casts_by_fly

yeah, and mine also has the unhooking hook in one blade which I’ve used maybe twice in 4 years. But the paddle is strapped down almost the entirety of every trip and the pliers are handy.

I'm using the 6'9" Zodias ML/F with 10 lb braid for exactly what you're describing. I wouldn't want heavier and I don't prefer longer.

How far is 'very far'? As in go out and check vs a measured distance, not just estimate how far you're casting. Any self respecting MH will cast a 3/8 oz hard bait on 14 lb line. XL is a limp and forgiving line so there's no issue there. I don't have the curado 200, but I have a chronarch 200e which was the same reel as the old curado 200. Its not ideal, but if I couldn't push a 30+ yard cast with the setup you're talking about then I'd stop fishing. With a bigger reel like that you're going to have to adjust it now and then. That said, if you're adjsuting with higher brakes and lower spool tension you wouldn't have to adjust much, just your thumb. I'm going to say you don't need a new rod or reel or line, just practice. (please forgive me bait monkey, I'll do double duty next time).

Pretty sure he said email him for a quote based on your needs. Having built rods for a long time (as a business) it really depends on the customer needs and wants. First and foremost, a custom builder will have a greater attention to detail than a factory built rod so that will be better right there. I don't know how you feel about the grips and seat on the NRX but you have all of the options there for form and function. Want a split seat with a full grip? How about a split grip with a full seat. All are possible. Prefer a longer front grip? Just a nub and winding check? The world's your oyster. I'm pretty sure they use recoil guides on them and lots don't like that for casting rods (I don't). You could swap their guide train to full Torzite. And none of this mentioned the cosmetic options to customize to you which don't change the function (though I really dislike the blue wraps on an NRX+). I can't quote for Dave and I don't know what you want. Neither can he unless he knows what you want though.

I picked up a stradic 3k this spring when TW cleared them for the new models. This reel has a lot of the same features so it will be interesting to compare.

Digging into Shimano.jp and translating through google, they are different reels. There are 3 JDM 'excenses'. The high end one is the A. There is a mid range that I skipped over. Then there is the BB. The basic specs (line capacity, gear ration, drag force, etc) are the same between them. The A is lighter because its CI4 (which the new 2024 excense BB seems to be getting). The A is 11 ball bearings vs 6 on the BB. Both have silent drive, x-ship, and micromodule gearing as well as a bunch of other shimano technologies. I can't speak to the innards, but the BB looks like a really solid reel.

I agree with you and am watching closely. There is no way its the same reel at 85% off.

I'd agree with a JDM miravel. If you don't want to go JDM then a Nascii or sahara is a great choice for right about $100.

I have a 3 gallon older plastic that works fine. I have a 1 gallon with the new fangled nozzle that works better. Once you get the trick for how a given nozzle works the one I have is slick. I can hold the can upside down and not spill while I get the nozzle into my chainsaw, blower, etc. Then pull the release a little and it fills the tiny tank slow. Simple as.

very cool. I might have seen you on the 11th as I was driving past on 78. The river looked high and muddy from all of the storms.

Well, smallies are out of the running. Went with my dad this past Friday and we missed it. There is an early bite in April where the big ones have come in, a volume bite in mid may when the biggest have left but there are plenty of 2-4 lb fish, and a summer bite in June where (under the right conditions) you get a 2 hours window and can catch a limit of 4-5 lb fish. This year the early window had 20' high water. Ordinarily the second week of May would be a ton of fish, but the water warmed quickly and they had almost all pulled back out (plus we had poor weather for it). And the June bite is too temperamental for me to be able to plan a trip. Short of a random miracle fish, big smallies are pretty done for me now. Largemouth are looking up. He hammered them on Monday at the lake I predicted above. He didn't give me the weight, but from the picture I see a couple that are well over 5 as I thought there would be. That will be the one the plan around.

A complete lack of fishing. And minimal returns when I do. That's a pattern right? Go out a little as possible, expect as little as possible, success!

Yes, a few, but none as memorable as the one my dad caught on a crankbait. Must have been just the right cast and direction as the turtle ate it as it came by on the bottom. It was hooked solidly in the mouth. Nah, you don't have to cut the line. Grab them by the tail and use pliers to grab the hook. Same here. The bottom of our hill is a 2200 acre swamp with roads running parallel on both sides. Around this time of year they start moving to lay eggs on higher ground and they are on the roads all the time. Last year The road was blocked and I thought there had been an accident with people out of their cars and everything. There was a ~24" shell snappper in the middle of the road and no one could get it to move. We obviously have a lot of city type folk that live around here because everyone starts hooting and hollering about "don't touch it, it will bite your finger off". A quick tail grab and traffic was on its way.

I far prefer the lower profile of the modern reels. I started with the original bantams back in the early 90’s. I’ve got a mid 2000’s chronarch bantam 100 in the basement and it will absolutely fling a lure. It’s smooth as silk and with the 29” IPT or thereabouts is makes for a great spinnerbait or crankbait reel. I just don’t like how high it sits off the reel seat since I like to palm the reel with a pinkie behind the trigger and an index finger and thumb on the top edge of the reel. It’s just too high for that. I have a 200e chronarch downstairs and it’s better in profile. It’s not a better reel. The bantam 100 is a smoother reel. The 200 just has a better profile. I can fish it, but I don’t love it. In the modern generations, I have a pair of chronarchs, a bantam, and a met (plus a zillion to compare to, but we’re talking shimano). All three are better than the 200e. All three have a good profile for me. The met is smaller since it’s a 100 sized reel and the others are 150. But the other two are just fine for me. All are MGL spools and I won’t have a shimano that isn’t.

good luck. keep us posted how it goes.

you'll want a leader as noted. To your question, the rapala DT series are my go to crankbaits and they are $8 or so as full MSRP. They go on sale often also. You should be able to pick them up around $6.50 each.

and they never go onto the used market either. Every single one I've seen listed for sale used has been a scam to the point that I would say NEVER buy a used one. rick

chatterbait rods are personal preference. I much prefer a faster action for them. Incidentally I prefer the same action for texas rigs. Very light tip for casting, just a light bend behind it for winding a bait, and then a bunch of power right below that to set the hook. That's what the Headturner is and why I suggest it for this dual purpose. If you're like some here who like a much more moderate action for chatterbaits, then I'd agree with your logic. What Gussy describes is a fast action and a medium to medium heavy power in a higher modulus/responsive blank. The lighter tip dominates while casting but as soon as you set into one you're into the middle of the blank quickly because of the slightly lower power. A high modulus or responsiveness (aka a high end blank) will give you the powerful springyness while still bending deeply. Parabolic is a bad word choice. Parabolic means that it bends evenly through the blank like a straight rod would. Lots of people use that to mean it bends deeply when loaded. That's a different story when it comes to designing a blank.

In that case I'd say you're there. You still have gel coat on the outside and its pretty shiny smooth. I'd keep up on the waxing until you get a good layer built up and roll with it.

since this is now your home lake, i would recommend going in super early and super late season and see where the interesting bottom contours are. If you have a fish finder great, but otherwise a jig like noted above (ideally tungsten and heavy) will you know you what's what. If you can get your hands on a map of the lake all the better. Check navionics, you never know what someone has mapped. Then you have a basis for checking some new areas. I don't know how clear the water is but I did something similar for one of my lakes here. I went in super early when the water was crystal clear and a little low and just motored around a couple areas. In the summer they grass up too much to tell but without the grass you could see where there was any depth to it and where the drops are. Its helped me to eliminate a bunch of water and focus on the best locations.

I had typed something along these lines earlier but deleted it. I find this to be true also. Fishing certain baits targets certain fish, whether its sized related, mood related, or something else. I don't tend to catch many or any fish under 12" at any of the lakes I fish. They are in there, and I'm sure if I swapped to a wacky senko I'd start picking them up. But most of the time I'm throwing a bigger moving bait and aiming for bigger fish. Going to the next extreme would be throwing 8-10" glides and targetting the biggest fish. I find that when I downsize to a smaller beaver (for instance), I catch a lot more 12-13" fish than when I throw a bigger jig or spinnerbait and average 14-16" fish. My dad has a lake like that. I fished it a couple times with him last year. By far the hardest fighting largemouth I've seen. Similar size range too- mostly 14-19" fish. We've figured out why though. The lake was drained for repairs and then refilled 4 years ago. The stocked bass are on a tear and eating everything they can get their mouths on. There's a ton of shad, bluegill, and trout in the lake and they are growing fast. I had a 21-22 lb bag there last year with him but didn't have one over 5 lb. If it had been a team tournament with 10 bass it would have been a 40-lb bag. Aparently he fished it yesterday and hammered fish, though I don't know sizes yet as I haven't talked to him. Regardless, you don't have young bass but you've got fiesty ones. I'd keep a couple 15" fish every now and then and enjoy the fights.

for a $500 30-year old boat I'd say it looks pretty good. Can you feel the metal flake with your hand if you run your hand along it?

yep. I just don't carry one of those in the kayak! I do have pliers though so... Use what you got. I don't prefer to put the strain on the reel spool. Best case you get line dig. Worst case you strip the drag or a gear.

had you fished it before this year? You're in the prespawn now, so the fish are looking their best and chewing. Before making any proclamations give it a full year. 170 acres is still a good bit of water to hide nice bass.

While braid scissors are great for tying and rigging, I am completely against using them to cut off a snag unless you can get very close to the lure. There is nothing worst than coming across where someone snagged a lure on braid and left 50' of braid trailing because that's as close as they could get. Its a killer for trolling motor props (and I'd guess outboard props too) and if the trailing braid snags into something a new snagging hazzard for someone else. Two years ago I was fishing down a bank and thought I was fishing down a branch of a tree as my lure kept veering right. On the third cast I thought a fish hit it as it stopped vibrating so I set the hook. It ended up being a piece of ~50 lb braid that someone had snagged a lure right at the bank in brush and the tail end was in brush 20' out. It was a beautiful little cut to cast into and I wasn't the first person to snag on the braid. I must have spent 5 minutes pulling line out of that snarl, braid and mono alike. For this specific case, running 10-15 lb braid for neds will mean that you straighten any hooks before you snap the braid. If you're running a 4-8 lb leader then you'll snap the hook knot first. For heavier braid I'll move the boat in to get a snag, but if its deeper than 5' or so then I wrap the line around a pair of pliers and start pulling. With 50lb braid you can straighten an EWG hook.