FishTank

Spray tan and Bath and Body Works scent sold separately. 😁

Just thinking on this (provided there is saltwater in the bearings or corrosion)..... If I remember correctly, when you mix saltwater with isopropyl alcohol, it separates the water and the alcohol causing the salt to attract all the water. I think this process leaves the salt behind once the solution dissolves, making the bearings still dirty with salt. Somebody with a chemistry background needs to sanity check my thoughts on this. I would try Simple Green for Water Sports and an ultra sonic cleaner for the bearings. Another crazy thought, I have the similar issue on a Daiwa Tatula BF70. When I cast it slightly hard, it sounds like the bearings are grinding. I sent it to Daiwa and it came back buttery smooth and with new bearings but it still makes the sound. Cast it a little easy and no noise. Also if you put tape on the spool (covering the line), turn off the brakes and spin the spool, with thumb bar engaged, as fast as you can, there is no noise. If you then turn the brakes on to about 50%, it starts to make the same noise again. It functions fine though. My guess is, it's the rotor on the spool hitting the magnetic brake. Just something else to try.

I'm with @bulldog1935. I use leader material and bulk line is bulk line. They are two different things to me. The only exception I make is Tatsu. Call me frugal. I can't throw the leftovers of that pricey spool away. It works but I prefer leader material. I keep some in the kayak in case of emergencies. The OP mentioned using 20-25' leaders. That to me is a lot of line. I tend to keep mine around 6-8'. I don't like the knot to be in the spool. Its just one more spot for the knot to get beat up. This is just my personal preference but I can see were bulk line might be preferable with such a long leader. My favorite leader materials..... Grand Max, Grand Max FX, Seaguar Gold Label, Daiwa Saltiga Xlink and recently Varivas Absolute Shock Leader. Grand Max FX is my go to for heavy jig fishing. I use it every time I'm out. I only have had to change the leader once this year and that's because I ran out of line from retying. It has more stretch than most but its strong and durable.

Deps Evoke 2.0

I fish the 7in only once in a blue moon. My fishing buddy uses it all the time but based on his catches, it seems to be a late summer and fall bait. I fish the Zoom Ol Monster when I'm hunting something big and when they want something big and slow on the bottom. Junebug seems to be the color.

For me, it was curly tail worms like the Berkley Power Worm 7in and the Zoom Ol Monster. They still work today.

Around 40 degrees air temp is my cut off but 40 degree water temps will keep me at home as well. I usually fish from a kayak and when it becomes so cold and windy, the danger of being on the water isn't worth the reward.

I was fishing and shooting photos in a stream in the Everglades near the national park center. It was the spring of 2000 and I went with the idea that I was just fishing and hiking. I was expressing my sense of adventure instead of my common sense .... Just before sundown something odd happens there. Everything goes dead silent, like nature hit the mute button. The stream I was fishing had a few gators but nothing near me or at least I thought. As the sun went down, the gators came out from their hiding spots and started feasting on whatever was on the bank. The sound of silence going to complete carnage is unreal. The stream I was fishing turned blood red and that point I was surrounded by gators that I didn't even know that were there. Just a few feet from where I was standing was a gator that was under a bush. I had been there about two hours and didn't even see him. One snap from his jaws at my feet and I was running. I didn't stop until I reached my car about two miles away.

Between the Colts and IU, my nerves are shot. What a weekend.

To me each reel I have feels a bit different, no one feeling exactly the same. My goal is to match it to its best suited technique with how the reel feels and palms in mind but most reels seem to fit for a lot different things. Sometimes I just get lucky and the rod and reel feel perfect together. It doesn't matter if its Shimano or Daiwa. Each one has a purpose. The only reel I have put in my hands as of late that really felt off was the new Lews Custom Pro. It looks cool but it felt weird to palm. Like it was too small to get my fingers positioned correctly. I can't say that about the BB1 I have. It feels pretty good.

I picked up some Citizen Micros. I should have gotten the 6in version as well. The 7in looks huge. I definitely want to here how these worked out.

Picked up a Halloween Bento Box from The Hook Up Tackle. With the exception of another OSP Blitz Magnum EX DR, its a fantastic box. Well worth the $100. I did pick up an extra 110jr +1 (I'll do a separate post just on that bait. One of the best colors I've ever seen from them.)

A few months ago I tried to order a Megabass rod and it showed in stock but I was then told it was on backorder and would ship from the manufacture. That was not the case. I had to wait a week for a refund which prevented me from ordering a rod from someone else. It's shame though. They had a good thing going.

I use Glacier Gloves or a pair from NRS when it gets really cold. I also bring a few old wash towels to keep everything dry. Also, I won't fish braid in cold water. It can hold water and sling it everywhere. Another thing, I take hand warmers and a pair of heated gloves in case of an emergency. In the end though, I don't like wearing gloves and will hold out as long as I can. I sort of transition from fingerless gloves to the ones mentioned above. I like the ones from Simms in that regard.

Digitaka.com has been charging additional fees for a bit for tariffs. Here is an example reel with an additional $35.51 added to the total. This is still better than the new US price.

Its one of my favorite free rig baits. I've tried it weightless and it does a great in calm shallow water and at my local ponds but on a big lake with depth, current or wind, the fish really don't bite it unless you are super patient and can wait for it to hit the bottom.

A little insight.....

@WaskaCrank12 Forgot to add, the last time I fished the Bassday Mononofu 50S (various colors) I caught seven different species on it.... Largemouth, crappie, bluegill (counting these as one, warmouth, bluegill, and green sunfish), drum, catfish, perch, and a nice but small striper. About 15 fish total on this bait alone but it was just one of those days. Everything was biting. One a side note, if you get one of these baits be prepared to change out the hooks on a regular basis.

That's kind of why I said maybe. Each time I have used it, I've caught a big one. They seem to hold up ok. I pulled in a big catfish last week on it and it ate it whole. Most baits would have been destroyed but it looked fine when I took it out of its mouth. So far in the durability department, I would say it's worth it and they do catch quality fish but the availability is total BS. I do like that it's a small business and that they produce as much as they can but once they are in stock, they are gone. I'm thinking of trying the 6in but they are like $45 for a pack of 2. I did message The Hook Up Tackle about these around a year ago and Ben's response was that most of the sales they were getting were from resellers and there wasn't much he could do. I got lucky the last time they had them in stock and picked up 3 packs as soon as they came up. I went back to see if they still had any after I checked out and they were all gone in less than 2 minutes. Also, I need to try these for smallmouth. Seems like it would be a killer bait.

Unless you are casting into the wind all the time, I would get the US XT without the DC. You can get it for $145 at Omnia. US warranty and no tariff charges. Love Japan Lure Shop though.

@redmeansdistortion I haven't seen this on any of my or other people's Shimano or Daiwa reels but have seen it on one Abu Garcia Winch and a few Lews over the years but I did see a video of a beat up 20 Metanium on Facebook. It was eye opening. The reel was a mess though. I took this screen shot of it. This gear is toast. Wish I could post the actual video here.

Forgot about the Imakatsu Geisha. One the best shallow cranks out there. The finish on the one I have has held up to a lot of fish. It is one of the few that really looks like a bait fish. I wish I had bought more of them when I had the chance. The Wasp is another good one and so is the Griffon. I have a couple Z3s but haven't caught but a few fish on them. I guess it depends on the depth I'm fishing. The Megabass Cyclone has been a bust for me. I still have a few in my tackle box but I haven't fished them in years. If you are interested in them, I would be willing to sell them. Just send me a message and I can see what I got, some may be new and unfished.

It could be a lot of things. The first thing I would check is the worm gear and pawl. Make sure it is clean on both ends of the gear, check the pawl for damage and look for any missing parts, especially washers.

OSP Blitz Max DR OSP DoLive Beavers Megabass Vision 110 and 110jr Megabass Super Z2 Bass Puzzle Grass Piece Citizen Micro - maybe Evergreen Piccolo PC-5 Bassday Mononofu 50s