FishTank

I have tried both mono and FC over the years. I would generally use whatever I had left over from a filler spool. I didn't give it much thought other than trying to match the diameter of the braid to the leader but once I used a little left over Tatsu my thoughts changed. FC is my line of choice now for leader. I like the smaller diameter per lb test and it seems to have the correct balance of long life and sensitivity. I hate retying a new leader as well. This year though I have been using Seaguar Premier and Sunline Xplasma. This combo has been killer for me. I can't give a solid reason as to why but I have caught more fish on this setup.

St.Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' M or for heavier cranks the 7'4'' MH. I would also recommend the G.Loomis IMX Pro Crankbait rods but I actually like the cheaper St. Croix better.

I fished Friday, Saturday and Sunday at three different lakes and had two baits that worked and only these two baits..... Weightless wacky rigged 5in and 6in Senko (any dark color) 6in Zoom Lizard (black with either a blue or yellow tail) I tried all sorts of baits> cranks, ribbon tail worms, jigs, topwater of all kinds, and finesse rigged soft plastic. The main thing was patience. No power fishing. I just let the bait sit a longer and took my time. Friday I caught 12, Saturday 15, and 11 on Sunday. Won this weekend's tournament to boot. Best week of fishing I have had in long time.

Any of the Daiwa's with an SV spool will do the trick.

Check the X-ship bearing, BNT4194. I replaced a few of these over the years and it's usually the culprit. Without seeing it, that would be my best guess.

I have had good luck with 6lb Trilene XL 100% FC since it came out but it does have more stretch than other FC. Its super soft compared to most FC, casts well and tends to hold up depending on how you fish. Only downside is the abrasion resistance is not thet great.

The best advice I ever got on fishing a jig was that most jig bites don't feel like bites (strikes) at all. It's when you feel something different than the bottom, the line getting heavy or something besides structure that the fish has actually just picked it up but not eaten it. This is when you set the hook. You may swing and miss a lot but eventually that odd feeling is a fish. A good example of this and this is one my favorite things to do when jig fishing, is to toss a jig onto a down tree trunk and just drop it off to one side or drag it down the middle till it drops. Usually when it bounces off of this structure the fish hit it and the jig just feels suddenly light It doesn't really feel like a strike at all but more like the fish it just holding it for a split second.

I have the Chronarch MGL and the older Revo ALX. Between the two, the Chronarch is the better reel and it ain't even close. Don't get me wrong, the ALX is fun to fish but it's not in the same class as the Chronarch. As far as the rod goes, you are asking, in my opinion, for three different technique rods in one rod which is hard to narrow down. You might look at the Megabass P5 Super Destroyer or the G. Loomis GLX MBR series (especially the 843 or the 844). The Super Destroyer is an odd, sensitive rod and can be used for just about anything. It's kind of a do all unicorn. The MBR series have a fast but soft tip and can be used for a variety of techniques but generally crankbaits are not one of them.

My thoughts.... If a fish can sense a finesse ribbon worm (which is one of my favorites) in complete darkness at night, then yes they can sense the whipping of braided line in the water. So... In medium to heavy stained water> Yes. More water and material is displaced. In clear water > Not so much. Weird, I know. Or at least that is my theory.

Another vote for the St. Croix Legend Glass. Great rods for the job.

The SLX would be my choice between them. I have seen several of the Veratis rods break but also several with no issues. The Mach rod I have no experience with. Also, you can get a SLX combo (rod and reel) for $140. Just google it. Can't post the site here.

Megabass I-loud. Weird bait but I have seen guys get hits when no other topwater will.

I use to fish this for crappie when I was a kid so drop shot is not exactly new to me. There use to be a company that sold these pre-rigged. I also remember putting a snag hook between the two bait hooks. Not the best for the fish though.

JDM Shimano Bantam

I had two back then. I think they they were the All Star Classic and they went for around $100 or less. I liked them up until each one cracked/broke on me. I can't explain why. I just remember fishing them and they both broke bringing fish in. I believe they were about two years old and both broke within a few months of each other. Good rods though but a bit heavy by today's standard.

For both buzzbaits and Texas rigged plastic..... My preference would be mono for buzzbaits and FC for Texas rigged plastic but for both, mono. So for a mono that will do both, Sunline Deifer regular or Amarillo. The regular version has more stretch than Amarillo but both lines are the closest to FC I have seen in a mono. They also last a long time.

Tried one the SLX combos out and for price, I haven't seen anything better. The reel is great and the rod is ok. I would say the rod is close to most of the $100 rods out there but the reel fishes way better than most other $100 reels. So at $140, it's a steal.

I was thinking I smelled this stuff before but not as pungent. It might be OSP or Depps. One of them has sort of a rotten egg and garlic smell. It's similar but different.

It smells like it. Whatever it is, it's worse than day old chum.

I picked up a pack of 13 Fishing Bubble Butt Worms for $2 out of a clearance bin and had never seen them before. Tried them out yesterday. I wasn't catching anything on the usual stuff so I put one of these on and caught 4 in just 15 minutes. How did these not hit my radar? And what the heck is Donkey Sauce? It really stinks, like death and fresh fish. It's also a pretty versatile bait. It's marked for hook placement and the head can be torn off to fit a jig head. Anyone else use these?

I tried it a couple of times and didn't like it but it's been a while. It was one of things that decreased my fishing fun and it wasn't worth the hassle.

I change a few of mine right out of the box especially the KVD Strike King crankbaits. I would often find myself getting hits but missing fish. I was like.... how can this happen with two big hooks. I should be ripping through the fish with these baits. Changed the hooks out with Owners or Gamakatsus and problem solved.

I have used them as a trailer for jigs with some success but Texas rigged has not been very productive. I have better luck with Rage Craws.

Picked up 6 packs on Cabela's website. Took me two weeks to get them.

So I used these for the first time this week and I have to say that they, as of right now, do live up to the hype. I have tried other Max Scent baits with mixed results but I couldn't stop catching fish with these things. I tried them on both DS and an 1/8oz jig head. Both were great.