GetFishorDieTryin

Dicks started carrying them recently.

There are things you can do to minimize twists and tangles. Rigging the bait straight so that it doesnt twist is a must. I use the trokar helix hooks from time to time simply because its easier to change out, but I prefer to have a dedicated DS outfit if I have the room. The worst tangles are caused by fish thrashing around. Lipping them before you bring them into the boat or bank when possible helps.

Tatula w Fuego lt or Phenix M1 w Exceler Lt.

The Batam is aluminum where the Met is Magnesium. I have a 20Met and have made a few casts with a friends previous gen Bantam. The Metanium has a really solid feel for a Magnesium reel, but the Bantam might be the better choice out of the 2 for stuff like frogging or maybe even deep cranking.

The best quality small jighead for the money has got to be the Berkley Half head. It's a mushroom style head with a good cone keeper and a really sharp fairly stout #1 fusion hook. The Brush Easy which is a ball head with mono guards. You can get them from #2 to a 1/0 depending on the weight. Great all purpose head.

As long as you have like 80$ to get a lighter (about 7oz. Or less) spinning reel with a smooth drag like an Exceler your in decent shape reel wise. Take the rest of the money and get the best rod you can. I have the same kind of rod except its primarily a SH rod because I throw most of my plastics on casting gear. An XF can be beneficial, especially for weightless/wacky rigs, it's your preference really. I think braid is the way to go, especially with a F action rod. Braid actually allows you to get away with a slightly lighter rod then you would be able to if you were using straight FC or Mono. The sensitivity increase is a big benefit as well. As long as there are no major abrasion, most 10lb braids have a breaking strength closer to 15lbs. If you feel like that not enough you can go to a thinner 15lb like x9 and still get excellent casting. Once you get to 15lb and over with braids like 832 or even PP V2 you really notice a difference with castability/handling compared to the 10lb. Leader is up to you since it's so easy to change. I like 8 or 10lb red label, 12 at the absolute heaviest. It doesn't resist damage or bite offs from pickerel/pike nearly as well as a leader material like Blue Label, but since it's so cheap in cutting and relying doesn't exhaust the spool quickly. Just be vigilant and check for damage often if your using a mainline FC like red label, invizx, etc. Like I said earlier your better off putting as much money as you can into the rod so long as you dont go too cheap on the reel that it hurts you in the long run. I dont have experience with the HMGs, but I have fished a buddy's triumph which isn't bad, but the bass x is the best listed that I've had experience with imo. I had some minor issues with their customer service, but Ark gives you a great blank at that price point. The Honey Badger would be the rod to look at. I dont have a HB but I do have a casting rod that shares the same blank and I really like it. Theres a guy on here (I think his name is t-Billy) he has that rod and really likes it, he would the 1 to talk to. Good luck

Shimano is a no brainer Shimano reels and Shimano/Loomis rods Hayabusa/Reins Midway USA

For the reel the best you can do for the money imo is an Exceler 2500 or 3k. At 80$ or a little less I dont think any other reel comes close. The handle length is really the deciding factor between sizes since they are virtually same size and weight. I prefer the shorter handle for finesse applications especially when I'm moving the bait with the reel. The longer handle is good for catching up to fish to set the hook. It can make things easier when your using weightless worms or nekos, but it really all comes down to preference. If it's possible I would recommend stretching your budget another 20-30$ so you could get a Tatula. Light, sensitive, balanced, great action and comfortable to fish all day they have it all. If your budget is strict @200$, you can still get a good rod in the 120$ ballpark. I would reccomend these 3. 13 Omen Black Phenix Maxim SC Bass X

I like Molixs' Kento jig in 3/8. It's a great all purpose jig to begin with and the fact that it skips easily is a plus. The only drawback is it doesn't have a super aggresive keeper. After a few fish your plastic may slide a bit during the skip. Recently I started using the Greenfish Chibi Jig as my lighter option (5/16) Its got a similar arkie style head so it skips great. It's a smaller profile jig with a 3x short shank Gami hook, it fits into tight spots and has a hook that can pull them out. Double barbed keeper works exceptionally well. It's a great option for a heavy finesse jig as well. I really like the line tie, it's almost completely integrated into the head, stays very clean. Just about any wider craw or creature trailer with a flat bottom will skip pretty well.

No, I'm comparing it to sealed reels because that's what its replacing. Tourqe 1 and 2 are proven platforms so if Penn wants the Tourqe fans to go to the Authotiry theyre going to have to match the performance. The Authority compares well to Certate SW and TP SW on paper. IRL the extra weight of the Penn is going to make it very hard to convert Certate SW/TP SW users.

The trd craw and cowboy are different as far as action and profile are concerned. For smaller more subtle craws my favorite is Reins 3" Ring Craw. Lots of other options, Yamamoto fat baby craw, psycho dad Bizz Baits Craw Bug Xzone Muscleback craw Jackall chunk craw Damiki Air Craws Creature baits Gene Larew biffle bug jr Riot Little Fuzzy Missile Baits baby d bomb Reaction innovations smalle beaver

I was going to reccomend Bizz Baits as well but the smaller bug craw. The claws dont have a ton of action but they float and have a super strong scent.

I like the fastach clips on the customs vs any kind of duo lock. The fastachs dont pick up and hold grass like duo locks. If you do get bogged down you can just snap your rod tip and it clears just about everytime. The wires that stick out of the duo locks at a 90⁰ angle are harder to clear. Strength wise I would say the fastachs are stronger then lower quality snaps. If you go to a higher quality snap lock the strength really increases. The only drawback to the fastach imo is they can be a pain to swap out.

Yeah, it's an old topic on SOL. I saw the vids like a week ago. They say its IPX 8. Which just means its water proof until it's not lol. The Tourqes were pretty good. We'll see how well the Authority compares to the ZBs, VSs and Vissers soon enough.

They never really went away. Here in the NE alot of guys throw them for stripers. If things are slow and one guy on the jetty gets a couple bass with a sluggo you start seeing all different colors and sizes flying through the air.

The Authority is already on the some markets outside the US I think. It a heavy water proof reel. It almost looks like they just took the slammer design and made some small changes to it. I thought they would have used SS for the main/pinion but I'm pretty sure I heard it was bronze/brass.

Crushing barbs shouldn't hurt your landing ratio very much at all. As long as you keep a bend the rod you wont have problems losing fish. Crushing the barb wont stop a gut hook. It just decreases the tissue damage, which in some cases can be the difference between the fish living or dying.

Right, like I said other variables are at play.

I think so too. I use a faster and a slower rod for chatters depends on the situation and both work. I do think a softer tip not only gives you a little more time to get a good set, it helps with casting. I think it affects the action of the bait as well, and not just starting and stoping. I think the perfect chatter rod has a soft tip and somewhat soft midsection that loads into a strong butt section that's closer to a moderate action then a mod fast. Everyone sets a hook different, so really it comes to what ever has the best hookup and landing ratio.

I would go with the M power especially if your casting it.

The problem with bleed hooks is that coating comes relatively fast especially if you need to use pliers. I've heard from a few guys that are JB wizards claim that replacing the lead treble with a bleed hook helps all the way to them being essential in tournament situations. So I'm inclined to believe theres something to it. If I was sponsored and had all the hooks and JBs I wanted I would try it for sure. I could see myself doing it in a tournament, but for not for everyday rec.

Theres alot of variables that need to be accounted for and I definitely think that him having the optimal angle and first shot at choice targets is an advantage. I would also imagine the OP and his buddy have fished together more then couple times, so they're familiar with one another. I'm guessing it's not a typical occurence to catch 2.5x the fish his buddy caught. Either the OP doesnt give himself enough credit skill wise, the fish wanted a slower fall, some other unmentioned variable(s) had an effect (which is likley) or a combination of all 3. My money would be on all 3.

Yeah, the ATRs are what initially brought me to GB some years ago. That was one of those baits that I knew would produce without even seeing it in the water. The mega claws are good too. I think they may have changed their plastic formula slightly from the older baits that came in the black bags, I really liked that super strong garlic scent too. I was ticked when I saw they discontinued the El Jeffe color. I dont get it, it was a popular color too.

Imo spinning gear is just more efficient for finesse swimbaits. Spinning gear handles lighter line better. That lighter line is key to getting optimal action out of a swimbait. Besides better action, light line helps with casting distance. The farther you cast the more water you cover, the more water you cover potentially the more fish you catch. The position of your hand and wrist on a spinning rod is more conducive for finesse presentations. I feel like have more control and precision with spinning gear, which helps with bite detection especially on slack line. The rod I would reccomend is either the 7' M F or 7'6 ML-M F Tatula. It's a little over budget, but I can honestly say that I like my Tatula more then other rods that are close to if not double the price. Their light, sensitive, balanced, very comfortable to fish all day.

I dont think the Type Os are that bad at all. They dont look great, but they're light and tough. Labor in the US is more costly then China. I'd rather have them save a few $ on the guides then the blank.