GetFishorDieTryin

I thought they were kind of gimmicky at first because it seemed like they relied on YT for exposure. Later down the road I had a chance to get a Muse at a good discount so I figured I'd buy one as a goof. I wound up liking it way more then I thought I would, I actually prefer the 7'1 M F Muse over the 7' M F Avid. I dont think I would buy another Muse for full price because for another 20$ you would be at the price point of some of the best value rods on the market IMO. The Omen Blacks, Fate Blacks and some of the Defys that Ive gotten my hands on have been good to great IMO. Ive seen a few of the V3s in stores, havent fished them. They felt a little heavier then I thought they would be, could be that synthetic material they use it feels dense.

Neko, TCR/chicken, Tokyo, T/wacky rig DS, mojo, T rig, floating worms, weightless senkos,soft JBs or anything that you can impart action to without moving it very far or at all. The most consistent for me on tough days is the mojo rig and wacky/t rigged DS, but when the fish are in the mood to eat a floating worm I don't think there is anything that can match it for numbers and size. Just before sunset until it gets dark, I think the fish are more willing to take a moving bait. Last Wednesday I broke my previous pb (8lb 1oz) with an 8lb 7oz that took a DJ finesse SJ in magic craw with a D walker in GP. In the last 45 minutes of light I made 7 or 8 casts to the same point and it wasn't until 15 mins after sunset that she hit.

The Fates are made by a company called 13 Fishing. 13 hasnt been around a real long time compared to Daiwa, but IMO they make some good rods.

The angle of the line tie in relation of the hook, the kind of knot and where it is tied on the eye, retrieve speed, position of the rod and balance of the bait all have an effect. A 90* line tie and a loop help keep the bait horizontal. Most of the weight in the wildeyes are in the front of the bait which kind of causes the head to drop on a slow retrieve.

The whole flexing thing so overblown its ridiculous, especially with the smaller reels being used for LMB/SMB and SB. Im not going to say it doesn't happen, but as long as your drag is being used correctly and reasonably set its very unlikely to happen. Ive caught stripers over 15lbs in the surf and haven't felt anything that I could say was flex with 100% certainty. I could see flex being an issue if your after albies, reds and such with heavier tackle. In the event that there is enough pressure on the reel to cause flex its going to be in the stem and not the frame.

If your going to be using ned rigs, DSs or anything with small light wire hooks, you want a reel with a good drag. It doesnt need to be strong, it needs to be smooth to keep the little hooks pinned. Either the Regal LT or the Exceler LT are great reels for the money and would be your best bet. The 13 Defy Blacks feel great for $60. Either ML or M depending what you want to throw. If you spend another $20 you upgrade to the Fate Blacks which are made of a higher quality graphite then the Defy. That makes the Fate Blacks have a more crisp action, more sensitive and lighter. Same deal with the power, it all depends on what you want to throw. I see that the Aird X is recommended, Ive never picked one up so I cant compare them to the 13s. I have used the Tatula XTs and really wasnt crazy about them, I would take a Fate all day over the more expensive Tatula XT.

It doesn't sound like a lot but 4lbs is plenty. You ever consider a Fuego or Exceler? You could upsize to a 2500, the wider spool helps with casting distance, you still get the I shape knob and most importantly both the Fuego and Exceler 2500s are almost 1.5oz lighter then the BG 2000.

Cant beat a boga grip. The scale is is extremely accurate as long as you know how to read it. They're incredibly tough, as long you dont drop it over the side of the boat it should last a lifetime. They have a lifetime warranty so if something does happen your not SOL. Some of the knock offs arent bad, but they only last a few years. If you need one to weigh LMB SMB the 15 weighs in increments of 1/4 lb and its much smaller then 30 and 60. Absolutely. The boga helps keep damage to a minimum for the fish.

You dont necessarily need to go to lighter gear, just use a rod that can handle the total weight of the rig. I go down to 1/16, but the majority of the time I use 1/8. I use the same baits that I like to throw on a T-rig. The Palmetto Bug is an absolute killer especially this time of year.

You have a few options other then standard o rings. Wacky Saddle rings are an option, I really dont like the connected double rings because they look really bulky. The single rings with the tiny ring on top for the hook seem like they would work, but I imagine that smaller rings isnt too hard to break. The VMC crossover rings look like they may hold up better then the Wacky Saddles. Silicone and shrink tubing work well, but just like a standard o ring you have to rig the rig parallel with the worm which can hurt the hook up ratio. It can be a pain to open them up and slide them on the worm without the right tool. A few years ago I started inserting screw locks into the middle of the worm and running the hook through the screw lock. The worms dont fly off as easily fighting a fish, but it can the worm more susceptible to tearing at half. Eagle claw makes a wacky harness that essentially a piece of wire sort of in the shape of a W with an eye atop the apex of the W that you run your hook through. They seem to work so far but time will tell. IMO the easiest and most effective method was posted on here a while back. You use tiny rubber hair bands that you can get on Amazon for cheap. You hang the band on the hook, thread the worm on and stretch the rubber band over the worm and point of the hook. That secures the worm, without a bulky o ring or silicone tube. GrandeBass' Rattlesnakes are my favorite bait to WR, but the deep ribs make it really hard thread O rings, or tubing on and the screw locks and harnesses cause the bait to tear after 1 or 2 fish. The other option you have is to start using Zmans stickbaits. That elaztech is incredibly resistant to tearing, even if the bait is just skin hooked. The more you use them the lighter they get as the salt content drops, which changes the fall rate, which can be good or bad depending on what you want to do.

SHs and Nekos are similar in the sense that I fish them almost the same way. A lot of the bites occur on the fall with both. Both do well in shallow water, its the situation or composition of the bottom that makes me chose one over the other. The lightest you can go with a SH is usually 1/16, but you can nail weights down to 1/96 if you want it to fall slow. If your using light line or fishing around zebra muscles the neko has an advantage because the line and knot are high up on the bait. I also favor the neko when the bottom is slimy, SHs tend to bog down in it. The SH does a little better in grass because the hook isnt as exposed, but its not ideal. When I want a similar look to a neko or SH fishing around grass ill go to a chicken rig or tiny child rig.

No, it just means bait caster

Right, just replace the 9' 5wt with an 7'6H Frog rod and its the best thing since sliced bread.

You need 5 power or better to efficiently use those bigger bass flies. Superfly used to make a good foam popper that went as small as #8, better quality then the Wal Mart poppers. If you dont mind making them yourself you would be surprised how well a toothpaste tube cap will work.

I like a slower reel for ChBs. I understand the "you can always slow down" concept which theoretically is true. Its easy to slow down for a few casts especially if it produces. The hard part is maintaining that slower retrieve on tough days when bites are few and far between. It comes down to preference.

I think there is too much emphasis on reels being the biggest factor in casting distance. No doubt they play a major part, but that's only half the equation. The action, power, length and weight range is just as important IMO. A stiff rod that doesn't really load up isn't going to give you as much distance as a rod with a little more tip. What are the specs on the rods your using No offense, but realistically you cant just pick up a BC outfit for the first time and expect to max performance. It would be like expecting to hit a target 500yds downrange the first time you ever picked up a rifle. As you get more proficient with controlling the spool while casting use less and less brakes in small increments.

The 6'10 has way more power then the Ls. On paper the weight range may be similar but in hand and for practical purposes the ML has much more power. The only reason the Vic doesnt have the 1/8-1/2 rating is because of the XF action. Honestly I think 1/8-1/2 MLs blanks are fish lighter, if you have ever tried to throw .5oz on the ML you would know what I mean.

If there's one thing I learned from a few years of guiding waterfowl hunts its that most people have poor distance estimation skills, especially over water. It seems that hunters and anglers have a fascination with 40yds. Its difficult to judge depth in videos as well, so unless they're walking off the distance with a tape measure take the estimations with a grain of salt. Not saying there aren't people who can cast a weightless plastic 40 yds, but there aren't as many as review/comment sections would make you believe.

Yeah you can tell.

I wouldn't say that, especially in the case of the Vic vs Avid.

Theyre good little baits

MJ makes some really good lenses, but the trade off is their heavy. I always feel like they're going to fall off my face when I look over board or at pilings under bridges.

Do you still have the M F outfit? What kind of line you use? What bait do you wacky rig the most and the size? Fishing from boat or bank?

IMO dollar for dollar X9 is tough to beat. It casts well, knots well, it doesn't fray and get ropey as fast as some other braids at its price point. If you want a braid for fishing grass or cover check out Vicious. When I first spooled it up I wasn't happy because it wasn't very smooth I could feel the weave in it. All that doubt went away after the first few casts.

I got to use one of my night shift buddies Cert 3ks for a few hours at the lighthouse last fall. There really incredible little reels IMO. It was smooth, quiet, and surprisingly powerful for such a little reel. I have trouble explaining how it felt in hand. The 3k was compact and light in hand, but at the same time it feels substantial and solid. Its not a sealed/waterproof reel, but as long as you keep up with the maintenance and maintain the Magseal its really resistant to water intrusion. I came close to buying one for light surf and sod banks, but I went with a VR 50 so I wouldnt have to be as careful in the wash.