FishTank

Glad someone got the reference. ?

Thanks. It does have a clicking drag. It's pretty cool.

I use to have one of these. They catch fish as well as any other topwater bait.

This one.... Megabass Evoluzion 30th Anniversary Edition Super Diablo II and Daiwa Zillion SV TW.

It's not bad but I need more time with it to give a good review. It did take some getting use to the reel. I was expecting it to be heavier for some reason. With having the regular SV TW version, my mind thinks I'm holding that when I have the HD in my hand. The large handle feels weird to me right now. I think I just need to get used to it. I plan to put it on either the new P5 FMJ or a NRX+ 895c some time next year.

Not yet. 12/12. I will take a hard pass on these rods. I wouldn't pass judgment on something like this until I held it in my hand but the grip is just a bad idea. My guess is that it will be on clearance for $250 or less before long just like their other higher end rod offerings.

I was clueless for a long time. I would buy one or two Megabass 110's a year just because I liked to collect them. Once I saw a few that were pretty much unattainable and bought one, I was hooked. Are they worth the $25 US? Sort of. I haven't found their equal and I have tried many. At $14 from Japan, I can get a few more and not feel completely dumb. To get them in a rare color that catches fish is a big bonus. If you ever want to try one, look at GP Pro Blue, French Pearl OB, and HT Ito Wakasagi. There are others but these three cover just about anything. Basically, you need one transparent, one white, and one natural to your lake. That's it in my opinion. No need to go hog wild.

The Monkey got me good. I actually have a few other things that haven't arrived yet. Nothing major though. My favorite thing of the bunch is the Aka Tora 110. I have been hunting for it for a long time. I also picked up 3 other Respect series (JDM) color 110's, 1 Respect color 110 jr, and 2 other Deep-X JDM colors. I got lucky but I missed out on the Viper Tiger and GP Nanko Tougan Gill 110's. I thought I was dreaming when I saw these two. They showed in stock and were in my cart but by the time I made up my mind, they had sold out. I fished the HD for about an hour today at a local pond and the drag star feels like metal but I hate to say it, it's kind of hard to tell. It is definitely different from the regular version. The reel was great right out of the box. I spooled it with the Sunline Sniper BMS and put on a Megabass P5 Super Destroyer temporarily. I caught 4 little ones and one good size keeper on a 1/2oz Sieberts Fogy with a Zako trailer.

What the heck. It's my birthday so the Bait Monkey said "Treat Yo Self".

I have it on one set up and it's not bad. I do like it and have had no issues but I'm not crazy about it. I think I might like Invizx better. The FC Crank has more stretch but I never thought Invizx had that much to begin with. It does do a good job of getting a bait down to where it needs to be and it holds up well. One thing with Sunline FC I have noticed though is that it has different characteristics at various weights. Lighter lines might be softer and heavier lines, tougher and more stiff. You can really notice it in the Shooter. It makes hard to go from one weight to the next and expect the same thing. One other that I like from them is the Sniper Invisible. I have been using 6lb and 10lb and really like it for just about everything.

My two cents..... from Wikipedia ?‍♂️ On the reel...Fish, rinse, repeat.

Both reels are fine for the lure weight. I would be more concerned about the rod. For that weight, I would go with a 7' M Fast and no braid, either mono or FC.

I would like the feature of the word "Metanium" printed on the frame and a 8.x:1 ratio.

A buddy of mine does this but not me. I learned my lesson by watching him. He will cast a finnese worm with either a 1/16 or 1/8 oz bullet weight on a MH Fast with 12lb mono. His shoulder is toast at the end of the day. In order for him to cast it, he has to load his arm and not the rod. It's painful to watch. I tried to talk him out of it and even offered him the correct rod to use but he still refuses and he still gets stuck and still misses fish.

For years I have said the G.Loomis GLX 783C wound be that one rod but I am growing fond of 904C NRX+. It has been my go to jig rod. I can't imagine fishing without it.

I fibbed.... It's not actually a Baby Griffon. I bought one years ago and got it confused with what I actually used today. Which is a Bait Finesse SR-X Griffon. The Baby Griffon was actually smaller and had a feathered rear treble hook. The one I used today was great. It was my first time using this particular bait and it is the only one I have at this point but I will be ordering more. It has a medium rattle to it and it also casts really well for a small bait.

Hit one of my local ponds to see if the fish were biting on the usual stuff or the small stuff. It was the BFS stuff. I caught 7 on a Baby Griffon and 2 on a micro jig. All 12 inchers except this guy.

This would be my guess as well. If you take it apart, look to see if the paw is bent outward. If so, it made need to be replaced but you may also be able bend it enough that it doesn't pop out.

Personally I like a MH Fast or X-fast for bottom contact baits. Most Mod rods, to me, have too slow of a taper for bottom contact baits, especially jigs. They also seem to have less sensitivity by design. You can always try it and see if you like it but I think you have to different techniques in mind that are on the opposite ends of each other when it comes to rod design. There are rods that can do both. My favorite around the price range you are looking at is the St. Croix Mojo Yak rods. Soft tips and they a have a softer feel to them in general but are still pretty sensitive and powerful enough to drive a single hook bait home.

Norman DD 22, Strike XD'S, and Zoom Softplastic (especially the 6in Lizard). The hooks on the XD's are horrible though. I always change them. Another, believe it or not, the Beetle Spin. I can catch whatever on these little things.

Same thing as far as I know. I use two swivels, one attached to the main line and the other is riding freely on the main line. I will sometimes use a stopper on the main line to control how far the loose bait rides up. I just pop it like a jerkbait.

If you are looking to set this up as light A-rig, I have used 1/16thoz Dirty Jig heads or Megabass Okashira heads with Keitech 4 in Easy Shiners or 3in Hazedon Shads. Both caught fish but it is difficult, for me at least, to get the rig set up after a fish is brought in. It's usually a tangled mess. On a side note, check out the Donkey Rig.

My usual are a black spinnerbait 1/2oz in the morning and white later in the day, 4in Easy Shiners, 3in Spark Shad, small crankbaits, jerkbaits and poppers, lipless cranks, and a few creature baits. If I fish one particular lake, throw the above out the window. The fish on this lake go numb and suspend away from the bank. They won't chase a fast moving bait until spring. I go with....slow fishing 12-15ft diving crankbaits in bright colors, drop shot, spoons, and dragging/popping a jig or tube on the bottom.

The original Rapala Floaters were one my favorite baits as a kid and as an adult when I first got into bass fishing. As far as I remember, they never ran true. I always fish them like a jerkbait and never on a straight retrieve. I also fished them with a split shot about 6 inches above the bait and as a sort of topwater walk the dog bait. If the line tie is bent, as Tom said, its toast.