WRB-2.0

The Kietec jig isn’t new as I bought some when I still had my boat 4 years ago. Spinning tackle works good but remember the high IPT spinning reels have and slow way down and use FC line under .009D. Tom

JDM tackle is made for the Japanese Domestic Market if anything higher quality products then USA market. The price is lower do to the difference in USD vs JY and it changes nearly daily. Some JDM site offer free shipping others don’t and payment method can also impact shipped prices, check that before buying. Today the SLX 70A is about $119 shipped. Tom

Shimano. SLX 70 A has the MGL spool. Look at JDM sites for bargain priced. Tom

I am with DVT impossible to determine unless you are familiar with the rod. Example I had a MH Major Craft 7’ spinning rod that would a Medium from most companies. Tom.

Always, Zoom spinnerbait trailer or 4” ribbon tail grub using tandem bladed spinner baits. Pork trailers on Twin spins and single Colorado blades. Tom

It looks lake closures are spreading faster then Golden mussels. The problem is each county tends to have a different protocol and don’t share or honor other county lakes system. This makes tournament lake choices very difficult. We have lived with this since 2008 with Quagga mussels in SoCal boat locked onto 1 or 2 lakes PIA! Tom

I looked at the Zodias and handle printed in white “Made in China” jumped out. The Victory casting rods are lighter weight and well made except the reel seat design has a thin pad covering the bottom rod blank. Have no idea why? Tom

Can’t help answering questions regarding kayaks, never fished from one. Jerk baits I always stand fishing them using a 6’8” MF bait casting rod. Started with a Heddon Corbra, Smithwick Rogue and changed to LC original SP Pointer Pro Blue since the 90’s. Now that I am a back seater discovered Megabass X-Nanahan +1 Pearl can be worked setting. The Nanahan has a small flat belly that helps the lure side to side action without ripping/jerking it sharply. Pricey but worth the $. Tom

All we can do is hope Sunline brings Defier Armilo back. Tom

I understand validating bass caught by kayak tournament anglers use length on a calibrated board being the rule. Length without girth eliminates to true weight of bass being caught. The length board could add a width measurement to be more an accurate system. Use the same board to measure the bass width. Eg; 21” long bass + 7” = 28 and a 21” + 7.75”=28.75” 28.75 bigger bass. Tom

I am not as skilled fishing heavy over as those members who fish vegetation every outing. I did learn to bass fishing using a Hawaiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon fishing massive weed beds with some open pockets. Also had a Bill Plumber weedless frog to fish weed beds. Clear Lake and the Delta have large areas with heavy cover using weedless jigs, so yes I know how to fish cover. The morality of finesse fishing is in deep rocky sparse cover local lakes where spinning tackle with 5# Maxima UG copoly line works good for decades, strong small dia line. Don Iovino turned me onto 5 # UG in the 80’s. Tom PS remember Pearl Harbor and fly your🇺🇸

Sounds like a level wind worm gear pawl issue. Replace the gear and pawl. Tom

Filler spool is too close to the reel. Run the line through all the rod guides this will resolve the problem. Now that the line is on unevenly walk off the line and respool by running the line between a folded wet towel for tension with the line through all the rod guides. Tom

Long LMB without girth are either old male or unhealthy. Fat LMB are healthy and females and numbers of long fat LMB have been my goal to catch for decades. Tom

I broke 1 bass fishing in my life time. The rod was a 70’s B.A.S.S.signature Pistol grip graphite casting. I was trying to keep a big bass out of tulies (cattails reeds) and the rod green stick broke in 3 places. Early graphite rods were too brittle.. Tom

Advanced materials technology and sonar was adopted by fishing industry not created by it. Nothing in bass fishing that I can think was originated vs by anglers with the exception of lures specific to catch bass. We borrowed the science and made it work for us. We still don’t have a clue what bass are thinking looking at lures and all the colors we think they can see. I have spent a lifetime catching bass. Writing what I believed at time and had both success and failures and at the end of the day it’s still trail and error Tom

$6 million and the banana is fresh and needs to changed every other day😎 Didn’t intend to change the subject but only fly fishing is a art form, bass anglers are more house painters. Tom

If a banana duct taped to paper is called art then everything is art. Fishing is an outdoor activity that isn’t science or art imo. Tom

Sanshouo makes a good “toad” lure fished weed mats with some open holes to drop into. Tom

Before we knew what a jerk bait was it was called a Rogue suspending rip bait. The more radical jerk jerk jerk and pause came after reeling, ripping and pause. Sometimes just reeling and pause works good, the rod just needs to be able to cast the lure. Tom

You are way down the rabbit hole. No bait casting reel is backlash proof that has a free spinning spool. Braking is an effort to control the free spinning spool so it doesn’t spin faster then line coming off during the lure flight. More spool braking or friction the slower the spool spin reducing casting distance. I am so old when I started using casting reels they didn’t have any brakes! We had to use thumb to apply braking and that is still the best system. Starting the reel spool to spin let’s say 0 to 100 in 1/8 second is harder to control then a start up speed 0 to 1/2 second. This is where the rod comes into play. Faster action rod starts the spool spinning faster so let’s call the 1/8 second a XF rod, 1/4 second F and 1/2 second Mod. Rod power is the lure weight rating that rod was designed to cast. This is very misleading because every lure has different aerodynamics and slows in flight at a different rate of speed. Fast spinning spool with the lure slowing creates the line to over run (backlash) the spool. It’s inflight lure speed where braking becomes tricky. The old method was feel from use developing casting skill. Mechanical braking can’t duplicate an educated thumb. So here we are trying to decide who’s braking system out performs the other. The answer is…..practice and confidence. Both Shimano and Daiwa offer light weight long casting reels. Daiwa’s SV braking is very good in mid flight spool control but you can’t buy practice and skill. Tom

7’3” Marshal with 5/16-1 oz lure rating. Either rod. Tom

Recommended the Victory rod a few days ago! Customer service and not made in China. Tom

No longer have the boat. Google “Clamp-on Rudder for Small Boats and Square back Canoes.” I made mine using a old Lowrance Fish Lo Ktor transducer bracket clamp on pole Tom

No it’s time you enjoy what time you have with your Dad. Tom