Shimano_1

I'm the same way. I catch a lot of fish on other things and will continue to throw em. However, many times I've thought they should eat other things and been saved by a good fish or 2 on a jig. Id honestly rather be on a good jig bite than a topwater bite. Something about that bite and getting to swing the big stick just does it for me!

Don't really understand comments like a guy is a jerk because he has money and buys what he wants if he can't fish? Last time I checked we all make decisions for ourselves whether to buy gear or not. I don't make a ton of money but could afford to fish high end gear if I chose to. I like to feel like I'm getting a bargain so I shop for sales. The only thing I have a problem with is that the industry paints a picture that you need a 60k boat and 50k truck with 15k worth of extras on the boat to fish tournaments. I fish a trail with a couple older guys who fish pretty much everything from the 90's that consistently take the young crowd to the wood shed. If people want to spend on costly gear who's business is it? I do agree the prices have gotten out of hand but again thats where the smart shopping and stocking up when there are sales comes into play. I'm still learning to deal with my megabass vision 110 addiction lol. Went many years refusing to spend 25 bucks on one, made the mistake this spring of buying one and now I have 8.

The 7 ratio is gonna be the best all purpose reel in my opinion. Ive got a cple 8 ratios and a cple 6 but probably 5 of the 7 ratio. I fish jigs, smaller swimbaits, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, weightless senkos, frogs and other topwaters all on the 7 ratio. If i were gonna just take one reel fishing it would be the 7

Shimano slx combo or the fuego ct/shimano slx reel with a basspro carbonlite 2.0 rod would be my suggestions. Slx combo for the money simply can't be beat

6'9 med fast rod with a high speed shimano slx reel

I wouldn't let others convince me of it. Id go fish them enough to come up with my own conclusions. There's a lake around here that is pressured to death because its the only lake around that has a lot of big fish but is tough and fishes a lot different than any other lake in the state. We don't always wreck em but we've done really well there.

Judging from the dicks stores locally I wonder if they aren't getting out of the fishing game all together. There are 2 locally and one has some stuff while the other is basically empty in the fishing department

I do all my own maintenance and have for years but I've learned quite a few things reading his advice on here. If I needed something done and didn't want to or couldn't do it myself I'd definitely hit him up with confidence!

Used to be all shimano. Lately mostly lews with an okuma and 13 thrown in the mix

Tatula sv with med aird for neds, lews mach with lews mach for Texas rigs etc, Tatula with dobyns for spinnerbaits and bladed jigs, pro max with duckett for all purpose texas rigs, small jigs,spinnerbaits and bladed jigs as well, silver max on aird for shallow cranks or with mono for topwater or whatever. May end up doing some swapping around i usually do as the season progresses and my techniques change. Id definitely throw in jerkbaits as they can be one of the deadliest baits at certain times. Good luck

I would do just what u plan on doing. 15 lb power pro or similar braid to an 8 or 10 lb fluoro leader. Works for me and anyone I let use my gear with those applications

We fish them all summer long around here as long as there's grass. Killer night fishing baits as well as has been stated!

I think its a combination of a few things. Ive wondered for years how/why they stayed afloat considering you rarely see average Joe's fishing them. They had several of the biggest names in the industry but still couldn't seem to grab hold. Ive owned a few and was pleased with the former smoke as well as the s3. Always puzzles me how someone can suggest to swap gears in a 400 dollar shimano to make it quiet and perform like it should. Yet throw shade at other brands for being doyo or junk quantums or whatever. I think they all make or have made decent reels and they've all dropped the ball a few times. Id have no problem having nothing but quantum reels. Just don't know what they can do at this point to grab some of the market.

Definitely not what id consider common but yes they work. My cousin fishes a senko on a finesse jig in cooler water with decent results. I personally prefer a little more bulk and prefer different things on a jig but id try it and see what it does

Yes sir and I'm sure you're much more qualified to give advice on this subject. I'm just a weekend warrior. Love those regular mustangs I've wanted one for years just been too tight to fork out the funds for one and just stick with the cheap bps ones. Definitely agree that whichever one we will wear is the best one to own. I don't fish a lot of big water so most of my runs are 20 minutes or less so even when a lil uncomfortable its not a huge deal for me

You're absolutely correct and I'm sure it was our fault. Don't know specifics but it was a mustang but their cheapest one a few years ago and it was 2 years old when this happened. I'm sure with proper maintenance they work just fine but my regular ones don't need maintenance lol. I buy a new one every few years and its just peace of mind for me. One less thing I have to be mindful of. Seem to be the majority that like them as you see far more of the inflatable ones on the water. To each their own

I'm just the opposite. Ive fished walking baits every way possible and I can't get a bit if I'm walking it fast like most people do. Ive had more success with a slower twitch 3 times..pause..twitch 2 times pause approach. Definitely not my preferred topwater tho ive had more success on frogs than anything

Tons of people wear and prefer these inflatable life vests. I'm not an advocate of them. Buddy of mine bought my dad one for a gift a few years ago. He wore it for a cple years...on kentucky lake in some nasty water...and decided to test it one day knowing it probably needed recharged or whatever. It didn't work and we have no clue how long it had been dead. I'm a fairly strong swimmer but I figured if I go in im fully clothed as well as potential to get injured in the process. I want something that floats 100 percent of the time. My wife isn't a strong swimmer and if I were to wear one I wouldn't let her when she goes with me. As always just my personal opinion but I feel there is too much risk involved I'll just be slightly less comfortable in my traditional vest

Id look into the Garmins. Some deals out there on the 73sv and maybe the Strykers as well. I would say yes you need di and si but only you know how important either or is. Good luck

Not sure about that particular prop but my dads older stratos has a prop that the hub is pressed into it. All of the older boats I've had had this type of prop. Was surprised when I bought my new boat that it had the hub that was separate from the prop. Im sure someone will chime in on that particular prop. Good luck

Its been repeated on here many many times. The hooks are far from garbage. They're just not intended to be used with the gear we all fish them on. They're light wire and sticky sharp but they're meant for light line and light drag. I replace mine as well with either owner st36 or I've been trying a vmc id have to look at the model. The owners are great but on the regular vision 110 do make it sink. Ive broken a cple of the vision baits this year but im convinced there is no equal in the jerkbait market so I continue to use em. Its a pay to play deal with em for sure and I always tell people if you're not ready to drop some $ don't buy the first one. Several of my buddies made the mistake of going with me this past spring and now they all own a few

I hear guys easing them into gear all the time at tournaments etc. My old boat mechanic told me the day I met him that was the worst thing you can do to a lower unit. Something about a clutch "dog" that when grinding like that is wearing the ends off. He told me to put it into gear deliberately as the gentleman above said. Obviously a lot of people aren't aware of this...sounds like maybe we should all educate more people about it.

Mine came with the cv52hw transducer and I don't think mine is nearly that long

Lol times change. Back in the e7 days I was shimano all the way. Ventured into other brands and opinions have changed. The k is a fine reel but probably still prefer the tatula ct. The daiwas just seem more free for lack of a better wording. Shimano still makes fine reels but I no longer fish any.

I've owned both and preferred the daiwa myself. Other than the slx being smaller I preferred everything else the daiwa offered. I haven't been too impressed by shimanos under 200 dollar reels myself either. My cousin has a ton of tatula ct and fuego ct reels that hes beat to death for 3 years with zero maintenance and they all still feel great. I'm sure others will have different opinions tho so its still gonna be personal preference. I don't think the t wing helps or hurts anything its just different. Daiwas braking system is the best on the market in my opinion