Aaron_H

This type of backstory is always the same, you see the same kind of buzzwords with watches. "Cutting out the middle man" "affordable high end/luxury" "gap in the market" etc. It's an automatic huge red flag.

My only beef with Daiwa's baitcasters is how the T-wing system forces them to balloon out the front of the reel to accommodate it. It makes the ergonomics feel wonky in my hand, so it's Shimano for me. I have noticed zero difference in quality between the Shimano and Daiwa spinning reels I own. IMO, they're the two top dogs for a reason. Doesn't mean they're perfect, but I personally consider them the best overall manufacturers.

How could you do this to us

People saying green pumpkin have deeply wounded me. It's my "if I could only have one" color. 😅

I have also had durability issues with them. I think it's because they are flat-sided and so the nose doesn't have a ton of plastic to work with. They definitely work well, though, but I get 3-4 fish out of them before they're toast. Some didn't even get one fish before casting/retrieving tore the nose up on the keeper. But they've got solid action. I still have a pile of Zakos that I've mostly switched back to, ordered a few bags of Spunk Shads that should be here tomorrow to test out. @Koz at least you didn't get distracted by the tackle and forget your sandwich. Gotta accept the small victories sometimes.

Hypothermia is temporary, but the story would last forever (or until you died from hypothermia).

Interesting, I didn't think we got them this far north, but with the increasing water temps I'm not wholly surprised to hear them spreading north. Hopefully not a widespread issue. Glad you and your kids stayed safe.

Just picked up a Shimano Intenza glass for $112 (100 after using points). 7'2" MH glass, intended as a new chatterbait rod so hopefully it works out. About to head to MidwayUSA and see what else I don't need....

This is the same one that Nate Marling cut in half, yeah? Bonkers price but I'm clearly not the intended market.

Very, very limited success on red for me as well, Steve. A red lipless did get me my 8lb 10oz PB tilapia, though 😅 How dare you, sir.

Not an insane amount. 19 combos, a few baitcasters, spinning, and a spincast reel that aren't paired up with anything. The "starting lineup" is really only ~5 baitcasting and 1 spinning combo. The rest are either for inshore, offshore bottom fishing, or less often used techniques. Will definitely keep an eye out. Been looking to upgrade my chatterbait rod for a little while now to something a little more dialed in. Pretty happy with what I have but I think something with a softer tip without sacrificing backbone/ability to rip grass will be just right.

Having seen the success you have with these, I picked up a handful of them last year at a good price. For the life of me I cannot get them to cast consistently well, half the time it seems the weight transfer won't engage and it's like casting a potato chip. I'll keep at it, maybe I got some duds, not sure if this reflects your experience with them versus how easily some others cast.

Don't sleep on Academy's H2OX Ultimate Jerk Shad! For $5.99 they have shockingly good action. The Crackle color in particular has landed me quite a few plus sized bass. I do swap out the split rings and hooks on all of mine, but the bait is solid. https://www.academy.com/p/h2ox-ultimate-jerk-shad-bait?sku=crackle

Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on it. I picked up a couple of them a while back but haven't gotten around to throwing them yet. Picked these up today. Some green pumpkin, green pumpkin shad, Bhite delight, and a fire craw thrown in for good measure.

I don't weigh any bass unless I think it's 3lb or better, and I take a picture if it does break that mark. But I'm not careless with the dinks, still grateful for them especially on those tough days.

Two excellent bass, Mike. Agree with the rest that the big girl is over 6 at that length with those proportions. Last 22.5" I caught went 6lb 11oz and yours is thick for a summer bass.

This is my standard thought process. Sometimes I'll swap one if I think a certain bite might be hot (two different mid-depth presentations for example in lieu of a bottom contact). But typically at least one of the rods I bring can pull double duty if I need to make an adjustment.

I have, for grouper! 😂 I could not imagine ever using it in freshwater applications with how thick and unmanageable it is, even just as a shorter leader.

They just started BOGO on all Rapala hard baits today. Might be a good chance to try out the new Mavrik jerkbait.

I saw your latest video testing out your new weigh bag. You know you're doing something right when you say "it's just a small one but I want to test the new scale setup" and pull up a 4lb smallie. 😂

Slow bite, wind died on me right after I started fishing. Did get to huck the glide bait around and triggered my first strike on it (no hookup sadly) which had me pretty excited. Managed 7, most of them in the last hour before dark. All on chatterbait. Switched to the stealth blade with the Crush City freeloader on the back, triggered some good eats; this 2.78lber slammed it up against the bank. Durability is questionable, though, I seem to be averaging only a few fish on them before they're trashed, but they work!

Got a few of the new Berkley Nessie delivered yesterday, started throwing the 7" in shad around for a few hours. Had a few follows but none to commit. Took it again today and got one to commit, but it was small and missed the hook. Finally got my official first catch on it, my official current "glide bait PB": Not sure if my scale could've handled her, what a hoss!

I've fished them a little bit, they've been my go-to budget rod recommendation for several years now for friends getting into the sport, just never had a reason to pull the trigger on one for myself. Definitely a standout in their price point though. Your posts about the MH/F are why I went with it over the medium.