Everything posted by fishwizzard
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Is the Bull Shad really worth it?
You are looking at it sitting in the package, that stuff stops mattering when you fish it as they want a quick retrieve where action matters more. The OG Bull Shads look like something that a kid would make in summer camp but they are unquestionable very effective lures.
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Worst hooksets?
Huddgills. Hit to land ratio has to be no better then 30/70 and likely worse.
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Show off your Stuff
Yeah, “unconventional frogging” is a lonely road to walk but I’m having a lot of fun and it’s working out way better than I thought it would. I’ve also started experimenting with snaps on my frogs to facilitate quickly changing out styles in response to changing cover, but but more importantly to give me the ability to walk almost any frog in place. The short rod is immensely helpful with this as well as I can tip down twitch from almost any position.
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For those of you cold water kayak anglers - spring
Right now I only roll out with four rods although I am scheming to find a way to add a fifth for this coming season. Because of the limited rods and rather large variation in water/cover around here I pack specifically for each outing. Hah, yep. I have about two dozen 3600/3500 boxes packed into little kits for all the various fishing I do and I am forever tinkering with and reworking them. It’s a fun way to pass the time and it means that I could grab a rod and a couple boxes and be out the door in moments whenever I get a chance to.
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Latest Tackle Purchase Thread (Bait Monkey Victim Support Group)
His video was another reason I went heavy in on them, they’re made in relatively small batches and I was afraid if his video got more popular they would become hard to find. I have six of them now and that’s enough to feel comfortable about fishing them very aggressively.
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Latest Tackle Purchase Thread (Bait Monkey Victim Support Group)
I got one of these in a ebay lot this past fall and was impressed enough to want to go into spring with a few of them. I really like throwing the Spro rats but always find myself wanting something in between their 50 and 40 sizes.
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Doesn't St Croix already have a Legend Xtreme?
I honestly prefer rods without hook keepers as I think the Fuji aftermarket ones are superior to any “wrapped to the blank” type that I’ve ever tried. They work with any kind of lure, especially t-tigs with the hook point buried, and they can be placed where ever you want on the rod rather than being stuck with whatever the factory thought was best, which is great for us left-handed people. The main reason I prefer them though is that they offer protection to the rod tip. While the Fuji keepers hold most lures up to 2-3pz very securely, they will definitely pop open and release the lure well before any reasonable rod tip is going to get damaged. While I use covers during actual transport, I hike into a lot of my fishing spots and like the increased bit of safety when moving my rigged rod through “heavy cover”.
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Weedless options for Neko Rig.
Google up “Decoy Worm 128 Neko Rig Hook”, it’s a weedless option. I actually have a couple packs of them but I’ve never thrown them.
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Single inline hook recommendations
Usually ebay. I can often find them for $5 per pack shipped. I believe Japan Tackle also sells them.
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Show off your Stuff
Possible but not likely.
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Simplifying Paddletail Colors and Sizes
I really limit my colors, I use KVD Magic Rage Swimmers as swimjig trailers and “any baitfish laminate” Fat Impacts with two 1/32oz nail weights. I’m currently using a mix of Bluegill Flash and Gobie, don’t notice much difference between them.
- New Dobyns Kaden rod
- New Dobyns Kaden rod
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Show off your Stuff
I was throwing a frog in like 35f water. Couldn’t wait to play with it. Shockingly, I didn’t get any hits.
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Shimano Aldebaran 50mg size question
I have a few CR rods and a Aldebaran 50 or Daiwa Alphas fits them perfectly.
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Single inline hook recommendations
I use F5’s for small streams and they seem to need the front hook to swim correctly. IIRC I use #6 hooks on the F5 lures.
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Show off your Stuff
I have been on a quest to find an extremely short rod to use for frogs and other topwater/medium cover presentations. After trying a cheap snakehead rod last year as a proof of concept, I decided to stop pussyfooting around and track down the rod I was looking at the entire time. It’s a Daiwa Black Label LG 631MHFB-FR. It feels like a sawed-off Loomis 844c and so far I’m really digging it. It cast and skips frogs extremely easily and it makes tip-down twitching a breeze. The reel is a new Tat SV and I am very impressed with it so far as well. I need to stick it on a more reasonable rod to really test it out but so far the distance and control both seem great and the reel is extremely palmable and comfy. Cannot wait for spring to get here!
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Single inline hook recommendations
I prefer the Owner Cultiva SBL-75M barbless single hooks, I think the barbed ones have a different number.
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Steez SV TW (2016 models) increase casting distance
It's a shallower, lighter spool that starts up very fast, I used it with 40lb braid to pitch 1/2oz jigs from the bank and the faster spool helps me make longer pitches while keeping the lure low. The same jig on a good cast will almost dump the spool. I don't like using braid for jigs unless am fishing them pretty close in so the lower spool capasity doesn't bother me. I now use the same spool in a Steez A for the this purpose and if anything it caster more freely in it vs the Steez SV TW. The spool was like $100 and is a drop-in part. I keep the bearings stock but flush and oil them.
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Steez SV TW (2016 models) increase casting distance
A RCS 1012sv spool gives amazing distance in a Steez SVTW, with 40lb braid I can cast down to the spool knot pretty easily. I’ve never tried to calculate how much line I can get on there however, I mostly use mine for pitching and closer and target casting
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Line for Texas Rigs and Jigs
I would use fluoro from like 12-18lb, depending on which brand and how “MH” the rod is. I am not a braid fan and only use it when I have satisfied myself that nothing else will work.
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Trick worm
This has been my experience as well. It's almost too bad, they have so many fun colors, but GP-Magic works most every time.
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Searching for two specific small jigheads
The Decoy Nailbomb heads are a ball-head EWG that come with a #1 hook. They are the one in the middle.
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What is a medium + power rod ?? For poison Adrena
I have one of the 611m+ rods. It’s a strange rod, it isn’t great at 1/4oz, like a weighless Trickworm, but at like 3/8-3/4oz it shines. It even casts a 1oz glidebait way better then it should. It’s close to a Loomis 783c, but with a stiffer tip and maybe a little more power in the butt. The PA is an outstanding rod and I am going to use it for lighter t-rigs and 1/4oz jigs.
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Trick worm
In my bathtub, non of the Zoom Trickworms float at all and seem to have more or less the same sink rate. If you want a slightly more buoyant version, the Netbait T-Mac is a great variant that has a little less salt then the Zoom ones and is made from a slightly softer plastic.