Junger

All the Alphas I have are SV105's, which are the 'Murican version of the JDM Alphas SV. They hold enough line for all of those presentations. I swapped out the handles for 100mm carbon fiber handles for like $20 on Amazon. I found the spools a little fast/wild for me, so I changed the stock inductor on them to something more controlled and they cast anything from 1/8 oz and up with the right rod. The gears are brass, and super smooth. I have one on heavy power rods that I throw weightless paddletails on in heavy pad cover and I've had no issues. But if you're going with heavy fluoro, like 17lbs+ and you have several breakoffs and want to do a long cast, you might spool the SV spool. There are also other deeper spool variants like the Alphas103, or more finesse oriented ones like the new Alphas SV CT, but I don't see a need for those because the SV105's that I modded fits all my needs.

Ever try an Alphas platform Daiwa? I found that to be the best for me.

For the Alphas CT SV., no it is not true, and no you cannot move the handle from the right to left. On most spinning reels, that is true.

The Tatula Elite is SVF with nanoplus technology, whatever that means. The Tatula is just SVF. Does it translate to more sensitivity, it’s all subjective but my OG Tatula’s felt more muted when hitting rocks, structure than the Elites. Just my opinion but all of them are great sticks at the price point.

Kind of...I spliced my TM fish finder over the summer and just got around to patching up the line. Went to my local reservoir to test it and ended up going for crappie. About a dozen small guys like this, biggest was 8". But now that I know my TM FF is working, I'm going to hit the Potomac river where they get real big and fat.

I like the Tatula Elite (TAEL) over the Tatula (TAT) original (Black and Gold). I have not held the newer version of the Tatula (TTU cork grip). The TAELs felt a little more sensitive to me, and had softer tips. It just took a while to get over the silver painted blank.

Tackle Warehouse Black Friday Sale - 20% off almost everything 11/27 11AM EST through 12/1 8PM EST. * Almost everything typically is anything but Megabass. If you add a Daiwa or Shimano product it will show up as full price in your check out cart, but your emailed invoice will show the 20% off.

First non t-wing SV in a while huh? Interested to see how it performs.

The mobile tool bar at the bottom is nice!

I think DT retail pricing is inline with brick and mortar stores. I think we all shop at TW because their pricing is better than a brick and mortar, and their selection is awesome. But yeah I just ignore the retail redline number and look at bottom line and some of their clearance stuff is really good. I got a bunch of Z-man grubs once for like .79 per pack.

Daiwa 7’ Tatula Elite M/MH for me. 1/8-1oz lures and has a nice soft XF tip. I can throw Ned rigs to a 1oz hard swim bait on it.

Davies SV reels will help cast without thumbing. I also walk out about 30 yards of line, then put on about 2 wraps of non residue electrical tape so any backlash won’t get in deep.

Ouch...user error or rod defect? Just curious, I'm looking at buying an Adrena.

Mustad Fishing has 30% off through October 15th. Code: THANKYOU30

Go out for a couple hours at Needwood. The water is way down, about 4-5 feet. You can walk out 15-20 feet from the bank in some spots. Good time to go for a hike to see all the rock piles around the bank flats and structure around the floating boat dock.

Made it down to Swains for a quick stogie, fish, and hike. Water seems to be leveling off, even after the rains from last week. Not sure if they're starting a drawn down or not, I'll probably check Widewater later this week. Caught 2 largies on a Rico popper. I saw lots of big bluegills, and several big largies, I'd guess 4lb+ roaming around in packs. They just ignored my popper when I threw it near them. I think once they get a glimpse of a person, they're smart enough to just keep on cruising then go for cover, but I guess that's why they're the size they are. There's still lots of duckweed in this section of the canal, and it won't be long before the fall leaves will start to fall onto the dying duckweed, making it virtually impossible to fish there.

Went to Mattawoman on Saturday at 11AM with my dad. Low tide was supposed to be at around 10AM, but when we got to the dock, the water was only a few inches under the deck. I guess the water from the week's rains hasn't cleared out. Water was 73 in the main creek 71, in skinny waters. There was a kayak tournament going on and I talked to a few of them and most of them were skunked, so I knew it would be a tough day. Tried the dying pads but they were submerged, and there was maybe 2-3 inches so it was too skinny to get my trolling motor through them. High tide was supposed to be at 5PM, but the water was rushing out by 3PM...I guess the tide forecast was wrong. Not a single hit on various lures, so I headed all the way up the to false channel at the head of the creek to seek some shelter from 10-15mph gusts. Started fishing grass edges with a popper and got a 4lb snakehead and a missed LMB then headed back in. Not sure if I'll make it back there, but the only way I see fishing Mattawoman would be low tide on the hydrilla edges when it's not flooded. The pads are pretty much gone.

I put on a 100mm CF handle on the Bantam which reduces the weight a little. I have it on a GLX 844 and it feels just fine.

The one thing I do not like to throw with this reel is spinnerbaits in the wind, which is when I mostly use them. I have to really dial up the braking to not get any backlash. Other than that, the form factor is fantastic, and it bombs anything else that is aerodynamic.

Texan's didn't look very good, I'd say moving Hopkins was a mistake at this point.

It's not awful, only a few bites on my hands which weren't covered, long sleeve pants/shirts and a gaiter took care of the rest except for one that got through my sleeve.

Took a hike from Swain's down the towpath just past the pump house. I threw a frog for a couple hours and hit any large duckweed mats with standing timber near it, and that was the ticket. Got 7 largies, with 4 of them under 1lb on the Spro Bronzeye Jr. I was skeptical about this frog because the hooks are so small, but it got the job done, but it did not last more than 5 fish before the plastic got all torn up. Best 3 over 1LB:

I love chatterbaits, I imitate baitfish with them when I use them, and in ponds that's usually bluegill. If it's a muck/algae bottom pond, I usually throw on a 5" grub tail and fan cast and retrieve it from the bank without letting it get gunked up on the bottom. You're trying to swim it past or near a bass' face doing that, and in a pond there could be deeper holes in the middle where they might hold, you just don't know so that's why I usually fan cast. If it's a rocky/gravel or less mucky bottom, I usually go with a swimbait trailer, like a Keitech fat impact swing, where I can slow it down and bang it into rocks, same thing though, I'll fan cast. With buzzbaits, I look for weed/grass edges and cast it along them. Or if you're on the bank, and there are some bushes or overhanging trees/branches, cast parallel to those.

Finally, a TW sale! 15% off Labor Day Sale from Sept 4 to 8th.

I went through a couple frog rods until I found the one that did it for me. I started with a 7'3 Powell MagBass rod. It was pretty heavy at just about 6oz so frog fishing for an extended period kind of put wear and tear on my wrist and forearm. It had plenty of power and a decent tip, i.e. not a pool cue, for a 6 power rod. At 7'3, it wasn't too bad to walk or pop a frog, but movement's had to be pretty precise. I figured I need to get a lighter rod to help with the wrist/arm strain, so I got a 7'4 Tatula AGS Ish rod. It's super light, and has plenty of power, but I just did not like the length. It might help for long hook sets, but when I frog fish, I'm not bombing a cast and hoping for a strike, I'm pinpointing pockets in spatterdock or grass cover. My fulltime frog rod is actually a rod that I didn't intend for that use, a 7' GLX 844C. It's lightweight, and has a nice flex with backbone when you lean into it. Walking a frog is easy with that length for me, and doesn't strain my wrist/arm at all. Basically, if you really enjoy frog fishing, be prepared to try different rod/reel combos until you're 100% satisfied.