softwateronly

I probably spent a dollar reading this. There’s no way they’re making money. scott

I’ve also done used g loomis conquest casting there. Was mint when I received it. scott

Bait monkey says 3 reels!!

I’ve never paid shipping, but my orders have cost more. Maybe there’s a minimum? scott

Thanks! I’ve been noticing a slow edit of tw’s carrying of hog farmer products. Probably is related. scott

Well this is what makes it hard. I have a canoe and can get to more water, but lack electronics, so I do a lot of guessing. If the water is calm, oftentimes I can see schools of bait and or juvenile panfish dimpling the surface. I also watch the birds, not only where they are catching, but also where they seem to spend time looking. In terms of structure, points, sharp breaks near flats, and any deep water choke points between shallower flats. I always look for life in the shallows as well. If I see baitfish, I expect the bass to be in nearby ambush points, whether thats cover or structure. My water is almost only weeds as cover so I seem to spend more time searching/fishing the structure instead in the cold, but if I find fresh green weeds in water that has the breaks that I like, I gain enough confidence to "know" fish are there and spend time picking it apart. I pretty much have the topo map memorized with all the time I've spent on the water. With the water in the low 40's, high 30's I like using a little swimbait on a ball head and blade bait to find fish. scott

I have a few 18's and recently grabbed a 22, but haven't been able to use it yet. They're a touch heavy, but that has been working in my favor with some longer rods. I really think it'll live up to the hype, the met and bantam are my favorite shimano reels. And the zillion and the zillion hd are right there on the diawa side. Great time to be buying from the big dogs. scott

In general, I usually do better in deeper water. But every place is different and there’s lots of people on here who can find and keep a shallow bite all winter. I don’t think all bass do the same things. Look for areas that supply a food source and favorable water quality, you’re likely to find catchable bass. scott

Yes. Definitely. I can't imagine you'd have any complaints. It's light, balanced, and powerful with above average sensitivity and is a blast to fish. At TW's $189 it's well worth it imho. There's a lake that I visit family at and can rarely squeeze a lot of gear in the car with me. I usually bring a Conquest 904c and the expride a 7'6MH. To me they fish very similarly and I have no problem switching between the two, 904 for the heavier and the MH for the lighter. The only problem with buying an expride for me was that I ended up buying 4 more. scott

There’s nothing written on the blank, fyi. I have the 7’6MH a model. Very versatile and can do everything single hook rather well. 1/2 oz is the sweet spot but I’ve abused that rod with a 3/4oz swim jig and 4.5” paddle tail that certainly weighs over 1.25oz and caught bigguns. Mod/fast on a somewhat stiff blank seems like an accurate description to me. I’m a big fan. scott

I usually start with digitaka. But it’s worth comparing prices. scott

Digitaka, Asian portal fishing, Japan lure shop. There might be more but I’ve used these over the years. scott

Yep. Stunnas are hard to beat at $6. Code: Staples50 scott

My personal opinion is that it’s worth going up to an mgl spool at minimum. The Curado71 is a great reel. Jdm sites are also very affordable with the current strength of the dollar. A bantam or metanium are a steal at $230. Good luck! scott

I’ve learned a great deal from TB. If you can identify their blind spots in terms of how they earn a living, ie little to no Diawa, Berkley, Strike King etc, they dole out great info. They seem very honest in what they say, just not as transparent in what they omit. scott

A few times for me, the very first active fish after a cold front were my biggest fish of the day/week. This seems most true in cold water periods. If it’s gonna be slow, I’m gonna put in time looking for the biggest bass. scott

I'm certainly not unique or alone, but I think a heavy swim jig, 3/4oz, is underutilized. Working 8-15' through cover with chops, pauses, and rips has been a consistent producer of larger than average fish for me. It's also my go to night technique, the newer moon, the better. scott

STOP IT!!!!! scott

To me Dobyns are somewhat unique actions. They all seem to have a light tip, but when you get to the backbone, it’s there and it’s real. I enjoy them a lot. My only complaint is that their sensitivity is somewhat muted in the champion line up. I don’t feel that way about the Xtasay. Haven’t had the chance to fish an extreme yet. scott

I feel like a 7’6 MH expride fishes a half power heavier than a 734 champ. scott

Maybe there's a resonance with the chatterbait and the 735cb glass, either way, sounds like you found a sweet niche for a single hook bait and a glass rod. I'm sure that the glass rod will put em in the boat if they hit it. scott

I live a lake version of this life! scott

I'd be as surprised as you, to be honest. I have a Tequila Bacarac and an Onager, and they both seem rather sensitive for big bait rods. I also have a few champions that I like a lot, but sensitivity isn't what I would consider their strength. scott

Really appreciate the knowledge you two, and everyone else, are willing to share. A lot of this is very foreign to me and probably others as well. My original post was supposed to be about the '22 JDM Alphas SV TW 800S vs the '20 Air TW, but Diawa's naming system still gets me at times and I forgot the S, which I assume means "shallow". With this info, feels like the 800S and PE#.8 might slot in nicely at a price I'm more looking to spend. I currently do most of my catching leaning toward power fishing, but I always want to get better. And it wasn't too long ago that I used to only fish spinning and now, I'm looking for every reason to leave them behind. I think I overcorrected, haha. Many thanks... scott

I’m excited for the 5” burrito. Seems like a perfect size for my waters. scott