FishTank

It's happened to me, which is why I spool my own reels. I have an old Berkley spooling station. Works great but the new version stinks. It's easy to use and is quicker than going to the store to have it done. I have never trusted the store spooling machines. I even bought a used one from a closed Gander Mountain but sold it to buddy. I just liked using the much simpler and less accident prone Berkley.

For a light/ultra light.... I would go spinning in your case. I like the Loomis NRX+ 821S or the 842 SJR with a Shimano Vanquish 2500S For a Heavy casting set up.... Loomis NRX+ 904C with a Shimano Metanium or a Megabass Valkyrie 7'1" H (spiral wrapped guides) with a Daiwa Steez A II.

This may not be the exact one but principle is the same. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Nories_Sankaku_Ko_T-San_Neko_Rig_Worm/descpage-NSKT.html

I have been using the Berkley Fusions. Hook ups with these have been great. The only downside is the weed guard. It seems to untwist quickly.

Finnese fishing to me doesn't always mean little baits but more in how you present it and how fast you fish. For instance, the guy that one our tournament last week fished a Zoom OlMonster and drug it across the bottom slowly. A single cast might last 5+ minutes for him and he would cast to the same spots 5 or 6 times before moving on. For me, I do find myself down sizing to smaller baits more often and fishing slower. It seems like most of the fish I have caught in tournaments this year have been brought in this way.

I do this regularly and it drives the guy I fish with nuts. I will throw a large swimbait or a glide to draw fish out. They seem to follow these bait but rarely commit. I then put it down and toss a smaller bait like a senko, BFS style crankbait, or a 3in Easy Shiner. I can usually get something to bite. I can't explain it but it works.

I have both and like @Tatulatard said, the Steez A II is the way to go for long casts. I use the Zillion HD for Magdrafts, punching, and heavy jigs 3/4oz and up. The HD seems to have heavier braking at the beginning of the cast.

These are my favorites so far in hard baits and jigs..... From top left down and over...... Megabass x nanahan but get the +1 Megabass Great Hunting 70sp Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 60sp Duo Realis Rozante 63sp Rapala Shad Rap - the little one Shimano Tiny Macbeth Megabass BFS Griffon MRX Megabass Great Hunting Humpback 51 Megabass Great Hunting Flatside 50 Bassday Mononofu 50s Megabass Karashi Megabass Baby Popx Keitech Mono Spin Jig For soft plastic I like..... Megabass Rock Hog Ned Rigged Megabass 3in Hazedong Shad on a 1/16oz head Pretty much any TRD style bait Jackall 3in Cover Craw OSP Mylar Minnow 4.5 in Roboworm on a 1/16oz Shakey Head Various Small Grubs on a crappie jig head

I have the 803S NRX and a 6in tops it out so I would definitely say the 852S will be too light. A 5in Senko would be it's max.

I thought it was you. Once again... thank you sir.

Two other things, split ring tweezers and reading/fly tying glasses. I can't remember who recommended these but I would be S.O.L. without them.

I wanted to add a few things I found essential for my BFS fishing... First - extra treble hooks. If you are catching bass or anything somewhat strong and heavy, you will bend most standard hooks. I have changed several. Most BFS lures take either #10 or #12. Second - Small pliers. I bought these at Harbour Frieght for $2. Normal fishing pliers, at least for me, are too strong for the small fragile hooks. When I started BFS fishing, I broke a few. The small pliers work far better. Last - Split rings. Same deal as hooks. They can bend out. I use size 1 and 2s. I like the ones from Valleyhill and Owner.

I have been very impressed with mine for the price. I like how the tip is fast so you get easy hook sets but is soft through the middle, keeping the fish pinned with these smaller baits. I caught this guy on a Karashi. It had no issues handling this nasty thing. Sorry for low res photo. EDIT...... I noticed that the original post this refers to mentions the 740C and I have the 700C. They, from what I understand, are completely different in action.... So sorry, my mistake. Just wanted to clear that up...

I feel the same. I took two set ups this weekend and fished them head to head to see what reel I liked better for stream fishing. One was a Daiwa Millionaire CT on a Megabass P5 Siglett and the 22 Aldebaran BFS on a Dobyn's Sierra Ultra Finesse 700c both with 6lb FC Sunline Invisible and I used a Megabass Great Hunting 50 Flatside on each. The Aldebaran was the clear winner between the two. That's not say I don't like the Millionaire CT. I just don't think the breaking system is suited for this type of fishing. Put a 3/16oz+ crankbait on it and it shines but it struggles with anything less than that. I also tested the notion of spinning gear using a Shimano Vanquish with a G.Loomis NRX+ NRR and a 1/16oz Ned Rig. It worked well except for tight casts. I found I struggled to make short accurate casts with tight windows but had no issues sidearm casting when using the Aldebaran. I also believe I would have benefited from having a shorter rod for the Aldebaran, maybe 6' or under.

I have fished on some hot days and never seen anything like this. How hot was it? Was the box sitting on a boat deck exposed to the sun all day? The worst I have seen on a hot day was my buddy's Crocs melting to his feet. It was actually kind of funny because he thought I gave him a hot foot. The back of his black Crocs had melted to the point where the rubber dripped to center of his foot and started to stick.

I use to be in the camp where I would say something like "Why would I use BFS gear, when I can use spinning gear?", "Small baits only catch small fish", "Why would anyone use that light of equipment to catch bass" or "You're only putting yourself at a disadvantage when using BFS gear." Ya, no longer. I have caught plenty of big largemouth and smallmouth, crappie, bluegill, catfish, trout, carp and walleye on 5lb or 6lb test FC with lures I probably wouldn't have bought or used with spinning gear. I have a total of 4 BFS/light casting setups. It has opened up a whole new world of fishing fun for me and that alone is worth it.

Buy some more at the lowest price you can find. It's just the nature of most soft baits, especially GYCB.

It's been a long time since I caught one of these beauties. I can cross it off the bucket list.

15lb should be good. I wouldn't go much lighter than that though. Like dodgeguy questioned, the lighter the line in FC the faster it will sink, making some topwater problematic with a long cast. I have used 15lb FC for topwater without much issue.

I have been partial to the Vanquish. Great reel and just fun to fish.

A 5in wacky rigged senko on a weedless 1/8oz wacky style jig head. I would fish it the same way you fish your jig. Next would be a 4in OSP Dolive Beaver on a free rig.

Here is the Bait Monkey and the head of my HR department working hard to address their paltry demands. ?

It is. It's the 700C Ultra Finesse. I really like this rod but I may change my mind and put the Conquest on something else. I broke the tip last year and was able to repair it but its not exactly the same. Not the rods fault. I had it in a rod holder on my kayak when I got hung up in a tree. I pulled on it, the bait came flying back and decapitated the tip. I've caught around 150+ fish on this rod since I bought it last year. I'm not ready to replace it just yet. I have a Aldebaran BFS on the Siglett I just got. So far, it's been a blast to fish. I might switch these reels around in the future.

Santa (FedEx International) delivered today. I took it out for about an hour and threw one the more difficult casting lures in my box, a Shimano Macbeth Tiny. It would cast this 1/8oz bait about 75 feet easily and smoothly. It's as smooth as any other Calcutta and is a true work of art. I do like it better than the previous version but it does have a few things that take getting use to.... One, the thumb bar is odd. It sort of feels soft. Second, the drag is slow to start up. I missed a few fish until I figured it out. Lastly, it's very similar to the Aldebaran. Overall, an amazing reel but I need more time with it. Also, it pitches and side arm casts amazingly well.