T-Billy

Thanks Alex. I've caught a 6 even, and a 6-10, but they're hard to come by in OH. Pitching with fluoro cost me two that I believe would have topped 7#. NEVER AGAIN!!! #STRAIGHTBRAIDBRIGADE!!! ? I set the 7# goal for a LM to hit the wall decades ago, knowing it was a lofty goal, but possible in OH public waters. I'll keep after 'em till I no longer can. Maybe someday......

I fish for both LM and SM, but since putting a 6-4 SM on the wall in 2018, I've focused more on LM, looking for a 7+ to join it.

I'll second this. I only have the HD, but I liked the first one so well that I bought three more. Absolutely outstanding reels.

I use this snell 100% of the time when using straight shanks with braid. Hook and land percentage is excellent, and they're hooked in the roof of the mouth the vast majority of the time. No knot above the hook eye to get beat up. The cam action causes the bait to land upight every time. It's easy to tie, and I've never had one fail.

? Well... I'm hard headed, and I'll eat most anything so... Seems appropriate I reckon.

LOL. I'm on that team too. 6# XT on my bfs rigs. Braid on the rest.

LOL!!! Remember the time you ate that case of dynamite and freaked Andy and Barney out?

Now I'm confused. Is Alex the G.O.A.T, or is A-Jay the G.O.A.T? There can be only one.

King Cobra for sure, for the techniques you mentioned. The Offshore is great with swimjigs, wobble heads, C-rigs etc.

Amen brother!!! The night bite during the bluegill spawn is awesome!!! Multi species mayhem!! Here are a few bruisers I caught with a green pumpkin chatterbait during last July's gill spawn.

It ain't just down south brother. OH and all of it's surrounding states except PA are constitutional carry states. The percentage of armed fisherman is high.

Hmm...? Is Tommy Biffle guiding on the headwaters?

I dunno bout that hammer business. My head is as hard as one according to my wife though. I'm a frequent fluoro basher, but it's tongue in cheek. Sometimes it's just entertaining to poke the bear. ? Fluoro cost me a couple PB's when I was flippin with it, and I experienced some phantom breakoffs at other times with several brands. It's not for me, but I can't argue with others success, and lack of issues with it. My advice to anyone would be to try it all and see what works for you, just... stay away from fluoro. ? Me moving to braid for most applications was a long process over many years. It was a love/hate thing for a long time, but over time it just ended up being the best option for me, for most things. I still prefer mono for finesse stuff.

This is critical to a quiet entry as well. Pitch low and fast, and thumb it in to the target.

No spool tension. Set brakes to where they work best for you.

I can't speak to the other lines, but I have the Money Maker from the Tharp line and a 7'3" Mag MH Lancer. The Lancer has Mag MH printed on the blank and it's the same blank as the MM. Now days the Lancer is listed as a MH on Ark's site, and the MM always has been so...???

I just looked at the lineups. They used to call it a Mag MH in the Lancer series. It's now listed as MH in both series. It's the same blank. It's a stout MH with a nice tip. Great jig/trig rod.

Ark Tharp "Moneymaker" 7'3" Mag MH F.

^^^Yep^^^ I've got a few Lew's LFS Speed Spools, and a few Fuego's. Zero complaints with either. I've only had the Fuego's one season , but I've been 100% happy with them so far. I have shallow braid spools on them, spooled with 20# braid. Mostly use them for light Trigs. That's a plus with the Daiwa's. You can get light shallow spools for them, adding to they're versatility. I've been unable to find aftermarket spools for Lew's. That said, my oldest $99 LFS has 4 full seasons under it's belt, and it's still smooth as the day I got it, as are the others. Very solidly built reels. They're not great with baits under 3/8oz IME, but from there on up they are solid performers.

What rod are you using? You want a long heavy rod to move 'em your way on the hookset. 7'9" - 8' heavy fast is the way to roll in this situation. 40# or 50# braid is plenty. None of that lift on 'em and reel down stuff in heavy cover. Reel down, crack 'em HARD, and winch on 'em.

100% agree on the centrifugal brakes. I would much prefer magnetic on this reel. That said, the Pro SP is very good at it's intended techniques as is, and it's very compact and palmable. Hindsight being 20/20 and all... I'd probably roll with a shallow spool Daiwa if I were in the market for another pitching reel.

The Do-It rippers have a good thump to 'em. I just recieved my Swing Impact Fat molds from Bug Molds in Ukraine last week. Took about 6 weeks but they're still getting stuff out. Nice molds. I got the 3.8 and 4.8.

Whew!!! Hit THREE skunks on the way to my first well pad this morning. They all got popped under the drive tires. My truck smells SO BAD right now!!! ??

I use a Trilene knot for mono, and a Palomar for braid without issue. Both knots have been rock solid for me. I put more pressure on them when I cinch 'em down than I ever will with the rod and reel. If it's gonna fail, I want it to happen when I'm pulling on it, rather than when a fish is. Edit to add: Forgot to mention the snell. Maybe the strongest of them all. I do ALL of my pitching with braid, and a snelled straight shank. I sometimes go several days without needing to retie it, and the hook and land percentage is excellent.

Congratulations!!!