PhishLI

My shallow waters are still in the mid to high 30s. Temp was 24 degrees this morning! Slowly working suspending jerkbaits has gotten it done the past several weeks. Then it stalled for the most part. All of a sudden, very slowly rolling paddle tails along the bottom is getting bites. The storm 360GT searchbait in blue has gotten the most play for me. Maybe the rattle in the jig head is making the difference? I've also been working a 1/2oz Dark Sleeper and a Little Dipper the same way, but have yet to drag them past a willing fish. Not a sniff on a spinnerbait, ned rig, or a dead sticked finesse worm. Just 40 miles east of me and in very shallow water, my brother has been wrecking them on a No.2 Mepps, so go figure.

Here we go! Thanks, TW BMC sale.

Tat SV. I wasn't sure about it at first. Now it's fantastic. Maybe it was the re-lube and it needed to break in? Maybe it was just me figuring it out? I was chucking 1/4oz minnows last night on 12lb copoly into the wind. No problemo. Good thing that I had the heavier line spooled on as it got chomped by a huge pickeral. If for whatever reason I'm limited to just one reel, this is it.

Everyone's different, but this helped me in the beginning. Where I had space to skip, I'd hang the bait around 16" below the tip when starting the skip. It was hit or miss. One day I was fishing near a bridge that was perfect for skipping under. The down side is that there are bushes everywhere. There was no way to drop the bait much as it would get snagged on the back-roll. This forced me to drop it only a few inches below the tip before the skip and do more of a roll-flick than a roll cast. I was able to skip more successfully instantly with this shortened bait drop and more constrained cast. But it was also a magic moment where it all clicked and I figured out where I needed to use my thumb once the bait was flying. The shorter bait drop was sort of like training wheels. I eased into dropping the line a bit more and gradually over a period of time my skipping in less confined areas with a typical bait drop and casting motion improved greatly.

I picked up two XTs thanks to the heads-up-thread you started. So thanks! I bought these as knock around reels for 2 pc. rods that I can keep in the back seat. But they're way better than that. 6.5oz. Comfortable to palm. Easy to dial in. I've set the brakes with 3 on, spaced at 120 degrees apart . It works fine, even though the paperwork recommended evenly opposing brake blocks only. The cam lock side plate is really nice. I spooled one with 12lb big game and took it out. I didn't throw anything under a 1/2oz. It casts very nicely all around. What it's exceptional at is long casting with those weights and above. It can really, really, bomb way out there. I can throw farther with this reel with those weights than I can with the K, and the K is no slouch. I weighed the spool on my other one when I got home. It's 21 grams with the bearing, which is heavy. I'm not sure it'll be great with lighter weights, but it sure is something else with heavier ones. The handle is a bit short. It really doesn't bother me, but I might upgrade to a longer one eventually. So, I'm really digging the reel. One's going on a frogging rod. I like bombing frogs when I need to. I don't think I'll be disappointed.

I have to deal with similar conditions in most of my local lakes. It's a challenge. I took a shot and picked up the Reaction Tackle Swinging Tungsten jig heads. They really changed the game when using Skinny Dippers and other paddle tails that I use. Once I feel the bait bog down in the veggies a quick rip will usually clear them off. Without these heads it's just about impossible to fish these baits where they're most effective, in my spots. The line tie in the front and the shape of the head do the trick. I bought these on Amazon.

Tatula LT3000 CHX. This is the shallow spool version. It holds more line than you'd ever cast out. The larger diameter spool will deal with line management issues a little better than the smaller ones do, especially with flouro or mono. The reel is feather light and super smooth. The drag is excellent. I've put a full season on mine and it feels just as good as new. My buddy just got his second one for his new Ardito travel rod. We both fish alot. I expect this reel to last a long time with proper maintenance. You can find them for close to your target budget. There are plenty of fine reels out there. This reel is in cream of the crop territory at the price point.

You have a few Fuegos. You should definitely grab a SLX. It's a fantastic reel. My brother has Fuegos and recently added the SLX and loves it. He has Chronarchs and Curado Ks already, so he has a point of reference.

I saw this posted elsewhere recently: "Do yourself a favor, change the 2 bearings out that support the pinion". Does anyone have any further info? Is this a tweaking thing or a problem thing?

I've gone from just having a few, because I didn't have much luck with them in the past, to buying a bunch of them. I just hadn't put in the work with them that I should've. But my spidey sense tells me they'll be a hit soon! But spidey has been wrong in the past. Either way I'm gonna commit to them now.

We had a few nights in the teens last week, so lots of lakes were still skating rinks around here yesterday. Got an update that one close by was open, so I organized a wading session with some pals. 37 degree water doesn't hurt as bad after you've been shelved for a while! But first I needed some tungsten. On my way to the store I told myself " Phish, you're not buying anything except tungsten". As fate would have it those tricksters at Dix had put out a bin of Duel Hardcore baits at blowout prices! They must've spotted me waddling in from the parking lot wearing my "I'm only going to buy tungsten face" then made that sale pronto. Next thing you know...I was all in at that point so the DT6 and spinnerbait seemed perfectly reasonable. Yes?

Yeah, well I fish some spots where you wouldn't go without a pal or three and other essentials. What a man will do for a bass...

I ended up with one of those as a "Mystery Bonus Face shield". I wear it backwards. I'll never see the bullet coming.

I've ordered from them several times during their promo sales. No problems. Grabbed few orders of the regular face shields and an order of the winter face shields. Was thinking about trying the arm shields, but the wife got me a pile of the Orvis SPF long sleeve shirts. I just get the normal stuff like Ghost Camo and Digital Camo. Some of the crazier designs look like they might get a guy shot. Got the beanie too. I'm never on the water without them. Great for walking the dog too.

BPS goodies. Some stuff still on backorder. All the tungsten I ordered was out of stock and cancelled by them though. Oh well. I go through tons of 6" GY Senkos. Maybe these Stick-Os will be up to snuff. They weigh 13 grams vs 15 grams for the GY. Pretty close. They seem to be as supple, and definitely not as stiff as the 6" Dingers.

Scoop em' up! I've only had the opportunity to fish them in very, very, cold and shallow water. 6 feet deep tops. In low temps they have a medium slow sink. You can fish them like a suspending jerkbait or like a typical lipless. When fished like a lipless you'll get the tight action you'd expect on the retrieve, but with a much slower drop to the bottom. That's where I've gotten tagged. Just letting it suspend after the rip. You can walk it a little then pause it too. I've also gotten bit fishing it slow like you would a winter jerkbait: Gentle jerks and long pauses. They only weigh 3/8oz but cast like a bullet. No problem bombing them way out there on casting gear. They should be a great option for the shallows when the grass comes in. The hooks are fine as is IMO. Another plus is that it's unlikely the fish in your waters have seen a bait with this profile that behaves as you can get it to. Pssst, don't tell your friends if they fish where you fish. Wait a few years! I've already blabbed to anyone that would listen. So dumb! Learn from my foolishness.

I bring 2-4. Usually 3.

My buddy who wades with me picked up a sling pack from BPS last week that's little bit larger than the Magellan. It's basically the same design. You can totally fish comfortably with either. We both bring an extra box like I put in the amazon link and park it in the bib. Covers most fishing for 3-6 hours or more. It also houses my phone and spectacles. The Magellan has a draw string for a water bottle, but I slip the rod into it when I'm unhooking a fish when I'm waist deep. It works OK for that. Keeps my reel out of the water. I've tried back packs and larger slings. I can't stand them now that I've downsized. I use the sling even when I'm stuck on the bank.

I fish in breathable waders year round, but in wading boots! I don't have the guts to muck around in sneakers. Bank fishing is tough locally as the lakes are ringed by trees right up to the shore. I use this sling pack: https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/magellan-outdoors-wader-sling-pack. I love it. The good thing about it is that when you rotate it around to your chest to access it, it's parallel to the ground which makes for easy pickings. It comes with multiple zippered compartments and two small boxes, several D rings, and a pliers/forcep pouch. I rarely use everything it can carry in one session. When I think I need more I put a 3600 size box down the front of the bib of the waders. I barely notice it's there. A box with rounded corners is more comfortable. I like the Spiderwire medium tackle box. Amazon has them. https://www.amazon.com/Spiderwire-Tackle-Medium-Utility-Clear/dp/B079GP2MG7 Anyway, both the sling, and when needed, the extra box are pretty unobtrusive and carry plenty.

Do you use hip or chest waders?

Ima Suspending Vibration Lipless Crankbait TW has them. 9.99$

Russ, Thanks for taking the time to reply. I understand exactly how Magforce Z works. It's my opinion that the lower brake settings might do more than you think, especially on the SV. They certainly do way more than zero on the dial. I'm not going to buy a cheaper reel! That's a bit silly and a little bit overstated. Also, I'm not "tightening down" the spool tension. I added a whiff, a skosh, a tad...very little. I rarely get backlashes myself, even at lower settings, because I've figured out the casting stroke and how to use my thumb judiciously at the very beginning of the cast. Magforce does it's thing wonderfully from there on out with some thumb governing the fluff if necessary. Daiwas are my choice of reel when I'm wading at night. Pretty much PhishLI-proof. If I set my reels up to be practically thumb-free, which I have at one point, I'd be miserable. I find that the settings that allow for that make casting feel too choked off for my liking. That's just me. I'm not hung up on having to use my thumb. I'm throwing multiple techniques with differently braked reels when I'm on the boat. Most require an educated thumb. At this point it's second nature so it's no big deal. I don't even think about it. But if thumb free fishin' with your Daiwa is your priority, that's cool too! Enjoy!

Karl, I think this is where I find myself liking things at the moment. It's working well for me with the baits I'm throwing now. Thanks!

BF, I do cast them just as hard, just differently within the stroke. I'm not lobbing much! Overheads with the rod bent in half on the back swing. However, that's only when I need to. My fishing isn't primarily bomb casting by a long shot.

RL, This is how I've been running mine for the past year and a half, and it's been fine. But due to the circumstances outlined in my original post, which led to me adding just a tad of tension beyond zero play, I'm getting better distance now. This is helping me in this particular circumstance. I can lay into the cast a bit more. It could be that I'm very close to where the zero adjuster reels are set from the factory? I dunno. I'm not going to think about it much more though. Their suggestion is a clearly guideline, not a rule, as you've stated. Thanks!