txchaser

For me there's two scenarios 1) It's unlikely to get better so I'm going to keep buying it (tatsu, grip pin hooks, zillion, zman chatterbaits) - mostly in options with a lot of choice. I'll occassionaly try something new here for kicks but usually pretty low reward. Mostly markets with a lot of competition with small detail differences, and where most of the product expectations are consistent with the price point. 2) it's less about loyalty and more about who has earned the right to get dibs on consideration. A good example here - Kistler and Daiwa get first shot at rods - if they have the action/length/blank/etc I'm looking for I'll just buy theirs, but if they don't have just what I'm looking for they'll get a shot. Kistler mostly for fast action higher end and Daiwa for mid price moving bait rods. Both have been on the extra-nice end of warranty work and replacement policy, and IMO fish well above the price point, espcially the heliums on sale. At this point my non K/D rods are outliers, like iRod for a frog rod because I wanted the tip it has on it. 6th sense gets this for crankbaits from me - I'll try theirs first as I know it's going to be well-made, and built for the kind of cover and size of fish in my neck of the woods. I'll often buy other brands here, but I probably bought the 6th sense version first, and will buy another brand to solve something specific like a silent mid-depth crank. Soft plastics, all this goes out the window, I'll try anything ... and it's a problem. The barrier to entry to try a new bag of X is so low, I'm a sucker for a new idea. Sometimes it pays off, mostly it just adds weight.

Yeah the stats on the listing are super confused, but I know the model of the combo as I used to have it - I got from amazon on sale. Daiwa doesn't make it any more though.

I re-spooled a spinning reel with the new line spool flipped the wrong way one time. It was a complete train wreck. Only two ways to fix it - drag it behind the boat or just cut it off and start over.

These two are tied for me: 1) Bass were up in a creek mouth being pretty aggressive on some shad. I picked up my a-rig rod that had 25lb line, and out of habit checked for nicks and rough spots. There was a spot on it that wasn't right. My first thought was you should retie that, my second was 'this line is enormous, and it's not like you are going to catch a DD anyway'. Pro tip, never ever say that in Texas. Anyway I make a long cast from shallow to deep, and just a little ways in get that bite where the lure just stops dead in the water like it's a tree. Only I know this part of the lake and there's no trees. Start getting big, slow head shake and then she starts to surface. Comes fully out of the water and I'm like get the net! get the net! Now, I think I'm a bad judge of weight in the 9-11 range. Until it is on the scale it's just a DD story. Bigger than that, I know it's a monster, smaller, it's no chance of DD. Anyway, this fish was solidly in the 9-11 zone. I'm on silly heavy line so I'm just grinding it back to the boat, and about ten feet away from the boat she buries up in the weeds - we were sitting in shallower water with a weed flat that dropped off in to the creek channel. Anyway, I have a giant rod, and giant line, and so surely I can just horse it out of the weeds, right? Nope. Fail 1 - didn't re-tie, fail 2 - who tries to horse a monster fish, on an a-rig, out of weeds? Just move the dang boat! This one is 100% my fault. 2) I took the day off during prespawn to fish on a Wednesday. I'd been hunting for a big fish I had a pretty good idea was around, and figured I'd have a better shot on a weekday. Sun's going down and I'm headed in. Day was ok, but no giants. Fishing a chatterbait in a shallow grass flat that was right near deep water and an island. Lots of gills in this area, so GP chatterbait. I get a bite and it starts running straight towards me, as I was in between her and deep water. As I get her near the boat, she comes up for a big, epic, slow-motion jump. Left head shake, still pinned, right head shake, still pi[DING DING YOU HAVE A TEXT MESSAGE] .... and , she's off. There was a one-second window where that notification would have made a difference in my day. I'm not good enough to ignore that sound in that moment, and it was one of those days where I was off, but needed to pay attention to the phone a little. I don't even remember what the text was about, I just remember it wasn't work, and it wasn't important. Sigh. Bonus loss, I was using someone's boat so I didn't bring my net. I thought about it, but I didn't do it. I fought that fish for at least 15 seconds trying to get it in the net so I got a really good look at it. It was too big to scoop in a regular net, and that's how I'm used to getting them in the big hoop I have. Now, ask me why I didn't drop the get and just grab the fish. I still don't know. Two of those losses I had a moment where if I had made the better choice, the one that I already knew to make, I'd have caught them. Now if it crosses my mind it's getting done.

Mostly I buy them on amazon, as an example the jig box is $25 right now. Even on sale elsewhere they always seem to be less expensive on amazon. Jig Box - A+ would buy again, but don't carry on the water. More for storage. Have two now. Edge 3700 regular - A+ for keitechs - would buy again. I sure do hate the keitech packaging. Edge Flex 3600- A+ they are great for getting more than six packs of craws/bugs/etc into a little package. Also use for swimjigs and chatterbaits as it holds enough. Edge 3700 thin - A -squarebills and flatsides, I like the thin CDS boxes better and will just use those going forward. More of a personal preference thing; I don't think I get much from the great seal or the other features Edge 3700 deep - B- big swimbaits - does the job, I have it, but it isn't optimal Edge flex 3700 - B - they are fine I just haven't found a good use for them Tall Spinnerbait box - D - it's huge, but doesn't hold that much. The flambeaus are better, or just using a CD wallet. Others, while we are at it: Hydroflow 3700 gives me a place to put lures I take off without them being scattered in the boat. Makes the end of the day much better. A-rig box - maybe the best $7.50 I've spent on a box. The inserts are just right. Complaints: 1) the feet on them make them hard to get in and out of the tackle bag, enough that I've considered filing them off 2) I'd prefer an opaque lid - they get left in the sun for a while sometimes and I don't think it is good for the lures. For terminal I never liked the organization of the plano terminal boxes; I can get more in a 3600 bass mafia ice box as it has like 48 compartments at max. I just don't really care if the weights rattle around a little in the tiny compartment. Sealed up tight, and even itty bitty stuff doesn't drift between compartments. $18.00

Fuego CT if you can swing it. Very friendly for someone new to baitcasters. https://www.dowdlesports.com/Daiwa-Fuego-Baistcasting-Combo-FUEGO-CT-BAITCASTING-COMBO_p_98189.html If dowdle actually has this in stock it's a great combo for the price. Worth calling them though; apparently they aggro'd a bunch of people when they went in the ammo biz and got way way behind. Alternatively I'd bet if you make a WTB post in the flea market here someone will have the reel for a nice price. I don't have any of the daiwa aird-x rods, but lots of people here posting about how much they like them so it's a good bet.

Yamamoto D-shads and SK Caffiene shads don't have this issue, but they do fall a little faster.

Is the bait: light or heavy -match weight of lure with trailer to the midpoint of the rod range moving or still - moving baits I want more bend during the retrieve hook diameter/thickness - more give deeper into the blank, example - crankbait hooks A floppy noodle won't let me set a big hook, a broomstick is less likely to keep the fish pinned, and more likely for me to yank too hard and rip a hook out. A few examples: Irod freds magic stick, zillion HD - long heavy rod for frogs. I want longer casts, and I'm grinding a bass out of deep junk so the reel and handle matter to me. Tip has a wee bit of softness so it seems to cast really well/ Kistler FNR Crankbait rod - zillion - reel doesn't matter much here, rod matters a lot. Gets down deep into the blank pretty quickly. It has effectively been an all-purpose cranking rod for me... but as I get more time with it there's two places I prefer other rod actions 1) deep crank - I need a heavier rod as they tend to be heavy baits. Daiwa's MH/R has been really good for mid-depth 2) squarebills - I've moved to a classic MH/F as I feel I have more control and more feel as I work it through cover Tatula Elite MH/R - zillion - turns out this rod is perfect for bigger mid-depth cranks. Squarebill is fine on it, but not as good as a MH/F. Poison Adrena H/Reg - zillion - Chatterbaits, particularly the 1/2-3/4 oz, and swimjigs. Open hook moving baits. I don't need the fast tip as I'm really connecte to it already, and loading up the tip allegedly lets it dart out of grass better. I tend to be on the heavier side for these presentations as I'm often fishing in the gunk. I'm also trying a Kistler HMH for this application, and it may be a better fit. MH is definitely too light for me, but the PA rod is more stout in the tip than I would prefer. Personally I want a little more than 45 degrees of bend on the tip during the retrieve. Kistler Helium LMH/F - zillion (although the Tat SV may be a better fit here) - 3/8 Keitechs on 3/0 owner flashy swimmers are a little light for a true MH/F, and the crankbait rod works in a pinch but hooksets are weak. But it's an open hook swimmer so mostly I'm trying to replicate a downsized version of how I fish a swimjig. Mostly I notice there are three things that get me to get a dedicated rod 1) the presentation really needs it (a-rig, big swimbaits) 2) the rod I have that would throw this bait is also used for something else that I'd throw in the same areas (example - punch rod and frog can't really be a single rod, punching around frog blowups has been a winner for me this year) 3) I fish a presentation a lot, and time with it gives me clues about things I wish were different. Some examples - C-rig - longer rod really matters, good loading with an awkward bait really matters. If I fished it a lot I'd probably use a 7'6" for it. Punching - I don't like my frog rod for punching, feels a little noodly because of the great tip it has for walking. One note - the type of line I'm using can dramatically change what rod I like for a given use, particularly heavy vs light flouro or braid/leader vs flouro. With all that said, I recently went on a trip where I couldn't take my rods, and I picked up a MH/F and a H/F and that got it all done fine.

JDM Zillion G on amazon.co.jp about 205 delivered, cheaper if you are a lefty. Alternatively, a Tatula SV 2020 $160 on a 20% sale which is reasonably common. IMO the SV spool is especially good in wind, with light baits, or for new anglers.

I almost always have a clear plan. I rarely fish that plan, as I see something that changes my mind. Sometimes it was a good idea, sometimes not so much. I really enjoy finding new fish, especially when they are weighty. The whole process of figuring out where bigger fish are and what they are doing gets me amped up. Almost 100% if I'm on a pattern I'm immediately trying something different. I suppose I'm trying to compress time on the water. If they'll bite a bubba shot, what about a t-rig, or a moving bait at the same depth? It's almost comical how fast I'll change baits when they are working.

On the reel, the JDM Zillion HD is a workhorse, and probably costs the same as the PF. Similar big handle too. I had the PF, I think I traded it off. I just use a regular zillion now as the HD went on my frog rod. If it's really thick stuff you'll be sadface with 30lb braid. I think just using something you already have until you figure out what you really need in a reel is likely the better path.

I bought one of the SLP works pin removers. Any magic to these or just turn the handle? It came with two inserts but they look the same.

Results have been ok, but I've had to work very hard for them. Lots of days of hyper-picky bites, days of what amounts to junk fishing ie out of ten fish only a few on the same lure or pattern. Like digging in the winter box in the summer kind of picky. Only one or two days the whole summer that a big worm was the deal. I think the grind @Skunkmaster-k mentioned above is pretty spot on.

Medium wire swim jig, yes. Heavy wire swim jig, no. If it helps, I fish spinnerbaits, mid-depth cranks, topwaters, chatterbaits (well I used to, moved to heavy for c-bait). I think it'd be great with a light t-rig too. If you told me I had to fish a jig or something where I needed to be very fast and very detailed on exactly what I'm feeling, I'd probably pick a different rod. Not a knock on it, I've even replaced it after breaking in the car door; scoured the country to find one in fact. If it's going to be used heavily on the paddletail, weightless senko, etc, go for it. If all-purpose is useful to you, go for it. If max sensitivity and a crisp tip are important to you, this isn't the rod.

IMO I think the Howell in either size is a better fit, but I prefer the -R action on weightless baits - casts easier and they aren't spitting senkos out. As a bonus it's a pretty versatile rod, especially for moving baits and other weightless stuff like an Ika.

Try the Biospawns on a swimjig, or the Jackall. IMO the Jackall are a little thin for that kind of presentation. Both are made of tougher material. Action will be different than the Fat Impact though.

No issues for me here. I think JDM also has a bunch of inshore reels, consider emailing digitaka as you'll save on some shipping too.

I'm in your area - it's fishing more like fall, not like summer. After the long drought the rain and cooler weather brought many things up shallow. In particular the shad. They are tiny right now, so try both normal and downsized. Jerkbaits, flukes, shallow cranks. And a 3.3 paddletail on an underspin. If you only have 3.8, try cutting it down. Still some bigger girls hanging out on deeper flats, IMO they are too energy stingy to chase tiny shad. Tom's advice above about finding the baitfish and the thermocline should be on the first page of the 'how to catch bass now that you are off the bank' book.

I know this doesn't directly answer your question but... at the moment, the Tatula Elite doesn't really have a good spot in the Daiwa lineup because the Daiwa Zillion G JDM smokes it, and can be had on amazon japan for $216.

I don't think it would be offensive to say something like: "hey I've been with you for ten years, I don't have any intent of looking around as you've been good to me, but I do need to ask if I should be asking for a different deal. I'd be sore if it turns out if I should have been pushing all the time for something. So just let me know if yall think I have a deal that fits with the work I do, or if there's something different available"

HIT is a type II, which means it is much more likely to roll you on your back when unconscious. I picked it because my risk case is unconscious and alone.

amazon.co.jp sometimes has great deals on JDM gear too. When I bought the zillion HD that was the best place at the time. In case someone else needs it someday, I think TT and I'd guess @Delaware Valley Tackle can do these sorts of repairs, should be interchangeable parts.

I have the irod a-rig rod and I really like it. It doesn't fish at the upper end of its weight range though - mid-sized and small a-rigs with 3.8's are a great fit. But a 6.5inch arm, 8 blade, with 1-3 1/4oz heads and the rest at 1/8 will overload it, at least to me. But I'll actually bomb cast an a-rig sometimes and that's where it starts to overload; so its fine with lob casts on the bigger ones. Point being, it's worth calling Dobyn's and telling them what you are actually going fish on it, as it may make a difference on whether you get a 5 or a 6 in their line.

If they are biting on the bottom of the water column, consider putting it on a bubba shot/drop shot. You can get down to the last 1-3 feet really quickly, and then get the normal senko flutter for the last part of the fall. Credit to (I think) @Bluebasser86

Try the Crosseyez chatterbait. Same idea, but better hookups with the wire weedguard.