Beetlebz

I found a bulk pack of home molded 1/4oz lead pencil weights on ebay, 1/4 seems to be a good weight. I use the 1/0 spin shot for my hooks... I found a bulk pack of those on Ebay too. My favorite so far.

I've switched to all braid to leader for my spinning reels, but I ran 6lb and 8lb YZH until recently and i had no issues. I still have both spools and use them for leaders. The 6lb gets changed every couple trips but the 8lb leader goes weeks.

Two things. First, and it may take some trial and error, but tie the drop shot so it's just long enough to suspend the bait right above the grass. Like RIGHT above. If you can find a spot without grass, you can shorten your presentation and put it right at the grass edge. Something else I do in vegetation is I slide the worm all the way up the hook and turn the point back into the worm, kinda sorta like I'm Texas rigging it. Helps keep the heavy stuff off the rig. As always keep just enough tension on the line to keep the bait up out off the bottom and dont over work it. Just holding it there itll do all kinds of work on it's own. I'm no drop shot pro, but those should catch some fish!

I have a couple packs of the big TRD, but I don't smoke anymore so I never have a lighter on hand to melt the weights into the nose. I'll experiment with that this week. I have a ton of various brands and styles of stick worms, all left overs from my hunting to find the perfect senko replacement, as well as a couple with paddle tails. I'll try some of those on neko rigs for giggles, at least the o rings will fit.

In the interim im going to hit the store and try to find some finesse worms with a fatter mid section. My hope is that a more secure fit for the o rings and resist tearing a little more. I ordered some #1 hooks also in the Hope's that the heavier gauge wire will help resist tearing too. Those jackall worms aren't cheap!

So I just recently got some nail weights to see what this neko business is all about. To my disbelief it actually works. I've never had wild success with the NED or shakey head. Some success with the drop shot, more recently that I've spent more time with it... but overall great success on finesse techniques typically elude me. Today it was high pressure, hot, sunny, cloudless and I was still getting chomped on the neko. I used a #2 drop shot / neko hook a 3/64ths nail weight and a 5.8" jackall flickshake worm om 6lb YZH. I was getting hit every cast. The problem is this... I lost my worm on 90% of the hits. Even if I didn't hook the fish. I put a senko o ring around the worm to rig the hook through, I brought up just the o ring on the hook a couple times. The o ring wasn't squeezed on there, but it didn't slide around either. I feel like if I used a smaller o-ring it might help, but I'm not so sure. I dont normally have durability issues with flickshake worms, I can't imagine why the hooks would just pull out like that. But they did, every strike. I lost a ton of nail weights today. Thoughts?

I shopped around, I found alot of places selling the 125 yard spools of Domin8 for around 8 bucks. I couldn't resist. It came in today and I just spooled up the Domin8 50lb dark green braid on my frog/flippin rod. It's not as smooth as 832 but it doesnt have that waxy coating which is nice. What I do have to say is WOW.. this stuff is THIN. To look at the numbers on tackle warehouse I expected it to be thinner, but this is silly. I'm sure it's all perception but I feel like it's as thin as the 30lb 832 on one of my spinning reels. I am impressed. I can't wait to get out on the water and see how it holds up. Thanks @Catt

That's just it. Every characteristic says pike, but it looks like it has black bars under the eyes like a pickerel. But it has body patterning into its fins like a pike. If I'm making a comparison chart, its 4 for pike and 2 for pickerel.

Hmm. See that there looks like a pike pattern to me. Hard to tell because I can't really zoom in. Also, keep in mind the fish in my picture (its hard to tell from the angle) is about 30-36". That's a monster pickerel. also, I love your hat @NHBull

Legit. If you click on the picture for the high res and zoom in, you can see that the circular spots extend into the dorsal and anal fins. If I'm not mistaken, that's a pike trait. But this is currentless water. Its fed by creeks, not a river. I have no idea how a pike would even get in there. I wish. I should have just grabbed it and threw it in my lap for a better picture but I dont mess with dem teeth. LOL

I was just shopping for screw luck swimbait heads. Good timing.

So lets lay out what we know about the difference between pickerel and pike from what I've been told... I'm not sure I have gotten all good info. I caught this guy last week up on a shallow flat where pickerel and bass cruise. I've been told that pike do moving water, pickerel do still water, and I've been told that you won't find both in the same place. I was told that there are no pike in this water, only pickerel. I've been told that this fish must be a pickerel just because there are no pike there and theres no, or very very little, non-wind current. I will say this, I've caught a lot of pickerel, this hit like I snagged a passing 18 wheeler. You can see the damage his mouth caught when I set the hook thinking it was a world record bass. Sorry it's such a bad photo, I was doing what I could in a hurry. He was thrashing all around, I couldn't grab him and my phone so I just snapped a quick potato. That's a pike, or the biggest pickerel I've ever seen and with spots.

I finally got out to try my recently delivered max scent baits. After watching your video I ordered a few bags of the general stick worms to try. I hit the river yesterday... super high muddy water. Throwing June bug on a 4/0 weightless Texas rig. Not so much as a nibble until I got clobbered by a 4 pounder. Nothing else (one smallie on another rig). Today I hit my reservoir. Dirtier than normal because of some rain but overcast and post-front. I flipped the general, again Texas weightless, up right at the bank in and around laydowns, what a slug-fest. I literally lost count. I haven't had a numbers day like that in months. I even got broke off by what I'm sure would have been by personal best.... I haven't been broke off since I switched to YZH over a year ago but that's what I get for not watching my knots. Anyway, I was apprehensive about the price and yesterday I found them to not be any more durable than yamamotos. Today I have to admit they might be on to something. I'm going to order the minnows to try on the dropshot. I'm excited to try the regular powerboat general next month.

I'm in the fence, personally. I've used them, I've caught fish on them. But I also feel that I could have caught the same fish swimming a jig on the bottom. It's worth a shot honestly, they're pretty inexpensive as a trial run. Can't hurt.

Is there enough line on the spool? I've had similar issues with them years ago running just enough line to cast. Clean it, oil it, make sure it's got the recommended capacity on it. Only thing I can think of is to take the cover off when it happens to see what the line is stuck on... could be wind knots from line twist. Best bet would he to pop the cover off and look when it happens.

Back when I ran braid with a leader I had good luck with it honestly, I used power pro original to abrazx leader. Now that I've gotten away from braid mostly I have one rod that's strung with mono for those times when I need to throw a bigger topwater bait. I normally throw Texas rigs with it and it gets bit more than any other rig. Its strung with 15lb big game. To do it all over again I would have saved a ton of money and used YZH or Big game as a leader!

I majoritively fish the ned on the bottom, I think most do. I could swim it but like I said, they've been preferring a slower presentation 1 to 2 feet off the bottom like a drop shot, weightless senko or flick shake. I've been having more success with the smaller side, 4" finesse worms on the drop shot. Normally I slay on the jig this time of year but they aren't eating much of anything off the bottom. Including neds.

They aren't eating off the bottom like they normally would here... not sure what part of that is rocket science...

You know it's funny, this is the time of the year here when the jig bite is on fire. Can usually find them in 1 to 15 feet or so cruising steeper banks up here in New England and they clobber the jig hop. I'm still finding them up a little shallower chasing bait and more active, but they just aren't loving the jig for some reason. I've been cleaning up the last couple weeks with drop shots and that silly booyah prank, but the jig hasn't been seeing the action I'm used to. Not yet anyway. Funny enough the ned isnt getting bit either. As the transition starts here they want it off the bottom but they also want it slow and small. I'm hoping we can jack up the power fishing here soon

That's quite the feat. The biggest issue I've had trying to find non-senkos to save money is that fall rate. The shim-e-stick is close but it falls too slow, I have to use nail waits to get them down in anything but ultra slick calm. I guess I'm ordering some generals tomorrow.

Well, simultaneously yes and also no. I viewed and interpreted those posts as evidence that straight body poppers (pop-r style baits) work. So the question was what makes the pop max worth it for $19.99 when booyah sells a popper that you can walk that's roughly the same size for $7.99. However, your response would indicate that your interpretation of those posts was that the stories of success are attributed to the specific bait and not just the style of the bait, which for better or worse is a result. So to answer your question yes. and also no. ?

I gotta ask, and no I'm not trying to be a jerk about it, I'm just curious. What makes the pop max worth the price tag? Are they really that good?

I have stood in the store holding this reel at least 5 times. I need another reel like I need a hole in the head, but I started on Abus and I will always have a sweet spot for them. Thanks for the review, now I'll probably buy one, hate myself and get kicked out of the house. Gee thanks.

Itll serve you well. I've horsed some big girls out of some nasty rhubarb with my fuegos. Not my favorite reels, but for the money and for that application I wouldn't change a thing.

I'm a fan lately of favorite rods, but a buddy of mine just bought the carbonlite 2.0 7'6" heavy and I had a chance to compare the carbonlite and my favorite defender 7'6" heavy. I have to admit that I was super impressed. If favorite manufacturing quality crapped out tomorrow they would be on my radar for sure.