim baits also. You did not state a blank or rod so I could not comment more.

3/0 gami ewg on the regular trick worm. Helps it sink and the tail still floats.

If your a right hander i just saw a for sale thread here with a pair of zillions in your price range. They are used but these reels are not 100 dollar class. There are many available mods and upgrades for this reel and it will last you forever. Zillion is a quality product.

Another quality reel to check out is the daiwa luna 253. If you need more line capaity then the 300 is also great. These reels are SW rated so if you take a trip then they can served double duty.

http://www.phenixrods.com/products/freshwater/crankbait/ These rods got a great review on TT and in a mod fast might fit the best for multiple applications. The x-12 would be the blank and power i was looking at. http://dobynsrods.com/rod/705cb/ I have the 764rm and i use it for all the same things your talking about. I like graphite vise glass.

I would recomend looking at inshore rods. They have components that will stand up to the salt and work good in the freshwater situations. I cannot recommend a rod in your price range as i fish st croix and their inshore is more than you quoted. The rods made for inshore are corrosion resistant and will last.

I would agree except the Xfast for topwaters or jerkbaits because of the tremble hooks. A moderate fast or fast would keep them pinned a lot better.