FishTank

I hate say it but when it comes to longevity and overall wear and tear, Tatsu has been the best. Another is R18 LTD. It's been great so far and a little softer than Tatsu. I also like Sunline Invisible and FC Sniper. I have yet to find a mono that will hold up to the conditions mentioned.

I have the older versions of the 844C IMX and 844C GLX and I have the NRX+ 904C. I use the 844C IMX for topwater and the GLX for everything except cranks and jerkbaits. The 904C is my primary football jig rod. I have used it for other stuff like topwater buzzbaits and big spinnerbaits but for me, it excels at football jigs.

Dirty Jigs Luke Clausen Compact jig is one of my favorite 1/4oz jigs. Sharp hook and they hold up well.

If you go to Osaka, I heard there is a shop called Fishing Eight Umeda that carries new custom Daiwa and Shimano reels. They are expensive but it's the really good stuff. It would be fun to check out. Baits to look for..... If you are into trout/BFS, Ima, Ito Craft and Smith. Imakatsu, Deps, Hideup, and OSP would be on my hit list and Megabass as well. I would be looking for the odd ball stuff too. Another company that I have not used but it's one of those "if you know, you know" brands, Revonik. They have some cool designs and they seem to have a following. There is probably a ton of other cool stuff but enjoy the trip.

I asked the question at a fishing seminar years ago.... When do I throw a specific weight of a jig? The answer was it depends on ROF, depth, temperature, etc. Basically what has already been mentioned above with one exception. Water clarity as it pertains to what the bottom is made of. What he was saying is that if you have a muddy or sandy bottom and big jig, a bass might avoid it as it stirs up more stuff. Just like us, they don't want to breath/suck in a mouth full of mud and sediment. So go small, be patient, and make smaller movements with the jig. This why I take both a 1/4 and 1/2oz jigs with me when I go jig fishing. In the summer, when it's hot and there is a lot of vegetation, I might go smaller and heavier with a 3/4oz for weeds and lily pads and a 1/8oz BFS jig for shallow water. When none of that maters, 3/8oz for everything.

I have a set of the markers. They're ok. The dye doesn't last as long as the dip. I like using them on transparent swimbaits like the 3in Hazedong Shad.

Awesome catch. I will say, that scale looks a little bit familiar.

Have a bathroom plan Go big and then go small - BFS Fish the conditions you are given and adjust to them as needed When in doubt, throw a wacky senko Learn from your mistakes - adapt Don't be a one trick pony

This a good thread. Really enjoy it. Going with @TnRiver46. I will say one of my fishing buddies likes to fish the worst conditions.... sunny, no wind, clear water and warm. He's a fair weather fisherman to say the least. He thinks if it's the ideal conditions for his own personal well being then fish should feel the same. Then he complains about not catching fish as he is a flip/pitch fisherman as well. He thinks off shore fishing is 75ft from the bank. Stubborn and stuck in his ways. He did catch a bass on a crankbait once that was about 15 feet deep, around 150 feet from shore only because his trolling motor battery died and I switched it over to the cranking battery. He said that fish must be sick to be out here all by himself. I caught three more in the same spot. 😄

You got me curious.... What color or bait do you miss?

7.x:1. I can always reel slower if need be.

One more....😃

I know. I cropped out the type that said this was an April Fool's joke. Thought it was funny 😁.

From Yamamoto's Official site...

Nice catch but...... Always wanted to use this one.

A couple of times a year, depending on the reel, line and what it's used for. A cranking reel with FC might get it twice but a frog reel with braid might get it more often depending how dirty it gets. Keeping it clean is equally as important. Grease tends to attract all kinds of gunk.

I use TSI 321 on spool bearings, Bantam oil on everything else, Cal's on drag washers and the Daiwa blue grease on gears (except level wind).

I have the older version on a G Loomis 802c NRX+. I use it for shakey heads, some paddle tail swimbaits and small jigs. I would say it's not quite a BFS rod. It would handle what your trying to use. But if you want to go all out, I would wait for the new Megabass Evoluzion rods to come out in July. There will be, I think, 3 BFS style rods in this line up.

Senko 5in. I throw it every time I am out on the water. I always catch something on it. I have tried many others and have a few that I will return to from time to time but the Senko has always produced the best.

So on hook sets.... On any light spinning or BFS style rod, I don't really set the hook. I more or less lead the fish, let the rod do the work and the fish sort of hook themselves. Once the rod bends to its power point (on the Whippet this is about 5-6in in to the rod), I lift up on it but not like I am swinging for the fence. With small jerkbaits and trout plugs, this is pretty easy. On 3in size swimbait jig heads, it takes some getting used to. With Baby Plugging, I am not sure how it differs from other P5 spinning rods but going easy at first and then tightening the line up has worked out for me so far. Also, I would let the drag do its work and one other thing, you might try a heavier leader. What are you using? I found 6lb leader material sometimes to be too light. I tried 6lb Sunline Gold Label and it was like 4lb. I kind of settle on 10lb. Ben kind of explains the hook set I use at 13:00 mark in this video. I also have the P5 Siglett. This is an F0 rod. Hook sets with it are more of whip or snap of the rod tip. I basically use this rod for small top water, like bug baits and bfs poppers. It's sort of the extreme example of letting the fish pull the hook in.

Are wanting to use it for hard baits or soft plastic/jigs? What weight range?

I have been waiting to see if this lure pops up but the bait I heard that was catching them was a pink bladed jig with a bright pink and blue trailer. Morning Dawn is the actual color I think. Good luck finding one.

Good to know about the Baby Plugging. I took the Whippet pond hopping a couple a days ago and caught 13 on it. Nothing big but it was fun. I was fishing a 3in Crush City Mayor and a One Up Shad. Just curious, what lures were you using with the Baby Plugging? Hook sets on these light rods can be tricky. Also what line?

If you like them, I would keep them. I too kayak fish and that is the dilemma sometimes.... You can't take all of it with you and there are more techniques out there than you can fish in one day. I only take 5 or 6 (sometimes 7 if I want to throw an odd ball bait) with me and I have learned what to take and what to leave home depending on the conditions. Also if the condition are going to stink (wind, cold, rain, no wind, high heat, blue bird skies, etc.), I try to bring set ups that I can throw more stuff on, basically most of my Megabass rods.