The Maestro

Anyone test the K for any length of time with punching on a heavy rod with heavy braid? Can it hold up to that type of abuse as well as the E?

Has anyone tried boiling any of the non-senko stick baits to soften them up?

The tip is quite lively. Not stiff by any means. Once she gets into the back bone though it feels like you've hit a 2x4. I personally like that feeling in a heavy rod.

I got a line on a used one for a pretty good deal so I snagged it. Upon first impressions, this rod's a monster. It is tip heavy but then so are my other heavy rods and it's never really bothered me for the way that I fish them. I won't get to try it until the 4th weekend in June (bass opener) so I was just looking for some feedback.

I find it difficult to accurately gauge distance on the water. I also think accuracy with practicing on land isn't going to be exactly the same as doing it from a boat where you have a lot more going on...wind, waves, the boat moving etc..

How do you fish it? Do you cast and drag or make short pitches vertically? I mostly fish jigs a t-rigs with short pitches into weeds.

Anyone have any experience with this rod?

Another vote for the Pad Crasher. Not even taking price into consideration, it would still be the best imo. Add in the fact that it's also one of the least expensive and it's an easy call.

Check out the Bantam MGL. Once you go all metal you won't look at plastic reels the same way.

Here's a link to an interesting video that shows how predator fish show a preference to striking prey when it's sitting still. It's amazing how long they'll wait before striking in the blink of an eye. https://fishncanada.com/video-trout-tiger-muskie-showing-how-they-catch-a-meal/

This is one of the things I plan to work on this season. I tend to fish too fast and I feel I pick up for my next pitch too soon when I should probably let the bait just sit motionless on the bottom for at least a few seconds. So how long will you dead stick a bait before picking up? Do you always dead stick when fishing jigs and bottom presentations?

If it's working for you keep on keepin' on!

I fish in heavy weeds as well. I'm not totally convinced that a hook eye with a profile that is 1-2mm wider will get anymore fouled than a vertical line tie but that's just my experience.

There are many jigs with a horizontal line tie. Tackle Warehouse even breaks the jig section down according to vertical or horizontal line tie. Personally I don't believe there is any difference whatsoever. If you have a particular jig style you really like and have confidence in you could always just buy the skirt material and re-skirt them as needed. You can save a ton of money doing this as the jig itself will last a long time, it's always the skirt that gets trashed first. You can also make your own custom patterns. Win win. One tip I will give is to use a piece of mono to secure the skirt. I make them with the rubber band and then secure it with a pre-made slip knot (just a basic uni knot) and then cut the band off to leave room for the rattle band. Your skirt won't budge. It's as solid as wire tying it for a fraction of the effort.

I make jigs myself using the BOSS Gary Klein heads and skirts from Tackle Warehouse. I usually run a green pumpkin or brown trailer on jigs like these.

Strong list. I would just add variations of brown to skirt colors for jigs.

I use it a lot. It's really easy to see so it's great for line watching. I just use a green marker to color the first 2-3 feet. Not sure it even makes any difference to the fish. But yes it will slowly fade. I've never had it fade completely to white. I usually consume it long before it loses too much color.

I don't do it. It just feels like an uncomfortable and unnatural way to hold a rod for me. I think it would be easier for guys with big hands.

There's really different "tiers" of sponsorship. It's all about exposure and what YOU can do for them not the other way around. The handful of top pros will get a good deal as will guys with their own fishing show and I would imagine the Youtubers with a large following. If you're talking about "pro-staff", this really isn't sponsorship at all but it's cleverly made out to appear to be sponsorship and mostly takes advantage of anglers who want to "play the part" of the big time sponsored pro. In reality it's mostly a waste of time where you need to agree to purchase a certain amount of gear and promote the brand on social media in exchange for a paltry discount (10%). But hey you get a patch for your jersey and a few free stickers!

I honestly can't remember the last time I gut hooked a bass. I remember it happening the odd time when I was first started fishing. I don't see what difference the hook would make anyway unless you were using a circle hook which is made specifically to avoid gut hooking fish.

I prefer eva but cork's not a deal breaker.

They are extremely thin wire. They bend quite easily but they are somehow also quite brittle/feeble. You have to be careful not to torque on them too hard with pliers when you're removing them or they'll break. They are incredibly sticky though and are probably the best hooks for actually sticking fish that aren't fully committing. I read that in Japan, jerkbaits are fished on much lighter tackle vs. North America so the hooks are a common complaint. You can buy the exact replacement hooks on Tackle Warehouse. Changing to heavier hooks might affect the suspending properties of the bait so it's not recommended.

Did you ever try using a baitcaster from the late 80's - early 90's? Those were truly a nightmare compared to today's.

I haven't used any of these rods so I can't really say one way or the other. I would just caution against getting one with an extra fast action if you plan on using it for making long casts and fishing moving baits like you mentioned.

Personally, I love jig/flipping rods with a blank that completely "shuts off" when it gets to the "meat" of the blank. Love setting the hook and feeling that snap/shock of a hookset on a short line with heavy braid.