Jerryj33

Just picked up the 6'10" MH Spinning rod for shakeyheads. Haven't fished it yet, but I love the finish and it feels great in hand. It's the most comfortable spinning reel seat I have put my hands on.

I’m surprised I don’t see many people here mentioning the benefits of slack line presentations you get from a spinning reel. It’s way easier to manage a wacky rig on slack line watching for bites on spinning than casting. I’ll throw a senko into heavier cover on a MH casting setup but in clear water with lighter line, the spinning gear does a much better job for me. I’ve crushed plenty of big fish skipping a wacky rig or a fluke with a ML spinning rig with a 6lb flouro leader. And I can do that on a reel that costs less than half of what a BFS reel costs. Also, finesse jerkbaits like a trick darter or staysee cast so much easier on spinning when the wind picks up.

Anecdotal evidence from the past few years would make me want to guess a lucky craft LC 1.5 square bill

Those (and all) Trokar hooks destroy fish. The cutting point embeds way to deep into the bone bits and cuts huge holes in the lips if they’re skin hooked. that being said, gamakatsu weedless finesse wide gap 1/0. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Wide_Gap_Finesse_Hook_Weedless_/descpage-GFWH.html

Man, as a fellow data enthusiast this is an awesome post. Thank you for the resources. I use Navionics regularly, but was not aware of those functions. Much appreciated.

Hey y’all, Im planning a trip to lake Marion in SC in mid-march. I’ll be staying at the Santee state park campground. Should I expect to find bass on beds already that time of year, or will it be prespawn? I will be fishing from a kayak so I am limited on how far I can travel from the ramp, but is there any specific kinds of cover or structure in that area I should focus on?

How do the DCs do for pitching? I’ve always envisioned those were aimed at traditional casting.

Any suggestions for the best place to find JDM?

My girlfriend is getting me an IMX 843c MBR for Christmas, which is by far the nicest rod I will own. Most of my current rods are paired to various models of shimano SLX. I know I want to stick with shimano, and step up in quality but I do not know which model to pair with this rod. I plan on using it for finesse jigs, keitechs, senkos, small trigs, flukes and other lightweight single hook applications. My initial thought was a Curado 70 mgl. Does this sound like an appropriate pairing? I do not know how the balance of this rod will be, as I have not handled it in person yet. Could I get away with an SLX MGL or would a cheap reel bring down the experience of using a high end rod?

Starting out I was a Fenwick only guy. Built up a nice little set of HMX and HMG rods. Ended up trying quite a few other rods, Phenix, St. Croix, Falcon, Powell, Dobyn’s, and eventually the rods that won my heart, G Loomis. I still love my St. Croix and even have a Powell cranking rod still in rotation, but I have a hard time seeing myself buying anything but Loomis in the near future. I am curious to try some Shimano rods, but it it ain’t broke…

it's not as small as some of the baits mentioned here, but the LC flash pointer 100 is a very subtle bait. Gentle rattles, 3/8 oz and a very crisp action. Look for it on the e bay.

Another vote for LC RTOs. 1.5, 2.5 in oh so many colors, specifically the BE Gill, Pearl Threadfin, and American Shad

Jackal Archelon, Zoom Z Hawg and Zoom Z Craw.

Thanks guys. Seems like the orochi is the real deal. Also going to have to check out the kistlers. Ive never held one in person but I keep hearing good things

I haven't handled an orochi yet, but I loved the levante in the store. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to wait a while before I actually spring for another rod or i would jump on that deal