Crackintubes

This thread needs pictures lol

Nice fish!! One day I'll break 50"....

Great Job! I love all my NFCs

Same thing I do

Stock spool is 36MM. A Zillion TWS 36mm spool should drop right in, and have more capacity. However, not sure how it performs as ive never used it. Can also drop in a set of 36mm-34mm spacers and drop a steez a spool in. I've ran this setup before. Works well. I was running 18lb fluoro with bigger paddletails swimbaits with it.

It should still hold plenty whether you're using mono, braid, fluoro, copoly, what have you. There's always the option of dropping a different spool into as well.

It definitely doesn't hold 150 yards of 50lb. It's supposed to hold 150 meters of PE 2.0, which is normally about .235mm or so, which equates to about .010 inches. Might be closer to .009 actually. Too lazy to break out the calipers haha. So that would be roughly 164 yards of .010 line give or take. I think that was a misprint or a miscommunication somewhere on the 50lb part. I use either 20lb cortland braid which is .010 In. Or 30 lb which is .012 in. (Can't remember which I have on there.) There is easily more than 100 yards on there, which is more than enough for myself. I personally think the line capacity measurements are a bunch of crap anyway, from any manufacturer. I don't think I've ever got a stated line amount on any reel I've owned. It's always been in the ballpark, but not exact. YMMV I use mine for deep cranking, 8xd, 10xd, azuma Zboss, cloud c25, etc.

I use cortland master braid, black.

Exactly sir, right on the money

That zillion 10 is fast, but hard to start up. Hopefully that makes sense

The JDM market has super options for 2 piece trout rods. Phenixs mirage, and elixir are no slouches either

Otterods, Legendary Custom Creations

Catalina Tw or steez A crazy cranker.

I would say April is the cruelest for your sister state above you

When the ice starts breaking the trailer lights launching the boat ?

You'd.be better off looking at the jdm market for this.

Depends on what you're trying to do. There's lots of rigging styles you could use to adapt. If you're just trying to drag a big shiner along the bottom of a river and impart action yourself, you could use a modified tokyo rig. Another option would be a "horizontal" drop shot. Tie on a 3 way swivel, then tie whatever length leader you want plus the hook off one side. Then on the bottom swivel tie on a cylindrical dropshot weight. Drag the bottom and let the chub do its thing. Best thing to do is look up different rigging techniques, not even specific to live bait. Pick ideas and techniques you like, and adapt them to your style.

I can't say for sure. Most likely personal preference, but, you also get weight from a jig head. I use jig heads when I'm vertical jigging for walleye and panfish with minnows, but that's because I'm trying to get to the bottom in normally 10ft+ of water, and it also helps control rate of fall.

Sorry, didn't get notifications to new posts until just now, glad to hear you were having success. That is one of the downfalls to dragging anything along the bottom, just the nature of the game. A slip bobber setup will work well, or even a regular bobber. Here is a generic video of setting up a slip. Check out Rocket Bobbers, they are pretty slick. I'd post a link but don't think I can because they are not a sponsor. They absolutely fly.

If having someone build it, make sure you know what you want comfort wise. One of the most important things in a rod to me, is the reel seat. Second most important behind handle length. I have numerous customs, and their are lots of good blanks out there. Just depends how much you wanna drop, if you wanna bling it out, etc etc. A good builder will discuss all this with you.

I have the TW HD, but haven't had the 200 coastal. I would imagine they would be pretty comparable, but I haven't taken apart the coastal to know. I also don't fish salt, because I dont live near it. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. (Pun intended) TW HD has an aluminum frame and handle side plate, brass gearing. Tw HD also has magsealing, so salt water should be fine. If you're happy with the coastal, why not go that route. It's cheaper anyway and if it's working for you.

I also have good luck with the bx brat in bone craw, blue ghost, and tamale in clear waters.

Sorry, just got the notification for this. The .303 ammo is cheap at a local store, about $15 rounds for a box of $20. So not cheap, but not outrageous. The 6.5 swede is pretty hard to come by, and is expensive online, so I have taken to loading my own. I lucked out here as well, a friend who is huge into reloading, was letting go of his older equipment, so I got em in exchange for some drain field work. I find either cartridge works well for my needs, but, I'm making short shots, normally 50-60 yards. Ocassionally up to 80 yds, and 100 is pushing it. I like the 6.5 swede as it shoots very flat, and doesn't over penetrate. I also used to use a Japanese arisaka, that was awhile ago. Can't remember the round size, but believe it was 7.7 x 57? Either way, I'm a fan of the old rifles, and I try to use a different one each year. The 6.5 swede is definitely my favorite, followed by 30-40 Krag

Have a MB 665 spiral wrapped for my jerk/topwater rod and love it! Wouldn't have it any other way