Vilas15

I don't either. In my experiences the Lew's and Abu reels from Korea I have are nice. I just don't like Daiwa shifting that way since it can confuse people if you're not up to date on the latest news. You might think you're buying a Daiwa made by Daiwa, but unless you really do your research you won't be getting what you wanted. But then again I suppose if you really care you'll be on this site with the rest of us reading this stuff, even with no intentions to buy another reel in the next year...

That why I considered trying some fluorocarbon but didn't end up making the switch from Siege. When I pull on a snag I don't want to have to cut off a full cast's length of line because it was weakened when I pulled it.

And here's the other two. Backordered items aren't so bad, its like christmas came again when they show up.

Used to crank until it closed, now I do it manually and avoid knots on the spool.

Ditto. Hope it stays in only the most budget minded reels from them and doesn't creep up to where the tatula CT is replaced by something like this.

Put a bell sinker in the tube and texas rig by punching through the loop on the sinker at the top of the tube with an offset worm hook. Or theres a way to do it with a traditional tube jig by putting the hook point up into the tube then out through the side and rotate it around until the head is in the top aka "stupid" tube.

Why would that be the case? I'd think it would be worse since the spool is going to spin faster to let out the same amount of line.

So far I don't see any reasons to try it out over Siege which has become my favorite. I'm keeping an eye on this thread, however.

I don't have much success with deep smallmouth once they move out for summer, but working to improve that. Plan is to focus on dropshot, heavier tubes, and lipless cranks come warmer weather in 20-25'.

What size swimbait head? and what kind of cover in "shallow" water? If theres no cover at all I'd probably be using a 1/4 oz and 8 or 10 lb leader and not be concerned about breaking off. I'd think a M/XF would be perfect. Maybe you need to change your hooksetting technique or go to a thinner wire hook that penetrates better without as much force. If you're fishing it in heavier cover and need a beefier hook and such then I'll let someone else chime in since that's not my expertise.

Does anybody use a paddletail swimbait on a carolina rig? It's seems you can use just about anything.

I think that's just it. Don't see why it would be wildy better than any other swimbait. It's probably a decent bait but things will die down. The fact that it's sold out is making people want it more.

I might have to pick up a combo like that. The rod looks like a Loomis but I don't recognize the reel. JDM maybe? ?

Tackle Warehouse order for spring smallies and walleye arrived today. 2 more rippin raps on the way in colors that were backordered. I didn't have any success with the keitech swing impact fats that I tried but I think these easy shiners will be better. Going to use them on jigheads and maybe a dropshot later in the summer.

That's one of the biggest advantages of braid, that it doesn't need to be repaced very often as long as its not getting nicked and cut.

I wear pants and tuck them into long socks. Use deet on shoes/boots and on any spot they can get to your skin like where socks meet pants. A lot of people recommend permethrin which is something I might look into. After I'm done walking trout streams and I get home all the clothes stay in the laundry room to get washed and I shower and look for ticks.

I would assume so, any state record list that I've seen lists a lake for every species.

If I caught a record on my favorite small lake i'm not sure I'd register it just to avoid this scenario. If you're on the biggest or most popular lake in that state then it's no issue, but for something small that you fish a lot is it worth the "official" record and fame to let the secret out?

I agree an open season with catch & release during the spawn would be much clearer and shouldn't hurt the fish any more than current regs. I know Michigan moved to a continuous season for musky. The toughest thing for me is figuring out the walleye limit on any of the lakes I fish since they're all different. That's the problem that comes along with the blessing of having thousands of lakes in the state that all need to be managed differently.

The only thing open before the first saturday in May is panfish. So either you're targeting them which is easy to tell, or youre illegal. From there you get varying times for catch & release vs harvest which is also easy since youve either kept them or not. One gray area is musky season in the north half of the state opening Saturday before memorial day. You could argue youre targeting pike before then, but its up to the game warden i believe.

Seems to me he uses husky jerks, and an x-rap knockoff from another company. I've got both but the x-raps are not cheap!

This is why you might as well stick with white if it's working well. No point in going to a similar color when you're already using the only one that won't fade.

1. Perch 2. Chartreuse 3. Silver

In that case the MB has magnetic and centrifugal braking vs the SLX which is only centrifugal. All else being equal the MB would give you a bit more adjustability for lighter lures. I have no idea about spool weight or other factors that make a good finesse casting reel, you'll have to find someone else for that.

I've got a 6'6" MF Triumph and use it for jerkbaits. Obviously not as nice as the upper St Croix lines but still quality. Can't comment on other comparable options in that price range but I'm sure you'll get some recommendations from others.