PhishLI

Just grab a 5" Bullshad then and don't worry about anything. The 5" will get you more bites than the 6", IMO. More lands for sure anyway. Change the hooks. The stockers really blo. SWIMBAIT CITY STORE

Don't sweat it. Most of my rods cost from $150-$200. I don't feel like I'm in the 7th circle of Hades when I pick back up my gear after a day of fishing on my friend's boat with his NRX+s. If all I owned were ugly stiks, then yeah, I probably would but not with a mix of Daiwa, 13, ARK, Powell, and St. Croix in the above-mentioned price range. For the way I usually fish, I'd rather not stress out while fishing by treating a rod like a newborn, which would be what I'd do. I know me.

That's OK. You don't need to. You may want to, and that's fine, but aside from a few specific circumstances where maximum sensitivity might play a role, it won't make a difference, IMO. Locating bass is always the biggest issue followed by bait choice and presentation. The gear you choose to use is way down the line in importance. And yes, I've fished plenty with top-of-the-line Loomis.

If you're happy with your Pro Qualifiers, you'll be happy with this one. Plus, it has an improved gear train. Better than anything currently in the BPS lineup.

Haven't heard that. He's been sold out in the past. Anything's possible though. Look at this as an alternate. Cranks down too. Deps Tiny Bulldoze 100 Swimbait - Tackle Warehouse

Nice. Now order a Black Dog Baits Shellcracker G2 crank-down wake. Trust me. Shell Cracker G2 – Black Dog Bait Co. Ooops. Sold out. Check out SU. They pop up. Another buying option for BullShad: SWIMBAIT CITY STORE

Agreed. I like tweaking floaters to sink ultra slow. Even inexpensive ones ABS types like a Trace. I've had really good luck with how you can slowly work these to behave like sitting ducks over weed tops where even slow sinkers would drop too fast on a slower retrieve.

Great. Death by fishing chemicals.

Be very careful...

Was just gonna say that myself. More like fire sale prices lately. Good time to buy. The rabbit hole runs deep. Lots of superior choices you'll never see from typical retailers. Like @Smirak said, join the Swimbait Universe page on FB. There are baits for sale-posts coming up all day long. Ask for members to vouch for sellers as solid before you buy.

x2.

I agree. Look at the pic below. There's no way where I can see that the fixed part of a Mag Z or SV's inductor ramp's dogs can anchor to the face of the spool. There simply isn't the space to allow for the two necessary anchoring holes. Don't sweat it. Magforce is fine for the heavier baits you'll be throwing with a high line cap reel this. Frankly, it's also fine in a lower line cap reel and typical baits. I have a Lexa 100HL that's built on a frame very close to an Alphas or Tatula 80. Other than the fact that its smaller than usual arbor allows for more line therefor a heaver spool, it still casts common bass baits quite well.

Yeah, that's something I've never done, so it probably wouldn't happen. Still going to grab some spares. Screenshotted from the web. Never grabbed the early BG because the D series were basically identical and the wooden knob wasn't my bag. I with you on that.

Here's a pic of the original Daiwa BG10 which ran from about '80 up until about '20 I think. My local B&T had stock and still showed them in the display case up until '22 alongside the new BG like yours which came out in '17 I believe. I think I got my 2500 in late '17. Pretty sure with a few spare parts purchased in reserve my great grandchildren will be using that reel. BTW, I have several of the D series including one NOS in the box D1000. Good info. I have a '17 LT3000 that I'm very happy with. I guess I'll be ordering some spares.

The Daiwa D1000 is a later variant of the original GS series circa 1978 which ultimately became the original BG reel that were in production until just recently. Keep them lubed and they'll run forever.

Are we talking about a spinning reel? If so, smaller diameter line gets you farther casts. Spool lip friction kicks in pretty early during a cast as line peels out. Thicker line gets deeper into the spool faster therefore more friction and less distance.

No more waking up in a cold sweat to what I imagine to be the reverberant, God-like voice of @bulldog1935 repeating "Worm drive oscillation and braid". This reel sat in my amazon cart forever. I watched the price rise and rise before I hit the button. So dumb. I don't like the idea of no AR switch. I constantly use it to adjust lure-drop and getting a hook into a rod's keeper. Been doing so since the '70s so it's beyond second nature at this point. We'll see. Hopefully Shimano's line management is as magical as I've been led to believe.

Yes. I tell them that I've made peace with the fact that I'm a hairless primate apex predator who gets his jollies hunting things, and that they would too if they got a taste, or if they were forced to by necessity. It's in the wiring for them as well whether they know it or not. Visualizing or trying to visualize what I just said usually shuts them up. At the very least they realize that they've chosen to argue with someone who knows how to argue, so they just give up. Think about all of the death caused by even organic crop farming. Feilds need to be cleared of everything but soil and tilled. Even vegetarians aren't sinless.

Not my first choice, buy anything's worth a try if you're getting shellacked. Consider what I mentioned earlier in this thread.

Back off the drag almost all the way. Thumb the spool to keep it from moving. Crank the handle. If you still hear it you can eliminate an out-of-round spool or spool bearings as the culprits. Pulling the pawl would be my next move. If you don't hear anything, look at the spool carefully and its bearings.

I won't pretend to know the water you fish up there. Yeah, a bass is a bass wherever you go, but only to a point. Different places like different things. Most of the glory pics I've posted here over the past 8 years are of night catches. I'd say 95%. Perhaps a skosh more. One thing that's consistent no matter where I fish is that once the lights go out lots of bait pushes tight to the shoreline at some point. Once they do there will be furious bite windows, usually twice a night. When they'll happen is anyone's guess. Be there or be square. If I know the culture of a lake and understand what they won't eat, I'll aways throw a few standbys. Small paddle tails, 4", with a light weighted swimbait hook are pretty much guaranteed anywhere this time if year. Work them on the bottom in shallow water and bag the ones that are eating down or near the bottom. A small silent wake bait, 70mm, is also money if they're feeding up. These two baits are my most consistent fish attracters during this season. A less noisy bladed jig like the Project Z has been a winner for me at places where they're spooky. Plenty of other worthy mentions like a wacky rigged soft stick bait, a ribbon worm, etc. It takes time to crack the code at some places. Things usually turn around dramatically once you do.

That's exactly what they're getting spooled with. 30lb J8.

Fo sure. He has an untrustworthy mustache.

Which terminal knot are you tying? The leader on my fluke rig is 10lb Seaguar Blue. Never broke at the knot on a hookset using a pretty crisp/stiff 13 7'1" Omen Black 2/Alphas SV. SDJ with 7 wraps.

If you're open to Lew's, take a look at the Tournament Pro LFS. It's small and comes stock with the lightest spool in it's class which is several grams lighter than the competition. Fully externally adjustable centrifugal brakes, and it'll sling light baits very well for distance, especially hard baits. I'd put it against anything in the category. Mine's been beaten for 5 years and it still feels great. I have more Daiwas than anything, and some Shimanos. This reel is special, IMO. Well suited to my casting style at least.