Big Hands

It's not their fault we're implementing tariffs. And, FTR, I ordered from JLS just a day after the new policy went into effect (Labor Day weekend). I received two shipments (bought some baits too a day after ordering the reel) in the same box. Then after I received the orders, I was contacted by FedEx to pay the tariffs, fees, and taxes. So, JLS chose a path to take regarding what is admittedly a challenging situation that in practice isn't working out so well. Hopefully, they can adjust their program so it works well enough for all. Digitaka has chosen a different approach that seems to be working better from their USA customer's POV. In hindsight, it makes more sense because costs to the customer are known upfront, and the buck stops with them. Bravo to them. I hope JLS can adjust their practices to work better and smoother. I have used them a few times and consider them excellent to deal with, and they have responded reasonably soon when I had any questions, including questions about the tariffs. To @2earlye, I'm sorry that happened to you, and I hope they get it fixed soon. I'd be upset that my goods were being held up too, and I think that you're justified to purchase elsewhere at least until you can be assured that this won't be happening going forward.

There is absolutely an adjustment period for learning to boat fish, and learning to juggle the use of the trolling motor at the same time. It kinda weighs on you until you get used to it. Everyone that I let use a trolling motor for the first time is happy to have me take back over after time because it is a distraction until you get used to it. Then it eventually becomes second nature. ============================================ Muy interesante! I have actually been wondering if MK might ever introduce a scaled down version of a spot-lock capable trolling motor for small boats and kayaks.

Thirty five years ago I had a 19' Ranger with a 200 hp Merc, a Merc Thruster 42 lbs thrust trolling motor, a Lowrance X15 and flashers front and rear. I currently have a Tracker Grizzly 1648 with a 40 hp tiller. It also has a trolling motor with Spot Lock, but no FFS. If I look back on the outings I have been on since I got the fancy new trolling motor and ask myself if having spot-lock on those days put more fish in the boat on those days, I would say overall, YES, absolutely. In every circumstance? or situation? No, but the majority of them I am convinced that I would not have had as much success. I would add that having spot-lock capability would have made those days much easier and more enjoyable even if I hadn't put more fish in the boat and it's hard to put a price on that. Fortunately for me, Humminbird (Xplore9) and Minn Kota (Ultrex Quest) did that for me, and it was about $5.5K A bass boat with FFS and Spot Lock is a tool. A skilled angler will learn or know how to get the best from those tools. I have fished on a friends boat with FFS, and didn't particularly enjoy the FFS experience specifically (even though I always have a great time fishing with my friend). I think I might enjoy using FFS in certain situations, but at this point I don't find myself wishing I had it enough to throw down for it. I don't even know if I want that giant wadunga of a transducer/cables strapped to my Ultrex Quest if it was free. Then again, maybe if I had it, I would be on here fiercely defending it. The bag of chips? That would nourish me even more than the tears of my detractors.

I have a Bronzeback spinning rod that I found floating in the lake with a Stella 1000 reel attached. I have tried unsuccessfully for over two years to locate the owner.

Based on the OP's site visit history, it appears the requirement is having the intended effect.

The Aird-X definitely punches above it's weight IMHO.

If you're interested, tackle tour has an in depth review of the newest Vanford A (aka FA) and how the Shimano has purposely differentiated the Vanford FA line from the current Stradic line in these latest iterations. My takeaway is that both are excellent reels, but one or the other may serve you better depending on what you want to do with them.

That's the one I have on my 7'6" Tatula Elite AGS hair jig rod, and that is where I bought it. The $146 price tag is great, but they do charge for shipping and the tariff is collected by the shipper on top of everything else. They have also (twice) thrown in a Megabass jerkbait that just happens to be my favorite Megabass jerkbait.

I agree that the higher up the food chain you go, the law of diminishing returns applies. In the past few months, I have acquired two Daiwa Caldia reels (LT 2500S-XH in June, and an LT 2000S-H in September, and recently threw down for the latest Shimano Vanford A (aka FA) C2500SXG). I haven't had time to test the Vanford yet. I have been more than pleased with the Caldia reels. They have shallow spools, they are lightweight, super smooth, and the drag systems are better than anything I have previously used such as my Tatulas, Kages, and even smoother than a 16 year old Stella 1000 that I have. It's the startup force required of the drag that feels different than anything else I have tried. So, with that said, I decided to give the Vanford a shot with their latest offering to see if the legendary line lay characteristics are indeed superior. I'm not slagging on the Caldia's at all and would be happy to have another, but just wanted to see if the Vanford love is justified for a relatively small price increase. At the risk of oversharing, I will say that I am not someone that feels like I need to stick with one brand of rods or reels. I would even wear Adidas shoes with Nike socks (FTR, I don't own shoes or socks from Adidas or NIKE, but if I did, I would not be afraid to mix and match). For me, the tipping point on price is somewhere in the $150 to $225 range. My reel needs are generally being met in between those pricepoints most of the time, although I did pay more for an Aldebaran BFS. I also have a couple of KastKing BFS reels that I paid less than $100 each for that I am also very happy to fish with. Is the Aldebaran BFS three or four times better. than the Kestrel BFS? Not even remotely close. In fact the performance of the Kestrel BFS is not very as different, but the build quality is very noticeable. Time will tell if the ROI on the Aldebaran 'maths' out. I doubt it will, but I might still consider another Aldebaran just because I like it. The math on the ROI doesn't always have to be favorable, but I would like to know that before plonking down the money. I don't consider myself a snob and will consider with modestly priced goods, but also occasionally appreciate some of the nicer gear too.

When it comes to spinning reels, I almost exclusively buy JDM with the main reason being the lack of shallow spool offerings in the USDM, and price being the other main factor. With the two reels you mentioned being a reel that goes for $40-$55 and the other being a Shimano Stradic that sells for well over $200 domestically, it's hard to home in on what you're really looking to spend. And with the current tariff situation, it doesn't seem to make as much sense if you're targeting JDM reels that sell for less than $100 unless shallow spools are a priority for you because the 'fees' that go along with some of the tariffs can be so steep that the potential savings can vaporize quickly and then some. With every $10 to $20 you spend, you will get one or more features the lower priced model didn't have. Some of those features you'll desire more than others. Sometimes you have to pay more for one feature to get to a level that also offers something that you may desire. Some of those features may include: total weight less than 10 ounces? less than 9 ounces? less than 8 ounces? less than 7 ounces? less than 6 ounces? weight of various parts, especially those that rotate number of, and placement of bearings quality of bearings sealing (number, placement and type of seals) more robust design/construction durability of gears smoothness of operation line lay characteristics/quality drag capacity drag smoothness reverse switch handle type spool design Figure out what features are non-negotiable to you, and which ones are negotiable, and which ones are of little to no interest to you. Lately, when looking to make a purchase, I have been using AI to learn, contrast, and compare products. It's certainly not the gospel, but it's a tool you may find useful when used with that in mind. Then I am likely to consume hours, vacillating and hand wringing. In the cart, out of the cart, and back in again. More research. . . . 40-50 tabs open. . . . more than one window with 40-50 tabs open, and then back into vacillating and hand wringing. And that's just to buy some t-shirts on the jungle site ;~) I kid, but just about it being t-shirts I'm buying. Fishing stuff? Yeah, that's me

You still can on an the auction site.

I couldn't find any verbiage relating to a Bill of Materials. Only a Description of Merchandise, and no mention that I could decipher regarding a 50% aluminum tariff.

I still haven't been invoiced on my tariff charges by Fedex, but they did say it might take a couple of weeks since they are inundated right now. In light of the current ambiguity around how this process will work and what seems like fees that are in some cases exorbitant, I have decided to wait on placing any future orders until the process and fees can be clarified so I know what to expect before ordering.

@Glenn I think I may be speaking for more than a few of us when I say that a VERY in-depth, detailed video on the art of skipping would super appreciated. There is a tournament angler that has an intro to his videos that shows (just for a second) a bait scooting across the surface (NOT bouncing) and into an otherwise inaccessible target zone that literally makes me swoon with admiration every time I see it and I have been considering asking them to do such a video. It's not terribly difficult to bounce a Senko or Yamatanuki into a bluff wall with a spinning rod, but I'm talking about that rhythmic glide into a small pocket. Thank you for your consideration.

Evergreen JxJ Minnow (@5/32 oz) looks like a completely different types of bait, but has that same type of sub-surface darting action when retrieved IMHO.

Whatever you do, wherever you go, never use one of those baits (sans jighead) on a Carolina rig. Unless you want to catch fish.

IIRC, Digitaka is closed for inventory until 10/2/25. Last time I looked, they were not going to accept orders until that time.

I find it quite possible to appreciate both paths that strive to climb the same mountain. That's because I sincerely do appreciate both of your 'approaches' and TBH, I see a bit of both of you in myself.

For me, that would be the Dynamic Duo (Minn Kota Ultrex Quest/Humminbird Xplore) that I added last spring. The irony of it sitting on a 1648 olive drab tiller jon boat is not lost on me. Just spot lock by itself has allowed me to focus on fishing with much regard to where I end up if I take my mind off of using the trolling motor keep my boat positioned. That alone has made fishing much less stressful. Sitting offshore on a spot, hanging up a lure, moving away to dislodge the lure and then hitting "return to spot"? That is also sublime. Control when at max speed? Much less effort. Max Speed? Not unusual to cruise at 4.4 to 4.6 mph, and I am only using a 24v battery. The transducer is built in, so no external cable on the TM shaft to damage. It's really the only truly high end Gucci level (IMHO) piece of kit I have ever bought, and so far I have no regrets.

My PB was 26.25" and was just under 13 lbs. Shoulder width of about 5" as far as I can tell. Quite the healthy specimen, she was. I remember an after work outing many years ago where I caught three bass that all weighed 3.25 lbs, but were 16.5" 17" and 18" in length. All from the same spot on the same day.

I ordered on labor day weekend and they did not hold my package hostage at FedEx or Customs and have: received two SMS texts (that correctly referenced the tracking number) requesting payment several phone calls creating a FedEx account received an invoice in the mail attempted to pay via the SMS texts, but being told the links have expired trying to find a way to enter the invoice number on the FedEx website they have a way to do that, but it wouldn't recognize my invoice number called again today to ask them to invoice my account so I can pay it through my account sent an email to the correct department requesting to be invoiced via my account We shall see. . . . They did have paperwork from Customs in the mailed invoice they sent. I'm not mad about any of it, especially since they did not hold up delivery of the package. I was initially suspicious of being invoiced via SMS text, but since finding out that they have been texting for payment I feel I have been trying in good faith to pay them. I felt it would be good to pay it through an account to have proper records available for myself and them. So, as soon as they invoice me through my account, I will be happy to send them their payment. I will also say that JLS have been very responsive to my emails to them regarding some information I was trying to get from them. Any time I order internationally, I am assuming that a package could be held up for any number of reasons.

Dobyns Fury FR 705CBhas long been a well regarded crankbait rod. It's a MH/Mod Fast and has an MSRP of $149

Sometimes using some chartreuse dip-it to color the tail of a worm or other plastic bait can seem to help them locate the bait when water clarity is less-than-wonderful.