mtb.mike

That's not a Arbogast Jitter bug is it? I don't think they made a large jointed model. Plus it looks like it has a polycarbonate lip. Either way I like the looks of that lure.

I don't stress about matching the hatch or forage in a body of water. The most I will do is get a color that is comparable to a sunfish or perch if I am fishing for bass. Most baits come in these color ways by default so I am not going out of my way to find them. Number one thing is obviously getting lures where the fish are. After that it's all about presentation and action. Vibrations/auditory stimuli and displacement of water are the main triggers in my experience. Visually I think the flash from a spinner blade does more than color. The fish only see a lure for an instant.

I am not a big soft plastics guy and I hardly use them. The wacky worm gets some use though...usually a yum dinger rigged on a weedless worm hook with an O-ring. For hardbaits I like to find deals and diamonds in the rough. I spend more time than I like to admit looking for lures that rival name brands. Hardbaits: BPS Double Down Plopper Wanby Floating Minnow BPS Nitro Spinner 1/2 oz Honorable Mention: Pistol Pete Woolly Bugger I use a light weight spinning setup with a water bobber. I originally bought it for trout but the smallmouth kept going after it so I put it into the line up. Not sure what it is, maybe its the spinning blade on the front of the fly that gets the bass going.

Before purchasing a Lews reel I always check what Bass Pro offers in their lineup. Bass Pro and Lews are both Doyo reels. You can get a Johnny Morris Signature Series (JSG30HA) for $160. They have the larger 30 size (same as 300, not sure why brands have to be special) which is made for heavy duty applications. Looks like the Pro TI and Johnny Morris are based on the Doyo Super Duty. Some people skip over Bass Pro but in my opinion you often get the same Lews real for a better price.

Good call, I wouldn't have to wait till June either.

Strongly considering preordering this reel. I normally don't buy into the JDM hype and inflated pricepoint. Looks like this one might go for $220ish shipped. Still have to wait till the end of June for the right hand version though. Reels like the Kastking Zephyr coming out and selling well probably pushed Shimano to bring this to the market. Probably won't be long before the SLX BFS comes to the USDM. The BFS buzz is growing more mainstream. As a side note, not a fan of the guy who runs The Reel Test. Any time someone gives him justifiable criticism or questions testing methods he has major conniption fits and gets real combative in the comments.