Bass Rutten

I like to say... Never say no to a 30 minute fishing trip, those 2 hours could be the most exciting 8 hours of your life.

Hey y’all Just wanted to share an experiment I've been toying around with on 2 of my bfs setups for a while now, I've been running a 50 foot (not yard) 6lb fluorocarbon topshot/leader, and frankly I'm completely sold on it. It fishes and feels just like straight fluorocarbon, and you still get the benefits of braid backing, and you only have to replace 50 feet if/when it gets beat up or compromised. A 200-yard spool gets you 12 "respools". Honestly, I haven't found any major downsides yet. A short leader probably squeezes out a little more max casting distance, but not enough to matter for the way I fish. If anything, it's given me more confidence in my presentations, and that alone can be priceless.

Good stuff indeed. A small historical note: the roots of light line/Midwest finesse go back to the late '50s, but the creation of the og Ned rig (half a strike king zero on a mushroom jighead) dates to 2006. I've also really appreciated that Ned and Z-Man have always humbly acknowledged the Midwest finesse pioneers and has never taken credit for the Ned rig.

The answer is obvious, they saw a small hole in the market, and their bean counters calculated they could fill it using a whole lot less r&d and resources than it would take to make a brand new reel. That's all there is to it.

The zillion 150 has almost 10% more line capacity than the the curado 200, and more than every other 150 reel that exists, seems more like a compact 200 to me. And looks didn't stop the 21 zillion from becoming the best in class.

What kind of cover, structure, depth and baits are you fishing? These will dictate rod power, line, hook size/gauge etc

Yes you could, you could also move a fridge in a honda crv (I've done it), but everything I mentioned is better done on a reel with more line capacity than a 100 imo (assuming 15lb+ line). Bigger heavier lures that require long casts, especially hard pulling one like big cranks are better off with bigger gears + bigger handle = more torque, it's simply better for the types of things I listed above. Not even to mention that ipt nosedives with big line on a 100. Everything you've mentioned there can be easily done on the zillion tw 150 😉 But for me a 200 is pointless since I don't swimbait anymore, and there's no musky or pike near me.

Not totally pointless, anything needing thick plastic line and/or bomb casts. It's a little niche, but I can think of a few things it would do a lot better than a 100: Oversized cranks A-rigs C-Rigs Football jigs Swing heads Long range frogging 1-3oz swimbaits Light pike/musky

In your ear with a can of beer. Welcome back.

The Zillion TW 150 was dropped a few days ago https://www.daiwa.com/jp/product/rn0d8x7 In other news, I have this old American Rodsmiths David Fritts 7'11" cranking rod that's been sitting in the corner forever that just suddenly started randomly twitching and I can't figure out why.

The dt-6 is Florida staple for that depth range, it's got a subtle rattle. Although in the conditions you describe I'd probably go straight to a trap.

Worms don't get much tougher than elaztech, Strike King and Z-man both make a 7" finesse worm. I can't ever remember a neko rigged one being slung off, no rings or doo-dads needed. I also just bought some geecrack neko hacks I'm looking forward to trying on non elaztech baits.

More deets since you're considering it. I'd call it a mod-fast taper, slower tip and more progressive than the 73ml, it's tubular tipped not solid. It's sensitivity punches above its price point, but not extraordinary. Extremely light, weighing in at exactly 2.50oz, which make it very well balanced too. Mid-micro fuji guides, fuji seat (exact same as the 73). I love the ninja stealth aesthetic of this line. There's nothing really super unique about it, that said it's probably the funnest setup I've ever owned. Considering I paid $190 something for it I'd give it a very high rating on value/bang for the buck (before shipping and tariffs). I drove cross country in a compact car to Illinois last month to see some friends and took only this rod, I haven't bought a 2-piece in over two decades, forgot how easy it made traveling, I see more 2-piecers in my future.

Even though I'm a finesse fisherman at heart, after reading your post the first thing I thought is I'd tie on something thats runs shallow and pushes some water, chatterbaits and squarebills would be on my short list.

@SJS I’ve got 4 finesse setups currently, all casting/bfs, I haven’t owned any spinning gear in about 3 years now. Daiwa Seth Feider Tatula Elite rod (6’9” ml/r) this is one of those cases of using something for a completely different purpose than it was “designed” for, it’s labeled as a jerkbait and topwater rod but I found it a little noodley with straight fluoro or mono, then I tried braid/leader and that was ok for topwater but didn’t like how it handled jerks, then on a whim I tried some smaller underspins and swimbaits on it and she found her purpose. I also use it for small squarebills/cranks on occasion. A more versatile rod than I anticipated when I bought it, it’s paired up with a Alphas 800 sporting a Ray’s Studio long cast spool (Sufix 10lb 832 braid), and Roro Air BFS ST bearings. Capable of casting down to 1/8oz+2.75” plastics this is my run n gun finesse setup. Pictured with a jig rigged up for my next outing for experimentation. Kistler Helium 7’ Med-light/fast paired up with another Alphas 800, this one has a KKR t37m spool (fixed rotor, 5.6g w/bearing), roro bearings. Spooled up with X-Braid PE# 1.0, 8lb fluoro leader. The most sensitive of my rods so naturally it’s my main bottom contact setup. Used for jigs and neds mostly, testing with splitshot rigs right now though. This one’s a fairly new addition (rod not reel), it’s a Abu Garcia Salty Stage KR-X Prototype Baitfinesse XKRC-73MLS-BF. It’s a jdm rod designed for inshore saltwater light game fishing, when I ordered this I was unaware it had a solid tip and have been pleasantly surprised by it. Although I have tried some fishing plastics with it my original intention was to use it as a mid-cranking rod and it has not disappointed. Between its length and the soft solid tip it can absolutely bomb 1/4oz hardbaits, it does really well with 3/8oz too (dt6, wiggle warts). It’s paired with a jdm zillion fitted with another Ray’s studio long cast spool and Hedgehog Studio Air BFS-SI bearings. I fish straight 6lb Yo-Zuri hybrid on it. Another fairly new addition (rod not reel). It’s a Abu Garcia Salty Stage KR-X Prototype Baitfinesse XLRC-69LT-BF, also a jdm inshore light game rod. I was originally going to order only the 7’3” version above but added this shorter lighter power one to the order on a monkey fueled whim since I was already paying the shipping. It’s becoming kind of a utility rod and probably the one I’d grab for a single rod outing due to its versatility. I’ve been using it mostly for flickshakin’, mid-strolling minnows, and neko rigging 4in finesse worms recently, but it’s also fantastic for 1/8 to 1/4oz jerkbaits and crankbaits. Paired up with a stock daiwa ss air reel with X-Braid PE# 1.0, 6lb fluoro leader. This rod/reel combo weighs in at 7.7 ounces, very light and fun.

I'm addicted to finesse. I know I'm not the only finesse nerd around here... My latest haul: Into micro-jigs at the moment, trying out a variety of brands. The Yamamoto Covert Craw is my favorite trailer, buoyant and perfectly sized for a micro-jig. On a Molix 1/8 oz Nano Jig: What's down in your latest rabbit hole?

I say go for it, sounds like the perfect fit for the hole in your arsenal. I Iove me some medium-light, it’s the most versatile power imo, I’ve got 4 ML setups and trying to source my 5th. No other rod power can handle bass, walleye, trout, and panfish (albeit it somewhat limited), and more as well as ML - if you’re into multi-species fishing. Also I think 10lb line almost defeats the purpose of the lighter rod, unless you’re fishing cover of course, 8lb would be much better, but I’d seriously consider 6lb line on a medium-light setup if cover allows. If your reels have trouble at the lower weights then roro or hedgehog bfs bearings would be the next logical step, then possibly an aftermarket spool, but that’s getting a bit down the rabbit hole. Just to clarify, the phrase “true BFS rod" is a misnomer and a pet peeve of mine lol. A rod cannot be bfs on its own. BFS is defined by the reel, more specifically the spool and bearings.

Years ago before I swore off the senko it was my go to around and over shallow vegetation, twitch twitch pause, or rippin it through and out of weeds. A 1/8 or 3/16oz split shot or mojo rig (12-18" leader) is just money and can offer a similar presentation a little deeper, many days they'd be all over that but wouldn't touch a weightless one, it was usually tougher conditions with clearer water or brighter days. Edit: works great with flukes too!

Agree with Casts_by_fly, if your rod can load and fling the rig, then you just need a finesse oriented casting reel, or a lightweight aftermarket spool for a reel you already own. I'd personally consider going lighter on the line, 10lb or even 8lb will cast better and have more natural action on such a light lure.

I think the colors you already have can do it all. As a primarily plastics fisherman I always carry with me a spike it pen in chartreuse, with it you can color just the tip of the worm to add a bit of attraction or visibility, you can color the underbelly to give it the laminate like effect of dark back/light belly, I use it a lot, plus it adds some garlic flavor to ward off vampire fish lol

Not really high-end, but if you'd like a rod that can also throw frogs on the lighter side, check out the kistler helium 7'3" hmh (heavy-med-heavy). It falls in between their medium-heavy and heavy powers, it retains the tip of the MH with the backbone of the heavy, its a very versatile rod that also skips and distance casts well due to the tip, as well as being fantastic jig rod.

Well I'm happy to have played a small part in helping someone else catch some nice fish. Funny thing is I actually, for the most part, swore off using senkos about a decade ago because me and my fishing buddy were relying on them a little too much, and we'd joke that the senko is regressing all our other fishing skills. Maybe we were wrong?

Edit: just wanted to add to this, you must become a line watcher, sometimes you may not feel pickups but will see your line twitch or start drifting left or right. If anything feels funny or off, swings are free!

Tie on, cast into water, reel in fish...