softwateronly

I haven't bought vmc hooks in awhile other than certain jigs/hard baits, so can't really comment. You have to try Decoy's worm hooks, they have quickly become one of my favorites, ryugi, gammy, and owner needle point are the others I seek out. I have been able to set the 3/0 on 10lb bfs and 16lb heavy, nothing but fish coming to me. scott

I love a good jdm shopping trip as much as the next guy, but want to let you know that copperstate carries decoy's worm27 ringed hook if that's of interest. Decoy hyper minis, ryugi black bean and LT offset, zappu pin shot and deps soft plastics would find a way into my cart if I was going overseas today. scott

Just throwing it out there if you like ewg's, the 1/0 owner haymaker and the duo hyper mini in #2 have held up to 15lb tatsu leaning on bulldogging smallies near zebra covered rocks and they fit my 2.75-3.5" baits perfectly. scott

I have PE 2 to 20' of 15lb tatsu on a met and zillion hd that get my amateur attempts at skipping. It's still something I don't do often, but the results have been better. scott

A 9" panorama or 5.8" bullflat flipped into the tree tops? Only $10 till you catch your first fish, then $40 everytime you order from one of the tackle sites! scott

Forgot to add my finesse discoveries for mainly clear water great lakes smallmouth, the 6th sense 3.5" bodega, yama covert craw, 3" & 3.75" shad shape worm, GLF 2.5" juvy craw, and what seems to be discontinued; 3" jackall fivos and 3" i-shad. Various weighted ballheads in 1/0 and the decoy worm27 hyper mini in #2 and owner haymaker in 1/0 on various weighted jika and free rigs make up the vast majority of my rigging. scott

@Bass Rutten I've been throwing that XKRC 73MLS for awhile now, absolutely love it. I followed up with the XKRC 79LT shortly after and it is also a winner. Appreciate your write up of the 69LT that has been on my radar, hard to hear any other real world opinions in english of these other than what @bulldog1935 owns. I was running into a niche for my shore bound smallies that was hard to fill, small 2.5-3.5" soft plastics t-rigged on a heavy jika rig to stay down in 25' fow with current, and picked up the Abu Salty Stage PT boat casting XBCC-732MML. It behaves like a +1.5 power XKRC 73MLS and has quickly become a favorite. I like it so much, I swapped out my jika rig hook for a 4/0 and pitched deep weedlines on a small inland lake and landed this pig yesterday. scott

I just got the blitz ex dr. My thought is that depth and small 2" size would fit really nice for the schoolies I usually chase in July/August. Are you grinding bottom with this little guy or is it a mid-column deal for you? scott

There's a Phenix K2 765 on amazon for $333, which is pretty stellar deal. https://www.amazon.com/Casting-Rating-Action-TORZITE-Phenix/dp/B0CTRW3TCT With much luck, I grabbed a K2 714 last fall off Amazon for $200. I think it's still a great deal at $333 and would look real nice with a met on it. I have 2 feathers as well and think they're excellent for the price. scott

The hybrid hooks run longer than any other brand I've tried. The gap is narrower in relation, but the extra length gives plenty of room for the worm to get out of the way. Also, the tornados are relatively slim in that first 1/4-1/3 before it bulks out around the mid point. I might have actually undersold my hook up ratio with these hooks too. I actually can't remember ever losing a fish since I switched a couple summers ago, lots of times I need pliers to remove the hook from the lip or corner of the mouth. I prefer fishing 8" worms with these hooks on a M+/F now. I'll be near my gear tomorrow if you want any pics. scott

Have you given the Gammy G-finesse hybrid worm hook a try yet? I throw the 8" Hags on the 7/0 and the 6.5" on the 4/0 and feel like my hook up ratio is great. Love decoy as well, but I've only found their bigger hooks on jdm sites. scott edit: For Decoy it's the KG Magnum that looks the part and Copperstate tackle has a good selection.

X-braid upgrade is my current favorite, line management is 2-3x easier than pp v2, no dig, little to no memory or loops, and what seems like a 10% increase in casting distance with comparable diameter. scott

I haven't myself, but I completely agree with your logic. I throw from near the water on a rocky breakwall and it's the backswing that limits me. I have a 7'9LT/BFS and a 7'8M as my longest rods and they are a blast to fish, the extra length also comes in handy trying to keep my smallies from digging into the mussel covered rocks right as I try to land them. Good luck and look forward to pics! scott

I don't have it, but the 7'4H/MF would be "what I think is best for all those techniques" in the expride lineup. I have the A model in both the 7'6MH and the 7'7H and think the mod-fast action is what you need. scott

For my little lake, it's certainly a 3/4oz dirty jigs CA swim jig with a 120mm D-walker swim bait as a trailer. I seem to find most of my fish cruising the outside weedlines in 8-12' fow this time of year. I slow roll just off the bottom with occasional pauses to keep contact with the bottom and some reel twitches every now and then to break rhythm and move more water. The hits are vicious! If they're up on the shallow side, I'll give a 3/8oz swim jig and a frog first cracks. I rarely ever notice that a different color matters. scott

I'm about 99.9% sure it is, but I understand the gamble..... Brand Name Phenix Rods Model Name FEATHER SPINNING Manufacturer GSM Outdoors UPC 810027510013 Manufacturer Part Number PHX-FTX-S71M-2 Model Number PHX-FTX-S71M-2

I have these in casting and have ordered it off amazon before successfully. You can get both a 2 piece and a good rod for $130. scott https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Spinning-Rating-FAZLITE-Phenix/dp/B084XXJK75/ref=sr_1_12?crid=3BUCJMKDANXIJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DQfyAtU_PptXZuntseMwzZx-4sOwf-SxL06-2tGCgf7dVlTDPmQIEStgNCKMPE567GbzLtOD2CSG-U2cqVTHLICcY_fIsJPYYOpQzn7odVMXf9dqCzkKlfFLUUf4lDuIXBJJBN-3flQOxUUZ7l0jPFmqZckrJVjIHd4hMVm1bIOSWjuOIqHCp1EcJwgq5fltXiNBoFJikPQgQHCPTwsIK6tU_h3jcxFmrARfesptOy0.Eo_tevt0exdCZOKnb8DK5JgvJo3vPklwGHgDPYNxS1U&dib_tag=se&keywords=phenix+feather+2+piece+casting+rod&qid=1780601819&sprefix=phenix+feather+2+piece+casting+rod%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-12

I play in clear shallow water ever so often to recalibrate my eye hand coordination regarding how little input it takes to move a bait. While I'm positive weightless can and will hang in the strike zone longer, I'd also consider going the opposite route. Go up one or two levels in weights, you'll have a much better feel for when you actually move it off the bottom upping your feel for the whole situation. When my connection to a bait is good, I'm actually able to be more precise with hitting or bouncing it on semi slack line. I can generate action and a puff of debris without moving it very far. Finally, it's good to keep in mind the physics of your line creating the pendulum that can allow your presentation to surf down the break, covering far more water than you want. I also like using short/sharp 1/8 handle turns to move my presentation, basically anything other than lifting my rod tip, I wanna be pointed at the water. Finally, you can move the bait with the thumb bar released and allow slack at the end of your move, ensuring your line doesn't pull it off and down the break. scott

I have a CNQ 904mbr and swim 4.8 bullflats on 3/8-1/2oz football heads and it's my favorite rod for a 3/4oz swim jig with a 120mm d-walker fished in heavy cover. Maybe there's a significant difference between the 2 lines when it comes to how they handle the upper range, because I feel real comfortable going over an ounce on the conquest. scott

Looks close to 6, but what do I know. scott

Here's another, I only know the one piece, but I love my feathers too. Phenix Feather 7'7MH 2 piece for $113! I got a K2 last year for $200, amazon is worth looking at every now and then. https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Casting-Rating-FAZLITE-Phenix/dp/B084Y1JY18/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1J3ZYCC6TGRET&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8QhuBUw9J1T2xLYc135whk1juKXaPZ3_FS4ooyCgLMWMqRVoL5NUCqbJbfwjTnEZj-VG_RqRvZij0Isy6PgovTmWIsux2opciKy6nSDxZvdfcovhXnDBKMHMWEQkX_FxcSZUeGRt7Twn-1eZE62TyADmYnL9mc_GofLIHCGy5N3e-9kocQvJuByL5S-bXzC_MO2E7u0EXYyG7v9voZDAVUVdeLVjsWbhsnNExtSIe-0.OD8iNW8iR86OHf_hmX3RQ1BR9F92dijaeo_q7fmm0-Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=phenix+feather+casting+rod&qid=1779923252&sprefix=phenix+feather+casting+ro%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-3 scott

These rods are incredible, especially for the price. I feel like they are on par with exprides in terms of quality and sensitivity. The 6'9M/F is just a little extra special, really love that rod and can't recommend it enough. Major Craft Days 6'9M/F https://www.digitaka.com/item/29/6/5/4573236260310 Major Craft Days 6'9MH/RF https://www.digitaka.com/item/29/6/5/4573236260334 scott

^^ a showerblow for me. They ain't the brightest. scott

Fantastic write up, thank you for sharing. I'll keep coming back to it. I'm quoting this particular section because this is my most encountered conditions for decent smallies in lake Michigan and this spring led me to a different tool. I would do well with the swinghead in terms of bass, but the chunk rock I was reeling into ate up my heavy heads and I wasn't able to keep bottom contact with lighter heads. A 5/8oz Decoy DS8 weighted jika rig is my new ticket to one of the best bites in bass fishing. A free swinging rock banger is back on the menu. A couple 5+ from a mid-May evening. scott

I have 50lb pp maxcuatro on my frog reel now. It's noisy but slices thru the slop. It might cost a bit more, but this is the beginning of my 4th season with the spool and it seems just fine. scott