@Motoboss I do not have that rod, but I do have a Kistler Helium MH/F.  The rod is excellent. I picked it up at their shop (which is very nice). I have no doubt you will be pleased! 

2 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

@Motoboss I do not have that rod, but I do have a Kistler Helium MH/F.  The rod is excellent. I picked it up at their shop (which is very nice). I have no doubt you will be pleased! 

Thanks for the input. I got bit again by the monkey and went ahead and got the Kistler Series 1 Reel left hand in the 8:1.
Can’t wait to give the outfit a go!

 

 

@Motoboss That appears to be a sweet reel especially at the blowout price.

On 5/5/2023 at 10:50 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Curado 150 MGL XG 8.1 review:   

 

Bought this reel because I desperately needed a 8 speed for buzzbait fishing.   First and foremost, this reel is dynamite for that task.  4 hours of buzzbaits, hundreds of casts, several quality fish caught, one giant lost.....I couldn't ask for more in a buzzbait reel.   The difference between a 6 and 8 speed for these baits over the course of an afternoon is worth every dollar for a dedicated reel.   

 

ERGOS:   5/5   This is a 150 sized reel hints the name, but wow does this reel have a fantastic profile in medium sized hands, and palms like a dream.   To me this 150 size is a Goldilocks sized reel as it will hold 90-100m of 14-16lb mono/fluoro which is what I'll be using.     

 

User friendly:   4.5/5  The reel is not like the Shimanos I bought in the past to include Calcuttas, Calcutta DC, Calais 100a, and several lower end models.   This is an extremely easy reel to pull out of the box and start fishing.   This reel is not over finicky on your spool tension setting, get close on the drop test, set the brakes to 4 and it's pretty hard to backlash this reel.    I took off half a star because the new Zillions ruined me.   That is my standard for this category.   

 

Castability:  5/5   When you combine how this reel performs in this category with the last category, you get so very much for your money at that $200 price point.   This reel will bomb cast with the best of them, and I didn't have it set up for maximum casting distance either.   It gave me everything I asked for with little effort and zero backlashing.   

 

Drag:  3.5/5   Typical drag on a higher end reel, but once you fish with those new Zillions and their clicking drag, everything sucks in this department.    Not Calais, Zillion, Steez smooth, but plenty smooth.  

 

Handle/Knobs:  5/5   I used this category because a $200 reel with a handle and knobs like this one deserves it.   Wow does this reel have the perfect handle and knobs for power fishing.   This reel comes with a better handle and knobs than the Zillion SV TW which is twice it's cost if you use the USDM model.   The size of both the handle and knobs really stand out on this reel when you keep in mind how small it fishes and feels in your hand.    Just a dynamite feature, and something I wouldn't expect from a reel at this price point.   

 

I can't rate durability but I'm hard on my reels in terms of fishing them year-round, 5/7 days a week, and they get a drop of oil here and there.   I'll know in a few months if it's a durable reel. 

 

Glad I brought Shimano back into my life, it's easy to get fanboyish on one brand, I just love Daiwa reels, but Shimano and Daiwa are really like two sides of the same coin, they both just make exceptional reels.     

 

Testbed was a Loomis special edition GLX MBR 6'6 MH Fast 

Line used was Sunline Super Natural 14lb green 

 

I’m very happy with curado K 200 that I bought last week.  I think it blows the tatula’s out of the water.  From now on I think I’m buying curado’s.  I do like 150 Slx dc and my regular slx too but, the curado is a better reel. 
 

im not looking at adding another reel this year but, never know.  This winter I may move my tatula 150 and 103 tw sv for curado’s 

6 hours ago, Mbirdsley said:

I’m very happy with curado K 200 that I bought last week.  I think it blows the tatula’s out of the water.  From now on I think I’m buying curado’s.  I do like 150 Slx dc and my regular slx too but, the curado is a better reel. 
 

im not looking at adding another reel this year but, never know.  This winter I may move my tatula 150 and 103 tw sv for curado’s 

I’m a HUGE Shimano fan and all my reels are Shimano, both casting and spinning. The Kistler will be the first “off brand” I have owned. I have fished with a Diawa spinning reel and did not like it at all.

Picked up the Lews Hack Attack HD casting reel from Academy. They are normally $149.99. They have them on sale for $69.99. It has aluminum frame, Winn grips, 10 bearing, dual braking, 20 lb. drag. It’s made in Korea not China. Spooled it with 12 lb. mono. I’m taking it out this evening for a test run.

Been wanting to try the new Tactical underspins to see if the lack of a top keeper will make Keitechs last longer than the Coolbaits underspins I've been using for years. Also needed some more senkos and they threw in a bag of chigger craws for free. 

I’ve been wanting to pick one of these up, there aren’t a lot on the shelves here.

5 hours ago, treble hook said:

I’ve been wanting to pick one of these up, there aren’t a lot on the shelves here.

Treat that bait like it’s made out of Elaztech.

8 hours ago, treble hook said:

I’ve been wanting to pick one of these up, there aren’t a lot on the shelves here.

 

I like this bait. But do yourself a favor and put some Mend-It or maybe super glue over the butt plug. They have a habit of popping out after a handful of catches. 

On 3/30/2023 at 4:30 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Slowly buying bigger and bigger swimbaits.   8" is now my biggest.   

 

 

 

You and me both brother.  I cast my 8" glide on an offshore hump sorta 'just for the heck of it' and it got CRUSHED.  Let's keep tossing em.

 

Got a vast assortment of swim jigs and skipping jigs and tungsten flipping weights on the way from Mike Siebert so you know the big girls are shaking in their boots right now ?

Restocked on some Booty Shakers. If you haven't tried these you really should. The plastic is so soft, yet somehow durable (its not elaztech). 

 

I'll fish them as stand-alone as well as swim jig trailers (3.25 and 4.0, depending on the size profile you want). The swim jig has a 4.0 on it with the head of the bait trimmed off. Last pic is the 5.0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

Restocked on some Booty Shakers.

That profile looks very similar to the Miyagi Swimmer, have you tried those? I like the idea of the smaller sizes on a swimjig

11 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

Restocked on some Booty Shakers. If you haven't tried these you really should. The plastic is so soft, yet somehow durable (its not elaztech). 

 

I'll fish them as stand-alone as well as swim jig trailers (3.25 and 4.0, depending on the size profile you want). The swim jig has a 4.0 on it with the head of the bait trimmed off. Last pic is the 5.0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those look absolutely amazing.  Love the bulk of the body and the tail.  Bet that thing THUMPS.

I bought another SLX MGL 70 this morning. 

11 hours ago, Dangerfield said:

That profile looks very similar to the Miyagi Swimmer, have you tried those? I like the idea of the smaller sizes on a swimjig

I have. Very similar. But the Miyagi only comes in 4.75". Where as the Booty Shaker comes in 4 or 5 different sizes. 

Uncle frank from BTL got me again.  Yum dinger In blue smoke.  SPine craw in GB haze. Lizard in dirt purple.  Lizard in watermelon pear laminate.  Norman DD 22 white black green.  I wish lure net had that color in a shallower crank
 

 

Thanks to the latest sale thread I picked up a TFO Tactical 7’3” ML. 49.99 with free shipping. Guess I need a new reel now. 

Went a little overboard. A whole box of Googan baits, and 13 bags of Zoom Baby Brush Hogs. 

 

Monkey got me for some buzzer stuff and a World Popper.  First two flashboost Shimano baits have been nothing less than stellar, wasn't crazy about the colors on any of these baits, but they just work.

 

The only way I'd have a dropshot bait in my haul is if they were free....which they were lol.    I'll try them on the flashback mini or something.  

6 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Monkey got me for some buzzer stuff and a World Popper.  First two flashboost Shimano baits have been nothing less than stellar, wasn't crazy about the colors on any of these baits, but they just work.

 

The only way I'd have a dropshot bait in my haul is if they were free....which they were lol.    I'll try them on the flashback mini or something.  

I keep wanting to get the World Minnow and popper. And to me, those Stanley Ribbit's are still the best toad-style baits out there.

 

Few things from TW.

 

The Magic Man in Regurgitated Shad has become one of my favorite lipless. Got a few more packs of different sizes/colors in the Machete Minnow. Great Chatterbait trailer. And decided to check out the Hayabusa Lil' Schmitty Swim Jig. The head on this thing is THIN. I'm a swim jig fanatic, so I'm always trying out different ones. Siebert's Shot Caller is still my go-to (which I did get a box in the mail today from Mike). 

 

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

I keep wanting to get the World Minnow and popper. And to me, those Stanley Ribbit's are still the best toad-style baits out there.

 

Few things from TW.

 

The Magic Man in Regurgitated Shad has become one of my favorite lipless. Got a few more packs of different sizes/colors in the Machete Minnow. Great Chatterbait trailer. And decided to check out the Hayabusa Lil' Schmitty Swim Jig. The head on this thing is THIN. I'm a swim jig fanatic, so I'm always trying out different ones. Siebert's Shot Caller is still my go-to (which I did get a box in the mail today from Mike). 

 

 

 

 

Great to hear on those stanleys....I stupidly buy what I think looks good and then rush home to look at the reviews on TW ?

 

I'm about done shopping local, I almost always have to compromise with what I go in looking for, whereas TW has everything I want 99% of the time, but I just hate the shipping times.   Other places have been great but don't offer everything I want like TW.   First world problems lol.

 

You always got that fire, I'm a survivor, you're a max thriver if we were Bass in a monkey pool ?

 

 

18 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

I keep wanting to get the World Minnow and popper. And to me, those Stanley Ribbit's are still the best toad-style baits out there.

 

Few things from TW.

 

The Magic Man in Regurgitated Shad has become one of my favorite lipless. Got a few more packs of different sizes/colors in the Machete Minnow. Great Chatterbait trailer. And decided to check out the Hayabusa Lil' Schmitty Swim Jig. The head on this thing is THIN. I'm a swim jig fanatic, so I'm always trying out different ones. Siebert's Shot Caller is still my go-to (which I did get a box in the mail today from Mike). 

 

 

 

 

That swim jig looks sweet

Bps pitstop out of boredom, a little gambler action, zman weedless heads looked intriguing. $20 doesn’t go as far as it used to.

On 5/13/2023 at 9:27 PM, NorthernBasser said:

I keep wanting to get the World Minnow and popper. And to me, those Stanley Ribbit's are still the best toad-style baits out there.

 

Few things from TW.

 

The Magic Man in Regurgitated Shad has become one of my favorite lipless. Got a few more packs of different sizes/colors in the Machete Minnow. Great Chatterbait trailer. And decided to check out the Hayabusa Lil' Schmitty Swim Jig. The head on this thing is THIN. I'm a swim jig fanatic, so I'm always trying out different ones. Siebert's Shot Caller is still my go-to (which I did get a box in the mail today from Mike). 

 

 

 

 

Im quite intrigued by the Hayabusa swim jig. Adding it to the wish list.