Fastbee

I skip jigs, frogs, chatterbaits and swimbaits all the time. Never tried treble hook lures of any kind. One thing I really like though is a buzzbait. I've found that replacing the skirt with a toad makes a big difference. I noticed no one around here did that and thought it would be worth a try. It's got me some bites I couldn't get with the other lures.

Why do you need the bigger hook? I'd have to agree with some others, what you are doing isn't finesse. If you want the finesse look, trim up a flipping jig skirt. I use 1/4 or 3/8 tungsten flipping jigs with 3/0 heavy Mustad hooks and thin out the skirt if I think I need to. I also downsize the trailer accordingly in that case. Never had a problem sticking or getting fish out of cover like that.

Powell usually has a pretty good sale around the end of the year but since they had a big sale earlier this year due to COVID, the end of year deal might not happen. They are sold out of a lot of rods right now anyway so selection is kind of slim unless you find something in stock somewhere. My local shop is a Powell dealer, all Endurance rods are 149.99 retail and the Max is 189.99 retail. FWIW, the 755CB is amazing for what you're looking for...makes a really good vibrating jig rod as well!

Thanks for the advice DVT. Do I need to try to get any oil in there or just leave them?

Does anyone know what the bearing sizes are for the spool/spool shaft bearings on the Okuma Helios reels? I'd like to replace the spool bearing, the side plate bearing and the bearing under the tension knob. My caliper batteries are dead and I'd really rather not tear down the reel just to measure anyway. The reels are a little tight and I think I recall two of those bearings being sealed in a manner that I don't know how to get them apart to flush/oil.

I'll add that a Powell Endurance 724CB makes a pretty good finesse jig rod. It is full graphite, not a composite. I used a Powell Inferno 683 for a while until I sold it, good rod for the money too. Like Teal said, they aren't super high end but the Endurance line from Powell is pretty nice.

Not sure about you guys, but I fish squarebills in off-road mode a lot of the time. Most of my casts are working through brush or laydowns. I use an OG Tatula 7'1" MHR and it's great. The graphite really allows you to feel your way through the cover and the action is kind of a fast mod fast (or slow fast) if that makes sense. It's soft enough to keep small trebles pinned but fast enough to pick through the cover and get good deflection. I'd imaging the XT version is very similar.

I've got two Helios SXs and a regular Helios. All are great reels. I really like the longer handle on the SX though. The amount of metal in these reels is nice as well, not much "carbon" or plastic at all. I will say this, right out of the box they need to be disassembled and all the excess grease cleaned out. I really struggled getting them to cast near as good as my Tatulas or Curados. I decided to change out the bearings and upon disassembly found that there was a lot of extra grease on the spool shaft ends as well as the pinion yoke. I cleared all of that out, put a drop of oil on each shaft end and a very light coat of grease on the yoke. They cast like different reels now. I'd recommend them to anyone!

A Zoom Super chunk is one of my favorite swim jig trailers, mainly because it is my favorite overall jig trailer. I don't really throw "swim jigs" I throw jigs. Like I mentioned in another post, I use the same jigs for most everything. The presentation varies from time to time, and even from cast to cast in some places.

The Hack Attack Fluoro flipping jig and the Denny Brauer Structure jigs are my favorite mass produced jigs. I'm kind of like Catt in that I don't change jigs just because the target changes. I can work either of those through most any cover and both skip like rocks when needed due to the line tie to jig head transition. My only exception is fishing a football jig in brush or laydowns...I typically reserve football jigs for rocky/sandy bottoms that are a little more open.

Like MickD said, this is your issue, probably no tip top with a glued/or pressed insert will hold up to abuse.

Can't speak for the newer Tatulas, but the OG Tatula "R" action is one of my all time favorites. I'd imagine the new rods are the same. Mine are MH/R, so they are probably more powerful that what you mentioned. I wouldn't hesitate to use mine with small and/or shallow crankbaits though.

I've fished both the Dobyns Sierra and the St. Croix Premier. The Premiers I owned were years ago but were very good rods then. I've had the Dobyns Sierra for a while now and something about it just doesn't work for me. I've tried all kinds of stuff on it but I don't think I'll keep it much longer. I'll probably sell it and a Dobyns Champ XP 734 casting rod (same thing, just doesn't seem to work for me) and use the money towards a St. Croix or two. Made in USA is a definite plus!

I guess my first response would be why would you want to limit yourself like that? I mean are you going to swap your rod/reel combo every time you want to skip a lure? The rod and reel are personal preference and you have to figure out what works for you. Some guys say shorter rods, but other say longer. I say use what works. My favorite is an OG Daiwa Tatula 7' MH Regular action rod followed closely by a Kistler Argon 7'1" MH Fast action. I also skip with my flipping rods (OG Daiwa Tatula 7'6" Heavy Fast or Kistler KLX 7'6" H Mod Fast) and Frog rod (Okuma TCS 7"3" Heavy Mod Fast) just the same though.

All of my Lew's reels still have the "ratchet" anti-reverse pawl in addition to the one way roller bearing that will prevent what you are talking about. The spool/handle might reverse just a little but not nearly enough to cause a backlash if the anti-reverse bearing failed. Are you sure it isn't coming out of gear? If the springs on the yoke are worn, damaged or missing it can cause the reel to disengage at times.

I've got one and use it alot. It does everything I ask it to. I think it was a solid reel for the $139 I paid for it. I currently have 2 BB1s, a BB1 Pro, the Tournament Pro LFS and just a plain LFS. I paid less than retail for all of them and they are good at that price. I don't think they are Daiwa or Shimano quality but are solid at discounted prices.

The Lowrance Hook2 or the Humminbird Helix are solid units for the money.

I don't know about the pre-loaded maps, but the C-Map HD chips are great. I came from Humminbird Lakemasters (which were MUCH better than Navionics for my lakes) but my new boat has Lowrance. I bought a C-Map HD chip and it is as good as the Lakemasters were. Both are much better than Navionics for the lakes I fish.

I might be...I grew up river fishing and getting under overhangs, cut banks and pole docks was a great way to catch fish, especially if others couldn't get there. I learned to skip way before SV spools and DC brakes, to me the technique is more important than fancy reels. Several guys have hit on things that I learned through trial and error: Raising the rod is paramount Be VERY aware of your thumb placement and pressure Don't be afraid to fail...I cut 100s (if not 1000s) of yards of line off reels perfecting my skill I also do what J Francho does...no brakes and decent tension. High velocity (not to be confused with hard casting) is key, so loading the rod and really whipping the bait helps. I find that a little thumb takes away the need for brakes and higher than normal tension keeps the spool from blowing up if you misfire a bit.

I can't complain about my Helios SX. It is a strong performer. I have a variety of reels from Daiwa, Shimano and Lew's (including the Tournament Pro) and the SX is one of my favorites. I do like the braking system on the Tournament Pro/BB1 Pros but the SX will cast a mile without fuss. I skip jigs alot and I will say that it didn't really like that particular application...not sure why. I tried it on 3 different rods and several jigs but it just wouldn't be happy with it. I have used all kinds of reels to skip jigs (no need for Daiwa SV spools or Shimano DC controls) without issue over the years but the SX just never really got it right. Does everything else great, fits my hand perfectly and is very light.

I didn't really like the XT version compared to the regular. All of my comparisons were made on the OG versions from about 3 years ago. I still use my OG Tatulas regularly but have only used the XT once. It just didn't feel the same and seemed noticeably heavier. I keep it for a backup.

Maybe the biggest thing is the increased resolution on the newer units. CHIRP is great and helps but the pixel count on the two older units is nothing compared to that newer Helix 10 Mega.

I really like my Powell Max3D 7115 but it's been discontinued. I've used the Powell Endurance 755 for those baits and it worked well. I'll probably pick up an Endurance 7116 if something happens to my Max3D.

Glenn - I might end up with some Simms stuff before it's over. I've got 3 or 4 different kinds on the way...synthetic and merino wool. Hopefully they will all be here midweek so I can evaluate and decide what to keep. The hunters in/around me swear by the natural merino for tree stand hunting. Like I said, I've got some coming and will probably order some more before it's all over. Thanks again for all the suggestions and advice!

Lionheart- Found some stuff at the military surplus store that I'm going to try. Gen III ECWCS level 2. Might also see if I can find a good deal on the Columbia stuff A-Jay mentioned. I looked at a couple "house brands" today as well and they just didn't seem the same as the military stuff. Also looked at the Under Armour 3.0 at DSG...seems legit but I think I can do better than the $70 retail. There are a couple of places near me that sell Patagonia that I'll hit up as well.