Big Hands

The batteries being sold today are not Lithium Ion technology. The most popular ones being used and sold and used now are Lifepo4 (lithium ferro phosphate) are much safer and not known for spontaneously combusting like the lithium ion batteries were.

I'm a SoCal local. I grew up fishing suburban park lakes in the greater Los Angeles area mostly as a kid. I've lived in Castaic since 1987 after moving here so I could fish after work for 8 months a year if I wanted to (plus weekends). The first question I have for you is: Are you shore bound? I know most urban park lakes do not allow boats, but if you get out to actual reservoirs, having a boat will give you access to the other 97% of the shoreline that you can't normally access on foot. Rule #1 in fishing is that in order to catch a fish, you have to fish where they live. That's not always easy to accomplish. All of the techniques you are using will catch bass around here. Unfortunately, for the next four months, bass fishing will be tough most of that period (even though that's also one of the best chances you'll have to catch the biggest bass). Then local park ponds tend to be shallow and have a fair amount of "stuff" growing in them during the summer months. The growth tends to die off during the winter making it easier to fish without raking in a slop salad.

Dobyns? I picked an SUF690c for $97.70 last month on the jungle site. It, and the SUF700c (paid $169 for it) I have are pretty similar to the Phenix, with the biggest exception being that the grade of cork on the Phenix is a little higher quality.

Do you have a budget figure in mind? I have been slinging the Karashi all summer. I have a Phenix Classic BFS and a couple Dobyns (SUF700C and SUF690C) rods. All three of those rods are similar in action and power, and have been great for the Karashi in terms of casting, retrieving action, and fish fighting ability. I also recently picked up an Old 18 Buoyancy (on sale) which is a little bit lighter in power, but have yet to be able to try it out yet. My heaviest BFS combo weighs a little over 7.5 oz (7'4"), and the lightest combo weighs 7.15 oz (6'6") As for JDM rods, I have yet to venture into that arena.

I have never used a spinning reel with a counterbalanced handle. Do you find the performance to be worth the cost (given that the ones I see on the Hedgehog site cost between $100 - $200) and, I assume, the extra weight?

I bought a Vanford FA 2500 (JDM) a couple months ago and it came with the smaller knobs.

That's me in my swamp Ghillie trying to dodge the people that keep calling me about my car's extended warranty expiring.

As mentioned above, Daiwa has several 7'6" hair jig type spinning rods. From what I can gather, the 7'6" Steez ML-L/F ("The One") and the 7'6" Seth Feider Tatula Elite ML-M/F-AGS (I own one and really like this rod) are the most similar in intent. The 7'6" Tatula Elite Chris Johnston is an ML/F and is not as stiff as the other two. They also offer a Tatula and Zillion 7'6" ML-M/F but I have felt the Zillion version and it seems like more of a 'noodle' than the Feider model in spite of both being ML-M/F. I haven't had my grubby mitts on the Tatula version. St. Croix also has some hair jig spinning rods of various lengths. The one I have is a Mojo Bass 7'6" ML/XF (that has since been discontinued) that I found to be an excellent weightless wacky Senko rod

Maybe I am just projecting my own arc into BFS bass fishing, but these are my observations. BFS bass fishing (which I will refer to 'BFS' going forward) may not be for everyone (here in the USA - I know other parts of the world are different), at least not yet. I like to apply the 'Law of Diffusion of Innovation Curve' (credit to Everett Rogers for codifying the curve) to the BFS (bass fishing) phenomenon in the USA. I think we have gone past the "Innovators" stage and now, arguably, are past the "Early Adopters" stage and we're somewhere into the "Early Majority" phase. That means that we have crossed the tipping point of acceptance where more and more anglers are willing to give it a go, but we've (speaking as bass anglers in particular) not yet fully embraced the trend. Contrast that with the use of spinning gear for bass fishing where I feel we're at the stage where most bass anglers have accepted it's legitimate place in our arsenals, and the relatively small number of those that haven't probably puts us into the "Laggard" phase where only around 16% or less are still resistant to accept the trend. The evolution of the BFS equipment, and practical application of the techniques seem to be homing in on what appeals to anglers here. I think there's a lot of crossover between Japanese style (or what I refer to as "true BFS"), but I still don't find them to be in complete alignment, nor do I think they need to be. I was throwing finesse baits on 6 lbs mono with casting gear back in the 80's, but I was using stock Daiwa PT10/15X reels (I had a set of four of them that I was able to purchase for $40 each) with pistol grip 5'6" M/F and MH/F rods for reservoir fishing, and as good as they were for BITD, they were, as a system, not anywhere near as good as what we presently have access to. A friend of mine had 1500c/1600c and 2500c reels that I was able to try, but the weight of the spools in stock form meant they were not quite what I was looking for given my budget constraints at the time. Eventually my finesse weapon of choice became a 5'10" M/F spinning rod with an Aero TX ULS-A spinning reel with 6 lbs mono. Over time, the evolution of these things has brought us to where we are today: Super low profile casting reels Higher retrieve rate Lightweight shallow spools Advanced braking systems Longer straight handle casting rods Super lightweight durable reel components Super lightweight durable rod components Advanced rod design, materials, and construction Better braided line Fluorocarbon line Tungsten weights Access to scaled down baits and terminal tackle from around the world I joined the early majority when I began nibbling on the BFS trend a few years back and now I find myself completely gut hooked. I think it often gives me an effective advantage on the fishery I utilize for a great majority of my fishing time. Part of me wants to dummy up and enjoy it while it's not quite fully mainstream, and part of me wants to tell a friend if they're down to hear about it. Either way, this is where I am in my BFS journey, I enjoy it, it's working well for me, and I am here (at BR) for it to learn and to share.

In my experience, 60 yards is 'more than enough'. In most cases, 45 yards is 'more than enough'. With the cost of even mediocre fishing line these days (not to mention premium line), how much more than 'more than enough' does one want to have on a reel. This is the main reason I try to only buy shallow spool spinning reels. The other thing about having more than 'more than enough' line on a spool is the rotating weight aspect of the equation. Cost of line Rotating weight If you want to throw a heavier lure (let's say >3/8 oz max), use heavier gear than BFS. A rod that excels at throwing 1/16 to 1/4 ounce baits (what I would characterize as USA-BFS as opposed to 'true' BFS which can go much lower than 1/16 oz at times - JMHO), it's usually starting to get overwhelmed at more than 3/8 oz, not only for casting, but also when it comes to hook setting power. Ultralight power + 100' of line isn't going to be great at setting a hook (that is generally used on larger lures) at that distance. I have observed that rods generally have lure weight ranges that have roughly a 4x multiplier from the lower end of the range to the higher end. For instance, a MH/F casting rod will often have a lure weight range between 1/4 to 1 oz. A swimbait rod may claim a weight range of 2 oz to 8 oz. The true sweet spot is usually in the middle of that range. I own examples of both of those estimates in addition to a BFS rod rated from 1/16 to 1/4. So, while a rod that is rated to throw 1/16th to 1/4 oz still has an effective 4x multiplier even though it's only a 3/16 oz difference from one end of the range to the other. I think I have to be more willing to be more discerning about the components of the system to make the most of BFS gear. JMHO.

Depending on how light is light, and how you define "easier", you might be pleasantly . . . . shocked. Modern BFS gear is challenging those old stereotypes IMHO. A #5 Shad Rap weighs 3/16 oz, which is approximately 5.3g I have some very nice spinning rods and reels, nicer than any of my BFS gear with the exception of an Aldebaran BFS, and if I were forced to wager, I would put my money on any BFS rod I own coupled with a $100 KastKing Kestrel BFS to pitch that #5 Shad Rap further than any of my spinning gear could. And once a fish is hooked, give me casting gear every single time.

Rain at Castaic doesn't mean much. By law, whatever flows into the lake must then flow out of the lake. Essentially, runoff has little to no effect on lake levels. Lake levels are determined by what flows in via the state water project (the aqueduct) and what the demands are. The snowpack hundreds of miles away is what floats our boats.

How about the fuel efficiency on the big dawg? I went from a 15 hp Evinrude 2 stroke to a 40 hp Merc 4 stroke, and the 40 hp 4 stroke uses far less fuel than the 15 hp 2 stroke. Sometimes I think the 40 hp 4 stroke makes it's own fuel. I had a 200 hp 2 stroke BITD, and that thing could power through some fuel. Kinda hurt to fill up 42 gallons, even then.

Plano weekend Backpack 3700

More often than not, I'm a camper. But I can be happy to fish a stretch of bank too. I don't normally run and gun with the big motor. Just not my preferred style. I feel like I am probably missing more than I find when I do that.

I may have some educated guesses, and sometimes I guess correctly, but bass are willing and fairly able to serving up a slice humble pie if when I get too full of myself.

Correct.

I ordered from Digitaka and was charged no additional fees.

PM sent. I am in.

I remember rods like this being built back when I could consider myself a 'young man'. I enjoy seeing the group picking the fly feces out of the pepper as much, almost as much, or not nearly as much as the next angler, but I wonder if there has been any way to objectively quantify the real world advantages, and how many more fish might that land for anglers of varying skill levels? IOW, could Berkley or Lews do this for a $50 Lightning and truly outperform the competition in the hands of an angler that would be in the market for a $50 rod? If not, at what point and for whom does this become meaningful (for bass fishing)?

I don't necessarily understand why some folks seem to be 'gearheads', especially when I am being one myself. Fishing is different for everyone. Sometimes it's different for me on different days, or even from one moment to the next. Fishing is therapeutic for me. Even thinking about fishing is therapeutic for me. Actually going fishing is the most therapeutic for me. I encourage everyone to enjoy it in whatever legal way suits them.