FishTank

I was intrigued by the design of these hooks since the came out but I really wasn't convinced that they would be any different than a Free Rig or Texas Rig. So I gave in and ordered a couple. I fished it pretty much exclusively the past two days and I can say it is different but it's not necessarily a replacement for me on the Texas Rig or the Free Rig. Depending on the bait it gives it a sort of natural death spiral and it makes the bait fall slower, a lot slower. I tried both an 1/8 oz and 3/16 oz with a 4/0 hook. I caught several good fish with it but if you throw it in deeper water you need to be patient. Also, it rips baits easily when you hook into a fish. The hook is strong, sharp and it pins the fish well. I think I will continue to use it but for the price and the hype, I'm indifferent to it. It will be a good addition to the Texas Rig and Free Rig I'm already using.

I'm pretty hard on companies that copy a bait and market it as something different or even original. In this case I found one I like better. The Gobius from Z-man has been great for me this year. It doesn't snag as easily as the Dark Sleeper. It holds up just as well, if not better. The only downside is the hook is better on the Dark Sleeper. It just does a better job of sticking fish but overall, I think the Gobius will be my new go to for this kind of bait.

10lb 2oz. A 6' ML St. Croix Avid and a Shimano Stradic 2500 on 6lb FC with a weightless Zoom Lizard.

So then there's this guy.....

Irregardless of the water temps, I start throwing topwater when I start to see these....

And there is the truth of it...

I use Sunline Sniper Invisible 5lb. So far it's been good line. I have it 3 of my set ups. On a side note, I prefer braid to leader on light spinning gear.

In the P5 spinning line up, the Windbuster is the do all rod. Not sure it will handle a 3/4oz jig though. I would say the same of the X bites. Just on a "held it in my hands" observation, I think both these rods are more comfortable at a 1/2oz with trailer.

Good stuff. All great baits that catch big fish.

If you are buying from the US market, I would go with the GLX for bottom contact even though the P5's are really good. There is no real difference in the US and JDM P5's, except warranty and a few models are only made for the US. In the GLX line, I have three of the older models. 783C, 844C and the 803C. All are great. In the P5 line, I have several but tend to like them for hard baits rather than bottom contact. The X-Bites is one that I do not have. I do have the Super Destroyer and it's pretty good for just about anything. My favorite is the Six Eleven. I use it for small cranks and jerkbaits but does ok with small soft plastic as well.

I've had good luck with the Carrot knot.

Indiana. I spent half my time positioning the boat. My foot hurts from operating the trolling motor.

I went out yesterday and only caught one dink in 7 hours of fishing. The wind was so bad I clocked the boat drifting at 5mph at some point during the day. The wind seemed to be blowing around 20mph all day in two different directions. The boat at one of my spots just turned in circles without me using the trolling motor. The water was really muddy as well with no visibility. About half way through the day I got snagged next the bank and fell in to about 10 feet water. Luckily I was able get a selfie. When will the water clear up? 😁

Marine Goop, then wrap the thumb bar with masking tape, and wait about 24-36 hours to remove the tape.

For $100 it's a good deal. I had one of the Smoke S3's, the generation before the Smoke S3, and the Tour S3. I ended up selling them but they were not bad reels. The Smoke S3 is good all around use reel. For $100, I would snag it.

Dawn or diluted Simple Orange. Both work well.

Short pitching rod from a kayak, Megabass P5 Super Destroyer. You can use this rod for anything 3/8 - 1.25 oz. It does well with jigs, topwater, soft plastic, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and even a 6in Magdraft. It's sensitive but not as sensitive as an NRX+. It's big advantage is it's versatility and the length for a kayak. For example..... Last year I wanted to challenge myself to two things. One, catch 6 different species on one lure in the same day and second, use one setup to catch six fish with six different baits. I was able to do both with this rod on my kayak last fall.

I've tried them and went through a pack pretty quick. They do catch fish. I had good luck fishing them shallow, running them over grass. I need to pick up some more.

Well I got the reel I set out to get at the beginning of the year. I took it out for test drive with a flat sided crankbait. I only caught two with it but it is a little powerhouse. It's sort of odd feeling though. It's like a go between for the Conquest 100 and the Conquest BFS which I think was the intention.

Between the two mentioned, Sniper. I like Invizx but not for leader. With that said, I would use Seaguar Gold Label Leader or Seaguar Grand Max before Sniper or Invizx. They just seem to hold up better, they handle the shock of hook sets, and knots are really good with both, especially the leader knot.

I have the Chronarch MGL and it's a good reel. I've had no issues with it. It's easy use and set up and brings the fish but if you compare it to what's out there, I don't think its as good of a reel as the JDM Zillion or Metanium. Also, it's not much different than the Curado MGL. So to me, it really doesn't stand out from Shimano's other reels. I hope Shimano revamps this line. It was once the workhorse reel of choice if you wanted a step up from the Curado. I still have my 51E and wouldn't trade it for anything. If Shimano were smart, they could stick the "50" model number on a reel and it would sell like crazy for just the nostalgic connection to models like the Core, Chronarch, and Calcutta.

I remember trying to hunt this down before. Again, I would call Shimano but your best bet might be to find a used reel and use it for parts. Shimano Curado 100D/DSV parts

When I was first hunting for a BFS rod I looked at the P5 Bait Finesse. I thought well it says Bait Finesse, it should be a BFS rod. It turned out to be more of a Medium but not a ML. I didn't purchase it but what the OP asked about would be in this rod wheel house. It's rated 1/4-5/8 and it has a softer tip. I tend to like my jig rods fast to x-fast. This rod is definitely more of a fast but it is geared towards softplastic, like Texas Rigs and Shakey Head. I would think it would be fine for those weights in a jig but it's not one you're going to pull a monster out of thick cover with.

I've tried the R18 LTD and it's sort of like Tatsu. They have multiple versions of R18 that are geared towards Japanese fishing and they are formulated differently. If you got to their website and use Google translate, you'll get a better idea of usability. https://www.seaguar.ne.jp/index.html https://www.kureha-gohsen.jp/

I use Owner ST- 36's in 2, 4, and 6 but for smaller baits and BFS I use the Ryugi Pierce in 8, 10, and 12. I tend go through a lot of these. I also use Gamakatsu G Finesse hooks for jerkbaits.