jdr99a

Thanks so much. Do you know if these were discontinued or are they an exclusive item for particular retailers?

Like many, I’m a big fan of the ZMan bladed jig. I’ve got a bunch and they flat out work. bladed jig assigns numbers to their colors - 01 white, 02 chartreuse/white etc. The numbers go to 29 including a few exclusive TW colors. But… Does anyone have any clue what numbers 19 and 20 are? I’ve scoured all the places I know of and can’t find them. I assume they are some sort of distributor/retailer exclusive but I can’t find any info. Anyone have any info?

30 pound smackdown braid to a 15 pound mono leader - typically maxima ultragreen, but whatever I’ve got handy is fine.

Clinch knot or palomar are the typical knots I tie. I don’t typically have problems with these knots on finesse lures in spinning gear. invisix, suffix siege, daiwa samurai are the ones I’ve used so far for bfs.

I’ve been playing around with bfs for awhile and am having lots of fun. Little treble hooked baits are no problem and are a blast. Where im having a problem is with the soft plastics. I’ve been breaking off on 1/4 of my hooksets or so and I just can’t figure it out. Multiple connection knots same result. I generally go braid to leader (15lb braid to 7 or 8lb fluoro) about 8-10 feet of leader. I re-tie regularly. To be clear- I am breaking off at the lure, not the leader. It gets a little bit better when I go straight fluoro, but I manage the casts so much better with braid and get a bit more sensitivity. I’ve got a jdm slx bfs reel and one of the new bps carbonlite finesse casting rods. Any tips on how to minimize breaking off?

Without getting into the Shimano Aldabaren price range, are there any tiny baitcasters (50 size or so) that are worth having and using for a travel setup? I want an ultra compact baitcaster to throw in the back of the car/lugage when traveling. Ultimately I’m looking for the smallest knock around reel that is cheap enough I wouldn’t feel bad losing/breaking/etc. I’ve got a profishiency tiny but mighty reel…but that’s about as good as you’d expect.

As a fellow bank angler I’ve been in your shoes. My advice is to leave the bulk of your tackle at home or in the car. I suggest building a ‘day box’ based on the place/time/conditions you are fishing. If you’re anything like me, you know the areas you fish pretty well so you know what to expect. I suggest having a smallish terminal box, a single 3700 for hard baits, and a variety of soft plastics in a simplified color selection. If you’re around fish they’ll bite something you’ve got.

Anyone have experience with the 6’7’’ weightless worm casting rod? What else would it be good for? 6’7’’ seems a bit short for a worm rod.

I’ve recently tied a slinko in the okeechobee craw color and wacky rigged it. I’ve had success with it. It seems to be a good worm…but in all honesty it would be hard for Yamamoto to screw up something that simple.

I’ve got a BPS carbonlite 2 in 7’ ML. I use it as a semi-bfs rod for light cranks/topwater and an occasional Ned rig. Works like a charm and fits your budget.

I’m a fan of 10lb smackdown.

I bought that exact for the rare occasions I deep crank. Works great. If I were to deep crank more often I’d probably buy a purpose-built reel for it, but this one works perfectly well.

I’ve got the 6-10 ml for neds and I absolutely love it. I haven’t fished the 7-2 to compare though.

Ditto. But I, too, have switched to the spunk shad.

My favorite bait for small ponds is a little Berkley lunch worm. If I’m just looking to get a bite that’s what I’m reaching for.