FishTank

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.

It's been a while but I use to use a 5in single tail grub from Yamamoto.

My usual bait choices for winter in order...... 1. Jerkbait 2. Crankbait/Shad Rap style 3. Jig - small 1/4oz football for shallow water or 1/2oz for deeper water. Both with a do nothing trailer 4. 3in Paddle Tail Swimbait on a ball head jig 5. A-Rig All of these are fished on different rods. Where the fish are located also changes the baits and rods. For a Medium power fast action rod, I would start with a Megabass 110 JR +1. I usually fish it slowly. Pop the slack and let it sit. They usually hit it on the pause.

Alabama side line...... 😀.

They are probably several things but.....Sunscreen. I was fishing in a tournament and got torched. My legs, face and neck blistered. I was burnt for a week.

Happy New Year. Bring on 2026. 💪

Forgot about this one... Lucky Craft 1.0 SSR. It's works just below the surface. I would almost consider it a wake bait.

OSP Cobuzzin is the closest I have found. It's 1/4oz but it has a feathered rear treble. Another from them is the Daibuzzin. It's a bigger bait and it's 5/8oz. Both have a similar side to side wobble like the original Baby Minus 1. One other one... Lucky Craft LC 0.5.

Sent you a message on this.

Also, sorry to hear about Tom. He was a wealth of knowledge and one of those guys that has seen it and lived it.

When I weighed the X-Nanahan it came up just a fuzz over 3/16. The +1 came in at exactly 1/4. Maybe I should check my scale. In any case, I was skeptical about it but I have thrown the Tiny Macbeth on it and it is an 1/8oz. It did ok but a regular BFS reel would do better. I haven't thrown anything heavier than the X-Nanahan yet. I think the intention was to build a reel that can do pretty much anything and make it light weight. I held one at a local shop and it sparked my curiosity. The guy that owned it used it for 1/2oz jigs. So far, mine has been really smooth and it does a good job of bringing in fish.

I ordered a few from Japan before the tariffs hit and think I paid around $10. The current US price 🤑.

The spinnerbait bite at my lakes has gone downhill over the years but this pink looking thing in winter has been catching them. Works well in spring too. OSP High Pitcher with Double Willow

The San Diego Jam knot is what I use for both mono and FC. I haven't had a big bait snap off yet. I have also tried the double SD Jam knot (at least that's what I think its called) and works as well but the regular has been my go to.

OSP Dolive Beaver 4in on a free rig. Works all year round but I fish it slow in the winter. The Yamamoto Kreature is another good one. I save the Brush Hogs for spring and summer. Not sure why though.

On a good note, if you are a US Daiwa rod fan, I heard they are changing the prices back to what they were prior to tariffs. I don't know what those prices will be but they will at least be lower than what they are now.

Daiwa US.

Just thought I would rip the bandage off...... Daiwa is raising their prices on Jan. 1st. Upper end reels are going up $100 and most other reels are going up $50. For example, a Steez AII will be $749 instead of the current $649. I'll give you three guesses as to why but you already know. Updating this.. This is USDM. Not sure about JDM.

Bait Monkey Bento #1... Bento #2 The Hook Up Tackle really came through this year. After doing the math, Box #1 had about $450-$475 in it. Box #2 has $300-$325 worth of tackle in it. All of it was $200. You really can't beat it and all the baits are good fish catchers.

Anyone order from Japan Lure Shop? They have some stuff I can't find anywhere else.

Megabass I-Loud. It makes a clacking sound when the tail goes back and forth. Its like a wake bait and a prop bait put together. Also and I don't fish it anymore, Megabass had a wooden topwater prop bait that was a work of art but it was functional. I had two of them at one point. Can't remember the name but it would get smashed when I fished it.

It's not exactly worth the $300 price tag but with a coupon, it's not bad. Should I have invested in something different? Maybe. I need to beat it up for a year and see how it does. I was able to get on the water today for about three hours. I caught eight with it but only one of those was a keeper. I was throwing a 3/16oz Megabass X-Nanahan. It does an ok job of casting it. I was surprised to find fish in shallow water with portions of the lake still filled with ice. The water temps were all over the place. It varied from 39-48 degrees. In all, I caught eleven. The other three were on a crankbait. I couldn't get bit on any bottom contact baits (jig, free rig, wacky senko, etc.)

First thing I do is consider how much I am going to invest in the whole set up and set a limit. For instance, if it was a glide bait rod and reel, I might not spend as much since I am probably going spend a lot on just the baits. If it's a bottom contact jig rod, the sky's the limit. After cost I consider technique and what I am going to use it for so this makes the rod come first. Once I get the rod, I pick a reel based on how it feels with one of the reels I already have. I will pick something close to its weight and size to get a feel for it. I might cast it around the yard or a local pond. This is where the bait monkey steps in and tells me to either get the latest and greatest or to get something similar to what I already have. I then have to decide is this for fun fishing or for tournament fishing. Will it get beat up, fill a niche, or sit and get used on a special occasion? After its purpose has been established, I start to consider things like gear ratio, line capacity, what line is it going to get, handle size, drag, etc. Another thing I think about is where can I get parts and can I work on it but this is usually an after thought. That finally leads to US or JDM. I consider cost versus warranty and parts and I usually go JDM. I might look at reviews online and how to work on a the reel in question but rarely have these videos discouraged me from buying.

Aldebaran by far. I hate to say it but I have yet to find one better (with exception of the Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS). It does take a bit to get use to but once you get it set up, it's awesome. I have caught tons of fish on mine.

Abu Garcia Black Max Shimano SLX - any version Shimano Curado - K maybe don't know about the M Daiwa Zillion (JDM) Shimano Metanium Shimano Calcutta Conquest - any new version Daiwa Steez SV TW Limited Shallow Edition