softwateronly

short answer. Yes, they run longer than standard ewg. scott

I use the Tat 200 for that and have no complaints, but can’t compare it to the curado 200. Compared to the DC, the Tat 200’s larger handle and deeper spool are pluses. scott

Over the last few years, I've definitely developed a preference for rod length vs technique. One of my realizations is that I prefer 7' and under for worm fishing. I have a 6'11M+ that allows me to work a t-rig downhill with my tip down in heavy cover. It seems like I can pop free of the weeds at a lower angle, and glide closer to the bottom, which seems to translate to more bites, specifically in the summer. I grabbed a 6'6MH this winter to add another option. scott

Pretty sure TW has them marked down right now. scott

Just another great video! Congrats and only a little bit of jealousy scott

I'm in a similar camp as @DaubsNU1. Braid to leader on everything in cold water, and some go straight braid when the weeds are up. Modified Alberto and FG are my connection knots. I find braid as a mainline and multiple different materials and strengths for leaders give me an efficient and cheap way to control my presentations. scott

I now have 4 2-piece rods all from major craft. I never think about it while fishing, they certainly have improved over the last 15 years. I'm happy I gave them a shot. scott

I've gone off the deep end recently on ML-M+ rods. I'm finding lots of room in my fishing for this power range and really enjoy fishing them and use them for what you're describing and more. Phenix 7'1 ML/F Major Craft Days 6'92 M/F Major Craft Days 360 6'10 M/RF Expride 6'10 M/MF Major Craft Black Porgy 7'82 M/RF I'm contemplating selling the Phenix because the MC rods have enough tip to throw down to 1/8oz and have enough power to still fish jigs. The Days 360 is still new to me and I'm looking forward to ice free water and getting some catching in. scott

Damiki Aircraws? scott

Thanks, now I see it on Shimano's site, same specs as the 6'10M. I fish jigs on that one, though usually a medium wire hook. I think the extra length would make it a little better even. Good luck! scott

7'2 comes in 3 versions of medium; MH, MH glass, and ML. Which power are you referring to? scott

**deleted** I misread your post. scott

They are majestic when flying, but absolute pigs when eating on a giant ice table... scott

I fish braid to leader on all my rigs, and I like 8strand 50lb for general H uses. My swimbait setups have 65lb. I haven't had 50lb dig in and snap midcast yet, but I don't doubt @GreenPig's experience. scott

1: Gulls dive on shad. Loons eat anything they catch, so what water they're working usually tells me what they're hunting. Osprey hunt panfish size fish, I don't recall ever seeing them dive on shad since ours never really get more than 4". 2: I'm on a lake devoid of hard cover, so if I ever found a shell bed in deep water, I'd bet it would be holding bass. I've seen enough internet to know that FL guys/gals like to crank shell beds. 3: I've seen musk rats blown up in the shallows/first break at night. I fish those areas hard. I've also seen a baby duck not make it past the corner of a pier, though the flash looked more Northern Pike than bass. I don't have any up close experience with beavers and otters. 4: Big Northern don't seem to eat the size bass I'm looking for, so I consider them a good sign that there's bait in the area and therefore I keep fishing.....maybe with a leader. I often find bass near or under schools of crappie too. Humans, if they're panfish fisherman, I remember that spot and go looking for bigguns when it's available. scott

Wow, all those bites came from the subtle tail. Interesting bait. scott

They only come in 1/4oz, the guys that make them think it's the weight that will get snagged least. I like pb&J, GP black, and GP blue the best and use part of a straight tail worm or jackall ishad as my goby imitating trailer. scott

Nice! Grabbed a gammy B10 stinger finesse size 1 on my last order, might be perfect. scott

I fish 31st St Harbor in the Spring usually, and these jigs use to get traded around back in the day. They're mass produced and pricier now, but they get through the "Army Corps pile of junk walls" pretty well and catch smallies. I lose these way less often. Might be worth a shot for ya. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=20&searchtext=fireworks+jig scott

Not a jigmaster yoda or even an ewok, but I use braid to leader, 30lb & 50lb to 16lb fc shock leader. I've adopted braid as my mainline on everything. It's so much easier and cheaper for me to play around with leaders or not, than to spool up different line or buy separate spools. I've also gotten used to how my rod feels with a majority of my line as no stretch. It's a system I like and it works for me. I feel like my slack line bite detection is good. Maybe it would be better w/ straight fc, but if you follow the advise on this site about how to fish your slack on a t-rig/jig, you feel everything you need to on braid. I've spooled up mono a couple times, but everything just feels dead to me and I'd have to relearn my rods. When I fish jigs with a leader, it's fc. Height of summer, I sometimes forgo the leader to help saw through the weeds, but zebra mussels knicking my line can make me rethink it. Every year is different with the amount of zebras hanging on vertical weeds. scott

I have some of the same problems as @RipzLipz, flukes get annihilated but the class of fish is usually subpar. But I think it's about inefficient/ineffective presentation in my case. I'm hoping a 5&7" profile lightly weighted, free rigged, or carolina rigged out in 15-20' of water will change that. Large preacher jigs and swim jigs do damage out there for me, I think it would be smart to bring a "weightless" option to mix in. scott

I can't even narrow it down to 5 jigs.... scott

@T-Billy I lose too much action on a jerkbait, especially MB, with any single wire attempts. Cranks on the other hand, seem fine. scott

@Susky River Rat '24 can only get better . I'm likely to be in your position myself. I have a window Friday and Saturday with some ice melting temps to possibly make Feb work but after the 5th, I'm going to be slammed with work and out of town for weeks at a time so the end is near. scott

The PA 7'6XH is 4.9oz. The internet says the phenix feather 7'3XH is 3.8oz, if lightness is premium the 7'7XH feather has to be near the top of the list. scott