softwateronly

The 702x has loads of power. Not an issue at all to drive home a big beast hook. If anything, I was worried about pulling trebles in the beginning, but there’s enough give there to keep them pinned. I don’t recall ever losing a chop glide or big spoon fish. For such a powerful rod it still has enough tip/last third to be both an excellent distance and accurate caster. The RF action and power remind me a bit of the expride 7’3 XH though it’s ultimately more powerful. I’ve run a bantam on it and it felt great, last year I swapped some reels around using both a tat 200 and curado DC. All 3 have balanced and cast well. I’ve been mostly throwing the Bully Wa 2 frog with it and would say that it’s at the bottom end of a not thinking about it casting stroke. To me it’s like a stronger older brother to a MB tequila bacarac and expride 7’3 xh. I’ve only run braid to leader or straight braid with it. scott

I don't want to get into defining bfs because I don't have the knowledge, but I think it's a misconception to say you'd be underpowered when fishing for bass. The japanese salt market has many options out there for tangling with larger more powerful fish. I've been fortunate to land numerous 5-6lb bass and teener salmon and pike with a 7'9 Light 2-15g rod without issue. My only memorable losses were last second runs into zebra covered boulders when shore fishing. Spinning wasn't gonna change that outcome. If ffs gets taken out of the equation like some want, bfs and minnow shaking has a role with clear water structure fishing when casting distance might be paramount. My guess is that if it does happen, it'll be a northern smallmouth fishery tourney and probably not for another 5-10 years as the kids who grow up with it might stick to it. scott

If I'm wearing rain gear, uninsulated neos are the only option for me. It all packs up pretty tight and works with whatever I was wearing before inclement weather. The neos have outlasted 2 sets of rain gear and don't look likely to give it up anytime soon. scott

I have a few Days and Days 360 rods, 692M, 692MH, 702X, 360 610M, and 360 6'6MH. I don't agree with the sentiment that they are overpowered regarding their ratings, they all capably handle the lowest listed weight range. But like a conquest or xtasay, you can push past the upper limits and still be effective which might be what you've been hearing. Out of what I have, the 702X would fish everything you asked about. I throw a chad shad, 7" scottsboro beast hook swimmer, and a frog with it the most, though the longer handle makes it my 2nd or travel frog rod. I ordered them with little knowledge beforehand and was a little nervous, but the first time I had them on the water, it became apparent that they are the "best bang for the buck" rod I've ever fished. I even ventured out into a couple salt rods because they offered rare combinations of length, power, and action in traditional bass fishing options that have been excellent. Instantly, MC has jumped to the top of all my future rod considerations and can't say enough about em. scott

I think it's a preference thing. My older model tat 200 is on a flipping/soft swimmer stick and I just work the 7.3:1 slower on the retrieve. It is near the limit of what I'm comfortable with, but works great. With the larger handles I don't notice any torque or fatigue issues. I'd save the money. scott

I hover around 16-18, anything more oftentimes prevents the knot from cinching completely and correctly because the knot tightens before the first wraps bite completely. It's worth a try. scott

I have a Major craft days 6'9 MH/RF that did well walking the Kaera last year though I only caught a couple. It'll be the first up again this year too. scott

Por que no los dos? Right now, either would be bouncing off the lid on all the water up here, but when the water is in the 40's both of those options are on my radar. Maybe crank each spot first to pick off any active fish, and follow up with the jerk if they're in a more neutral mood. My most successful cold water cranks are Duel 75mm shad, R2S tactical DD, frittside 9, and 3" flicker shad and the MB 110jr+1 and the nishine erie 115 MD do a vast majority of my cold water jerkbait damage. scott

Any 6-8" treble/line though soft swimmer. Would probably be decent with 1.5oz plus deep diving cranks. I still haven't tried it, mostly because it would be my second deep crank set up and I'm not yet in a good spot to swap line or reel to something thinner. scott

Like @Kev-mo I use that as my on the water fix, but sooner rather than later I prefer enough line on my reel to not deal with a knot in the middle of it. Blood knot is my choice for braid to braid. scott

Here's a response from @WRB-2.0 from a couple years ago that I remember...... "Cold water seasonal period or water under 55 degrees the vast majority of bass lakes the thermocline has dissipated allowing the fish to be at nearly any depth. How deep depends on how deep the schools of prey/bait fish are located. Sonar is your most important tool to determine how deep the life zone is located. 29’ deep is 1 atmosphere and bass can easily withstand a pressure that change. 30’ is a good overall answer. My deep limit for catch and release bass is 45’ any deeper can do brain damage from fast pressure change. Fizzing means poking a hole in the air bladder to release gases to reduce pressure on the expanded bladder. If you are releasing the bass immediately you use a weight to sink the bass back down to the depth it was caught. A simple method is using a 8 oz torpedo weight placed in the basses throat with your line clipped on the opposite end and lower bass down, lift the rod to pull out the weight, works good. Vertivle jigging structure spoons, jigs, ice jigs all work good. Tom" As usual with Tom, RIP, I feel like this covers all the bases for me. He gives a limit on depth that makes sense to me, and 2 different methods to give the fish a best chance at release. Personally, I've never found, targeted, and caught bass from deeper than 33 feet and they seemingly did fine with a very fast release. scott

Not sure which beast hook, guessing 6/0, but I love throwing them on the back of a dirty jigs california swim jig. Probably my favorite way to catch 'em. scott

Yes for me. It doesn't fail and I prefer long leaders that means my knots are reeled into the reel. It is the trickiest knot I tie, but with practice it has become a non issue a vast vast majority of the time. The alberto was also fool proof for me in terms of strength, but didn't play nice with reeling it in. When in a jam I've tied braid to braid with a blood knot to get through the day before I respool. scott

Have you roasted your brussel sprouts and eaten them recently? The bitterness has been genetically bred out of them in recent times and they are nothing like my youth. More importantly, I too only have a analog scale and want in on the action this year. Will we be an asterisk? I'm also gonna go with any fermented/pickled whole fish; lutfisk, herring, etc. Just isn't right in my mind or mouth. scott

Can't help you guys with the comps, but I definitely think a solid tip makes jighead minnow presentations better/easier. scott

I'm in the fg camp. Takes some effort to learn, but the size and strength of the connection are worth the effort. This is the video that I learned from. scott

This exact reason is why the mbr action is so useful. Opens up a lot of options that aren’t exactly perfect but still doable and fine. With what I know about the Great Lakes, I think you should bring the 3/4oz with you anyway. Lots of smallies hang out near current in 20-30’ fow. The ds likes to swim up on the retrieve and the extra weight in the 3” length is helpful keeping it down. scott

Mine would definitely be the Acme Kastmaster spoon. I don't actually have any old ones, but it's my understanding that the design goes back to the 40's. The 3/8oz at 1 7/8" does a great job mimicking young of the year gizzard on my water during the late summer and is effective triggering offshore pelagic bass. scott

It's not a big hook, I'd rather keep as flexible as possible with only 2 rods. You have to weigh which direction is the best compromise. I don't own a 3 power loomis, but think my 904 would be overkill yet doable. I do fish braid to leader, which plays a role. scott

A few years ago I spent the 1st week in Feb near the TX/LA border and caught my PB twice. The first one was on a day like Wednesday midday, mid creek arm in about 5 feet of water. The biggest and my current pb was on a day like Sunday morning in the cold on the first deep dock near the main lake in 8-9’ of water. Maybe this is useful. Good luck! scott

Working/fishing outside in the cold for my entire adult life; it's a system based on 3 theories. Don't get wet or sweat, layer up, break the wind. So for base layer, any of the comfortable manmade materials that wick moisture away. Fancy/expensive isn't really necessary and I don't even own any anymore. Feet are different though, the more you layer up the less your toes can move and the less heat you can muster. Spend all your fancy clothes money on good wicking smartwool socks. scott

I haven't been able to unlock it in the warmer months, but it is hands down the best technique I've ever tried for water in the 30's and low 40's. I find the 1/2oz to be the mainstay, going down in weight infrequently and up to 3/4oz occasionally. X3 on @A-Jay's advice and video, pretty sure this is exactly how I started fishing them. scott

@king fisher I was planning a road trip fishing adventure that never ended up materializing, but I bought this major craft salt rod, TCX-792MH, to be my 2 piece version of an expride 7'7H. Turns out I actually prefer this rod, deep cranking, heavy swim jig, large spoons, large scroungers, and swimbaits rotate through the seasons. It has the length, tip, backbone, and sensitivity to be a good to great flipping stick. It easily handles more than the 40g listed as the top end and is around $200. https://shimreels.com/products/major-craft-triple-cross-series-baitcast-rod-tcx-792-mh-b-0883?_pos=1&_psq=major+craft+tcx+792&_ss=e&_v=1.0 scott

It does for some. I check it near the boat. Usually they're tuned for the weight of the split ring, so if the clip changes things, I'll pull the split ring. That puts me back in the tuned range. scott

You're kinda slackin' bro. Took you 6 weeks or a calendar year between PB's. I mean congrats, I guess. Not jealous of your 1 gizzard shy of a 'teener; at all. Nope, not at all. Or even a trip up north to land a giant smallie. I prefer work and frozen lids on the water to whatever you're doing. Whatever. scott