FishTank

Awesome reel. I would use it for small cranks and especially small paddle tail swimbaits. Some times a slow reel makes a difference with baits like an Easy Shiner or a 3in Swammer.

My favorite anywhere and everywhere is black with blue flake and a blue tail. It's color 523 in a senko. Another is 927, Smoke Blue Hologram Silver Laminate. One more, Smoke Black Blue Chart flake.

OSP Blitz DR.

Just in case, I use the JDM stuff. I heard the US version is not the same. It's going on its third year. I haven't had any real break offs with it. I use a San Diego Jam knot. It does seem to fray around cover and if you get in wood, forget it (but most other braid is the same for me though). I cut a little off when necessary. I have it in PE #3 and #1.2. The #3 is used for topwater frogs, punching, and heavy jigs. The #1.2 is for senkos and soft plastic with a leader. With that said, based on the big price hike on it in Japan, I will probably move over to using all Varivas in the future. I still have about 3 spools of YGK lines (including Upgrade X8) to go through so it may be a while. I want to try Varivas Avani Casting Max Power X8 next. Seems to be a quality, reasonably priced line.

YGK UPGRADE X-8 as a general purpose line. For spinning reels I like Varivas Seabass X9. For jigs, I use YGK OLLTOLOS WX. If I could afford it, I'd be using YGK Shinji X9. I got a spool about a year ago for about half the cost it is now. I use leader on all of these 90% of the time.

I've got one. Great reel. Casts a long way. I have it on an NRX+ 883C BJR. Really fun set up.

It's been fine. No issues. It casts a mile and it's nice and smooth but I haven't caught nearly the same amount of fish on it as the Kestrel. I have it on a P5 One Ten Special and the jerkbait bite has been in short supply this year. I also use this set up for topwater. To put it in perspective, I caught one today on a Showerblows with the Mg-Ti and on the Kestrel with a BFS crankbait, I caught 9 bass (6 keepers), 3 catfish, 20+ green sunfish/bluegill, and about a dozen crappie. I also lost 4 keeper bass (2 around 5lbs). The hooks were shot on the Megabass BFS Griffon I was using. I literally wore them out. In hind sight, I should have switched baits but I just kept catching fish.

Check out Picasso's Titanium Pro. I can't guarantee that it won't get bent up but for most bass fishing it holds up really well. They are not cheap but they are really well made.

I would second 12lb. I use it for 1/2oz size crankbaits. Anything below that, I use 10lb.

This might be a stretch but I purchased a KastKing Kestrel about 5 weeks ago for $100. I sold a Daiwa Tatula BF70 that was just absolutely frustrating to fish and replaced it with the Kestrel. It has been fantastic. It might struggle with stuff below 1/16 of an ounce but above that, it will cast a mile. I have put about 200+ fish on it. I have caught a lot of crappie and bluegill but I have also caught several nice size bass (a few 5lb's) and some big catfish, one was over 15lbs. I have been extremely impressed with it. I have it paired with a Jackall Revoltage II BFS rod and it matches up perfectly. Also, I read that this reel is over braked. I don't think that is the case. I would say it's under lubed. I put a few drops of oil on all the bearings as they were bone dry and it made it smoother and cast further but I needed to up the brake setting. One more thing, I actually like it better than the Curado BFS's reels I have. I can't say yet how it will be long term compared to the Curado but so far it has taken a beating. So for me, it has been the best deal of 2026.

Evergreen PC-5. Catches everything from smallmouth to catfish.

I can't speak for the 852S but I have the 872S NRX+ and it is by far my favorite wacky Senko rod. Its sensitive, has plenty of power, and it can cast a long way.

BFS crankbait Free Rig Jig 3in Paddle Tail Swimbait Wacky Senko Topwater of some kind Deep Diving Crankbait

For sunny days, Kasumi Ito is my usual go to for any condition or changing conditions. It seems to work on a stop and go retrieve or when bouncing off of rock (probably not its strong suit though). Next would be Frozen Glass. In my head, it shouldn't work as well as it does. With all that said, for blue bird skies, I usually pick something transparent and/or natural. My favorites in that case are in the OSP Blitz line. I have yet to find one that doesn't work so it hard to pick a favorite. There is a custom color from the Hook Up Tackle called Secret Shad. It has done really well for me. Another and they only have a few baits in this color is GF Spawn Red. This color is a good go between for when some fish want red and others just want something bright.

Those are 3 of my favorite rods. The 904C is a great soft plastic, topwater and football jig rod but I don't think it can handle those big Geecrack baits. I believe they weigh over an ounce which would be too much for that rod in my opinion. The 894C would also be under powered for those baits. The 883C wouldn't even come close. I also have the 895C. This rod might do it but it is massively over powered for most of my fishing. It is great for pulling heavy fish out of cover though. You might look at the Megabass P5 rods. They have a few that might fit the bill.

Mat Craw was the first one I bought but it has only caught a few fish for me and if memory serves me right, it has only been in early spring. I have done better with Spawn Killer. I picked up a couple of new colors this year but have not tried them yet, Mat Shad and Sexy Shad. I might pick up Phantom Green Craw or the regular Green Craw in the future. Also, the reason I chose those four is that they have covered most situations for me, stained water, clear water, early morning or blue bird bright days.

Kasumi Ito, Old Z, Frozen Glass, and PM Hot Gill.

Too many. In FC... 5,6,7,8,10,12,14,15,16,20 In Mono.... 10, 15, 22 In PE braid... PE #0.8, #1.0, #1.2, #3.0, #4.0

Based on the ones I have owned over the years, that has not been the case. Granted I have mainly owned Avids but any of X-fast rods I have had, have been really fast at the tip and slightly stiff, especially the MH rods. The Legend X rods may be totally different. I haven't owned one. I didn't care for how it felt in hand. I would say St. Croix X-fast rods overall are stiffer at the tip more so than any rod manufacturer I have used. Its not a bad thing but my personal use is limited to the Premier, Avid, Legend Tournament, and Legend Elite lines of the past. I would not use any of the X-fast St.Croix rods I have owned for jerkbaits.

Picasso would be my choice. They are not cheap anymore but are definitely high quality. https://www.picassooutdoors.com/article_a/317.htm

I have tried the new Overtex with the Plasma Rise and I have mixed feelings about it. It slick and casts well but I have had random break offs that are just in various spots in the line and not at the knot. The line doesn't seem damaged in anyway. It's just weird. I have had this with two spools, 12lb and 7lb. I have not had this issue with any of their other lines.

For treble hooks, I like Ryugi Pierce and the Pierce Daggers. I have also used some from BKK. I usually order them from Japan, the Hook Up Tackle, or even Amazon for BKK. As far as crankbaits go in Florida, it depends on the lake or pond conditions. I've seen some shallow with lots of grass, making BFS almost impossible so I would just use your best judgment. Topwater BFS would be awesome. For me, I like to bounce small cranks off rocks in shallow water on a stop and go retrieve. I don't focus on cranking the bait back in. I just go for feeling the rocks. That seems to draw the fish to the bait. In grass though, I would start with the Megabass BFS Griffon SRX. Its shallow running and has a built it in action on a stop and go retrieve that makes it look like its bouncing off of something. The Mononofu does the same thing.

My favorite BFS crankbait rod is the Megabass P5 Kasumi Six Eleven but it's not my favorite for the Karashi. I tend to like to throw it on the P5 Whippet spinning. The Six Eleven just doesn't load the Karashi well for me. I have tried it on several different BFS rods though and there is one that I do like but it can be hard to come by, the Jackall Revoltage II 6'9" BF Light. It's a little stiff at the tip but it works a small jerkbait and the Karashi well. Another I like is the Kistler Hunt series. It just a great all around rod. I wish I could comment on the Pop-X but I don't own that one. It might be a great fit.

I have the same set up (700C for the rod). It's pretty versatile. I know you are asking about Megabass bait but there are tons of other BFS baits outside of what Megabass has. I would look at these as well and these are just a few..... Bassday Mononofu 50s Shimano Tiny MacBeth Evergreen PC-5 Duo Realis Rozante 63SP Crush City Mayor 2.75 6th Sense Whale 3in Also, be prepared to replace treble hooks. I would invest in a small pair of split ring pliers or tweezers and some #8, 10 and 12 trebles. To give a good example, I caught over 30 two weeks ago on a Megabass BFS Griffon SRX and had to replace the treble hooks twice. A couple of 5lb largemouth and a really nice catfish did them in.

It's different from a lot of other 3in paddle tail swimbaits. It has a flat top and somehow that keeps it on an even plain. The Mayor is heavier and sinks like a rock. Both work well but they don't seem to compete with each other. It's more like when one doesn't work, the other does. In a pond, it might not make a difference. I do catch more fish on the Spark Shad and a greater variety. Hooks up are also better. For the most part, I use a 1/0 or #1 1/8oz ball head jig like the Keitech below. https://www.keitechusa.com/keitech-jig-heads/keitech-tungsten-mono-guard-jig-heads/keitech-tungsten-mono-guard-jig-head.html I throw it on either a Megabass P5 Whippet or a P5 Cliff Hanger Thrilling. The GH Humpback is more of a sinking BFS bait but for a pond it's fantastic. It's pretty easy to cast. It can be thrown on BFS gear or a ML spinning rod. All you have to do is keep it off the bottom and real it in on a stop and go retrieve. You will need to keep the drag light and eventually you will need to change out the hooks. The only other bait I would consider BFS on that list would be the Karashi. It is more difficult, for me at least, to cast than the GH Humpback. Also, just noticed you are from FL and having fished several ponds down around Tampa and Bradenton when I was younger, 5lb's can be a regular thing. Every pond seemed like its own eco system. Some wanted big baits while others wanted small stuff or even just topwater. The list I posted was based off of the ponds I fish in Indiana. Where you are at, it can be a totally different ball game. If I was back down in Florida I would go with the regular 110 (if your pond can handle a bait that goes 4-6 feet deep), the Pop Max, the 6in Magdraft or the SV-3. Another might be the Z-Crank Z-1. Great finesse crankbait that you can throw on regular gear.