GetFishorDieTryin

It sounds like you are going to have a hard time finding a rod that wont break. The early mojo and mojo inshore with the SC2 blanks aren't easy to break. I preordered a gen 1 DS rod and beat it to death until last March before retiring it. There's a video on YT of a guy that was testing the lifting power a ML Mojo Inshore. I wouldn't have believed it if I didnt see it, but it took like 15lb to fold it. You have a couple options. Either get an ugly stick or go with a company that has excelent customer service and replacement plans. Both SC and Dobyns are really good about replacements even if it is your fault. I would recommend contacting SC to see if you couldn't get a new Mojo as that 6'8 XF is ideal. 13 fishing has excellent customer service as well. I know 2 people who have gotten free replacements after breaking rods, which in both cases were 100% user error.

IMO micro fishing is about as finesse as it gets, other then using a fly maybe. A small swimbait or grub on a light jighead is extremely hard to beat as far as numbers go.

Yes, especially if I'm really into them. There's no better time to try new things, or get confidence in a bait you feel you need to work on. In fact just a couple days ago the chatterbait and JB was the 1-2 punch, once one stopped getting bit the other would work. I dropped the chatterbait for a trap and attempted to drop the JB for a spy bait, which worked. The JB being my favorite way to get bit I couldn't resist going back to a JB. I did go from a 120sp to an older RC Luck E Strike in Pro Blue that had never been used. I got my biggest fish of the day on it.

For lakes that get loads of pressure, particularly from the bank being as stealthy as possible is essential to catching those bigger fish on any kind of consistent basis. Be conscience of your foot falls and avoid walking directly on the shoreline if possible, when going from spot to spot. Staying 12' or 15' off the shoreline when going from spot to spot should help a whole lot. I've found the shoreline of most ponds and small lakes consistently hold more feeding fish then open water, barring structure or depth changes and cold water. Make long casts parallel to the bank before fishing the deeper water in front of you as the fish in shallower water are more likely to spook first in my experience. The majority of my biggest fish caught in small water are caught on hard bottom, like rocks or gravel or on a transition where soft mud gives way to gravel or rocks like a boat ramp. Avoid carrying too much gear. Carrying extra rods and a big tackle bag is nice, but it causes you move more. You have to put them down or pick them up every time you move which not only makes it easier for fish to pick you up, but it can also make you complacent. Avoid wearing loud colors, particularly on bluebird days. If you have ever looked at someone wearing a red or orange shirt or swim trunk while underwater in a pool you know how easy it is to pick that color up. I imagine fish have much better recognition then we do because they count on it to survive. So, I think wearing neutral colors can help minimize you're silhouette. As far as baits go, the chatterbait still accounts for a healthy amount of my biggest pond fish. The difference is in how you fish it. A burn and kill retrieve seems to get the biggest fish to bite even when they aren't necessarily feeding. I also trim and thin the skirt out to get a different profile then what they are used to seeing with that kind of vibration. Blacking out the blade seems to help as well. Ive found that silent crankbaits consistently out fish those with rattles on highly pressured water, even in water that has an average viz of less than 18". Swimjigs accel in water where shad are absent. There seems to be a prime time for them which from spawn to late summer, where they not only produce numbers but quality fish as well. They still catch fish throughout the year, so make sure to give them a shot as well.

Gitzit or a DS tube with a light jighead falls really slow. You can get a similar fall with a soft JB. The Zman jerk shads have a real slow fall. If you rig it sideways it will fall in a wider spiral. The Picasso chatterbaits actually have spiraling fall as well. The way they attach the blade to the head, the blade can only fold backwards until it hits about 45*, similar to a brushguard.

7'3

Action and balance play a big part for sure. A rod that loads and unloads smooth and fast is more enjoyable to fish. However, if the rod is not splined it doesn't matter how well it loads it just not going to feel right casting or fighting a fish, because the blank will want to twist. You would be surprised at how many rods you can find on the rack at any given store that weren't splined correctly Irregardless of the price. Some companies are better than others. Dobyns makes it a priority to get it right. SC does a good with the US made rods. The mexican made rods aren't as consistent, but the quality of the mexican builds has gotten much better since the 1st gen Mojos.

The little football hair jigs look nice

If youre going for light as possible and spending under 200$ then Daiwa is the way to go instead of Shimano. The Regal, Legalis, Exceler and Fuego @ 60$, 70$, 80$ and 100$ respectively are the best options for the money in the USDM. All of them are very similar, essentially built on the same LT platform. Not much difference between Regal and Legalis other then Legalis being a little lighter. Regal and Legalis are available in 2k which Exceler and Fuego are not. Fuego and Exceler are basically the same reel, the only differences are that Fuego has Magseal and a bearing supported spool. The magseal helps keep water and debris that have gotten under the rotor from getting to the AR clutch and beyond. Its a nice feature for SW or fishing in rain, but isnt as reliable as physical seal. For hard charging fish a bearing supported spool is a nice feature, but again not necessary for panfish or LMB IMO. I really prefer having a thread in handle which you get with Exceler and Fuego, over the hex pin handle that Regal and Legalis have. You get a more secure connection to the main gear with the threads and the 1pc saves a little weight. Since you're going for panfish or bass the hex pin is more then adequate. The weight difference from Regal to Exceler (Exceler and Fuego weigh the same) is like .3oz and Exceler is only .1oz lighter then Legalis. Personally I think the Legalis or Exceler would the way to go unless you want Magseal or want to go the JDM route.

The OP isn't asking you literally fish with 1 bait, just what you would use IF you only had 1 option. Obviously, no bait will cover every situation, but that's the challenge. Asking for the top 5 or 10 would be too easy and frankly redundant as that topic is beat to death. I would have to say an Airtail Wiggler because it's extremely versatile and works as long as the water is soft. Once they are worn out the lower half of the worm makes one of the best ned rig or jig worm baits you could use. A tube is a close second only because I cant really cut a tube down to fit on a tiny jighead or micro jig.

I would say throw a 3" keitech or small swimbait on a 1/16 to see what lives in there, but the leaf clutter makes it very hard to swim anything light.

I was trying to get a 7'2 MH M1 for quite a while after handling a buddys. They were constantly backordered for quite some time, so I gave up and went with something else. Never even touched a Feather and I'm sure it would be serviceable as a weightless t rig rod at close range and in open water. I just like to have that extra power to set a hook at the end of a cast and turn a fish if I need too. I have a 7'1 M 1/4-5/8 Muse that I use from time to time for weightless t rigs, it will work, however its not ideal. Where the 1/4-5/8 M F rods excel IMO is lighter crankbaits, JBs, topwater and finesse jigs. That 7'2 Mh M1 is a versatile rod as well. My buddy uses his for just about everything when hes on his yak. I wanted it for weightless-3/16 t rigs and moving single hook baits.

I know what you mean. The Victorys are very different power and even action wise to the older and SW SC lines. The lengths and power are closer to what you would see with the older loomis e6x, with the M and MHs being a half a power or more light. The H MF sounds rght but you would have to get your hands on it before you know for sure.

As long as I have just a little bit of open water in a spillway and my line isnt freezing on the spool I'm very confident in beating the skunk. Keitech mono tungsten jig w/3" bubbling shaker Reins 3" Rockvibe in Pearl or Ghost Pro Blue 1/64 Chartruese Flu flu on a thill slip bobber

Unfortunately high quality wool is getting harder and harder to find. A filson used to run over 100$ now they are close to 500$ Cabelas made an excellent waterfowl sweater which got a little cheaper as the years passed and when BPS took over they were done away with because the profit margins weren't high enough. LL Bean still has a good waterfowl sweater, which is the heaviest of their wool sweaters. I recommend getting one without the windshear liner if you plan on wearing it as an inner layer. I don't have any LL bean sweater with the liner, but I have an older Cabelas sweater with one. Its kind of loud until it warms up and it effects the breathability slightly. It's worth having if you wear the sweater as an outer layer. Wool will keep you warm even when its wet, but the drawback is its heavy and bulky especially when you compare it to fleece. The only natural material I know of that I feel is warmer than wool is down, but down is a nightmare when it gets wet. I would recommend looking at LL bean for sure. If you want something = to a heavy liner get the waterfowl sweater. The Commando sweater is slightly lighter, but still very warm and looks nice. My Dad has one of the ragg wool sweaters and he likes it, but the waterfowl sweater is better all around. They have a commando and Maine guide sweater as well which are both merino wool. I dont have either the commando or Maine guide sweater so I can't say for sure, but I would bet the Maine Guide is just a little lighter then the waterfowl and the Commando is just a little lighter then the Maine guide, with the commando sweater being somewhere in between a mid and heavy weight liner.

The keeper on the Tatula 7'1 ML is just a simple open loop just above the rear grip, which is IMO the best style and location for a DS rig. If you use FC or Mono/Copoly, go with the 7' M. It would handle the heavier weight as well. If you plan to cast t rigged DS that little extra power will help set the hook at distance. IMO if you plan to go with the ML you should really use braid. I would recommend trying to get away with 1/8oz tungsten DS weight or 3/16 at the most. IMO 1/8 is an optimal DS weight for the ML. Its heavy enough to give you plenty of sensitivity without too much tip load.

I use 7' ML 1/16-3/8 and it works well enough to throw a 1/16 with crappie sized plastics 40-50ft. Use the lightest braid you can get away with on a 2500 or 3k reel with a round limp braid like, J braid Grand or Berkley x9 in 6 or 8lb.

Yeah I'm not talking about jigging handles with counter weights or anything. A 90mm with a knob a little more substantial then the I knobs that come on the JDM would Metanium would be ideal. The handle and knobs on the curado or SLX DC are perfect. The only hang up with the JDM zillion for me is the AL main and the serviceability issues Daiwa has with JDM reels. The AL main isnt that big of a deal I just prefer brass for the plugs and bigger baits I throw for stripers. If you arent throwing baits over 1oz and the majorty of bass youre catching are schoolies then AL is fine. That Zillion is a beatiful little reel too. I got to fondle one for the first time yesterday at Tackle Direct. If I wasnt there for a new surf rod and half a herd worth of bucktails I would have bought one.

I checked every one of my chatterbaits and I dont have any with rust issues. There is some discoloration, but nothing that looks serious. It does look like 2 or 3 out of about 15 have the hole punched closer to the edge of the blade then I would like. The majority of my chatterbaits are the TW customs with a nickel or dark blade.

I know guys who fish everyday when the stripers run in NY and they catch bass over 30" all the time with Tatula 150s. As far as line line capacity goes, I dont see the 200 as being necessary especially for landlocked bass. Personally I would recommend a longer handle with decent sized knobs to give you a little more leverage. Daiwa does offer the coastal reels that have a 100 sized frame with a 150 size SV spool. They're really popular with the flounder guys who jig all day because they're small and light.

I was talking about speed cranking, not JB but I guess I didn't specify that very well.

I use braid on spinning tackle for JBs and shad raps and it works great. One benefit to braid is that there is no stretch or memory. With mono or FC if I want that bait to come to a complete stop ASAP I feel like I have to point the tip at the bait when I stop reeling to get that sudden pause. With braid as soon as I stop reeling that bait the bait stops.

Thanks a lot. Now im going to have to go through all my blades and make sure none are defective. Ive seen that happen with BPS kastmaster knock offs. They didnt rust, but the hole was punched too close to edge of the spoon and eventually they break. You should contact zman and see what they say about it. I would guess its defective, because those blades are pliable. I dont see how that tiny amount of material can hold up to the stress.

Ive seen a couple of their spinning reels have issues, wouldn't recommend them. Havent owned any of the casting reels either, but there's a lot of positive feedback on several of them. I do have experience with some of the rods. If you're looking to spend 100$ you shouldn't overlook 13. Their customer service is excellent, and they stand behind their product.

Personally I prefer a 6.3. I honestly cant remember the last fish I lost because he knocked too much slack in my line. For most rods I use I like 15lb InvizX. I have used Big Game in the past and although it has a little more stretch my landing % is just as good or slightly better.