FishTank

I've mentioned this bait a few times. It was new to me about two years ago. Bassday Mononofu 50s It's a sinking trout lure. You definitely need light BFS gear for it and a box of extra hooks but it's a fish catching machine. I've caught everything from big bluegill and crappie to 5lb largemouth, and even a few big catfish and drum.

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Hardbaits Megabass Z-2 Megabass 110jr +1 Evergreen Piccolo PC-5 OSP Blitz EX DR Rock Crawler Bill Lewis ATV 1.5 or 2.5 Bonus Lure - Deps Evoke 2.0 Softplastic OSP DoLive Beaver 4in 1/2oz Football Jig Congo Craw Trailer 5in Senko wacky rigged Megabass Sparkshad 3in Xzone Adrenaline Craw/wobble head Zman Gobyz

It's definitely a..... I'm not disappointed. I wasn't really looking out for something new and improved. I like what they currently have. But on the other hand, Shimano hasn't really done a great job with Limited Edition reels. The Conquest BFS seems a little conservative for a limited edition. Maybe it will be like Daiwa's limited reels. Completely identical but somehow an improvement over the original. The Conquest DC is pretty cool though, if that's your thing. The previous version sold well for them. On the darkside.... We need at least 10 more Tatula variants in 2026 (sarcasm implied). 😁

I've caught them on a Deps Slide Swimmer 175 and Gan Craft Jointed Claw 178 but only a few. I have better luck in ponds with the Megabass Magdraft 6in and 5in swimbaits. I have yet to catch one on a Chad Shad or Osakana Slide 170.

Filson Insulated Tin Cloth hat. I had one years ago. It ain't cheap but the quality is outstanding. I left it in a restaurant and it was never found. I got mine at a steap discount, maybe $20. They are $100 now.

Rapala Floating Minnow. I haven't used one in years but I had one a long time ago that was silver, gold and black. Fished it until the paint was gone and the hooks rusted. It caught just about anything.

For a 3/4oz Dark Sleeper, I would go with the 844C. I have an older 783C GLX and it works great with stuff around a 1/2oz. 3/4 seems to overload it. I tend to fish them like a jig by popping them off the bottom and not on a straight retrieve. I have fished a 3/4oz but tend to like the 1/2oz better. I throw them on a 803C GLX.

That is what I am thinking as well. Looks like a 60sp in Aurora Ghost Black.

I usually bring three or four rods with a dedicated hard bait. I typically bring the following...... BFS cranks - 6 or 7lb Fluorocarbon - P5 Kasumi Six Eleven Square bills - 10lb Fluorocarbon - IMX Pro 903c Med. Divers (around 10') - 10lb Fluorocarbon - St. Croix Legend Glass Medium Deep Cranks - 12lb Fluorocarbon - IMX Pro Deep Flex 866c I have almost totally switched from mono to fluorocarbon when it comes to crankbaits. It took a bit for my brain to adjust but I don’t loose as many fish and I don't loose as many baits. It lasts, for me, way longer than mono.

The formula I found for small hard baits..... P5 Kasumi Six Eleven Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS HG 6lb Sunline Invisible Evergreen Piccolo PC-5 3/16oz Any color works. Easy to cast. Fish smash it on a stop and go retrieve. I'm not guaranteeing that this will work on your lakes but I haven't found a lake where I can't catch something on this. December 26th nothing was biting for anybody. This was the only fish I caught and it was on the above. Not huge but between 3 and 4lbs.

I have two of the Conquest BFS reels. I haven't found a reel I like better. It is heavier than most but it works really well for just about anything. I would highly recommend it. I also have the 100 and the Shallow Spool edition if that tells you how much I like them. They are all the same reel frame but different spools and braking systems.

I was going to suggest the PopX Stick but I don't know much about it. I often wish I would have bought that instead of the Criffhanger. I will say this as well when it comes to the Karashi... Line is important. I found fluorocarbon to be the best option. I tried 6lb mono and it was not good. Also tried braid to leader, it works but I like this bait to sink some and the braid seemed to interfere. Straight braid was a disaster. Another thing with the Karashi, I would try it with and without a split ring to see if you get the action you want. I have some set up both ways. With the split ring, you get a wider side to side action and without, its slighty tighter. @HawkeyeSmallie I should have asked.... What reel are ypu planning on using?

I use to be an avid reader but over the years, time has become a factor. I would read about a book a week and that started in my teen years. I later got into the printing business and did some editing and quality control. My reading tastes are all over the place though. I might read a sci fi series one minute and then some type of historical fiction the next. I've read biographies about people I might not even like just so I can confirm or deny my own predispositions. I've also read some true crime, psychological journals, and court case documents. I use to have a LexisNexis subscription. It is scarier than any Stephen King novel. My favorite books..... Dresden Files - Jim Butcher Good Omens - Pratchett and Gaiman The Shinning - Stephen King A Walk In the Woods - Bill Bryson The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein Stiff - Marry Roach Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk Lamb and Fool - Christopher Moore The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ‐ Douglas Adams Dune - Frank Herbert American Gods - Neil Gaiman The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis There are tons more but I have read each of these books multiple times. Some make me think, some make me laugh and some make me regret.

I've got a few P5 rods that could be considered BFS rods...... Siglett - small topwater like the Siglett, soft plastic bug baits. Super light weight. I would not use it on a boat in deep water. Kasumi Six Eleven - my favorite P5. I use it for all things small crankbaits and jerkbaits. It can throw the Karashi but you need your A game when casting it. Criffhanger - small paddle tail swimbaits, jigs, soft plastic. This rod is slightly stiffer. When it comes to the Karashi, I throw it on a couple of different rods...Kistler Hunt BFS, Dobyns Sierra Ultra-Finesse 700C, and a P5 Whippet spinning. I'm torn between these rods as to which one I like better. Without any internal parts on the Karashi that improve casting it, I lean towards rods with a whippy tip.

My Bantam is used for 6in Magdrafts, jigs, big topwater and big crankbaits, some deep. I have pulled stumps out (sort of exaggerating) with a P5 Super Destroyer. I caught five pounders in heavy cover and vegetation. I have pulled fish from 30 feet deep on crankbaits and I caught a 20+lb catfish on a 6in Magdraft. This reel still feels like new and the gears are, once again, perfect.

As a gift, I would give him the Bantam. Even though I might like the Zillion and Metanium better, the Bantam is a tank that will last and serve him well. I always compare it to a Shimano Calcutta but in a low profile. Great reel.

I had the MH fast, the one with the split handle that was a BPS exclusive. It was a broom stick. It was stiff, it didn't have much in the sensitivity department and was too heavy by today's standards. Where it was good, was topwater frogs. It fished more like a heavy. It took a good pull on a fish to bend it. In the end, I sold it.

Ya, they had the Core in the US and Metanium MG7 in Japan, which I own one of as well. I can tell you it is not the same reel. It's not bad but it just feels different and the retrieve is not as smooth. As far as JDM used reels, I would be cautious. I have bought a few on eBay and returned a few. They may look great on the outside but the insides can be a hot mess. They are often fished in multiple types of water (fresh, salt and brackish) and the insides can be corroded. Often times Japanese anglers beat their reels to death as they mainly fish from the bank in places we probably wouldn't venture. If you find a mint reel in Japan, it's usually one that someone purchased to collect or keep as a status symbol. Those can fetch a big price, like the TD-Ito. The best deals can be found on used lures, especially glide baits and swimbaits. Stores like Tackle Berry and Josuya are worth checking out. I also have gotten stuff from Sansui (great store). Personally, I have never been there but I use to have a co-worker that would shop around for me but I found it was a hassle and just easier to order from JDM sites. I do have a family member that is going to Japan in April. I am hoping to convince her to hunt down a few things for me that can't be found here.

If I could find another almost new Shimano Core 101 MG, I would jump on it. I saw a recent pair of great reels on Ebay being sold together. It was a Shimano 200I and Shimano Core 100 MG. They looked brand new. If they were left handed, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them.

I only have a small digital scale for jigs and lures so I can't weigh this but the lightest set up I have is a Shimano Aldebaran and a Kistler Hunt's BFS. Anytime I get worn out and my hands or shoulders hurts, I pick up this combo. It casts effortlessly.

@bulldog1935 I am going to give you three different examples of set ups, in particular rods, as to why landing a fish and bringing it in is important, for me, in getting a complete picture. 1. St. Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' M Mod. Fast with Shimano Antares 2012. When I purchased it and put the reel I wanted on it, I thought its too heavy, too soft and too under powered to bring fish in on a deep crank. On the first cast, it felt off and I needed to change my release. Once I got use to the weight and I got the balance squared away, I was good on casting. When I finally caught a fish on it, I realized I was wrong. It was fantastic at bringing fish in and pinning them. It is probably my favorite crankbait setup. 2. Megabass Daemos with a Daiwa Steez SV (previous gen). I got this rod as a do all but mainly for 3/8oz jigs. It felt on the first cast like it was just what I wanted. It loads well, casts accurately and was good in the sensitivity department. Then I hooked into my first fish and that's when the wheels fell off. As the day went, I kept loosing fish. One after the other kept popping off. I wasn't doing anything different. It was that the rod was so stiff in one portion and then soft in another that it was causing me to have fish pop off. It took me several trips to figure this out. It is now my go to for swimjigs. 3. Kistler Hunt BFS 3X Ultralight with Shimano Aldebaran BFS. This rod is a toothpick and the reel feels like a toy but put them together and its amazing. By casting it and holding it in hand you would never think it would be capable of bringing in big fish from deep water but it can. Nothing but having a fish on can give you confidence in a set up like this.

When I first get a new reel, I want to dissect it to a certain extent. Look for weird things that might bother me later down the road. Once it's on the rod, I want to use it right away. I want to find out if it is going to work for what I want despite what the rod company might say. It should feel like.... So the first cast will only show me half the picture. The first fish almost completes it. A whole day of catching fish, finishes it.