Got 3 new colors I haven't seen before in the Zoom Z Craw and Z Craw Jr. Obviously plan on fishing them as stand-alone on an EWG hook and as a jig trailer. But last year I really started using them on swim jigs rigged vertically. I'll be using these mostly with bluegill-colored swim jigs. 

 

Hot Tamales. It's an orange base with red that kind of bleeds into it.

 

 

Rocky Top. This is a Tennessee Volunteers orange color with really light orange flakes.

 

 

Pumpkin Spice. Kind of a brownish-orange color. The top side is darker with gold and black flakes. The underside is more orange with a little less flakes. 

 

14 hours ago, Jrob78 said:

Got the new 1520 HD in 6:1 today. I think I have a set of black cork knobs to go on it and I’m gonna spool it up with some 19 or 22 lb Defier Armilo and cast some small/med hardbaits. It pairs really well with the 7’8” Evergreen Combat Stick. 

Nice.  I like the looks of that combat stick more than the high dollar Insparare.  Is the weight reasonable?

Stuff from BPS. "Needed" to burn some gift cards.? Tatula Elite from Midway.

 

14 hours ago, Jrob78 said:

Got the new 1520 HD in

That reel platform is badazz! Looks like business too.

On 2/13/2023 at 7:40 PM, Jmurphy87 said:

I grabbed a few more things today, ideas in my head are always a bad thing for my pocketbook lol.

I recently got some of the new shallow running Hybrid Hunter Jrs. Comparing it to my regular Jrs. I was having a hard time figuring out the difference. Out of the box I figured the L lip on it would be shorter. Nope, exact same size. So then I weighed them. The Jr was BARELY lighter, so I thought maybe that's the difference? But then upon closer inspection I notice the line tie is a little lower on the shallow version. So that must be it. The rattle sound has a little difference pitch on the new shallow version as well. 

26 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Nice.  I like the looks of that combat stick more than the high dollar Insparare.  Is the weight reasonable?

I'm curious on the weight as well. I have the 7'1 med-heavy spinning model (Ben from The Hookup Tackle said it was more like a medium before I ordered it...but it's definitely closer to a MH). It weighs 4.71 oz. Heavier than I like for a spinning rod. And it feels pretty heavy in hand, too. 

28 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Nice.  I like the looks of that combat stick more than the high dollar Insparare.  Is the weight reasonable?

I will weigh it when I get home. It seems reasonable and balances really well with the heavier HD so it feels great.

2 minutes ago, Jrob78 said:

I will weigh it when I get home. It seems reasonable and balances really well with the heavier HD so it feels great.

Those are so beautiful looking rods, for sure. The fit and finish is top notch. 

Picked up the DRT/WCZ tiny klash joythief and a pack of citizens.

 

7 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

Picked up the DRT/WCZ tiny klash joythief and a pack of citizens.

 

Neato!   How does that bait fish?  Had to google it and saw it's a C-Note, seems I need one lol 

44 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Neato!   How does that bait fish?  Had to google it and saw it's a C-Note, seems I need one lol 

Lol, being semi-tough to get and reading reviews does increase the appeal! I've been fortunate to pick them up here and there when DRT does their drops on random Saturday nights on the hour. WCZ will give an email heads up when he's going to drop their collab version (just a custom color- joythief). 

 

A big part of the appeal is that it's highly customizable with different "modes" by changing up the tail or bill. Here's a good video if you decide to go down this rabbit hole. 

 

8 hours ago, KP Duty said:

Nice.  I like the looks of that combat stick more than the high dollar Insparare.  Is the weight reasonable?

Ok, the rod weighs 7oz and has a 14” handle, measured from butt to the bottom of the reel seat. The Zillion weighs 8oz and the combo balances an inch in front of the locking nut. Probably not terribly light but it feels great due to the good balance for a 7’8” swimbait rod. 
 

The rod is rated at 1/2-4oz and is definitely a hard bait rod. It’s mod fast with a fairly soft tip. It’s called the “Wakebait” rod and that seems perfect based on how it feels. Build quality and details are excellent, as you would expect. 

I decided to revisit big baits this year.  I am going to throw glide baits and A-Rigs on this monster. 

 

10 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

I recently got some of the new shallow running Hybrid Hunter Jrs. Comparing it to my regular Jrs. I was having a hard time figuring out the difference. Out of the box I figured the L lip on it would be shorter. Nope, exact same size. So then I weighed them. The Jr was BARELY lighter, so I thought maybe that's the difference? But then upon closer inspection I notice the line tie is a little lower on the shallow version. So that must be it. The rattle sound has a little difference pitch on the new shallow version as well. 

I'm curious on the weight as well. I have the 7'1 med-heavy spinning model (Ben from The Hookup Tackle said it was more like a medium before I ordered it...but it's definitely closer to a MH). It weighs 4.71 oz. Heavier than I like for a spinning rod. And it feels pretty heavy in hand, too. 

Yeah they are a little bit different than the regular jr for sure. Seems to work great for me in the river so far, caught my first fish of the year on it. Although it was a pike and I am convinced that they will try to eat anything and everything they see lol. Hopefully I can get some bass on it soon.

6 minutes ago, MN_Bassin24 said:

I had to order more tackle because I need free shipping, right? ?

But of course. ?

Never going to the Indy Boat, Sport and Travel Show again cause my wife introduced me to my new home.

 

 

 

I also picked up a few baits and a new landing net.

 

 

                                               

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

Never going to the Indy Boat, Sport and Travel Show again cause my wife introduced me to my new home.

 

 

 

I also picked up a few baits and a new landing net.

cool house, rods are awesome too.

On 2/25/2023 at 8:51 PM, king fisher said:

cool house, rods are awesome too.

Thanks. I took my wife jewelry shopping. The couch is softer than I remember but better than the dog house. I think if I empty the dishwasher a few more times, I'll be in the clear. ?

 

I took the Dobyn's out today. I left the NRX's at home. I know what to expect from them. The Dobyn's was awesome. It's listed as a Medium but it's pretty close to a MH. Overall, I am really impressed with it. The tip is soft but the rest is pretty stiff. I think this will be my new "best bang for the buck" rod. We will see. 

Made a promise to throw the spinnerbait more this year. Finally got the last Bass Pro giftcard FWC owed me for TrophyCatch and threw a handful of spinnerbaits in the cart. They sent me the wrong size Berkley, so they shipped out the correct one and let me keep the smaller one. Threw in a couple of the Halloween color Shadow Rap Shads since they were out of stock last couple of times I did a jerkbait order, and then also picked up some H2OX stickbaits in watermelon/red to try out. They're made by Big Bite Baits, which have a little different fall rate/action than I prefer so I don't anticipate them replacing my BPS Stik-Os, but still a solid offering.

 

Have a few things on the way from TW that should hopefully be here this week, too.

The Japanese monkey ensures my money never goes very far.....why do I have to have such an affinity for JDM stuff.    40 bones never looked so small lol.

Being a huge fan of Fluoro, my addiction has led me to buy ever more costly types.  This and Invisx are the most expensive to date.  The Invisx is most certainly worth the cost for spinning reels.   I was looking at Tatsu for $49 and Shooter for $38...not sure I'll ever be able to buy those.   That's ridiculous money for 165-200yds of line.  

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

The Japanese monkey ensures my money never goes very far.....why do I have to have such an affinity for JDM stuff.    40 bones never looked so small lol.

Being a huge fan of Fluoro, my addiction has led me to buy ever more costly types.  This and Invisx are the most expensive to date.  The Invisx is most certainly worth the cost for spinning reels.   I was looking at Tatsu for $49 and Shooter for $38...not sure I'll ever be able to buy those.   That's ridiculous money for 165-200yds of line.  

Try out Diawa Samurai Fluorocarbon. One thing I'll recommend is by the bigger spools (600 - 1000yrds). I use both Tatsu and Samurai.  Invisx is next in line.  I've tried a bunch too. but those three make the grade as far as I am concerned.  To conserve that pricey Fluoro fill you reel about 1/3 - 1/2 way with a cheap mono. I use Berkley 14#XL.  Then top it off with the Fluoro of your choice. You can double you re-spools or better.

Regards,

Fishingmickey

DM

 

19 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Try out Diawa Samurai Fluorocarbon. One thing I'll recommend is by the bigger spools (600 - 1000yrds). I use both Tatsu and Samurai.  Invisx is next in line.  I've tried a bunch too. but those three make the grade as far as I am concerned.  To conserve that pricey Fluoro fill you reel about 1/3 - 1/2 way with a cheap mono. I use Berkley 14#XL.  Then top it off with the Fluoro of your choice. You can double you re-spools or better.

Regards,

Fishingmickey

DM

 

You don't have to twist this Daiwa fanboy's arm, thanks ?

 

I'm working my way to owning mostly JDM versions of Daiwa reels, and this line was bought for a Zillion SV TW which holds 90m of 14lb and 80m of 16lb.   Hoping to get two good refills with 165yds.   

 

Won't ever make the mistake of buying a 165yd spool of 8lb InvisX and not put backing on a 3000 sized reel.....lol, now I got about 35-40yds of leader material. 

 

I'm not cheap as I believe in the buy once cry once model, but having only started back in late July of last year after a 10yr+ break, I had so many holes that needed to be filled from baits, to new reels, to TMs, and Sonar.    Hopefully one day I'm in a position to buy high end stuff in bulk.    

 

Really I'm betraying P-Line if I'm honest, for heavier applications, P-Line's Ultimate Fluorocarbon has been perfect in every single manner.    The only thing that got me looking at Shooter/Sniper/Tatsu was the line diameter per lb test.    The P Line is thick stuff, punches way above it's weight class but ties up more capacity, and I think reduces some distance on casts.    Again though it's like diamond rope lol.     

 

Used most of the Seaguar stuff sans Tatsu and AbrasX, and I like it all, however I don't trust it completely.   If I kink the Red Label, might as well cut it, and with the InvisX, the abrasion resistance is not fantastic.    That InvisX is just so supple and strong given it's not abraded.

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

The Japanese monkey ensures my money never goes very far.....why do I have to have such an affinity for JDM stuff.    40 bones never looked so small lol.

Being a huge fan of Fluoro, my addiction has led me to buy ever more costly types.  This and Invisx are the most expensive to date.  The Invisx is most certainly worth the cost for spinning reels.   I was looking at Tatsu for $49 and Shooter for $38...not sure I'll ever be able to buy those.   That's ridiculous money for 165-200yds of line.  

After using Abraszx flouro for many years, I recently bought some sunline super Fc sniper to put on my crankbait rod. I like the super fc sniper more than abraszx. 
By the way, awesome rerange 110. What color is it?

10 minutes ago, Southernbasser said:

After using Abraszx flouro for many years, I recently bought some sunline super Fc sniper to put on my crankbait rod. I like the super fc sniper more than abraszx. 
By the way, awesome rerange 110. What color is it?

Nice, thanks for the info!

 

I was torn between this one which is HL Hasu and the Blue Pearl Shad.   Couldn't remember which colors Matt Allen recommended and this one reminded me of GG Threadfin by MegaBass.  

Ebay got me the other night ??‍♂️ Top 2 rows are doubles of the same color, bottom row are singles. Average price of about $6.50 a bait so ??‍♂️

Sorry for the awful glare ridden picture but you get the idea. 

RTO 150's and 200's, SKT Mediums, Fat BDS 1's, 2's, 2.2's and 3's, KJ Flats and Hagane 60's. 

12 hours ago, Jrob78 said:

Ebay got me the other night ??‍♂️ Top 2 rows are doubles of the same color, bottom row are singles. Average price of about $6.50 a bait so ??‍♂️

Sorry for the awful glare ridden picture but you get the idea. 

RTO 150's and 200's, SKT Mediums, Fat BDS 1's, 2's, 2.2's and 3's, KJ Flats and Hagane 60's. 

I think I see a few bds1's.  Those are my jam, and I've been snagging them off the 'bay since they are $19 now @ TW.