Westcoast

Just ordered myself a jdm slx mgl from what I have been reading it sounds like a great reel for the price.

I fished a very urban river, we used to joke that a grandslam was a diaper, a condom and a tampon all on your hook it really was kinda gross and smelly after a big rainstorm but the trout were huge...

If the Kistler prices become more than I’m willing to pay to build me a rod on a nfc blank. I’ll just skip the middle man and buy the blank direct from nfc and build it the way I want it. But like was said too, Kistler has so many clearance sales that you’ll rarely have to pay full price.

I just purchased an mhx medium 6’ blank to build into a spinning rod to skip small senkos way back under. Or o use a 803s nrx it the cover is fairly thick and I also like to use my nrx 853c too.

Maxima ultragreen gets my vote. It has the right combo of attributes that make it great line. I would hesitate to put it on spinning reels as it it fairly stiff and I put braid on all spinning now anyway. Second choice would be the new suffix advance mono handles very similar to UG but slightly less stretch from what I can surmise.

I’m definitely digging my alpha ct Sv for light rigs like you describe. It’s not a crazy expensive reel either. But for .25oz pretty much any reel can toss a compact bait like a jig, it’s when you toss a air resistant bait like a Jerkbait where problems can arise. And as others have said the right rod is probably a bigger part of the equation.

Right now you can buy one on amazon Canada for $239 cnd. So $200us isn’t that great of a deal. It is a nice light reel but definitely not worth full retail. I do definitely like the alx, it’s small not as light but feels stronger and can be had for dirt cheap.

I like the Loomis 852 or 853 jwr in for tossing smaller jigs. If they get a little bigger I go with the 893 or 894. Pick your price level from imx-pro to nrx. I’ve also tossed them on a 71mhxf helium 3 which is no slouch either for a 1/2 oz jig.

I think for one brand of rod I’d go with gloomis. And that’s not just for bass rods either, they make great salmon/steelhead rods and awesome fly rods too.

Take a look at the Kistler feel and reel. Sort of a best of both worlds kinda thing.

Great reel, I use it on my frog setup and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Also in the winter it goes on a steelhead outfit and is one of the best steelhead reels going.

A Kistler “crank, rip, twitch “ , it’s a 6’9” mh. Hook up ratio is great with the mod fast action and keeps them pinned. I use the same rod for spinnerbaits, squarebills, and lipless.

Another vote for siebert jigs. Has a huge selection of colours and different heads for any situation you encounter.

I use an nrx 853c jw. It casts them a mile , works the bait with ease, and hooks and lands them every time. For a reel it’s an alderbaren with braid to 12lb flouro leader. Definitely been a killer technique this year.

I didn’t know these had such a great reputation, I have a brand new one that’s been sitting unused on my shelf since I bought it when they first came out. Guess I’ll need to put it into the rotation.

I second the Loomis recommendation. They have lots of price points for any budget. Lamiglas is also great but I’m not such a fan of their budget end stuff but they have a huge selection.

I get caught up in bass fishing because it is so variable. There are so many different techniques and lures to catch them. To figure out which is the best from day to day is a great part of the fun. Also the variety of rods and reels, and other little gizmos that you can tinker with when you are not on the water is great too.

Light cover is the nrx873crr Heavy is a glx894fpr with a bantam mgl

Bend the wire 180 degrees and tuck the tag back into the weight. Works great for punching in the weeds and pads.

Me too. But it’s just so much fun to get new stuff. As long as you’re not going broke and neglecting other bills and going into debt, it’s relatively harmless.

I’m going with the Gavacho too. Looks great and easiest walking frog I’ve used.

I too got some twistlock flipping hooks and so far I’ve found the hook up ratio to be great and my baits last through multiple fish as I hate throwing baits away after one or two fish.

NRX!!

I’ve been using the levente perfect pitch for throwing frogs this summer. It’s a little lighter action than what I was previously using so it’s great at tossing the lighter frogs but it still has the power to get the fish outta the grass.

I started throwing a super fluke on an nrx 853 with an Aldebaran and it’s awesome. That’s usually my smaller jig set up but it’s so light, accurate and responsive with a weightless fluke that I can’t put a jig back on it for now