GetFishorDieTryin

How big is big? and what kind of topwater?

The Med+ is rated for up to 1oz. Is a fast so I would think it could handle a .5 FB jig with a trailer but would probably be close to max weight.

I like Shimano and Daiwa but honestly Daiwa beats Shimano hands down in the sub 100$-180$. The 60$ Regal would be the way to go. Smooth enough drag for neds and light wire hooks and far lighter then what Shimano offers at that price. The Exceler would be 70$ or 80$ but it has a 1 piece handle that threads in. Thread in handles have much tighter tolerances then a hex pin connection which is what you get with the Regal and any other Shimano under the Ultegra I think. For what you pay you will be happy with the Regal and it really is a nice looking reel IMO. Check eBay before you make a purchase. Earlier this year you could get a Fuego for 70$ and an Exceler for 55$ or 60$, but the whole rona ordeal has caused prices to climb.

Its an MGL spool which are lighter then most other standard spools. A lighter spool doesn't take as much energy to rotate thats why lighter spools are better for casting lighter weights. It also has lower line capacity which means which lowers total weight as well. A 70 size spool is also a double edged sword because you cant fit a ton of heavy line on it. Probably not the best reel for things that require a lot of heavy nylon or even braid.

Spend another 30$ abd get an SLX MGL, Im pretty sure its the same platform and look as the XT, but is good for flippin pitching with the low inertia spool.

Contrast is important, I liked using straight black over blk/blue just because it looked more natural to me. Years ago I was fishing with a buddy in a sand wash and he kept asking, "does my jig look ok? Im not getting bit." The water was gin clear, so it wasn't hard to find his black brown amber jig when it was close to the boat. A couple minutes later he goes, "what's your jig look like?" Once it was close to the boat, I looked and i couldn't see it. I followed the line into the water with my eyes, began dragging it and then I saw the black jig with the tramp stamp colored trailer. If it wasn't moving it would have been awful hard to find against the dark bottom. I think that little bit of blue, chartreuse, orange or whatever mixed with a natural color jig or trailer can help the fish key in on it. I would imagine its more important in the winter when Im just dragging it slowly across the bottom 6 inches at a time.

I think it depends on the situation and how far they have to go. An inactive fish may not even acknowledge it, where an active fish may cover 30 or 40ft to get to it. 1 thing is for sure, they know where that bait is without having to see it. Kind of like a dog on point, he may not see the bird, but he knows it right there. I saw a clip on Bass U recently where KVD explains how he was fishing a tourney in chocolate milk colored water and he was throwing a spinnerbait or something with thump and presence, but his Japanese co angler was throwing a 3.5 or 4" natural colored worm on a DS and whooping him.

Ive found the same to be true with LMB in cold water. There are times when fish are actively feeding and they will cover some ground to get to a bait, but the majority of the time they aren't very aggressive in cold water. The closer the JB is to the fish the more likely they are to take a shot at it. When your pausing for 8 or 12 seconds the fish get a good look at the bait. So if the waters clear and the sun is out I like to use ghost colors with a little flash, like clear laker or komochi wakasagi. If they are just slapping at it ill go to an all ghost color and maybe even downsize the JB. In cloud cover ill go to more opaque or matte colors. I use matte and opaque colors when I'm fishing deep, because there isn't as much light deep as there is shallow.

I think most of the blue braids are an attempt to conceal the line for inshore/offshore. Whether it works or not I dont know.

The Bantam and 20 Met MGL would be the best bang for the buck. If your looking for a reel to deep crank or frog with the Bantam has an aluminum frame and is solid as a rock. I prefer the Metanium for just about anything else. The Met is magnesium so its a little over an ounce lighter, but it doesnt have that hollow feeling that older magnesium reels have. The 1 piece frame makes it feel solid under heavy load. Keep in mind there is no warranty when you buy a JDM overseas. If you do order 1, make sure nothing is funny about it when it arrives.

I was thinking about grabbing a zillion SV last year, but I eventually decided not to. Ive heard its an outstanding reel especially for lighter baits but I think you get more for your money with Shimano at that price point especially if you go JDM. For another 40$ I just went with the Met B, which has really impressed me.

Ive used a good amount of flagship leader materials and Blue Label has consistently been the strongest, thinnest, most abrasive resistant and over all best. I really like Shinsei and HD Carbon but Blue Label is on another level as far as abrasion resistance goes. I caught dozens of flounder and over 70 taylor blues in 5hrs tying directly to a 1/2oz Kastmaster with 8lb BL. Didn't lose a tin and retied only once the entire time. The other factor that makes it so good is that the 10lb and under seems to get bit as much as 4 or 6lb Sunline, Pline, or other Seaguar FCs I've used, (besides Gold Label havent used it yet. Honestly you dont need it if your not fishing super clear water or arent going after trophy fish and need every advantage. Its probably wouldnt be great for a running line. It can be stiff especially in the higher lb tests.

Bulk and weight is a big factor in fishing or hunting gear. You have to take into account how much your going to move. The last thing you want to do is sweat, it can make you uncomfortable or even ruin the day. Cotton has refrigerating qualities once its wet, so go with performance fabrics as a base layer and good quality merino socks. Jeans are ok to wear over your bottom base layer but wading pants and sweatpants are better as long as your wearing bibs on the outer layer. I like to wear a T shirt over the top base layer and a Henley over that, then a heavy weight hoody over the Henley. Its best to have water proof and windproof bibs with good pockets and beefy zippers. Most of the better brands have good zippers, but you would be surprised at how much the quality of BP and Cabelas and a few other popular brands has deteriorated in recent years. The top outer layer whether you want shorter wading jacket or longer parka length top should be as water and windproof as the bibs. The lighter shell weight coats with little insulation are much cheaper and will work in most situations. The majority of the time I wear a lighter insulated parka while fishing, but when it gets brutaly cold I wear my 3 in 1 wading jacket I duck hunt in, its really bulky but incredibly warm. You probably get more for your money with a 3 in 1, because you can wear the just the shell, the liner or both, depending on conditions. There's nothing wrong with parkas with less insulation, just make sure you have something to layer under it if need be, like a heavy wool sweater or fleece. The hood makes the coat. Make sure its fully adjustable with a good storm flap or partial facemask to keep it secure in high wind. I wear a regular weight buff or fish monkey neck gaiter when its colder. On my head I wear a ball cap or a billed knit beanie. I keep a heavy weight adjustable Balaclava in my vehicle or boat JIC. They are like a neck gaiter, face mask and hood all in 1 that doesn't restrict motion or vision at all which is important hunting or fishing. Without your hands your useless, so once you've gone this far, don't skimp on the gloves, especially those of you who rely on hot hands once you can see your breath, you know who you are. If you like running your casting reels loose like I do, its really tough to use full fingered gloves. I like synthetic half fingers and thumbs the best. Wool and synthetic glomits are a good idea, but they make it awful hard to access pockets whether you using the mit or not. Ive had to stitch many velcro patches back on from digging around for my phone. Ragg wool half fingers are good for warmth until you handle a fish, then they become damp and after a few trips without washing them they get a little fishy. In brutal cold conditions Ill wear glove liners under my half fingers. If they are good quality you still have some sensation in your finger tips. Full gloves take nearly all sensation away, I like the Sitka Pantanal gloves for decoys and shooting but its too hard to fish in them for me. Most importantly when your fishing or hunting in cold weather, be safe. Wear an inflatable if your in a boat or even fishing rivers or streams whether your wading or not and wear a wading belt. Keep at least 1 extra change of clothes in your boat and or vehicle along with some towels and wool blanket or 2. Be safe guys.

Thats spot on. Its understandable to want to be prepared gear wise, but dont overwhelm yourself. Having a bunch of rods and a big tackle bag slows you down and can cause complacency. I would suggest taking 1-3 rods max, and getting a little 3500 plano bag you can carry all day. Only allow the baits you have the most confidence in to be in the bag or will get filled with everything. Start with simple, the first rod you grab should be a ML spinning rod if your just fishing ponds. Use high yeild baits that cover water faster then neds. Small swimbaits like 3" keitechs on a 1/16 head catch numbers as long as the water isnt frozen solid. Shallow shad raps are great as well but wind can make them difficult to cast. Lastly, make sure to use the "hour rule" is you dont get bit in an hour your probably in the wrong place, especially when your using smaller baits that will catch anything that swims. If the water is cold slow down a bit, if the visibility is 2ft or less use solid whites, blacks or combination of both. The absolute #1 rule if your fishing or hunting is to HAVE FUN. If you feel like you have to catch fish it can turn into a job, which can make it less enjoyable. Good luck.

Im not surprised Stanleys color hasnt changed much, its the dozens brands who have put out a PBJ in the last 10 or 12 years that never had it and its really close to what your saying was around in 83. A bunch of colors have really changed since the early or mid 90s. The original GP is a good example its used to be a much lighter green.

Start small, 3" keitech or grub with a 1/16, 1/20, 1/15 or whatever lightweight jighead you have. If the water is cold, keep the rod tip high and reel as slow as you can without hitting the bottom so you don't get bogged down in grass or slime. Just about anything will take a shot at that little bait, so it will tell you where the fish are. Ned rigs and DSs will do the same thing, but you can cover water faster with a small swimbait. Once you have an idea of where the fish are, pick the area apart with a ned rig, jig or DS.

Even if that picture was taken in 1990, Im still surprised at how little its changed considering all of the different variations by different companies.

So thats the original PBJ? Other then the red, it hasn't changed much at all in 50 years, which is a testament to the popularity of it. I use PBJ kind of like GP, it works in most conditions, so its a safe color to throw.

I had the same inhibitions about 13 especially after seeing the ninja turtle green Fate Black. It had a decent blank but the components weren't great the real seat in particular felt really cheap. I thought 13 was just another over priced brand until i got my hands on a OB3 at Dicks and I was impressed at the quality for the price. I impulse bought a 7'1 M F Muse last black Fri and its been great. Its a on the light side of a M power, but thats exactly what I wanted. The action is somewhat slower then SCs F which makes it super versatile. Beleive it or not its a killer 1/4 bladed jig rod, especially in cooler water. I threw MB 110s and 110 jrs on it for the first time last week and its perfect for them. I did get to the tackle shop yesterday and the 7'5 MH F is the rod I wasn't crazy about. Compared to the other MHs its 5 or 6 grams heavier and the blank is much thicker, feels more like a H. Its light for its power and price but compared to the 7'2-7'4s its a much beefier rod. The 7'4 MH ModF is considerably lighter in weight which is to be expected but the dia. of the blank is considerably thinner at the locking nut. I haven't had a chance to feel 13s XF yet. Even rods of the same company and action can vary so its hard to know what your dealing with until you get hands on it. One nice thing i noticed is all the 13s were spined well which believe it or not isnt always guaranteed for rods over 100$.

Brown and purple has been popular forever, essentially PBJ is or is just a different spin on brown and purple depending on who makes it. I didn't hear about PBJ until the early to mid 2ks when everyone was throwing it, which doesn't mean it wasn't around I just hadnt read about it or seen it on TV as there was no YT and forums were just starting. Did Stanley call it PBJ in the 70's or just Brown/Purple?

My old man used to tell me all the time about smashing weakfish on a brown bucktail with a purple worm in the 60s. Its just a color combo thats been around forever because it works just about everywhere, kind of like red and white.

I think hes talking about the brighter pumkin colors like the one that zman on their PBJ jig skirts. I know exactly what your talking about. I have some PBJ jigs that are close to orange with some purple fleck.

MB actually designed a new graphite for the new Levantes. They weren't happy with the amount of failures. It was relatively low, but like any other Japanese company like Honda, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and so on, efficiency and quality control is a priority.

I think Jbug been around longer then the name PBJ. That doesn't necessarily mean Jbug came first, because brown and purple is an OG color and I would imagine PBJ evolved from brown and purple. PBJ can really vary from brand to brand or even within the same brand.

The Tatula SV and the curado 70 mgl are ideal. If your budget is under 200$ the SLX mgl would be a good bet. Try looking for the older curado 70, you should get a deal if you can find one.