Triton20XSD

I like a faster gear ratio for topwaters & lipless cranks. I would go with the E7 for those. I do like a slower gear ratio for deeper 7+ foot cranks. For this I use a Revo Winch.

I like the Bagley shakey heads in 3/16 oz. They done have the spike like other brands. They have more of a collar that prevents the worm from sliding down. These are the best ones I have used so far.

I own 2 Mossybacks BCR 853 & 854. I like them just as much as my IMX's. I would recommend. Planning on buying the 7'1" spinning rod in the Mossyback for next year.

Lackawanna Prompton Wallenpaupack White Oaks Duck Harbor

I start throwing topwater as soon as the water hits 60. I know there will be guys that say they catch them on top in colder water but that is my benchmark as to when I start throwing them.

I use P-Line 15# xxx-strong for both.

6'6" G. Loomis 783 crankbait rod (medium action), Curado 6:1 7' G. Loomis 843 crankbait rod (medium action), Revo Premier 6.4:1 7' St. Croix Big Cranker, 5.4:1 Revo Winch

hair jigs, 3" grubs, tubes, jerkbaits, spoons if you are fishing deep water--20+ feet. As the water starts getting to 50 and above add spinnerbaits, crankbaits to the mix.

3/16 oz is my preference

I use 15# on my mh spinnerbait, heavy action jig & m action buzzbait rods. Very strong line. If you plan on using it for deeper cranks you may want to go to the 12#. I have 12# fluoro on my deep cranking rod & 10# on my medium cranking rod.

Tx rigged, flipped, pitched, jig trailer, on a shakey head. These are pretty versatile baits. I like the greens and browns.

great bait. The jr. is also very good for when you need to downsize. Still cast like a rocket but in a smaller version.

It depends on water clarity and cover. If the water is clear and not real heavy cover I would use 6#. If the water is dingy or heavier cover I would go with 8#. I would imagine you have 2 spools for your reel...I would spool one up with 6 and the other with 8 so you can adjust to your conditions.

I like a longer rod for fishing jigs/worms. I have a 7'1" mh G. Loomis mossyback and also same rod in a hvy action.

booyah counterstrike in black/red or chart/white, no trailers but I do use a trailer hook (1/0 Gamakatsu)

absolutely front drag. How many of the higher end spinning reels do you see with a rear drag?

I have a 225 Optimax and I run the Mercury Optimax oil in it (black bottle). My last boat had a 150 EFI and I did run Quicksilver in that without an issue. I would suggest paying the extra and run the Mercury oil. I just have a better piece of mind doing that.

I just bought one this year. It's paired up with a St. Croix Legend Bass big cranker rod. I just used it for the 1st time over the weekend. Very sweek set up. I can't wait to actually catch something on it. I never mess with the braking on my reels. It seemed to cast very well right out of the box. I was throwing a Bomber Switchback crankbait. I'm not sure how it will be with lighter cranks but then again, I probably won't be throwing anything less than 3/8 oz with this set up.

Did you check your fluid? I had trouble with mine leaking. It was just about out of fluid. Never found the leak. I had it filled back up towards the end of last year and it seemed to be ok. I will find out soon enough if I have the same problem when I pull the boat out in the next few weeks.

I throw mostly 3/16 oz Bagley's shakey heads with Zoom Finesse worms, Berkley shakey worms, & some straight tail Robo worms. I have heard the Zoom Trick worms are supposed to work real well but I have not tried them on a shakey head yet.

I throw my 3/8 oz jigs on 12# Berkley 100% floro on a mh rod. Anything bigger or around thicker cover I usually throw on 15# P-Line C-XXX strong on a heavy action rod. I'm like you and don't flip much either. I've never used the Yozuri so I don't know how that would compare to these other lines. I do like the sensitivity of the floro though.

if you are throwing deeper cranks I would say a reel in the 5 range. I will let you know how my Revo Winch performs once it gets here and the ice melts ; (

a 6'6" to 7' mh or heavy would be a good choice depending on cover. I prefer a 7' mh or heavy action

I'm just starting to get into this technique as well. I would imagine anytime bass are around shallow cover (weeds, laydowns, etc) would be a great time to throw these. I plan on throwing this on either a 7' medium St. Croix rod with 15# test or a 7' mh crankbait rod with 12# test. I picked up some Mann's Elite Wakers and was also looking at the Rapala version too.

I like the Aruku Shad, Red Eye shad & Xcaliburs...all very good baits. Just bought a lucky craft LV7 in the offseason to try out.