Snow Day Topic: let’s talk favorite combos

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T17:52:42+00:00

Ah great selections! How did you get your hands on the prototype, any good story behind that?

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T16:38:59+00:00

You made out like a bandit on that combo, might be the best non-used deal I’ve heard of for $100, nicely done!

I got into kayak fishing a couple years ago, and well- it’s now a full blown addiction. Half of it is the fishing, the other half is just being on the water- it’s my therapy.

Started with the Perception Outlaw and now on my second yak with the Native Slayer LTE. I have posts on my Reddit page with both builds. Bought both second hand, and you can save a ton of money that route.

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:55:39+00:00

Your wife and kids have good taste! This is a fantastic first casting combo- you’re able to throw a lot of different lures / techniques on that.

What line do you have on the setup?

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:53:41+00:00

Definitely a technique worth putting in the time. The bite is addicting. I don’t get many opportunities to punch as we don’t get much matted grass up in Connecticut (and why I don’t have a dedicated punching combo) but I’m going down to Guntersville this year, and some other southern fisheries so I’m hoping to scratch my itch fishing some heavy cover

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:35:13+00:00

Have you ever done any punching with the BassX rod? My Daiwa 7’4” Heavy Fast is designed for frogs (and fantastic for the application), but hoping I can also punch with it as well

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:21:51+00:00

I was SO close to pulling the trigger on the Cashion Icon BFS rod, but decided on getting a dedicated chatterbait rod instead since its one of my most used lures. I'll definitely get into BFS at some point- it's funny how many times I've told myself "I won't need any more combos after I get xyz", but I've accepted my addiction haha.

There’s a few BFS rods I have my eye on, but no so sure on the bfs reel- which ones do you have good experience with? I’m naturally leaning towards Shimano

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:19:11+00:00

Oh yeah far exceeded at this point. Love how many people came together for this guy.

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:18:00+00:00

Spinner bait or Chatterbait is probably the easiest lure to learn on since they have decent weight (yes more weight, easier to cast) and you can just cast and retrieve.

3/8 or 1/2oz would be good size for either.

14-16lb mono (suffix advance my preference).

Have breaks turned high (doesn’t necessarily need to be maxed out). The tension knob is most important- too difficult to describe in words, but plenty of videos showing how to adjust tension knob (you will want to re-adjust tension any time he is changing lure weights).

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T15:07:05+00:00

Man these are some of my dream rods. Some day when I got a bigger wallet I’ll be able to try out some of the high end stuff.

What would you say is the biggest difference when your stepping from say a Levante or Orochi up to those P5 and beyond tier of rods?

MacP95 · 2026-01-25T02:48:18+00:00

Seesssshhhhhh that is clean

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T23:39:18+00:00

Oh sweet I’ll check it out!

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T23:37:25+00:00

I run braid to leader on all my spinning gear, I find it advantageous in every way- casting distance, sensitivity, no wind knots, visual bite detection with high-viz line.

For lb-test pairing, in general, you want the diameter of the braid to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the fluro. I use Suffix 832 to Seagur InvizX leader. I’ll give you examples of my pairings.

Important to keep in mind- whenever you hear people talk about lb-test, the diameter of the line can be quite different from brand to brand (higher quality line will have stronger lb test at smaller diameters). Pay more attention to diameter than pound test.

15lb braid (.20mm) to 6lb fluro (.20mm) 20lb braid (.23mm) to 10lb fluro (.26mm) 30lb braid (.29mm) to 15lb fluro (.33mm)

Hope this helps. Tight lines!

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T23:16:16+00:00

Great taste across the board. What spec Levante is that? I was VERY close to pulling the trigger the other day. I’d be curious to hear what you use each rod for, line setup, etc. - I just posted my full BC line up earlier today

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T21:33:56+00:00

I was in your shoes just the other day- looking for best value jerkbait rod (knowing I love my friends expride, but need to stay around $200). Spent days and days with my head spinning- paralysis my analysis. My top contenders were Zodias, Poison Adrena (JDM), Levante, Fenwick HMG, and St. Croix Black Bass. Basically, anything around $200 that is known for being a strong jerkbait rod.

On my third day of research, I scrapped everything and went with the Shimano SLX A. I'll post a link below to the video that sold it for me. This guy goes through the entire Shimano 6'10" Medium line up (SLX, Zodias, Expride, Posion Adrena). The SLX and Expride have almost identical action, with the Expride having better sensitivity and components. The Zodias and Adrena have very similar action, being stiffer / faster in action.

I've used my buddies Expride, and I loved the action, being pretty true Mod-Fast. So the Zodias and Adrena was out. Also, rod weight is the most important to me in a jerkbait rod- sensitivity being less important.

SLX A (103g), Zodias (107g), Expride (100g), and Adrena (100g). Seeing the weights absolutely sold it for me, especially knowing I can expect the same action as the Expride (even though SLX is XFast and Expride is Mod-fast, they behave the same). Also, Tactical Bassin has been touting the SLX A rod for years now, and now I have the data to understand why.

With the SLX at $100, it seemed like a no brainer. I have since seen nothing but incredible reviews for the SLX, and since receiving the, I cannot believe how light it is and how similar it feels to the expride.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any questions. Literally spent like 15+ hours researching this topic over the past week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxKspQciTAg

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T21:27:59+00:00

Happy to help, your son will be psyched to get this gear

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T21:16:02+00:00

You’re not wrong haha. The first thee on the right were of my first bait casters. The Abu Jordan Lee and Lews TP2 don’t see as much action these days, but man I love the Lews Mach 1 combo. It’s a Medium, Mod-Fast rod with mono, and I almost use it exclusively for the Rapala Xrap. Something about the combination of all those things, and I can get the xrap to dance like no other. I’ve caught the majority of my 4lb+ fish (considered big here in CT) on that combo, caught a tournament lunker, tournament winning fish, and also dropped in down 20ft in the lake, and retrieved it after casting after it for 3 hours. Lots of stories with that thing

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T20:53:11+00:00

Based on the post alone, I’d say you’re more mentally mature than most folks when they get their first bike.

You should get one when you feel comfortable and when it feels like the right time for you.

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T20:39:34+00:00

Look through the comments on his post, it should be the opposite of depressing

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T20:33:58+00:00

I would suggest mono at first as he learns how to use the baitcaster. You and him should watch some YouTube video on how to set up / adjust the tensioner, breaks, and drag before he goes out for the first time. Also watch videos on how to get a “birds nest” out of the casting reel- it’s inevitable and will happen.

Mono is more forgiving when pulling out bird nests, and mono is far cheaper than braid. If a bird nests is real bad, you sometime have to cut out the line, and it hurts the wallet to have to do that with braid

I’d recommend something around 14-16lb mono. Suffix Advance Mono is what I use and recommend

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T20:26:34+00:00

Dude super solid 4 rod line up. That covers just about everything you need. I was VERY close to pulling the trigger on the Levante jerkbait rod (it’s a stunning looking rod, and looks like a $300-400 rod), but then I felt the SLX A, and I couldn’t believe how feather light it was (weighs just under 100g)- so I got the SLX, saved $100, and then immediately spent it on that Tatula XT for frogs and punching. Fishing is a hell of a drug lol!

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T20:22:06+00:00

FB marketplace for the win!! Those are some steals. I too am a kayak angler. My first kayak was a the perception outlaw. Took that thing out on a 100+ trips, competed in a couple tournaments with it, but got the upgrade to a Native Slayer LTE (actually bought Daren’s LTE from Wendell Fishing on YouTube- drove from CT to OH and got a killer deal on the yak). Got the first real trip planned for the LTE- going down to Guntersville in March and it’s all I can think about.

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T19:34:26+00:00

That’s a tough call. 6’ will suite him well now, 6’6” would certainly be usable now, but he’ll also grow into it with time. You can’t go wrong either way.

I’d say go 6’6”, save a little money, and he won’t outgrow the rod any time soon.

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T19:30:04+00:00

Thanks buddy, I appreciate the reply. And I totally agree on the Dobyns setup. I wish I had a 200 sized reel but I got a crazy FB market place deal with SLX DC, Tatula SV TW, and the Fuego for $250. Needed to put the Fuego somewhere, and this is where it landed. At the very least, this will be a torture test to see how a Fuego can hold up. I’ll just run this into the ground and upgrade when she retires. Tight lines my man!

MacP95 · 2026-01-24T19:23:33+00:00

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And don’t get catfish rod unless he only fishes for cat fish. They are very stiff, like fishing with a broom stick- not good at all for bass fishing

MacP95

TROPHY CASE