AirborneNautilus

Inline spinners are often overlooked. 1/4 oz catches a little bit of everything. I still throw one on when things get tough. Plus, roostertails are pretty dang cheap

I have a 2 tatula and a zillion svtw. All are made in Thailand

Was pike from wachusett? Love pike fishing, but I only do it once per year from lake champlain. I'd like the chance to do more in MA

I use the widegaps. They're pretty heavy gauge wire and I haven't had one that's broken or straightened. I've only used gamakatsu and academy EWG hooks and I can't really tell the difference. They do what they need to do.

I have a few that I use regularly - jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and pistol minnows. The pistol minnow is nearly indistinguishable from my LC gunfish. Good quality baits at budget prices. The only one I've used and wasn't a fan of was the jointed sunfish. Sank like a rock and needed to be retrieved pretty fast.

Tatula CT can be had on ebay for $88 with a coupon code POPULAR right now. At that price, you can get a CT and a tatula SV TW for just slightly over your maximum budget

Out of curiosity, how tight are you guys setting the spool tension? I tightened mine as per included instructions (enough to prevent side to side wiggle) and then another 20 to 30 degree rotation of the tension knob, but I'm not getting the no thumb performance on any break settings. The reel is spooled with 12 lb yozuri hybrid and I've tried throwing several lures in the 3/8 to 1 oz range. On setting 1 with ideal conditions (no wind), I immediately get a backlash on casting. 2 is a bit better, but I have to thumb it a bit before the lure hits the water. 4 is the best, but lacks some serious distance. Not sure whether I didn't set it up properly or if I received a reel with an issue. It's noteworthy that this is my first shimano reel. I'm not sure if the setup or casting technique is supposed to be different from my daiwas.

I enjoy using MH casting veritas a lot. It's not as sensitive as some of my others, but it's lightweight, casts well and is my all around workhorse rod. It's handled quite a few 32-40" pike marvelously

I'm glad to hear that I don't necessarily need to drill the entire thing out. I will grab some proper glue and will check the weldon as well as epoxy options. What kind of acrylic is recommended for the repair? I sent them an email a few weeks ago, but never heard back.

An unfortunate first post here. I've been a lurker for the better part of the past year. So long story short, hit a rock with my savage gear 3d rat and broke the bill. As you can see, a good portion of the lip is missing and there's a crack that runs down the center of the bill. I'd like to repair the lure so I can get some more useful life out of it. Would I be able to grind out the fracture and epoxy some shaped plastic to the lure or would I need to remove the lip entirely and replace it with a new one? Thank you in advance for your guidance.