DEPS_250

Does anyone know if its possible to spiral wrap guides on a multi piece travel rod? I have never seen a multi piece travel rod with spiral wrap guides. Multi piece travel rods are usually built using standard guide positioning. With that said, I mainly see spiral wrap guides on one piece rods.

Anyone in here using Sunline Siglon PE AMZ x8 in the 50lb and/or 60lb? What do you like about it? What don't you like? Pros & Cons? My old reliable Sufix 832 decided to fail on me last week and I am now frantically searching for the next braid that will potentially be my new daily driver. I am thinking about pulling the trigger on a spool of Sunline Siglon PE AMZ x8 50lb green and I need some input/feedback. There aren't that many reviews for this line online. Tackle Warehouse only has like 2 reviews and Sunline's website only has a couple reviews. Most reviews for the line are really hit or miss and offer no real help. Therefore, I am hoping there are a few guys in here who have given this line some fair amount of time with real world testing and have given it a good run for it's money.

For some reason my drag feels a little skewed in an exponential path in drag pressure. The first 1/2 of turning the star drag feels like the drag isn't engaging and its like I'm just taking in spare/free star drag turns that are doing nothing. It isn't until half way where my star drag starts to grip and feel like its starting to engage and then its a exponential increase in drag pressure from there until I lock out the drag at full capacity and the star drag won't turn anymore. Will adding an extra 1 or 2 metal washer's somewhere in the drag train/chain make the drag pressure feel more linear/constant from start to finish?

Reviews for Berkley X9 are all over the place. Some are saying it's thicker than usual and is thicker than what they are used to using in the same LB test. Some are saying it's really thin and to go up a size. I'm all confused. Tackle Warehouse lists 65lb Berkley X9 at 0.35mm. Has anyone tested the diameter and therefore can confirm if the 65lb Berkley X9 braid is anywhere close to 0.35mm? I am OK with it being a little on the thick side. I am just hoping it will not be too thin.

Been wanting to try out FX2 for a while now. Does it absorb a lot of water? Does it stay pretty dry after a long day on the water?

In your experience, does the Xplasma Asegai absorb a lot of water? Does it stay pretty dry after a long day of use? A few weeks ago, I found out about Daiwa J Braid Expedition. It's a new braid that just came out last year. It has a special coating in order to not absorb water. Excellent water repellency is its main selling point because of the coating. Too bad it was only released for the Southeast Asian and Australian markets. Daiwa never released the J Braid Expedition to the US market. I don't think Daiwa is planning on releasing it to the US in the near future. I can only find it on Amazon and on Ebay from Australian retailers and it is SUPER EXPENSIVE! I might bite the bullet and grab a spool to try out. I think it might be the answer to all of my problems. Going to put Sunline Xplasma Asegai on the back burner for now.

I am thinking about upgrading the stock spool bearings on my Daiwa Tatula 300 to aftermarket performance spool bearings. The problem is, the Daiwa Tatula 300 comes with Daiwa's 'base/standard' Magforce braking system. Based on what I have read and researched, the standard Magforce braking system is basically 'ON' all the time and therefore is 'constantly' applying braking force throughout a cast's full length/arc/time. With this in mind, it got me thinking that upgrading the spool bearings would only be worth it if I had a Daiwa reel that came with a higher tier and/or higher tech braking system like Daiwa's Magforce Z. Since the Daiwa Tatula 300 comes with the standard Magforce, I am thinking upgrading the spool bearings might just be a lost cause and I might not even see any performance gains. Essentially, would the constant braking force from the standard Magforce braking system 'negate' any performance gains from aftermarket bearings? Even if there is a slight performance gain, I feel like it would be so minimal/minuscule that I would probably not even feel it. With that said, Has anyone in here ever experimented with aftermarket performance bearings on Daiwa's base/standard Magforce braking system? Did you see and/or feel any noticeable performance gains?

I am slowly finding out that the more aerodynamic a bait is and/or the less air resistance the bait has in the air... The more I feel like I can get away with using a shorter rod, while still achieving some good distance. The more I like to use a rod where the bait’s weight falls on the heavier end of the rod’s ‘sweet spot’ and therefore forces more bend in the back cast in order to achieve more distance. The more I like to use a rod that has a softer and more parabolic action overall and therefore forces more bend in the back cast in order to achieve more distance. I feel like when I have found the right rod for a specific bait, based on the variables above... The more I get a 'dialed in feeI' with the brakes in order to maximize distance, while minimizing backlashes. The more I get a 'dialed in feeI' with the spool tension in order to maximize distance, while minimizing backlashes. With that said, I feel like the bait’s aerodynamics and/or air resistance has a substantial affect on an angler’s rod choice and also on the ease and/or frustration of setting up reel brakes and the spool tension. I have found that when I have reached a good combination of all of the variables above, is when my gear feels 'dialed in' and like I have reached the perfect balance of achieving maximum distance while also minimizing backlashes. When I feel like my gear is dialed in, my casts feel a lot more accurate and a lot more efficient, therefore I make more casts and cover a lot more water and ultimately, I catch more fish. Seems like the less aerodynamic and/or the more air resistance the bait has in the air, the harder it is for me to find that perfect balance of achieving maximum distance while also minimizing backlashes. I was curious to know if anyone else in here also feels the same way about a baits aerodynamics and/or are constantly thinking about how much air resistance a bait has? Or, is it just me? Also, I don't know if it's pure coincidence and/or irony but some of my favorite/confidence baits that get bit the most, are also the baits that have the BEST aerodynamics and/or the least air resistance and that cast the best in all situations! Go figure! I am willing to bet that 100% of all anglers out there are also in the same boat!

I just wish Owner would make a ST-35 but with the Zo-Wire materials/construction for guys like me who need a beefier/stronger hook, while also needing a thin diameter and light weight in order to not have a major impact/effect on a bait's action. Or better yet, just make an EWG Short Shank version/variant of the STX-45 Zo-Wire for guys who prefer the compact EWG Short Shank profile/look. I don't know, maybe Owner can call it the STX-44 or STX-46?

The Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip 2X Short 1X Strong are totally out of the picture. Just did another google search and found a better picture on google images that finally shows that the hook eye is totally perpendicular to 1 of the points and therefore is not going to work for my intended purpose. On the other hand, The Gamakatsu EWG Short Shank Magic Eye trebles will work. Did a google search again and finally found an image that shows the Gamakatsu EWG Short Shank Magic Eye having 1 point inline with the hook eye. For anyone reading this post and trying to figure out how to tell if a treble hook has a point inline with the hook eye... Basically, there is only 2 ways for a hook manufacturer to weld/create a treble hook. They can either... Weld 2 opposing hooks at a set/designated angle/degree to a single hook that already has an inline hook eye. Or... Weld 1 hook to a Double hook that is similar in design/concept to a double frog hook, that has 2 points/hooks created from 1 piece of steel and that has a horizontal hook eye but with the 2 points set at a certain angle/degrees from 90 degrees perpendicular. If you get good at analyzing treble hook pictures/images online, you can clearly see the weld joints/seams and clearly see how the manufacturer welded and/or created the treble hook based on what I outlined above. Treble hooks that have a point inline with the hook eye, like Owners, tend to have a weld that looks really thick and you can kind of make out where they welded the 2 pieces of steel to the 1 hook. Therefore, if you get really good, you can kind of make out where the 2 pieces of steel meet and also where the top of both pieces of steel stop/shuts off and is therefore more parallel/inline with the hook eye. Treble hooks that do not have a point inline with the hook eye, like the Mustad KVDs, tend to have cleaner and thinner looking welds since they only need to weld 1 piece of steel. Therefore, if you get really good, you can kind of make out how the bend in the hook eye created the double frog hook design and where the 1 piece of steel gets welded in the middle of the frog hook and also where the top stops/shuts off and is therefore more perpendicular/pointing straight at the hook eye.

I love treble hooks that have 1 point inline with the hook eye. Makes the belly/front treble hook lay flat against the body of the bait and therefore forces 1 point in front of the bait and 1 point to either side of the bait on the left and right. I have never tried EWG short shank hooks before. I just ordered some Owner Short Shank ST-35's to try out and they are coming tomorrow. I know for a fact the Owner Short Shank ST-35's have 1 point inline with the hook eye. On the other hand, I also wanted to try out the Gamakatsu Short Shank Magic Eye and the Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip 2X Short 1X Strong. Does anyone know if these 2 treble hook models have 1 of the points inline with the eye of the hook? For some reason, a google images search came up with nothing and I could not find any info or image/photo showcasing whether these hooks have 1 of the points inline with the eye of the hook. All of the local tackle shops by me don't carry both of these hooks.

The thing with the Owner Zowire's that I can't get over is the SHAPE and DESIGN on the bend. The bend on the Owner Zowire's has that aggressive/acute upturned angle at the very bottom. That aggressive/acute upturned angle kind of looks COOL and makes the hook look more modern and 'techy/cyberpunk-ish'. Kind of similar to aggressive angles on a modern sports car. On the other hand, it also just looks weird and kind of 'off' for guys like me, who prefer a traditional round bend.

The hook in question that I am having problems with, is the BKK Spear 21 SS. I decided to grab some size 2's a few weeks ago to play around with. I am currently experimenting with the size 2 BKK Spear 21 SS on 3oz glide baits. My main setup for fishing 3oz glide baits... Megabass Orochi XX Leviathan _ 8' _ 20-40lb _ 2-8oz Daiwa Tatula 300 40LB Sufix 832 Mainline 20LB Fluoro Leader [6-10' long depending on depth I want to fish] 15-20LB Mono Leader [6-10' long depending on depth I want to fish] I set my drag about 2/3 to 3/4 full depending on which type of leader and the length of leader I am currently using. The problem is...I am having the hooks bend out on SNAGS! I haven't even caught a fish on these hooks yet! I don't even lock my drag to FULL when dislodging my baits from snags and I am still bending out hooks! With that said, they definitely feel a 1/2 to almost a FULL strength weaker compared to my Owner Stinger STX-36's. Owner STX 36's are considered a 1X strong hook by Owner's strength rating. I don't bend out the Owner STX 36's running this exact rod, reel and line setup. The only time I bend out Owner STX-36's, is when I am snagged and have to completely LOCK DOWN my drag to FULL. I believe the BKK Spear 21 SS are a 1X strong. Don't quote me though. I don't see any strength rating for the BKK Spear 21 SS anywhere online. Product descriptions with online retailers are no help, since they don't list or describe what the strength rating is either. Even BKK's own website does not list or say what the strength rating is. With that said, I don't believe the BKK Spear 21 SS hooks are a 1X hook after bending out the hooks so easily. I think they are just a stock/standard run-of-the-mill strength. I think they were only meant for upgrading small conventional bass baits like crank baits, topwaters and jerk baits. Also, I think an 8' 20-40lb rod and braid to leader setup is just OVERKILL for the BKK Spear 21 SS. I probably shouldn't be using this type of hook for an 8' 20-40lb rod, running braid to leader. I should probably down grade to a lighter power rod and no braid. On the other hand, this is the only rod I currently have available for fishing 3oz glide baits. I also prefer fishing braid to leader, since the braid is thinner and lets me pack more line onto my reel, therefore keeping my inches per turn fairly high after an above average length cast and therefore extending the strike zone and working time. The problem is... I LOVE the color of the BKK Spear 21 SS hooks! The matte gunmetal finish looks so STEALTHY! No other hook manufacturer makes a treble hook with this color. I also LOVE the shape of the hook. It has the perfect amount of shank length and bend/throat gap for cigar/torpedo shaped glide baits. One ADVANTAGE to the weak hook - I easily get my baits back from snags! That is a lot of money saved when you're fishing with $100+ swimbaits. With stronger hooks that don't bend out, I usually lose expensive swimbaits to snags. It's a lot cheaper to replace a hook, than it is to replace a $100+ swimbait. I am all confused. I don't know what to do. Haha LOL.

Yeah, I am seriously thinking about going with the Owner STX Zowire treble hooks. I have heard nothing but positive feedback and reviews on the Owner STX Zowire hooks. No negative reviews what so ever. With strength being its main selling point too. I have also heard that it's pretty thin and light weight for its size and strength. Therefore, not really affecting the action of more sensitive baits like glide baits. Do you find this to be true and/or correct?

Y Yeah, I can definitely see that the larger hook is a little thicker. It's not much though, I mean, we're probably talking about less than .50mm. On the other hand, I don't know how much more strength that would mean over the smaller hook though. In the end though, I guess it's always better to just go with a stronger hook series/model, if you're really needing the extra strength.