jdr99a

They are fantastic reels. I’ve got two in different gear ratios. The 8.x is my light topwater reel. I’ve been throwing a lot of light walking lures and poppers recently and this is perfect for it. I go braid to leader on this one. My 6.x reel is spooked up with 12 pound invisx and I use it for my light cranks (up to 1/2 oz). I like the reels more than my curado dc, slx dc, sv103, and proti. If I was starting over today I’d buy a bunch of the mgls.

I’ve had luck with curly tail grubs and craws with my finesse jigs. I’ve cut/bitten off half an inch or so of a full size craw lure and used that on a finesse jig as well.

I’ve got no rocks or hard bottom to speak of in my ponds - mainly muck and weeds. I’ve been paralleling the shore right along the drop off in some spots and right outside the weed line in others - both with success.

I’ve been having fun slow swimming/dragging a craw/creature bait on a swing head jig in my ponds. It’s been a good midpoint between power and finesse. I can cover a ton of water in a short amount of time or I can pick apart an area and slow it down.

I’ve had luck in my ponds paralleling the bank next to a weed line. Know that you will snag from time to time and you will lose them from time to time. If it’s real thick where you are you might think about switching to straight braid. chartreuse black back kvds after a late spring/ summer rain storm in dirty water is killer where I am.

I’m one of the newer post-COVID bank anglers. I went from a single cheapie Shakespeare combo from Walmart to 20+ combos from Shimano/Daiwa/Lews/etc. I went from a know nothing newb to a know-a-little-bit-more enthusiast. I went from having to YouTube how to tie a simple fishing knot to tying leader knots on the fly. I don’t keep fish. I do keep a trash bag on me to pick up trash, line, rusty hooks and other junk that I come across. My new year resolution is to catch 365 bass in 2021. I’m ahead of pace so far. I broke my PB twice today (now 4lb 13oz!). I taught 2 new fisherman a few things this weekend when we crossed paths and got to see one of them catch their first fish ever. I may be one of the fisherman created due to COVID-related free time, but I’ve become a lifelong angler with a passion for catching that next fish. I also own a couple of Googan Baits, so don’t hate me too much.

I’m a bank beater too. On a normal 2ish hour outing I usually carry my tackle backpack that has 2 rod holders built in. In the bag I’ll carry a handful of soft plastics, a 3600 box with a mixture of hard baits and wire baits and a terminal tackle box. I usually have one bottom contact setup, a moving bait (paddletail/swim jig/crankbait), and an ‘other’ (top water/fluke/etc.) ready to go. Two of the rods are strapped on the backpack and I keep moving until I feel the need to switch things up. If I’m going out for a quick half-hour or so jaunt around one of the ponds I’ll bring one combo and a fanny pack with a couple bags of soft plastics and a few extra hooks weights and maybe a crankbait or two. I always have pliers, air pods, and bug spray nearby as well.

I’d like to give straight fc on a spinning reel a shot, but the times I’ve tried have been...interesting. The line gets out of control when the bail is opened. Anyone have success with straight fc? Any tips are appreciated.

It’s the caddo river between caddo gap and glenwood. I don’t think there’s a dam there but I’m not 100% sure.

I headed to a known smallmouth hotspot tomorrow on an Arkansas river and I’ll have a couple of hours to kill. Temperatures will be hovering around the freezing mark throughout the day. I’ve never been around smallmouth and don’t really know what to expect. I’m only bringing a ML spinning rod and was planning on trying my luck with some ned rigs. Any other tips for small river fishing for smallmouth in the cold weather? Anything else I should bring? again, I’ll only be there for a few hours so I’m packing really light. Any tips would be great.

Only when throwing a catfish rod out fishing with my kids.

Thanks for the help everyone. I will end up spoiling with either braid or fluoro. I always spool up with cheap mono to get a feel for the reel before deciding how I want to set it up for longer term.

I feel like such a fool for even asking this.. I just bought a Shimano SLX MGL and just spooled it up tonight. Does the line go above or below the stabilizing bar? I’ve got a dozen reels and this is the only one whose bar looks like this one. See pictures below.

I use my mxf st croix bassx for weightless flukes. I’ve had zero issues with it.

It looks like Lew's released a ML casting rod in the new KVD line. I think a small crankbait will work well in the small waters I fish when things warm up a bit. I’ve been wanting to dedicate a chunk of my time this spring and summer to throw a lot of small squarebills - think KVD 1.0 - 1.5 size. When I throw the 1.0s on my current casting gear it gets pretty iffy in my hands. I’m thinking of going to a lighter power rod might help me out in that regard. Does anyone have experience with a ML rod for small crankbaits? I doubt anyone has much experience yet with the specific rod, but any input is appreciated.

The Shimano Sellus is another standout at the $50 price point. I’ve also got the AridX and it is a fine choice as well. The Walmart exclusive Lew’s mentioned above is actually a phenomenal deal. I got one to mess around with a left hand retrieve reel and was very happy. if it were my $ and I were going to stick to the budget, I’d go with the lew’s. It sure is ugly though.

I love my tournament MP for $150. My $99 LFS is a real winner for the $ as well.

Thanks for the info. I got it on sale locally for about the same amount off so I’m safe there. I appreciate your input!

I just picked up a Dobyn’s Champion Fred Roumbanis ‘utility rod’ 703c on a whim. I haven’t been able to find too much out there to read about it and now I’m second guessing myself. It’s still got the tags on it, so I can return it if I made a mistake. Anyone have experience with this rod? My planned use is for a general purpose rod - mostly light jigs and tx rigs from the bank of local ponds, but the plan is for it to be used for a little bit of everything.

My master planned community has 8 ponds that I fish a bunch on the weekends (in warmer weather). I tend to carry 3 rod/reel combos with me - 2 strapped in the backpack rod holders and 1 in my hands. The ponds get to a max of about 8 feet in the places I can reach from the bank. There are some weeds around the banks but no other real structure. No docks or laydowns. 2020 was my first year fishing. My most productive lures this year were whopper plopper, poppers, flukes, wacky rigged worms, and small paddletail swimbaits. I caught them on everything though and love trying new techniques. I usually carry 2 baitcasters and 1 spinning rod, but I’ve got enough gear to do whatever. On days I want to focus on one particular technique I’ll choose a dedicated combo as one of the three. What 3 rod/reel/line combos would you carry with you to maximize versatility?

Casting.

I’m looking at getting a new rod for tx rigs and jigs. I’m between the mojo bass and the avid x. Is the avid x worth the extra 80ish bucks over the mojo? I appreciate your input.

I’ve fallen in love with throwing the fluke around the banks of my neighborhood ponds. It’s been the most productive lure throughout the summer and was decent for me in the spring as well. I’m looking forward to the fall. I want to treat myself to a decent combo dedicated to throwing nothing but the fluke. I have been using a Walmart exclusive lews crankbait casting rod which has been fine, but I want to upgrade. I have a DSG, BPS, Academy all local to me and I’d prefer to buy in person. What would you suggest? I’d like to keep it around the $150 mark but could bump that a bit if the consensus says there is a clear winner. What are your thoughts on my best options?

You guys are right. I am working under the assumption that they are bass but I guess I don’t actually know. No structure that I’m aware of in that area. There are no crappie in this pond. I’ll pay more attention next time I’m out to see if there is something out there that the fish are relating to.

I fish from the bank of a few pretty large ponds. All the ponds are about 8 feet deep at the farthest point I can cast to. I have one of the castable sonar devices (Deeper Sonar) and it looks like the fish are hanging out in 5-6 feet of water all over the place. I’ve been throwing crankbaits that dive 5-8 feet and have caught a handful, but it feels like they aren’t particularly active and may want something a little bit slower. Are there any techniques or slow-moving lures that stay in the 5-6 foot zone you would suggest? I’m used to dragging soft plastics, throwing top water, and maybe running a crankbait for the middle if the water column, so I’ll take all the advice I can get.