Bass Rutten

I tested the ned senko by putting one in with regular plastics for a week and it was fine, no reaction. I’m not sure if the formulas are the same throughout their lines though.

I'm in the 1% of bassers that rarely throws the t-rig. My fishing partner who I've dubbed the speedmaster due to his proficiency and success with the speed worm has opened my eyes to it. Although it is a long standing Florida staple I only now can see the versatility of this rig as it can not only be cast and swam as is it commonly is, but effectively pitched and fished like a traditional worm. So my one and only Texas rig is the standard size speed worm with a 3/16oz weight in junebug or gp. For hooks I like the Mustad Tactical Bass Alpha Grip.

Imagine compounding extremely pressured water with fishing from the back deck behind a very good fisherman who gets first crack at everything. That's what I deal with once a month in our club tourneys. My super power is being able to remain focused and disciplined and not get spun out or frustrated in that scenario. There is a simple secret behind it though which is the real superpower, clue... it starts with the letter G and rhymes with attitude :-)

I agree the keitech is more finesse relatively speaking, but I only recommended it because of the op's setup likely not being sufficiently powerful for the magdraft class of baits, and much lower cost per bait, he mentioned he's a budget fisherman.

I found the 6in magdraft to be extremely finicky, fragile, and way overhyped. As an alternative you could try the 5.8 keitech which is slightly smaller and will weigh in at almost exactly 1oz with a 6/0 beast hook and just as effective, imo.

I second the 4in roboworm, aaron’s magic or watermelon. A trap is also a great northern (as in area of the country) ice out lure.

Black and white pumpkin-treuse and white halloween blue-grass. You can't go wrong with those two within a week of a super blood moon below the 40th parallel, pre summer solstice of course.

Someone above said "BFS only gives you an edge over spinning gear if using very very light weights", that is simply false, it’s not as niche as it’s made out to be anymore. One of the biggest fallacies around bfs is that it is just ultralight fishing with baitcasters. There’s no industry standard for rods or lures that defines them as bfs, people just be making up their own definitions. Rod and lure are chosen for your target species/application not by some arbitrary weight range or rod power (within reason obviously). Many bfs spools are rated to 15 grams and more. Another myth being that bfs is trying to replace spinning gear. They have different purposes, (bass) bfs was designed specifically for accuracy, stealth, and power in pressured tight quarter fishing scenarios. Some real advantages over spinning gear of a casting reel with lighter spool/bearings and line are improvements in ease of casting, lure control, accuracy, sensitivity, line management, and very stealthy lure entries. Also, a nice side benefit is being able to spool up with straight 8 or 10lb fluoro line, try that on your spinning reel! A few disadvantages are a bit of a learning curve, and deep water applications. If that sounds good to you then yes it's worth diving into the rabbit hole.

Funny, before I started tourney fishing I had around a dozen, and I've cut back to 5 (co-angler).

If he's having trouble casting a fluke try a heavier soft jerk like a strike king caffeine shad. I also often fish them with a light (1/16-1/8oz) belly/keel weighted hook which will give it a subtle glide bait like action on a steady retrieve.

I have the kkr (fixed) for my alphas sv800 as well, the quality of the stock bearing in the one I got didn't seem great so I replaced it (and the reel plate bearing too) with some bfs roro's and it made a huge difference. Because of the nature of the fixed rotor and super free bearings it starts to get squirrely and hard to control at around 3/8oz and higher. The ray's sv is much more versatile and suits the selection of my lures better and handles a broader weight range, sounds crazy but with this spool it's almost like I have a psychic connection with the lure and how it casts, it does exactly what I want it to do, and I imagine it'll get even better once change out that stock bearing with a roro. YMMV I don't know if these experiences will transfer as we are talking about two different reels. The ray's for the gekka is still available, it's interchangeable with the alphas air, linked below. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802442695693.html?pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!US %2499.98!US %2449.99!!!99.98!49.99!%40210330dd17377455493981865e7570!12000029745679807!sh!US!0!X&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allItems_or_groupList.new_all_items_2007508689420.1005002629010445&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

Ugh! Tell me about it, I'm dying over here, It's supposed be a brutal 62 degrees down here in Florida tomorrow

Thank you, how are you making those keepers?

The gekka was designed for very thin braid, hence the low capacity. Many have proclaimed that the ray's studio sv (dynamic inductor) is one of if not the best "power" bfs aftermarket spools for the gekka, I have one in my alphas 800 and love it. The following link is for a thread that talks about it https://www.tackletour.net/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=89440&hilit=gekka

I meant that tongue in cheek. I know why some dislike the dropshot, that said I still have a hard time understanding it. If something catches fish easier and more effectively my brain goes "yes, more please"

My brain is having issues comprehending this sentence

Been loving these, well built and super compact with a stout hook, smaller than most underspins, almost as small as roadrunners. Deeks Jigs deadspin.

That moving to Florida would get me into the double digit club in short order.

Care to share? Are you just attaching the wire to the eye of the jig? Hard to tell from the photo.

Breaking rods is the worst!

Like previous posters I found it excelled at single hook chuck and wind baits such as chatterbaits, swimjigs, and spinnerbaits. I wound up selling it to @softwateronly a few years back because I wanted a shorter rod, maybe he can chime in on it too.

I don't go as far as to drill into baits, but I've been going to soft split rings on the majority of my non-rattle cranks to make them even a little bit quieter.

AE - Tat elites $119, tat 100's $99

It’s all good, you’re gonna love them zillies!