raydomz

I see (mostly) teenagers with GoPros strapped to themselves while fishing around here. I don’t get the draw, but I also didn’t have the career of “content creator” to consider in highschool.

When I was shopping for a new spinning reel for my Ned rig rod, I first turned to Daiwa. I’ll be honest and say that I prefer them if money was no issue. I put a tatula on the rod, loved it - but did I want to shell out another $150+ just to keep things the same? No. So I turned to my fuego, surely I could convince myself to fork out for a fuego once I was reminded of the quality, right? There’s a comfort level there, so I liked it of course, but I have other mouths to feed. Time to dig a little deeper. An online acquaintance suggested checking out Okuma. I was completely unfamiliar with them at the time but Dick’s had a similar price going on those reels and I decided to pull the trigger - if nothing else I could just return it… After rainy days, falling in the lake/river, falling in the mud, being generally mishandled by two young kids and myself - I can say these reels are right on par with something like a fuego. I now use one on my more expensive setup and don’t plan to shell out any big money on a spinning reel again. In my experience, what you’re paying for are very nuanced changes in feel and a name/style. If you’re someone that likes to stress over the small stuff in your setup, then you may be disappointed. If you are someone that just needs a consistent rig, these can’t be beat. The quality, feel, assembly, maintenance schedule are all in line with a mid level Daiwa. If you need that specific Daiwa click drag noise (some do care) then that’s about all you’ll miss. Doesn’t hurt that they also look cool 😎.

Long time Daiwa fan here, I use the fuego and it’s held of great for me with routine maintenance along the way. I would suggest something cheaper entirely - the Okuma Steatus 7. The spools run small so get the 30 size. https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/okuma-stratus-vii-spinning-reel-23okuustrtsv10spnree/23okuustrtsv10spnree Having run the gamut of budget to expensive reels, this one wins the contest for durability and feel. You’ll think you’ve got a $150 fee in your hands. I now have these on 3 of 5 spinning setups.

These look great. I fish a lot of small rivers for smallmouth and would put these in the rotation. What colors have you made?

Absolutely! Mend-it has been a great addition to the tackle box and I’ll continue to use it.

If the new Tatula are anything like my previous years models they’ll be great. Nothing negative to say about them, they’re light, responsive, and have the quality to make you forget about blowing money on something 2x or 3x more expensive. +1 on the MH/R suggestion. My favorite rod is a Zillion I got second (or third) hand locally and it’s that spec. I use it for everything but especially love it for bladed and regular jigs.

+1 for supernatural. I’ve been putting mono to the test and am loving it so far. Aside from braid to leader on spinning gear, mono is on all of my casting gear. I was warned that it would get unruly but have yet to encounter it.

We’ve had a relatively slow transition into spring this year so I’ve had a similar experience. Fortunately it only seems to last two trips max. So let me ask you this - do you stick to your guns and throw what you know? Or do you switch things up in a dramatic way?

@Munkin How do I buy one? 😜

Wow, I admire the dedication to such detailed logs @Jig Man and @DaubsNU1. Have you all audited these to understand trends? To the OP - I keep a small 3x5 notebook and a pen with me. I often have two kids in tow so I need it to be easy to access. I log the date, rough temp, where we are, species, length, weight, and lure.

You can’t beat the excitement of a kid fishing!

I like where your head is at @WRB.

Personally, I think it’s a combination of warming and rising flow that get them on the move to their favorite spawning holes. Now here, when that current settles back down is when they’re biting most. They’ve had a chance to roam, they find a hole, and they lock down. I have not read any research specific to bass river movements so what I’m saying may go against that, but having spent a considerable amount of time on the same creek/river system, this is what I see. One big difference in our scenarios is that you’re saying the creeks dump into bigger rivers. Mine don’t, or at least where I’m fishing them they don’t. I wonder if the water you fish really only serves a temporary purpose to them. The bigger water may be what they prefer the rest of the year. ps - things are warmer up here! Smallies are starting to chase. This one was caught on a jig/craw combo.

This humor is why I love this site lol.

You got my point exactly. I think we are all better off to find what we think works best for us. For me, mono has taken the cake. It’s interesting to hear where everyone else is at as well. Does this work with other lines? I have not heard this mentioned before.

Ok, I may have said some things that will get people riled up, but hear me out… A lot of this is relative. So much effort is put into trying to argue one thing vs another, but the reality for me and my fishing is that it hasn’t mattered. In a world where everything only climbs in price, it’s nice to try something that normally doesn’t get the time of day and be surprised that it’s performance is only marginally different than the “better” options.

Let me start by saying that I realize I am late to the game... But wow, where has mono been all my fishing life? Like most, I fished a little bit when I was a kid with unmemorable gear and mostly a hook, worm, and bobber. I imagine at that time that my dad, or grandpa, or whoever was there with me didn't think to question the line, or the reel, or anything but the weather for that matter. It was all about the fun we were having. Fast forward to my older self (I was born in '87 for reference) wanting to get into fishing and later wanting to expose my kids to another activity they could enjoy outside - we're now in the age of information abundance, marketing patterns have been well established, and gear has (I imagine) come a long way. I've spent far longer than is necessary thinking about all the nuances of my setup, but more specifically, my line choice. I've tried various braids, numerous iterations of fluorocarbon, but the lone holdout for me had been mono... Which leads me to say, I love monofilament! (And d**n could I have saved a lot of money over the years.) Over the winter (I fish through the winter) I switched all of my casting rigs to Sunline Supernatural and I will never go back. In my search for the "best line" it was rare, almost nonexistent, for anyone to mention mono. It's like the older child that was great as a kid, grew up, succeeded, continues to live a happy and fulfilling life, but doesn't come with the drama of the younger ones, and thus, get's less attention. Is it the price? Maybe. I think a lot of fishing equipment is sold simply because of the perception that more cost = more better, but maybe that's not it. My experience with it has been nothing but stellar. It casts easier than braid, pulls them in like no other, costs less. It’s the best. How many of you have had great experiences with mono, or use it exclusively? Long live mono!

Forgot to include this in my last post. Although it’s cold, you can find ‘em!

Following this thread… My experience and waters sound very similar to yours so I’ll share what I’ve learned. I target smallmouth and pike in my creeks/river/“lake”. In the late winter (now), I find that jigs, neds, and especially free-rigs will pull the bass that are present out from their hiding spots. There are not many, but those I find tend to be larger. A slow, methodical breakdown of all cover works for me. I find large pike respond to larger plastics free rigged (creates a slow fall I can then control), smallmouth seem to prefer a stick/ned dragged slowly along the bottom. I avoid most all of the open areas of the creek - I only move to cover I can repeatedly hit. It isn’t until around the end of March and into April that I start to see the smaller ones roaming. Then it’s game on. They bite anything, and it lasts until about November. During the hotter parts of the year where the water drops and clears up I go all-in on tiny under-spins and jerk baits. There are fish out in the lake that my creeks dump into right now, but getting them to bite is a crapshoot this time of year. 2 days ago I felt the urge to get out and enjoy the weather and had to resign to the fact that it turned out to just be a nice day on the water with my kids, not a mega fish catching day. All that said, pick up some Berkeley Gilly’s, some hula sticks, and find the cover. There are a lot of snag-free rigging options, pick what you feel most confident in and go hunting.

I find the 20lb to be the perfect balance. Not too heavy - doesn’t make a dramatic change to the action of my jerks.

An anchor is a game changer! And far more manageable than they may seem. You’ll probably find no need for a better spool.

I run into similar issues on the rivers I fish this time of year - lots of weeds but even more large leaves that have sunken and covered the bottom. I find a free rig works wonders, especially with a proper floating elaztec ned worm. Use as heavy a weight as you need and let the buoyancy of the worm do the work.

@Swamp GirlI would prefer less people considered canoes lol. I’m either wading, canoeing, or kayaking, and for all the reasons you mentioned. Most people that see my kids and I have a kind of “oh, that’s novel!” look on their face and I hope that’s as far as the curiosity goes so it stays just us out there.

Excellent quality, price is always nice, and not once have I pulled up a fish on a Duo 110sp and thought “I wish I’d spent the extra on a vision 110 instead.” My favorites are the 130.