JustJames

I consider weight of my combo when fishing specific techniques and as long as I feel comfortable when palming both reel and rod. Balancing point is varied mostly on the tip of my index finger both casting and spinning. I don’t mind draging hopping Jig with Bantam MGL and Zodias High rod for day. That reel alone when more than some of my setups, btw.

So far I got two replacement from Shimano for my Crucial gen 1 and 2. The first one, I dropped off the rod myself and second time I just mail the rod in (Covid-19). Shimano shipped replacement rod to me no question ask. Lucky me I still have 3 crucial left which carry limited lifetime warranty, but the bad part is Shimano ship Curado as replacement.

My reel show IPT of 20.5-29.5” pretty accurate in my book ??.

Try 4-6” worm like roboworm (none fat version) finesse worm or zoom Z drop or meathead.

Depends on how you want to fish those Super Fluke. If you wanna fish like normal fluke “fast”, jerk jerk pause, jerk jerk pause you don’t use weight or as light as possible. I can fish Super Fluke down to 8-10’ unweighted. You alternative would be using Yamamoto D-Shad or Caffeine Shad which heavier and sink a little bit faster. Now if you wanna fish Super Fluke like “Senko” jerk jerk and let it sink down to bottom, I like to use 1/16oz belly weight, @Fishes in treesmentioned VMC drop dead is pretty good but I would go one size smaller than your typical EWG hook. I fish fluke only on Copolymer 8lb or FC 10lb no braid here which would effect sink rate and action. Another option if you want, adding split shot to CPS twisted lock hook. If you look closely at the hook you will see small split shot.

There is one membership lake I wanted to join but my wife say no. It is Lytle creek lake. This is type of resort lake where you can park RV and small lake to fish from. They stock mostly trout.

About 100 yds (30lb J-braid on curado70) but at that time I think I only had a little bit more than 1/2 spool capacity. Of course lower spool capacity gonna effect casting distance, my choice was using it for something that not require distance like Pitching jig or target fishing instead. I’m not nut but just plain “cheap” ???. I don’t have Daiwa 150 size but I guess it should comparable to 200 size shimano reel. You should be able to get 40-50 lb braid a bit over 100yds. To me I always spool braid all the way with no backing. Then add backing when line drop below 2/3. This way I can use a whole spool of braid instead of only use 75yds but have to change line more often.

My friend praised in SOS line for 2-4lb. I use Izorline 4lb. Be careful not all line diameters are the same. My izorline diameter is about 6lb red rebel .007”, XL should be about the same.008”, Sufix advance from I’ve heard is bigger even though spec shows.008”

It a lot depends on size of braid (line diameter) and your spool capacity. Normally my braid reel doesn’t have any backing or just only a few feet for that line slipping issue (70 size reel with 105 yds of 30lb braid). Mostly for frog fishing, you can bomb cast pretty long way and without backing, you can utilize the line all the way to bottom of your reel and don’t have to worry about unnecessary weak link (connection knot).

Yes if I don’t have my wacky or Neko hook with me. If it is temporary fish doesn’t care but it will get snagged a lot more than hooks said for wacky/Neko hook. I only use #2 EWG hook though if 4/0 I would rather go home than lost my rig at first cast.

Lucky you can recover the setup. Submerged less than a minute far from shore, there shouldn’t be any debris get into the reel. If you are not comfortable open up the reel, just let it air dry for a couple days, add a drop of oil to spool bearings and see is any grinding when spin handle or jerky when pulling line out, send it to professional if any unusual you feel. If you can maintenance the reel yourself (which is not very hard at all for baitcaster), then open up the reel remove old grease from main gear, if you can flush all bearing do it otherwise let it air dry and add oil, if you don’t wanna deal with worm gear (hard to remove and install C clip) then use CRC spray cleaner , spray wherever you can, worm gear frame and handle side plate. You don’t really have to do anything with palm side plate just let it air dry. For drag stacks just remove any moisture, apply a little bit of grease when install. I use heavy oil 90w for frame bearings and bantam or Daiwa oil for spool bearing, cal grease for main gear, secondary gear and worm gear.

Doesn’t matter if you grease your drag on not, drag doesn’t make sound, only jerky or smooth. This topic is about noise coming from the guy pulling line out when drag tight. BTW some drag need grease like Felt, some doesn’t require and still remain smooth, like smooth drag.

Have you use braid before? What kind 4 strands PowerPro? It might be just regular noise coming out when braid crush each other while pulling out with tight drag? If you want just upload the sound here for easier diagnostic.

Here fishing pressure is not as bad but the spot for crappie is kind of limited unless you have a boat. I just don’t like the crowd and I don’t wanna confront them when they start keeping 6-7” ones. Sometimes it’s as bad that they cast cross my line on cut in between me and the spot. I’d rather move or fish somewhere else. Anyway this evening went out and saw no one so I started searching for big ones. As I said it seems tougher to find them and even you find one, doesn’t mean you find a school, unlike last year where I got fish back to back to back. This might be biggest crappie of 2021 for me, sad but I will settle with more bass lol.

This might be my biggest crappie of 2021. She is far to be my PB but work schedule and other things make it impossible for me to hunt for them. All released this time.

Is crappie regularly on cycle like one year good two year bad? Last year by this time I caught about 100-200 plus some very big mama already. I didn’t spend a lot of time this year though, too many ppl fishing for them most every evening. Also most of the crappie, I caught from running roadrunner along the bottom, not so many shallow under float. This solo crappie I spend almost two hours searching for, running float with different depth, pan casting every where, crappie nibble, slab source, different color. Until I switched to roadrunner.

Because there is post about this Curado BFS a day or two before you posted. Also here at BR is not as gear junkie as TT forum. Here you would hear more about fairy wand vs baitcaster war more than a benefit of different type setup.

It doesn’t matter if it is label as BFS reels/ rods, but your setup is pushing envelope with trout rod and super shallow spool reel. BTW that 1/16oz trout magnet jig head got nothing to do with bass, the jig weight about 2.2 grams plus a good size 2.5-3” paddle tail plastic, you are looking at 4 grams (1/8oz). The hook size is fine #2 (same as Zman mushroom head) but too soft and get blended easily. If you looking for 1/16oz jig head for bass, I recommend Hayabusa jig head #1 hook) Let look at my setup, for bass the lightest weight I would go is “Anything weightless” from Zoom tiny fluke, 3” roboworm Ned worm, baby rage menace all the way to 6 or 7” Roboworm straight tail. I might consider 1/8oz Pro roadrunner as bass lure for light “under spin” which I use quite often when target both bass and crappie. 3” Berkeley fluke style with 7’ spinmatic trout rod. Double rig zoom tiny fluke with 7’2 solid tip Ajing rod and reel rated BFS. Which I won’t do this again for sure. It take too long to get the bass this size in. It it torturing, can’t imagine if a 3lb bass (my avg catches) hit it. 1/8oz Pro roadrunner hair jig with BF rated rod.

Star drag not clicking, you might forgot/lost small pin or spring pieces. If I remembered correctly SLX star drag is not locked with clip. Reel is not smooth and making noise, obviously you did something wrong or not fit in right. I’m not sure how much you clean, try to reassemble then put it back together again until you get it right. Otherwise time to see professional.

I have more rods than reels and yes I switch reels between rods all the time. A lot of time it either shimano reel on Daiwa rod, or Daiwa reel on shimano rod. ?

Neko rig is a very fun way to fish. It is very versatile technique, can fish fast or slow, can use any type worm or even creature like brush hog, can fish effectively in deep or shallow water. It is open hook technique so can use lighter line, yet less snag than any technique required weight. The most of all, the bites are so varies and very challenging to detect the bite. As long as you keep tension on the line you would know it is a bite but to hook and land them is another thing. The way you keep moving/shaking the lure make you feel more active than said dead sticking or dragging, but you would get tired fast so comfortable and light setup is a must. If I want to fish slow or dead sticking, I will use Zman either ZinkerZ or Finessez, shallow to medium I use 6” Roboworm, for deeper I go with Senko. I pretty much use one weight about 3/32oz (2.5 grams). Most of the fish I caught from spinning setup last year come from Neko Rig (close to 100 fish). This one caught two days ago. This is my rig.

I would like to agree but there is more method which to me still consider finesse faster than drag every inch or bottom but not too fast. One that come into mind is weightless rage menace, Zoom baby brush hog etc. I like this when fishing shallow up to 8 Fow. The longest I have to wait is when lure fall down to bottom which 50% chance you got hit while it drop. After that I just lift the rod (from 3:00-1:00) and let it drop on its own, no other action needed. This way it is faster and not over power fishing at all. This technique really require line watching, every sudden move on the line it is a bite.

Most you mentioned can fish faster and as effective, Ned rig just simply slow steady retrieve with a few drop to hit bottom works really well. Wacky rig once hit bottom you can start popping short and more frequently. Another and my current favorite is 1/16oz Roboworm Neko rig. Also can fish fast and slow, I got plenty of strike when moving fast but steady and not over power. It more like reactions strike with hit and run. These methods work well for me but those fish trend to be in small to medium up to 2lb.

How many reels do you have and plan to use the same braid? If only one, I would just spool all braid in one reel. It is more economic this way. Braid would last you for a long long long time, especially when you use with leader. Braid doesn’t have memory problem, so pretty much you can use it all the way. Once braid get frayed out or look old, you just switch to the other side of the line. The left over, you can use it as backing for other reel as well, no waste here.

Happen to me a few times, skip line guide on the rod, cut the main line, forgot to thread line to line guide from the reel. The worst one and happened more than quite a few. I prepared the jig or chatterbait with trailer, then drop the jig in water without knot tied. I remembered, I did this twice while in my boat.