MassYak85

Buzzbaits are one of those where I've only tried a few, and didn't like any as much as I did the cavitrons, and until I find a reason to switch, I won't be trying new ones.

Generally I fish mine for a year out of the box and then clean them annually after that. That being said I have cleaned a couple out of the box and did feel it helped. Both were a little overloaded with grease from the factory.

A drop shot rigged 3-armed A-rig, one arm with a pink Deps 250, another arm with a 4" Zman TRD, and the other arm with a buzzbait.

You generally pay for quality with swimbaits and along with the shear size (increased material and production costs per bait) you are usually looking at baits that are handmade out of some dude's basement or garage. And these guys aren't killing it financially, they charge these prices, sure because people pay them, but also because they have to if they want to actually run a business. My bigger gripe with swimbait costs are when injection molded baits like a new style Deps 250 is priced the way it is. But I have no issue paying 70 bucks for something like a Mattlures or MS Slammer. And like BlueBasser said, you can general fish these things until any vague idea of the original paint scheme is a distant memory.

Heaviest I've thrown on that rod is a 200 Swaver, which is 3.5 ounces. It did not seem like it was pushing it at all and I think you could get right up to it's upper weight rating of 5oz. I do think 6 would definitely be pushing it though. Some day I will give my 8" hudd a try on it just to truly test the 5oz upper rating. If I were you, I'd ask myself which end of the spectrum you are going to be using the most. If 6" BBZ's and 168 Swavers are going to be your bread ad butter, definitely go with the 795. But if you find yourself wanting to throw those 8" glides more I'd lean towards the 806.

Yup! Same with mine! Unfortunately looks like a cold front is gonna hit us, again on Saturday. Not sure where the fish are at whatsoever yet so not sure where that will set them back to.

x2 It sounds like part of the drag stack may have been put back in the wrong order or "upside down" causing gears to slip, or you may have put the clutch mechanism back in wrong. If you take it back apart find your reel schematic AND a good video on youtube to follow along with so you can see visually what might be wrong (I always found that more easy to check against than my reel schematic).

I don't have experience with the 806 but I have the 795 and it handles all the baits you listed fine, I just wouldn't push it to an 8" hudd or anything. If the 806 can handle an S-waver 168 (someone else can chime in here) then I'd say go for that since it will have a little more power for those 8" trash fish and you could fish stuff like 8" hudds too if you wanted. I'm just not sure how it handles it's lower weight rating for the 6" stuff like the 68 specials and 168 waver etc. Oh and for what it's worth, I specifically bought the 795 to replace my Okuma Guide Select HEAVY, I just did not like the way that rod loaded at all, the 795 feels so much more crisp and handles it's entire weight rating much better. The Guide select HEAVY felt like it had a much tighter "sweet" spot and outside of that did not feel right. The 795 also has a shorter handle than the guide select (you may or may not like that, I like it since I fish from a kayak a lot). However, I have heard from many that the EXTRA HEAVY Guide select has a very different feel to it so don't let me dissuade you from that one if others feel it is appropriate for the range of baits you listed. Again I am not sure how good it would be for those 6" baits though.

I have no experience with it but have thought about trying it at some point, but what about 3D printing the mold? Obviously going to be less durable than getting one CNC'ed but if you are just testing a design I don't see why not.

This, a little bit of tip will help with casting lighter frogs and also accuracy.

^ I have a similar setup for mine.

I use 20lb P-Line PF original and exclusively run a san diego jam knot.

I've always personally felt backlashes with braid were much better. I've backlashed several times with fluorocarbon where the lined looped and kinked halfway down the spool, which then broke at that spot later in the day on a hookset. Braid can twist any way it wants and won't weaken at least in that way, so you can really dig at a backlash without fear of weakening the line unless you are using a metal pick or something. I've also backlashed so bad with mono/fluoro I just couldn't get it out and had to remove the spool and cut it off with a knife. The one really bad thing with braid backlashes is they can dig in on themselves which is a pain.

Like others said it mainly comes down to diameter. You WILL dig into your spool with anything less than 40lb braid fishing a frog with a tightened drag and stiff rod. Also again shock absorption, knot strength, and abrasion resistance are all terrible with braid. It's why you can cast a 1 ounce weight and have it fly off into the sunset using 50lb braid and backlashing. I fish frogs not only around vegetation but docks, rock pilings etc. 50 or 65 lb gives a little more forgiveness if you brush the line of that kind of stuff.

I use the WRS and they have a great action. You can fish them really slow. Only thing I don't like is they kind of spiral chaotically when sinking instead of nosing towards the bottom.

Largemouth. I've had some with some really strange patterns like that before up in MA.

I occasionally will eat a 2 or 3 lber here and there, or a fish I know is going to die. But I do have a thing against people eating trophy fish. That said I feel like most people who are catching fish solely to eat aren't targeting trophies so it usually works out.

IMHO never use a snap swivel period when tying to a bare hook. It adds nothing other than ease of switching to something else. But what are you really saving there? 20 seconds?

Woke up this morning the dogwood in my yard with some small flowers starting to sprout! Went to Western Branch in my kayak this morning only to get my butt kicked by the wind. Headed back to the ramp after an hour once the wind gusts started ripping my anchor loose from the bottom and I realized if it got much worse I wouldn't be able to get back to the ramp. Only made like 15 casts. I did see a catfish (or a huge bass ) come up to the surface about 50 yards from me chasing something though.

I saw that. IMO it's a total gimmick. I can only imagine how it will cause the frog to snag on to prickly/rough vegetation or bushes. If anything I could see it causing worse hookups if it gets caught on the bass's lips when they go to swallow it, instead of what you ideally want which is for the bass to get hooked back in the roof of their mouth.

Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad. Half the price, more durable, maybe not as soft but in most water temps still has a great kick. Only downside is only two sizes (3.8 and 4.8) and more limited color selection.

A few reasons. Biggest is probably line diameter, 65lb braid is like using 12-15lb mono. It's not very thick for it's breaking strength. Using 20 or 30lb braid with a locked down drag like is often done in frog fishing will cause you nightmares with the line digging into itself on the spool. Another reason is frog fishing is usually done in and amount some of the thickest cover you will encounter in bass fishing. If you hook a double digit fish 50 yards back into a lilypad bed with stalks the thickness of your finger are you going to trust 20lb braid to not only move the fish, but get the fish out of all the vegetation it dragged your line through during the fight?

Take a completely wild guess lol

The one in my yard has yet to bloom. But this next week is looking very promising. 80 on thursday and a few days in the 70's should help to get things going in the right direction.

I really don't think you can without eliminating at least a few techniques. I would personally go with a 7'2" MH/F Baitcaster setup and a 6 speed reel with 40lb braid and leaders as necessary. I probably can't punch or fish tiny drop shots or ned rigs with it but most other things I can.