Big Hands

No. This is not a zero-adjust like the 2020 Tatula. This is the 2017 model. I have a Tatula 100 that has zero-adjust, and this one just has a spool tension cap like most baitcasters. The noise is a minor annoyance to me. I do find it odd that it is geary sounding when I just replaced the drive and pinion gears. That said, if the casting performance was better, I would live with the noise.

My SV TW103 is pretty noisy, and it has been a bit disappointing in terms of casting performance. I took it to a couple of tackle shops to talk about it. One of them had one still in stock. It was making about the same amount of gear growling noise as mine does. The growling gets noticeably louder just as the bearing cap eliminates the side play from the spool too. My gears had a slight 'tick' a few months back, so I put in a new set. They aren't any quieter than the originals ever were. Mine spun better in free spool than the new one I looked at today, but given that I have cleaned and oiled my bearings, that's not especially surprising. And if I am being honest, it hasn't been a great performer overall, and it doesn't seem to excel at any particular thing either. It isn't horrible, but it's definitely a below average performer among the reels that I own despite being one of the most expensive reels that I own. I guess I'm still searching for the right course for this horse.

I use mine with large-ish baits such as crankbaits, underspins, bigger Texas rigs on MH/F or H/F rated rods. I currently have 15 lb Big Game on it. Great reel. Casts well and is plenty beefy for my needs.

A 3' tag end seems long to me, but I have no way to know it won't work. I do sometimes use a second hook up higher on the line, and sometimes I use a tag end as short as 4-6" or maybe up to 16". As for the line memory when tying a Palomar know, it can usually be avoided by pulling the tag to cinch, or keeping the whole knot a little loose, then wetting the knot as you cinch it down (s-l-o-w-l-y) with short tugs at a time. Tungsten is nice, but I am much more likely to use it for Texas rig or Carolina rigs. A bit too Gucci for me to use with dropshotting rigs, but YMMV.

Are you absolutely sure there are not bass in there already? ;~)

First thing I would try is to clean and lightly lube the bearings. They're not ultimate bomb casters, but they're certainly good for more than 50-60 feet.

I don't have a rigid set of rules for such times. I'm mostly just out dinking around, doing what I want to do at that moment in time. Sometimes, I'll drop an anchor and just sit there and relax, rig some different baits, or retie leaders, etc. and see if they will reload. Sometimes I will try another version of a similar bait. Sometimes I will try something totally different. Sometimes I will fire up the outboard and go somewhere else. Sometimes, I will just move on down the bank.

With every fiber of my being, I wish more people felt the same way ;~)

Got to do a heat check on the spot that isn't a pattern for about 45 minutes before heading into work this morning. It's O-Fish-L, some bass like soft plastic swimbaits with 8/0 flashy swimmers.

I'd lean toward a Daiwa Aird-X rod and Daiwa Fuego reel on either side of this TBH. Spinning: AIRX701MLFS Fuego LT2500 Casting: AIRX701MFB Fuego CT

If I am fishing a lake in California, there is a 97.9 % probability that it's Castaic. Between the Quagga Mussel debacle (quarantines) and the fact that I can literally see the dam from my backyard, it doesn't make much sense for me to go anywhere else.

And, there are definitely times when 'patterns' are more widespread, even on the lagoon. That's what has stood out to me, is that this seems unusual to me to have these different types of 'hot spots' that are all a little odd rather than the usual popular stuff that works in a larger set of circumstances. I am more accustomed to being the guy that reads the reports from other anglers and says, "yep, that's what has been working for me too." The water quality improved markedly after looking like toilet water for several months. It's like quite a bit of it sank all at once. That is kind of shocking to me as well, and that was a team tournament too, right? I also know that there are a few locals that are doing well on the usual stuff.

Definitely. Quite possibly. If I had to wager a guess, I would go with this. I have found other locations that have some similarities, but not all of the similarities that are possible, and I suspect that although the bait may work in other places on this 180 acre body of water, there just isn't any other location quite like it.

It's only been repeatable in the same 20' x 20' area on different days, which to me, also doesn't make me think of it as a pattern. Maybe I just haven't really figured out what brought them there and made them hungry. The upper lake (where the first pattern I spoke of is) is 100 vertical feet higher than it was five months ago, and has been mostly way down for the past two years. It's fishing completely different than it was IMHO.

I've been throwing a 5/0 - 1/4 oz Flashy Swimmer underspin (with a 4.8" Fat Swing Impact that weighs right at 0.7 ounces) with my 7'3" Daiwa Kage "All Around" rated at MH/F. They make a similar rod in the (non-XT) Tatula line. I would call it just a bit on the stout side as it is rated (fairly IMHO) for lure weights from 1/4 to 1 ounce, and I use it with 15 lb Big Game. I can't imagine burying that 5/0 hook or horse them out of brush with a Mod-F rod with the 15 lb Big Game. If you're using braid or maybe fluorocarbon you could still bury it, but I wouldn't want to try that with monofilament. I suggest taking the whole system (rod, reel, line, and lures) into consideration.

Fair enough, but it has also been said that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. I'm a little stuck on the idea that if it is a pattern, it would be repeatable in other areas of the lake, like for example throwing weightless wacky Senkos up against steep shaded bluffs. One of them, I did find a second place that replicated the conditions that I have figured were most important, and it produced bites on the same baits (that are kind of unusual for this body of water in my experience). There is a third place where there might be similar conditions, but it's roped off until some time in June. The other one, I have hit every spot that appeared similar and had VERY limited success, but in the one spot have had a very good bite from a very small area. I found it late Sunday, and replicated it again yesterday evening immediately as soon as I threw in there. On this one, maybe the similarities I was looking for aren't the key similarities I should be paying attention to. . . Off to the laboratory!

It's been a strange Spring for me. I usually stumble on the "same ol'-same ol" that others have, and I can generally find more areas that fish similarly. . . A "pattern". Not really the same so far this Spring. The things that have worked for me have been one-off spots and baits that are not normally what one might expect. Of course, Spring can be a great time to throw oddball baits in oddball places too. If it only is working reliably in one spot (but definitely working well), with one unique bait, fished one unique way. . . is it still a "pattern"? Asking for a friend.

I don't think is a universal best rod/reel/line choice for a bait like the underspin with a plastic paddle tail even if we're talking about a specific size/style of bait with a specific size, weight and style of underspin jig head. A 3/0 flashy swimmer with a 4.8" Fat Swing Impact weighs about .7 oz. You could certainly throw that with a M/F spinning rod with 8 or 10 lb line in open water situations. But. you might also be throwing it in and around brush piles and grass, and if you think you're going to pull a bass through and out that stuff with that same rig, you may find out otherwise.

I took a hollow body frog to my left eye today. Luckily, the hook up ratio on hollow body frogs is not nearly as high as it is with a Rapala with two treble hooks.

I think a case could be make for 'yes', 'no', or 'maybe' being a correct answer to that dilemma. Not, for one example, if you don't fish often, and don't have the disposable income to spend for relatively minor improvements. Maybe, for one example, if you fish often, but don't have much disposable income to spend for relatively minor improvements. Yes, for one example, if you fish often and you do have the disposable income to spend for relatively minor improvements. Another example would be if there is some sort of feature that is a bit of a deal killer for you on the less expensive rod that the more expensive rod doesn't have. Everybody has their own somewhat unique set of factors to consider in conjunction with their own value system, and let's not forget the super-predictable input of the ever-present BM.

My father used to say that he got up in the morning with nothing to do, but when he went to bed he was only half finished.

**cough** Ugly Stik! **cough-cough** ;~)

My $0.02: Sell it and get something you like. I have had it happens several times where I go into a store believing that I am going to get a certain rod or reel, only to find that after handling it, there's something that I just don't jive with.

"Moonlight Madness" night fishing the upper lake at Castaic begins this month (4/22/23) and again in May (5/20/23), and then in June and July as well. You can fish in a boat or from the shore at those events.