MassYak85

I feel like the distinction between actual "flipping" and "pitching" is getting lost. I'm guessing OP meant pitching if he was getting his lure far enough away to worry about lost line.

Ideally the line to lure connection is always gonna be the weakest link, even if you're using a leader. So if you're using 65lb braid you're gonna need something really string to wrap the line around and pull. It's one reason I like leaders for anything other than frogs or punching. Much easier to break off 15lb line than the braid.

Tbh I didn't order much, if I dont get it back it's not a big deal. But I figured if theres any chance the guy still wants to make it right then the claim might be the only thing that gets his attention. Not holding my breath.

Ditto. It's hard to find a rod that will do well for both treble and Jig hook sown baits but the Fury lineup is on the faster side but you'll still load up about half the blank whne you set the hook on a fish.

Very understandable. I want to give the benefit of the doubt, but not responding to emails for almost 2 months and deleting your company website is fishy. It would take 5 minutes to make a Facebook post saying "hey everyone, sorry to disappoint everyone but with the unexpected amount of orders I received and the coronavirus situation I will not be able to fill everyone's orders." I understand it's crazy right now but doing the right thing communication-wise costs nothing, even if the guy can't refund everyone right away.

I started the ball in motion for a Paypal claim. I emailed the guy and was pretty clear I expected to hear back within a week and nothing. Hopefully I hear back now.

I'm hoping they'll be here this week for me.

They're fun baits to fish. I've had just as much luck slow waking them over open water/grass flats as I have just target casting shallow lay downs and twitching it in place. And some of them will crank down fairly well too. I also find the bite is MUCH more subtle than you'd expect. They usually just kind of slurp it down, not really a big explosion like I expected.

Cold water kayak fishing is about risk mitigation, although to be fair doing it to begin with can somewhat risky. I'll venture out when there's still ice on the lake. I don't usually wear waterproof stuff or a drysuit or anything...but that's because I am in a sit-IN kayak which helps shield me from splashes, as well as the fact that I use outriggers in cold water (all but eliminates any risk of dumping myself). I also try and fish smaller lakes and ponds in cold water cause in the unlikely scenario I do end up in the water I should be able to get to shore. So my mitigation is ensuring I don't get too wet to begin with and I wear warm clothing but it's not waterproof unless I'm expecting rain. If your worried about tipping, a dry suit or something might be your best option. And WEAR YOUR PFD!!! It's a fairly risky game going out when the water is this cold, you just gotta make sure you're prepared and have a plan if your day goes south.

If the Alberto is not tightened properly the loop the leader creates can stay open when the braid cinches down too "early" and leaves a small opening in the leader. This can allow the tag end of the braid to slip back out and completely unravel the knot. Check it very closely.

Definitely grab a slammer, you can get them used with some hook rash for probably 20 less than retail. I like the single joint 9 inchers the best personally.

Hopefully we'll be on the downswing of this whole thing by the time the weather gets real nice and people flock to the water. I agree they might just close ramps. Heck the first day it hit like 60 degrees Whitehall had full parking, mostly hikers but I can see them looking at that and other places and saying that's too risky. I hope not but we shall see.

I'm not positive on the new Tatula 200, but the older 200HD I'm fairly certain had a static inductor spool. Still a good magnetic brake but the spool doesn't move to give that hybrid magnetic/centrifugal control that defines the Mag Z. Sounds like from the OP he's looking to use this as a swimbait reel. If he's using 20+lb line he's gonna want the bigger 200 or 300 size reel with the beefed up internals to handle the long term wear and tear of heavy baits. Personally I use the older 200HD on my Dobyns 795 for 1-4oz baits with 20lb P-line PF. I haven't had any issue with the brakes although you can notice a little difference in wind with baits that tumble.

Certain colors are, but there are plenty on the site right now. 795 can easily handle the 50 size, it's just a fairly big rat (10" overall, but only 2.5 ounces). For someone just getting into the game the 40 might be less intimidating. But by all means get a 50 OP if you feel comfortable with it.

If it were me I'd go 168, G2 shell cracker, weedless Hudd 68, and a spro rat 40 size (30 will underpowered that rod). And the hood news is that rod allows for a lot of growth for if you want to step up and get like 9 inch slammers and stuff.

I'll take a look at the scorpions as well. I assume that would be a better reel than getting an SLX DC?

Make no mistake, it's not some space age super material they chose for its insane properties. Its still plastic. They did this to cut cost and to cut weight off the reel. I don't know if they used a special automotive grade delrin or nylon or something but it is very much still plastic. My concern is not the pawl to worm gear wear, both those materials do very well in those applications. My concern is side loading the pawl when drag is being pulled off the spool at an angle, as well as dirt getting in there and grooving it. Again I'm just asking, I'm sure they tested it I just want to hear from people who have out then through the wringer for a couple years. But form the sounds of it I will probably be better off with another reel for those lighter baits. I appreciate all the feedback so far guys.

The reel is going to go on a DC764 RM. I was considering an SLX or SLX DC if anyone has experience with those. I'm still a bit concerned about the plastic worm gear on the K as well. If the line guide is off to the side and the line on the spool is coming off at enough of an angle wouldn't that side-load the pawl into the worm gear a bit? Idk, maybe I'll just get a Fuego and upgrade a couple things.

It's not a shock leader, it's for abrasion resistance and visibility (say what you want about the fish seeing the line, it gives me confidence). Cranking around large rocks longer is better IMO. I usually keep it so it just barely stays out of the T wings but I like a longer one for cranking.

Thanks, that helps a lot actually. I'm mostly gonna be fishing medium divers with it but if it's gonna struggle on smaller cranks I want to avoid it. I honestly may end up going with the Fuego. I have one already and like it a lot. For reference I'm putting this on a champion xp from the recent Dobyns sale. I was gonna go a little higher on the reel price range and give Shimano a fair shake but eh, who cares I guess. If it 'aint broke don't fix it I guess. I really wish Daiwa hadn't gone all-in on the T-wing, it's a great design but leader knots just don't work out well with it. It would be nice to have an SV-spool option without the T-wing. At least the fuego still has magforce braking though.

I'm looking to get a baitcaster to throw cranks on. I love my tatula's for most techniques but I'm a braid to leader guy (I know I know, crucify me all you want for using braid for crankbaits, you won't change my mind) which means the T-wing is gonna be a problem. This will be my first Shimano baitcaster and I've heard good things about the K looking at reviews and reel teardowns. My only concerns are... - The worm gear is plastic. I'm not against plastic parts in reels but this to me strikes me as an odd place to save money. Has anyone had issues with the worm gear wearing out yet? And is it a common part where I could swap it out for a metal gear/pawl set from another shimano reel? - I've heard the reel isn't the best at light weights. This is going to be a cranking reel so I plan to get the 6 speed, but is it up to the task of casting lighter balsa cranks down to like 1/4 ounce?

The secondary market is very strong for swimbaits. Like you said, you can basically rent baits sometimes.

Like @fishwizzard said, don't overlook it as a shallow water cover bait. Especially around wood. It walks very well in place so you can keep it next to prime pieces of cover for a long time.

To me, the must-haves starting out are a bullshad (I like the 4x4), slammer (7 or 9), G2 shell cracker, Hudd 68, swaver 168 and spro rat. If I had to restart those would be the first baits I'd buy again. And don't be afraid to buy second hand. If it's got hook rash it was fished hard and caught fish.

I've been looking for the "perfect" spinner bait and IMO I still haven't found it. What I look for is a quality skirt, preferably tied not banded. The hook has to be good but there's a fine line between too light and too beefy I feel and I don't think a lot of spinner bait makers get it right. A lot of the JDM or "finesse" spinner baits I don't like how light the wire is. To me it's still a good cover bait and the hook doesn't always reflect that. Quality hardware is important, good swivels are a must for quick blade start up. The actual wire arm is another fine line where you want as much action as possible but it's still gotta be thick enough to hold up and pull fish out of cover without straightening out. And finally my biggest beef with most spinner baits on the market is... Trailer keeper. Some don't even have one and the ones that do I usually find inadequate to hold on trailers for multiple fish. The jackhammer chatterbaits got it right and I wish more companies would incorporate that double wire keeper. I'm tempted to just start buying spinner baits I like and adding my own keepers.