Manifestgtr

Focusing some attention on jigs is highly, highly commendable. Gaining confidence with a jig takes far less effort than you think. It took me years to finally do so because I had this odd notion built up in my head that jigs were this mythical, “expert level” bait...in reality, if you can work a worm or toss a Texas rig, you can work a jig. It worked out in a really funny way for me. One day I told myself “I’m only going to fish a jig today...if I catch nothing it’s ok because at least I’ll get better with them”. I threw this little black and blue jig under a dock, watched my line start moving oddly to the side, went “?”, then set the hook into a nice little 2 pounder. This was on the first cast.... The moral of the story being this...without an idea, without any additional skill beyond my ability to cast under a dock, I immediately caught a bass on a jig. Of course, this was lucky and it doesn’t always work out that way but the point remains. You probably already have the skill set necessary to fish jigs.

This is an embarrassing question but hey, here goes. These would also work in a 50hg, no? I know there are some differences between the bfs and the 50...spool, braking...but I wouldn’t think that would extend to the gearing?

St Croix, overall.... The legend x is a highly under appreciated series. For general “high end” duty, I like my legend x’s more than my nrx’s. They just feel better and they’re plenty sensitive enough. And I’m also of the opinion that certain mojo bass models (specifically the 68mxf and the 71mhf) are about the best you’re gonna do under $150...they’re STILL my go to reaction bait roads. If I really need to feel everything within a 10 foot radius of my senko or jig, I’ll still use an nrx, though. They aren’t my favorite rods anymore but they’ll probably always have a place in my stable.

Little under $60 for all the parts plus handling. I bought every little part surrounding the main gear and drag stack, though. Didn’t wanna take any chances. Ill post a thread with the results, instructions, etc. when they come in.

Oooo yeah, I made sure it was both the ct AND the hg. Model to model swapping is enough wackiness for me...don’t need any extra surprises.

The 100 has been on my short list since it came out. Just looks very steezy to me...which is a doofy reason to buy a reel but hey. What are you gonna do

Very interesting. Just opened up a plat order for all the necessary parts. I’ll let you all know how it goes when it all finally gets here.

I haven’t bought any new Daiwa baitcasters in the last few years and it’s not a matter of disliking them. Once I really dug into the smaller Shimano sizes (50/70, aldebaran, slx), that was it. They’re ergonomic perfection for my hands and for my fishing style. For guys who’ve owned/used both, are there any tats with a similar size and feel of the small shimanos? I get more and more curious about Daiwa’s newer offerings as time goes by. I just want something I’ll actually use that fits in with the rest of my stuff...

I had a curado 70hg go geary on me this season. A quick gear swap fixed it right up. I’m interested in the engetsu gear swap though, if anyone else has experience with that too. I know they’re the same frame and all that but I know things aren’t always that simple. If they are indeed just drop in replacements, I’d go micro mod with that reel in a heartbeat

Nice! I’ll be around.

The absolute BEST “guided” trip I ever took was in Phuket, Thailand back in 1999. These local fishermen were just chillin on the beach when I walked by with my mother. After a short “conversation” (they spoke exactly no English and my Thai was limited to “thank you”, “hello”, etc)...we hopped into one of their little rowboats and headed out into the bay. Using nothing but hand lines and bait, we caught a ton of little fish while they sat back, drank beer, made light of our incompetence and tried to communicate with us. I’ll always remember this one guy’s hook setting instructions. He looked at the line and went “tuk tuk...PAH! hmm?”...then when I failed to set the hook and missed a fish, he pointed at me and went “tuk tuk”, paused and then broke into a gale of laughter. They were a great group of dudes. When that tsunami hit Phuket back in 2004, they were the first people I thought of. All those people lived right on the beach. I really hope they made it out of there...and to be honest, I don’t like to think about what might’ve happened to them.

This ...and I’ll add that since you’re up here by me in the northeast, not EVERY bass will spawn every year up here (everywhere but it’s more pronounced in the north from what I’ve heard). You can always count on at least some percentage not spawning. Since it’s such an insanely energy-consuming task, especially for bucks who will be put out for quite a while tending the nest, guarding the fry, etc...it’s just not feasible every calendar year. I was actually a bit surprised...I took an almost 7 pound female earlier this week in a creek nowhere near the spawning grounds. I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around that one...

Ooooo man...I remember getting ALL of these problems when I first started learning how to take reels down. It can be a little brutal until you get the hang of it. The drag not loosening up is an easy fix. That little sleeve that runs through your anti-reverse and dips down into your drag washers, etc. Make sure that’s seated in place, exactly the way it needs to be. If you don’t, you’ll either a.) never get it back together or b.) be stuck with a permanently pinned, possibly damaged drag. I know some guys will say “just take it to a professional” and it’s difficult to argue with that logic. But I can tell you from experience that weathering these teething pains makes life a lot easier when you eventually want to replace your gears, bearings, etc.

The slx honestly isn’t a bad place to start with shimanos. Might be worth getting an slx or an slx xt just to see what you think of the experience...that way, if you just like the daiwas more, hey you’re only out $100-150. I’ve owned every slx and can say, they’re very good reels (although...my xt HAS gone a bit geary on me this season). I’ve been loving the slx dc lately. Just about any curado is a great choice but I would stay away from the curado 70 as a first shimano. I have one and love it to death, almost as much as my mets and aldes but it’s just not a very friendly first shimano. It bites back quickly when set loose with little thumb control. Coming over from a super intuitive, user-friendly reel like most daiwas are...I can imagine it’d be nothing but frustrating. slx, slx xt, slx dc, curado k, scorpion xt 1000, jdm 13 metanium...those would be my picks for anybody wanting to get into shimanos. All friendly, all reasonably inexpensive nowadays.

I watched a few videos back when the fg started becoming a trendy knot to tie, got confused after step 472 then said “forget this noise”. The blood knot had served me brilliantly since the early 90s and I just don’t have any reason to change. I can tie it in under a minute, it slips in and out of my reels/guides and it returns ALMOST 100% of my line’s strength. I actually like that little tiny percentage because in the rare event that I do get an unretrievable snag, I can give my main line a few “act of god” tugs and only lose about 5-10 feet of big game or cxx as opposed to 50 feet of ridiculously expensive braid. All of that aside...if the fg knot is your thing, do it up. You’re a better knot tier than I.

Jigs can make your head spin. There’s a million different types...they all look kind of different but they all look kind of the same and it starts making you wonder what matters and what doesn’t. Horizontal, vertical, hmmm... This is going to sound weird but I do a lot of my jig fishing with swim jigs. I fish around a lot of docks, grass and wood piles...my swim jigs come nicely through all of that stuff, they pin trailers beautifully, they sit up on bottom better than you’d think, plus I can always just use them for their intended purpose when I want. They aren’t all I use. I like finesse jigs and footballs for real bottom contact and dragging. But it’s more the point that you just find what works after a bit of trial and error...my ties are mostly vertical (I think?) but that’s just a matter of happenstance.

You’re a good dude. Don’t worry about it. We’ve all had upsetting angling experiences...it just happens. I remember trying to revive a baby pickerel once for like 20 minutes because I felt so bad. But i fish to eat occasionally and I bed fish, too. I don’t see anything wrong with it myself. I can see why some might but I don’t. We’re just one of a million predators out there doing our thing. You have the important stuff covered. You obviously care about the fishery and you’re aware of whose house you’re in. That’s what REALLY matters at the end of the day.

Not all females go deep, actually. Bass tend to split off...some shallow, some deep. I’ve caught males and females shallow during the post spawn. At any rate, jigs will do you nicely both shallow and deep after the spawn. The topwater bite also starts warming up. But what I mostly focus on post spawn is a bluegill pattern. Bluegills spawn after bass so they’ll be chasing them around pretty predictably all spring and summer, really. Ymmv but I love the booyah pad crasher in bluegill colors (I have several that look like Chernobyl victims at this point...those things get demolished), the zoom sungill super fluke, jigs/chatters in varying green/black and blue colors, keitechs and senkos. Then as the water heats up a bit, I’ll throw toads into the mix as well. I know that’s a lot baits but that should cover just about any non-flipping situation through the summer.

You won’t be disappointed with the met if you go that route. Mine has been amazing thus far. We’ll see how it holds up 5 years down the road... The “smooth” descriptor has always bugged me with reels. If you pick up just about any new, high end reel produced in the last 5 years, it’s going to be smooth. But these “core solid” mm reels are on another level, man. The retrieve has this liquid quality to it...it’s tough to describe. If you didn’t know how reels worked, you’d never guess there was gearing in there.

This is one of my favorite combos. I have a feeling you’re gonna like it. I use mine for a bunch of different light things. The sciii 68 mxf is my favorite mojo bass rod. Lightweight and balances nicely with your 6-8 oz reel of choice. If you’re ever feeling a bit blue blooded, I suggest the 68 mxf legend x/aldebaran combo. It’s not exactly cheap but if you’re patient and wait for some deals to pop up, it’s not brutal. The legend x is a highly under appreciated series imo.

I’ve been LOVING these hooks for flukes This season. They came in some monthly tackle box or other, I forget which one. They just do a better job than my ewg 4/0 at holding my flukes in place...and I THINK I’m able to work them a little nicer as well (although that could just be the switch from nrx to legend x for my fluke rig). The only info I’ve been able to find is on a company called “penetration hooks”. I think that’s where they came from. I’m just interested in knowing if this is entirely custom (and I’ll always have to pay $2+ for these) or if they’re a type I can acquire from gammy, etc.

If you’re lookin to get into the e series and don’t wanna spend a fortune, the jdm market is fantastic. scorpion xt 1000 scorpion xt 1500 aldebaran mg7 where usdm e series reels go for $200 and up on the regular, a scorpion xt 1000/1500 can often be had for 100-150, sometimes even less. They’re the same as the curado e’s...different color, slightly better bearings (or so I’ve heard...can’t confirm 100%). I absolutely love my scorpion xt 1000. It’s one of the easiest going, most backlash-proof reels I’ve ever used...and I got it for under $100 at a time when I was seeing curado 50e for almost $200

Hahaha seriously... I fish in deep timber on every outing and seldom get my maxed 10 lb drags slipping. It’s a good thing when they do...keeps your gears from exploding...

It’s definitely a much faster, more free casting reel. I’ve been keeping the brakes noticeably higher than the old model. I've had the opposite experience when it comes to casting distance, though. All it takes is a little flick and ZOOM, you’re there.

Bingo If you didn’t care to research it, does that mean I’m obligated to fill you in on the auction site price? It’s not a matter of ethics here. Most people just want to get what they can get for an item