casts_by_fly

@FloridaFishinFool https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/YGK_G-Soul_SS112_Sinking_Braided_Line_Yellow_164yd/descpage-YGKGSSB.html Sinking braid in the US

I’d read that here also, maybe not a lifespan issue but inconsistent performance and breakages at times. In another thread, GSoul was mentioned as an option and I might spool one up with that for next spring.

The autopilot had a replaceable rubber/plastic piece under the nose and rear equivalent and I just drug it as needed. It’s plastic. It will scratch. if you really care (and you seem to) then put a kydex keel guard there and call it a day.

A for basically everything. D is fine for an underwrap on a double wrapped guide but that’s not a bass rod. I’ve used 2/0 on some really fine fly tips also.

The jdm stradic is my starting and ending point when I need a reel. 2500/3000 body size so I can interchange spools as needed.

I run hot so have never needed gloves while fishing or hunting for the most part. But one of our good friends has it and we are diving buddies. He always needs significantly more wetsuit underwater. He’ll have a full 3mm plus a 3mm vest when we have skin suits (zero insulation). What he’s found to work best in and out of the water is excessive core heat. Keep the blood as hot as possible before it hits the extremities. That includes a fleece cap down over the ears.

So days the weather and water lead me to believe that it’s going to be a good day. Those days I’ll be like papa Joe and rotate through a couple things until I get a feel for what they want. Then I’ll focus on that thing. If I’m on my home lake, at 4 am, in August or September that means a buzz bait until I make it 100 yards without a bite. Then a spinnerbait or bladed jig. Give it another 200 yards. If nothing then a rage bug or similar. By that point the sky is getting light and on those days the fish tuck into cover tighter or sink out a little deeper and I’ve already got a bottom bait in hand. Some days I don’t expect much. Those are the 85 degree bright bluebird skies when I’m getting into the water at 2 pm in July. Those days I’ll have some finesse stuff rigged but I’ll also experiment with new baits to see an action or just try something a little different. You never know what’s going to click and make it into the rotation. And then some days I just want to chase fish with live imaging. It’s addictive and fun some times and also at times super productive.

@DaubsNU1- if you go with a senko on a jig head, look up the bass union weedless Ned heads. They are my default Ned head and are sized great for a 4” senko. A 5 also works on them. A 3/16 should be right for a 4” senko in 12-14’.

if the water is reasonably clear, an 6-10' diving jerkbait that rides a foot or so above the piles.

No, 3/4 is my starting point for 20’+

@Wetwater at $300 for the rod only you have tons of choices. As a falcon guy that’s an amistad. I have the Cara series now and that’s what it is for. If you want to go a bit longer and heavier (and forsake 1/2oz plus plastic) then the big bait rod is a great punching rod. It is 1-4 oz and just under 8’. Mine is largely a big swimbait rod but for 1-1.5oz plus plastic it’s a great puncher.

DVT has posted about it here before and hopefully he’ll post again. His results echo what bulldog and others typed above. You’re not really going to see much unless you’ve already pulled all the other levers. And, in a lot of cases (I’m not sure on BPS PQ reels) the bearings used are actually pretty good so it takes an excellent bearing to be an actual upgrade. the better question is what are you trying to accomplish with it? Figure that out and you’ll know if you need to swap.

It depends on what you’re comparing it against. If you’re comparing against a hard, slick mono like maxima then the difference is going to be slight. If you’re comparing against well used 832 braid then you’ll see a big difference. Vs mono it will be more abrasion resistant generally considering you could be comparing against trilene XL, supernatural, or any manner of average to softer monos. Also consider that there is softer fluorocarbon that will be less abrasion resistant than the best mono. I’d say that seguar red label is softer/less abrasion resistant than big game. In light line, I’m like bulldog and use harder fluoro leader material since I’m throwing braid to leader. Sunline FC leader has been my choice in 6/8/10. The 10 has been in some thick stuff for me this year and I have yet to have a fish break it off.

Yes, but the batteries will not discharge evenly. That’s like putting a D battery in parallel with a AA. The smaller battery will run down voltage faster and pull voltage from the larger. It’s not ideal so don’t plan to do it forever.

Based on what you said above, something rated up to 1.5-2 oz is going to be right then. An ounce weight plus plastic will get you to 1 3/8 or so. Braid vs fluoro vs mono is personal choice. I used to use 50 lb braid and swapped to 20 lb big game. I like big game better. I have fluoro on two other rods that do lighter cover pitching and I'd be just fine with fluoro on the punching rod if that's your preference. If $200 is the rod only budget, I would have recommended the Expert Amistad. I had one and used it for exactly this. It's a great rod for that. But they just raised the prices and are now $220 I think. Plus limited stock. If you can find an old stock expert amistad for the original $199 then grab it. It fits that just right power/size for light punching.

@PhishLI- uugggghhhh. Filamentous. Worst thing in the world. In the lakes that have it I'd love to drop about 6" of gravel across the entire lakebed.

how heavy of cover are you throwing into? I do what I'd call 'light punching' around here. Thicker pads with milfoil inside, full milfoil beds, etc. Certainly nothing like what the delta or florida guys do. I'll throw up to an ounce plus a small bait. Are you going to be sitting or standing in the kayak?

Look at the lighter st croix steelhead blanks. I have a 9’ 1/8-3/8 that I fished for years down in the basement that is what you want.

I let the cover dictate the specific bait. If it is all rock bank I’m probably throwing a crankbait to cover water. Heavy weeds will have a swim jig or weedless paddle tail. If the fish are looking up it’s a top water. with the water at 78-79 they are only just starting to think about moving. I bet they are still holed up in their summer cover. So pitching a Texas rig to boat docks and grass would be where I’m at. up here we are at 70 degrees give or take and the fish are starting to roam a little.

@LokiDawg- if you don’t already have the reel, I wouldn’t use a 300 size for ‘normal’ bass crankbaits. A 100-150 sized reel will have more than enough capacity and will perform far better on a ~1/2 oz crankbait. Using Rapala lingo, you’re talking about something for a DT6 up to a DT16 give or take. Those will run 3/8-3/4 which is a pretty common range for mid depth crankbaits. That is also a pretty common rating for lots of crankbait rods. You don’t specify a length you’re looking for. For me, 7-7’3” is my preference for that size crankbait. I throw the Hudson special from falcon (expert line) but at the $100 price point they have the Bucoo in the deep runner with the same specs. I also use the 7’ trapcaster in the bucoo range for the DT6/10 sized crankbaits though a 16 would be a bit big for it (fine in a pinch, but I wouldn’t chose it).

To throw what crankbaits? A DT20 and a spro little john need different rods.

@12poundbass I typically target putting it down when my soil temp hits 45. That’s too early for crabgrass germination, but other weeds germinate almost at that temp. And at that temperature the preemergent doesn’t degrade as fast so you don’t really lose barrier over time the same.

@detroit1- not exactly hover, but have enough lift from the blade to counteract the sink of the body. Aka, as slow as possible with as much thump as possible. @Banned User And just for @gim since I know he likes them, I’m pretty sure this is a titanium model terminator (with the dark grey/black wire). I have another downstairs but it is the steel wire.

Thanks, that’s helpful. I think I will leave 832 on my bigger rod for neko purposes and throwing it into cover (primarily) but I might have to swap my other rod to Gsoul that I primarily use for shaking a minnow. Might just want to grab another spool.

@Munkin- Very cool! These will predate that by at least 10 years though, maybe a couple more even. I also have some hart shakers downstairs. Same body/head/wire but they have a 3-blade setup with a sickle/hatchet type blade.