PhishLI

The quiet killer returns. Nice fish, as usual.

P.S. Go back to the product page where you ordered and click the "Rebate Available" icon highlighted in green. It'll take you to a rebate pdf. Send it in with the 4 items requested and $5 for a Daiwa/Huk performance hoodie.

Sweet! I ordered this afternoon and it's already in transit.

I just ordered a Tatula Elte Casting rod 6'9" H skipping/jig rod from Midway on sale for $109 for my yak and tight quarter wading and bank fishing. Easier to skip with a shorter rod on the yak, and less chance of dunking a reel when I choke up on the rod to lip a fish. They have 7'1" and 7'3" in H and MH for the same price in stock still.

We have them too, but farther out east on this island. I just ordered these in Black and Gold. On sale right now! Weeeee. Savage Gear Pulse Tail LB Baitfish Swimbaits 2pk - Tackle Warehouse

I try to avoid looking at that seller's listings lest I go broke. Such great stuff at stupid good prices. He's looking at the USDM version. Daiwa Zillion TW HD Casting Reel - Tackle Warehouse

He's lost his marbles on them. I get new pics weekly. He's having fun.

I just ordered a Tatula Elite 6'9" heavy from Midway. There are several juicy stretches in the lakes where I wade that drop off quickly into deeper water. Enough to swamp my waders. I can only step out and away just so far in those zones to avoid snagging overhanging tree branches on the back cast. A 6'9" is just about the limit. I bought an Omen Black 6'7" MHF specifically for those areas, but I needed something stouter for my upsized baits.

If you don't have mini-me hands, the Tatula 150 is a great choice in a very versatile reel. It'll do typical bass baits well and is heavy-duty enough if you ever choose to upsize your baits. Put a drop of oil into the spool bearings when you get it and it'll run quiet. Takes about 2 minutes. That's for you too @king fisher Daiwa Tatula 150 Casting Reel - Tackle Warehouse

My brother finally broke his long running February curse with a few ambitious squirts. Matt Lures Baby Hardgill and Legal Dope Tiny Tum Tum got the bites. He lost something heavy, but was happy to get what he got. The Phish brothers are officially off the schneid for '23.

I get to fish a few deep water lakes and reservoirs in upstate NY. I won't fish deep because I'm not fizzing a bass. What a turn off. Unfortunately, it's going happen, but I'm not down with killing bass for my amusement. When it occurs, it's a real buzzkill. I'm good with what I catch the way I can catch them.

Oy yeah! I was getting facial tics and twitches watching these posts from my couch. A fish catch is the most amazing antifreeze. One minute I can't feel my toes, then after a tug they feel toasty instantly. The mind... ?

You sold me!

I got the scoop from a dude that the water temps at our local spots had tipped up to a blazing 38*, so with all my honey-do-or-else stuff behind me, I was able to finally get out there and do some work while there was a little daylight left. These ice-overs and frigid snaps have knocked down all the weeds nicely which was good to see. That never fully happened last year. Had some decent ripple, but none of my tricks were working for the first 3 hours. Had Neds going, spinnerbaits, cranks, and my usual battalion of paddletail swimmers. I decided on ending the time I had left by throwing my newest BBZ-1 Shad floater in Dirty Shad that's tweaked with lead strips for a very controlled slow sink, and I worked it painfully slowwww. I got a few bumps rather quickly, and then a high-powered Pickerel T-boned and choked it. Not sure how my line didn't get the toothy axe job, but it didn't. Hooked into a nice scrapper next. Hard to believe this guy had so much fight with these temps, but he was lit. Someone dumped a pile thorn bushes they'd pruned to widen the cut right at the shoreline, and when I released this dude he made a u-turn and swam right into it and was stuck in 3 inches of water and laying on its side. I always have my shears with me, so I cut a hole in the mess and pulled him out. He swam off in the correct direction this time. The wife wanted dinner, so I circled back to the Pickeral spot for one last go. Worked the BBZ mind numbingly slow again and was rewarded with a solid chunk after a bomb cast. Once again, I was surprised by its horsepower. She choked it too, and like the Pickerel somehow avoided getting bloodied up one bit. First Pickerel and first and second Bass of the year. Feels good to be on the board at last.

Nice mama! Baddazz!?

We're all the baitmonkey. And it was awesome. Shaving off 10ths of a second is expensive, and worth every penny. I've said it here before that bass fishing is the only thing I've found that gives me the same rush.

I'm using a Catalina TW with 20lb Big Game for baits up to about 2 ounces. It's essentially the same reel, but with Mag Z and a little less line cap due to its spool's arbor diameter. Holds plenty of line.

The '15 CI4+ isn't your MGL.

How? Sitting on a couch measuring tolerances, fidget spinning, and checking knobs for end play? To me those things are a distant second to actual overall casting performance. In that regard, a $200 2020 Lew's Tournament Pro LFS eats it lunch performance wise on the water, which is why my CI4+ mostly collects dust. ACB is superior to SVS Infinity in every meaningful way IMO, especially the '15 CI4+'s version of it, and the Lew's 10-ish gram 34mm spool makes it a more versatile caster.

Because we must.

Klaus, you handsome devil...

Skip lunch for a day and you won't even feel the price bump. Spread out over the years you're going to use a reel, so what... Fishing is still the least expensive hobby I've ever had by a long shot.

Try these. The 3/0 is close. Get the 5/0 if you're worried about the gap. Magnum Weighted Swimbait Hook with Spring Baith Keeper (eagleclaw.com) Eagle Claw TroKar Magnum Swimbait Weighted Hooks | Bass Pro Shops

It's fine.

They do! But try to find that VMC hook, or some other type of extra-long shank hook. If you hook into the rings before the egg sack, the worm can tear on the cast after a bit, and without ever even catching a fish. Last year I was in a rush and forgot my longer hooks, so I rigged a 7" on what I had. The hook was rigged through the rings before the egg sack. After several casts and no bites, it split and let go. What was left was heavy enough that I didn't get a backlash! I saved the piece for melting down or for splicing down the line.