Emiliano

I heard a lot of good reviews about Dobyns Champion 806, a deep cranking must to have rod. Since you @GoneFishingLTN own the Dobyns 795SB give it a try. I use that rod for oversized treble hooks baits such as hard swimbait, big deep crankbait (Big M-7.5, 8&10XD...) and big top water lures and it can handle them pretty well. It's not a perfect rod for crankbait but since I use these large baits not so often I think it is a good compromise

Fury 705CB is a great rod for its price, I have one that I use for small to medium crankbaits and it's not the most sensitive rod out there but the best in that price range for sure. Never had guide issues, I hope you enjoy it.

I recently replaced my Chronarch MGL with Alde MGL 50size 7,4:1 for my jerkbait set up and I'm very, very happy. Both are great reels but Alde is more solid and it is super light. I can cast light baits more easily with Alde than Chronarch. I don't own and I never tried the new Met so I can't say nothing about.

LC ghost minnow, sexy shad, pro blue. Megabass clear lake, wagin setsuky Ayu, pro blue OB.

I've some LC lightning pointer 110sp, I always change the treble hooks on every LC 'cause the standard are very bad IMO, not sharp at all and tend to bend, so I usually change them and put Owner BC 36 #6 on that particular bait. It's a suspending jerk, it has very sharp movements when you twitch it, more aggressive than the standard flash pointer but I learn to be more gentle with the lightening 'cause if worked as the standard one it tends to roll too much.

Good to know that! In these days almost 80% of the products I'm interested in are out of stock in most EU and US online shops. Never ordered from JP but I'll take a look to the ones mentioned. Some of you have experience with kkjapanlure ? I found poor information about it, I think it's a eBay seller

The Slx MGL is a really good machine for its price IMO, but as you said @Tim Hu it's esencially an XT with an upgraded shallow spool but not narrower than the standard. The real question here, I guess, it is if the new Steez worth its price in comparison to the older model since the new one seems to be the same reel with a gray Shimano touch

I own several vision 110s and never had a problem. But did you receive them broken out of the package or the problem occurred after using them? I broken some bill by casting Rapala and some crankbait too far on rocky banks, but my fault

I play with treble hooks and split rings and fluoro diameter as well, but 90% of the time upgrading treble just works fine for me with that bait.

Both are really nice reels, very interested in the Alpha TW. About the Steez I've seen the "in depth" of the YouTube channel Tackle Advisors and the guy is very disappointed since the new Steez limited is almost the same of the 2016 model.

Dobyns Fury 705CB paired with Shimano Chronarch MGL HG spooled with 15lbs Power Pro + mono leader

I agree, overpriced as all the other baits made in Japan! But after trying a lot of jerkbaits my conclusion is that MB oneten are the only baits that perfectly suspend out of the package without playing with hooks and split rings (I only change the original barbless treble in the middle). In colder months, using longer pauses, oneten is a true suspended deadly bait. I love the R+3 in winter, that thing go super deep with thin line. @Shimano_1 It seems that Hookup Tackle is the place

Not a DC fan either, I sold my Curado DC after using it for a while. I don't like the sound and I'm an "old school" guy, I don't want electronic control. I bought it just to try something new, I found It is easy to skip cast with DC, it is a really fun reel for that, but I don't think it helps to cast further than MGL ones, that's just my experience. So I switched to another Chronarch. There's nothing wrong or right, everyone is different and fortunately we have a lot of tools that can match our needs, styles, preferences and budget as well.

10lbs walleye with an oooold (20yrs) Rapala Fat Rap chrome blue

I usually fish soft jerkbaits with lighter twitches than hard baits ( to make the same action) since they can easily swim through he water with less effort. Having no lip, a lighter twitch produces a good sharp movement, but that it's just my personal experience with the baits I use to throw, Zoom Super fluke, MB oneten, Rerange, LC flash pointer...

I own a Tatula 100 and for the price I think it's just an amazing small reel, I have 6.3 ratio that I use in one of my crankbait rods and it works fine for me. I love the TWS system I think it's a great upgrade from Daiwa. I suppose the Elite series should be a more refined machine than the 100 but I don't own that model so I can't help.

Hi Bandersnatch, for sure it is just my impressions, good to know it works fine for heavier app as well with no issues. I've just reported what some people complain about.

Ah ah ah ....got the 51 'cause I've the right hand on the wrong side!

Recently purchased Alde 50size MGL HG for the same application, it's a great reel! it worth the price, go for it

Hi Cole, the best way to know it's just to try that KVD jerkbait with your 6'6 rod. I don't know that particular bait but I use LC flash pointer 115 size and Vision Oneten R+2 and +3, the heaviest jerks I throw, with a St Croix 6'8 medium-xtra fast tip (1/4-5/8) and it perfectly works. These baits are pretty close to the weight of your KVD, despite the fact that megabass rates all the visions oneten R type the same weight (1/2oz) but in reality the +2 and +3 with their long bills are heavier than that. If your concern it's about the rod casting ability to throw the bait you have to try on the water, if that bait load your rod too much than switch to the 7'MH. It comes to play a "personal choice" factor as well. I don't like slow action rod for jerkbaits because I want the bait to react quickly with sharp movements also if a slower action sometimes helps to cast further.

Hi! Late January I hope to start the new season so I probably post something to share pics and the area where I usually fish.

I received few days ago the gift I bought myself, the Shimano Aldebaran 51HG, it is so light that I fought the box was empty so I opened it before sign in front of the courier, really! I was looking for a little reel with shallow spool to use with thin line and light jerkbaits to pair with my ST Croix 6'8 M-XF. I originally ordered the SLX 70MGL online but after a few days the shop called me saying that was out of stock till April, so I ask for a discount in case I'll switch for an expensive reel for the same application. Short story, I paid 80euro less than the original price that here in Europe is 400euro ($490usd) with free shipping. The reel is solid, it is just built solid, no vibration during the retrieve, no side to side movement near the handle (my Chronarch has a little of), not noisy, little and light and it casts very well light lures 1/2oz and below. I know and see Alde is a hot topic in this forum and in general I really think is an high end machine as I expected, but for the right application. The spool is super shallow, Shimano supplies JDM version here in Europe so I suppose, as I read here in other threads, that the US version is not that shallow (more line capacity). The specs on the box indicates 90yds / 20lbs Power Pro, so I can't imagine how shallow it's the 30size Alde version. Since I'm using very thin braid (8lbs Daiwa J) I was able to put almost 100+yds, so it will work for my applications. I read lot of comments about the poor drag power of the Alde, but I want to remember that is built for finesse fishing, it is a superb reel for light fishing, ned rig, drop shot, jerks, balsa minnows...and it can cast them a mile ....but for sure it's not the right tool for big and deep crankbaits, spinnerbaits and heavy punch and flipping techniques and all sorts of heavy app. It can handle but it's not the right reel for that, that's it! Heavy line, especially braid, can also damage the Alde ported light MGL spool IMO. There are other high end reels by Shimano for that: Bantam, Curado, Metanium.... If some of you want to share opinions, advices or anything related to that reel it's welcome. Happy New year to all of you!

Hi Brian! Here we have problems as all around the world with invasive species as you said but fortunately in Ebro til now it is still exist a good equilibrium (sorry for my English...hope it is right what). I think the worst is the giant catfish (Silurus Glanis) that is on top of the food chain, introduced in the 70s from east Europe. About rods, reels and tackle we can get all sorts of JDM, Shimano, Daiwa, Megabass, LCraft, etc... but a lot of US as well, St Croix, GLoomis, Falcon, and in Spain there is the European wholesaler of Dobyns, I love these rods. Between Spain and Italy it is available the 70% of the US brands and we usually order online, for example I just received yesterday my new Aldebaran MGL 51 HG, in stock and on 20% sale. Thank you guy for your "bienvenido" I really appreciate

Hi, I recently sign in to BassResource, my name is Emiliano, I'm from Italy but I'm living in Spain, I've been fishing for bass since I was kid, now I'm 40, and I never fished with live baits, never. I used to fly fishing a lot for 6 years in a row hunting trout, grayling and bass and had a some good saltwater adventures for bonefish, tarpon and permit but I come back again to bass fishing. I mostly fish the Ebro river system where bass, european perch, walleye and pike are present in good number. Here we have a great fishery and beautiful scenarios, all the species are very healthy and they fight hard. Unfortunately bass don't grow as there in their native country, so the biggest ones can be 9puonds in comparison to yours 20+lbs that swim there. But we have a good population in good number. Since I did a lot of pitching, flipping and all of sorts of plastic techniques in the past now I'm focused more in power fishing like crank, jerk and swimbait and I tend to use plastic worms and drop shot only if I had to, so typically in the hottest summer month where bass are in tight vegetation and cover. But here crankbait and jerkbaits are very effective all year around. I know we are in different countries but basses are the same (I think the black bass was introduced in Europe in 1880 - 1900) so I hope to share infos and learn a lot from you guys !