wolfe_ohara

was given a gift card for christmas/birthday so i grabbed a couple "new" baits and one pretty colourway of an old bait. also the new reel covers fit 300/400 sized reels, so i grabbed a few of them.

I love the 2 you have already. i would also get a couple huddleston 68 specials (rof 12), 6" bull gill and a couple s-wavers in 168 and 200 size.

the reel looks feature rich, comfortable and it is priced nicely for an entry swimbait reel. I do not think I would spend $150ish on it. composite frames are not my jam for heavy resistance lures like crank downs and big swimbaits. I would purchase a, used, metal frame reel that will be better suited to handle the stress I know my big wakes and lipped swimbaits will put it through.

I would start with the diameter on gamma #12 and see if that gets you near where you want to be.

i am not going to throw this, but the price is not the sticking point for me. It just looks "unfun" to throw, and I enjoy throwing big baits.

float strips will not make it sink, they are buoyant. lead strips/wire is the tool to increase sink rate

according to Mr. Bucca they are not available for individual purchase. they are made "in house" for those baits.

I wanted to know too, so I shot Mr. Bucca an email. He is usually quite good about responding in a day or two, and I will let you know what he says.

i am a fan of owner st-36 in sizes 2-2/0 depending on the swimbait. generally my gill imitations get larger hooks than my shad bodied baits.

Dark mode is such a blessing, thank you! While it will take me some time to learn the ins and outs of the new format, it sounds like a ton of positive changes. thank you

if you mean the rochester mn location, can confirm there is some great fishing in that area

If my hooks are dull i sharpen or replace them. I have a few old dexter-russel diamond hones from my 20+ years as a fine dining chef and they work quite nicely.

i have caught fish on bps "s-wavers" and i have caught fish on the r2s version. I wind up spending about as much on the bps version as i do on the r2s version once you look at changing out the shoddy stock hooks and split rings, then 1 out of 3 bps baits needs to be weight adjusted to get the fall right and 1 out of 5 needs hinge work. The River 2 Sea version i change nothing, and fish them straight out of the package. Perhaps 1 out of 10 needs some adjusting, and usually that is a slightly warped tail. To me, knowing i can just open the pack and fish is worth the slightly higher cost.

i'm in my late 40s and fortunate enough to have family who still enjoy getting each other gifts for christmas and birthdays. Several years ago I started a wish list at tackle warehouse and made sure to include everything from hook bonnets ($2) to high end rods/reels ($400). Everything on the list is an item i would be ok with owning. This has allowed me to be genuinely surprised when opening gifts, and i don't have to pretend to like anything.

i use the sdj knot for everything as well

you mean like a vinaigrette dressing? <teasing>

this well loved 6" bull gill wake arrived today. Can't wait for spring.

thank you. please tell your rescues i say "pspspsp" and i love them.

it comes in at 7'3" which is a little longer than you asked for, but the irod 731s is moderate fast and i would consider it to be a medium light rod in power. i have zero complaints about mine

varivas one day sale

as someone who was working tackle/gear sales when they released, i heard the same complaints in shop.

grabbed some weedless rof 12 huddleston 68s, 4 new rats and 1 used rat recently. the spro rat has been a staple for me. combat rats are, interesting. we will see how they hold up to big pike and musky in '26

i use 2 methods, mend-it and a ceramic hot knife. i use a knock off of the focus sabre hot knife to patch "deep slashes" or if i need to rebuild an area. The mend-it is my go to for pike slashes, general line tie/knot area abuse from rocks/stumps and basic hook holes on my creeps and hudds. The chemical bonding of mend-it is pretty awesome. if i need to repair a nose from the cps-monster hook then i can either use the sabre to melt it closed or i can poke mend-it in there with a flattened toothpick.

i miss my td sols. i would fish the heck out of it

806 over the 795 if you want to throw any soft baits in the 2oz+ range, at least for me. treble hooks, no problems, but the 795 was a little soft for monster hooked baits on long casts i love my irod(s) for swimbait fishing. the 764 sniper has been in my hand a lot this season. i find it loads nicely through 5oz, which is where my baits top out right now. braid to leader friendly guides I've also been using the dobyns mbr836 (bull shad rod) a lot. i found mine on a prime deal for around $150. loads nicely, faster tip than the irod for my soft baits but still moderate enough that I'm comfortable throwing tactical wakes or my line-thru gills, large guides for those who run braid to leader. my 5oz lures are right in the sweet spot for this rod, so i have faith that i could go up to 7oz without issue.