FishTank

How do you go about buying one? I don't think Doyo will ship to the US.

Not 100% sure. It's probably because they are lighter than most and again, maybe the sensitivity of them.

The only guides I have used that I believe added sensitivity to a rod were Recoils. The reason I say that, several years ago I broke a GLX JWR 803C that had the Recoil guides. I loved this rod. Through warranty, Loomis sent me the next generation of GLX JWR and it did not have the Recoil guides. It was a definite downgrade in terms of sensitivity, still good though. Then the NRX comes out just a few months later with Recoil guides and I bought one. It was like fishing my old GLX but a little better. The Recoil guides to me definitely made a difference.

3in paddle tail swimbait, 5in Senko, Vision 110jr +1, BFS trout minnows, and a deep diving crankbait 8-15ft. These are generally a good starting point for me. I can pretty much get a bite on any of them as long as the fish are active. I will also use an A-rig and maybe a jig but these are the ones that have been doing it for me the past few years.

@Darth-Baiter I'm pretty much the same. I don't throw a lipless as often as I use to. Not sure why but I think there are just too many good techniques and the lipless just gets set aside. The LV500 is petty much all I use anymore. I have good luck with a few others, like the new Bill Lewis version, Jackall TN60, and one from Nishine but the LV500 has caught the most. One that has been a disappointment, the Megabass Vibration X-Ultra. It has been a dud for me and the finish on them has been bad. I bought a couple and I don't think I have caught a single fish on them in past few years of trying.

Spool Speed. They are from the US. Someplace south based on the conversation I had with Barbie (kid you not) about the sizes I needed. You are correct on the rod. It loads really well and does help.

So I took my upgraded Steez SV out for a spin yesterday and I was really impressed. I had it on a P5 Daemos with 12lb Tatsu (old line same in pic) and I was throwing a 1/4oz swimjig with a 3.8 Keitech. I could cast it a mile. It was also super easy to cast, effortless. It was pretty smooth to begin with but seemed a little smoother. Downside was the noise. It was pretty load and didn't get any better with use. I did get use to it but it is definitely a trade off for the improvement. I would say was getting about 120-140' feet easy, maybe more. I was able to set turn the brakes down to 3 and cast with a little wind to my back. At best, I usually set the brakes to 6 on this reel.

I have seen few accidents and one too many close calls over the years, especially on small bodies of water. Even with lake restrictions there are people who just don't care or have no idea. On small bodies of water, most lakes in Indiana have restrictions on what you can use. One local lake is restricted to a 9.9hp or smaller engine with a $2500 fine for using or having anything bigger. People will argue this but I have seen enough to know that it is necessary.

It's possible. Some older reels, like the Daiwa Pixy, only had about 3-4lbs but replacing the drag washer closest to the main gear frame with a Carbontex one would double the attainable pressure.

I have been using the Megabass P5 Whippet with a Shimano Twin Power 1000. I use 1/16 and 1/8oz heads. Despite this rod being 6'6", it casts a long way. It's also great for light snap casts in close quarters. This rod also sets the hook perfectly for small swimbaits. Super fun set up. Works for topwater and small jerkbaits as well.

These jokes remind me... If you let them Shenan once, they'll Shenanigan.

I will always want another chance to fish with my dad. If I had a wish, I think I would like to use what I know now, put him on a nice bass boat when I was a teenager and just go fish for the day.

I don't have FFS yet. Not sure it's for me but I do spend a few hours from time to time looking for nice spots off shore. I will mark them and come back. If they don't produce, I move on to another one until I get bit and then mark that spot again.

I think Lews has been the number three reel company for quite some time (at least 5+ years). They have a loyal following but continue to shoot themselves in the foot with their on and off sale tactics, once great but now questionable service, and their general lack of support (no sales reps) to local shops.

I have one of these and it's great just to keep handing when I am on my kayak or when I'm pond hopping. No need to carry much more unless you plan on making some major changes throughout the day or loose a bunch of stuff. Only downside, not all packages fit the plastic pouches.

@BassKat Its actually a Gobyz. The finish is not real durable. In spring of last year I caught over 100 bass on it. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.

I haven't fished open saltwater in a long time. I prefer the blue mirror on bright sunny days on the lake. They're darker but have less contrast. Seems to work better in clear water as well. The green is good for changing conditions.

As far as the switch to Costa, I like the lenses better but in an RX, I would imagine they are going to be slightly different. I like some of the frames as well. A few that I have had from Smith have delaminated. Smith did cover them under warranty and sent me new ones. Pretty good experience. If I could only have two Smith pairs, it would be the green mirror and probably the brown lenses. I also have a pair of that changed in intensity but they never seemed to work right. I will say the Guides Choice frame is a good fit for me.

I just finished 16 reels and still have several to go. It's fun at first but after a while, my mind tells me it's time to go fishing.

I have a couple a pairs of Smith Sunglasses in various lens colors. I like them but sort of switched over to Costas. Nothing wrong with the Smiths though. So on lens color.... Blue mirror is the darkest to me. Good for bright days, open water. Green mirror is the go between. Good contrast but still dark Bronze/copper mirror. Dark, high contrast, better in fall Amber. Low light. Good for cloudy days and early morning but not much else. Like the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror better. Turns things bright.

A-rig, blade bait, crankbait, bfs trout baits, small swimbait (2.75in Swammer), senko, jerkbaits and a dragging football jig.

These two caught a lot of fish for me. The best of the rest are kind of divided between a handful of lures..... I also did well on the Megabass Vision 110jr +1, Senkos, OSP DoLive Beavers and the Evergreen Piccolo PC-5.

G. Loomis.

There are a ton of good ones. OSP HP Fish 6th Sense Whale Xzone Swammer Crush City Mayor Bottom Up Volup Swimmer OSP Dolive Shad Megabass Hazedong Shad

The Plano Edge Terminal tackle box. I have 2 3700s and 1 3600. One 3700 is for Texas Rigged soft plastic, the other is for swimbaits and misc stuff and the 3600 is for drop shot and free rig.