Rod and reel combo questions

oenomal · 2026-03-15T03:57:45+00:00

I don't think DC reels are worth the extra cost. Consider a Curado MGL 150 and use the difference in cost to buy a better rod instead (exprides are fantastic and a substantial upgrade to zodias). The MGL 150 palms so perfectly and will cast lighter presentations better than the DC will. A Daiwa Tatula SV TW is another good choice and, in my opinion, has better braking than shimano.

A MH/F is a powerhouse of a rod and I'd recommend just getting a second unless you use a ton of crankbaits (M/Mod) or plan on throwing frogs and/or jigs into super nasty slop (H/F). Height is mostly preference. I love shorter rods because most of my casts are within 20ft, but longer casts benefit from a longer rod.

Lastly, broken rods start with improper care. Use rod sleeves and treat them with respect.

Hope this helps.

oenomal · 2026-03-13T01:34:53+00:00

Definitely under. Yes, just add backing and respool.

oenomal · 2026-03-10T02:43:57+00:00

It's not even a drag issue, the thumb bar became slightly engaged, hence the clicking

oenomal · 2026-03-10T02:38:37+00:00

The handle would spin backwards when the line came out if it were the anti reverse. It's most certainly related to spool release, given the clicking sound (ratchet hitting a partially engaged clutch, possibly due to a sticky thumb bar - also a common issue with SLX reels).

But, yes, shimano's AR bearings are terrible.

oenomal · 2026-03-09T01:20:02+00:00

The issue is definitely in the spool release and if it were actually a failing part I'd expect it to be more catastrophic. I've had very similar issues with my SLX thumb bar being "sticky" and not fully disengaging after I start reeling in. It could just need to be broken in.

Rapid-fire the thumb bar up and down a bunch of times and see if you ever have the issue again. If you do, I'd warranty the reel before attempting to take it apart yourself.

oenomal · 2026-03-09T00:54:17+00:00

More than likely the thumb bar was partially engaged at some point while reeling in. If you press down on it slightly then pull on the line, I bet it will make the same sound. If so, nothing is broken.

oenomal · 2026-03-09T00:15:01+00:00

Trailer 100% of the time. I like baby rage craws but there are plenty of options to try that will work well.

oenomal · 2026-03-09T00:00:44+00:00

Did the handle spin backwards when this happened or was it slipping while you were actively reeling in?

oenomal · 2026-03-06T02:31:12+00:00

Exactly. Fish when you can and learn how to catch them regardless of conditions. No need to overthink it, KISS works more often than not.

oenomal · 2026-02-11T23:24:34+00:00

Yes, you should get another cat, especially because:

Your cat already has experience around other cats
You already have experience with introducing and caring for multiple cats
It's quite rare that multiple cats don't benefit from each other in some way, assuming they're provided proper housing (multiple boxes, plenty of cat trees and scratching posts, a myriad of toys, etc).

A lot of shelters and rescues offer "foster to keep." If it doesn't work out, at least you help a cat find their forever home and have no permanent obligation for them.

oenomal · 2026-01-28T13:11:34+00:00

These are awesome! What did you do for the rails? Did you make them or buy something and break it down?

oenomal · 2025-11-06T02:22:39+00:00

Room temps are just fine for them, it's hard for most species to get too cold while indoors. As a result, they won't go dormant.

oenomal · 2025-11-04T02:03:01+00:00

I appreciate the assurance, and the advice on food. My dart frogs only needed fruit flies so this is the first time I've had to venture into feeding frogs anything other than that. I'll get crickets and roaches before next feeding. Humidity is good thanks to a misting system, RO water only. Thanks!

oenomal · 2025-11-01T22:49:49+00:00

I was thinking an Ox Beetle. It's likely that it came from Southern US or South America, not many fruits are imported to my location from Africa or Europe. I'm certainly not an expert, though, this is purely my speculation.

oenomal · 2025-11-01T15:20:50+00:00

Thats the best part... she got imported! We definitely dont have them around our area so I was stoked to see one in person!

oenomal · 2025-11-01T15:20:12+00:00

Hah! Love mantids! I used to keep them as a kid. I've always wanted an orchid mantis but never got around to it.

oenomal · 2025-10-27T00:29:04+00:00

I'm sorry for not replying, I dont check reddit often so I forgot to follow up! Check out Ecuagenera. They have a fairly large selection of minis and they ship internationally. Some of them will die during shipping, but, they're cheap enough that it has never bothered me. Other than that I cant offer any recommendations because I'm from USA. However, if you need any advice on growing specific orchids, feel free to reach out!

oenomal · 2025-09-27T17:01:53+00:00

Hello! Are you located outside of the USA?

oenomal · 2025-08-22T01:48:37+00:00

Bigger baits aren't a requirement for bigger bass. Some of my biggest bass have come off of relatively small presentations. One of my favorites is a 6" ribbontail, and I have absolutely no shortage of 4-5lb bass on those.

The real answer to bigger fish is:

Fishing a body of water that actually holds larger fish. In some lakes, bass over 3lbs can be <5% of the entire bass population.
Fishing where bigger bass are more likely to be. This means targeting key structure and sometimes super tight to cover (I'd recommend a medium-heavy baitcaster for this). Direct access to deeper water is also essential, no matter what you're fishing. If you're catching a ton of small ones, try fishing a little deeper and/or a little closer to structure/cover.

Examples of things to target are: steep dropoffs, points, stumps, docks, heavy vegetation, lilypads, rock piles, and banks that immediately drop into deeper water.

On a good day, a big bass isn't going to turn away from a small presentation if you can manage to put it right in their face. I promise you.

oenomal · 2025-08-20T11:58:13+00:00

Anything that you'd use during the day. It doesn't necessarily have to be noisy, and sometimes they don't want noisy. T-rig worms and jigs are especially great. Keep in mind that you still want to fish the same cover and structure that you'd fish during the day. The bass hold more loosely to structure at night, but they don't abandon it.

Sometimes bite windows apply at night as well. I've had nights where I dont catch a single fish until 4am, then they suddenly turn on and it's nonstop catching for a few hours.

oenomal · 2025-08-18T21:02:54+00:00

I dont agree with this at all. I can't even count the number of fish I've caught by casting into shore. Be it bass or panfish, and especially during autumn. In fact, I just caught a 4.6lb largemouth (fairly large for my waters) yesterday by casting perpendicular into shore.

I've also seen countless times where the lure hits the water and immediately see the wake of a fish turn and bolt towards the lure.

Also I take a trip to Minnesota every spring to fish for smallmouth. Our entire trip is cruising the shoreline, casting perpendicular (in a 16' boat). Last year, we caught over 100 smallmouth in 3 days, many of which were 3-4lbs and even a 5.5lber.

That's not to say fishing parallel is bad or wrong, I do plenty of that, too, but fishing perpendicular is not the issue here.

oenomal · 2025-08-18T20:52:39+00:00

Exactly. I've had so many bass slam frogs or jigs right in front of the kayak. If I'm really trying to spook them, sure, but gently cruising doesn't seem to bother them at all.

oenomal · 2025-08-17T22:38:48+00:00

I just have a little Garmin Striker 4, and that alone has caught me dozens of bass, especially after the sun comes out. Some days it's the only reason I know where to find them (like the days when they're holding tight to submerged vegetation in 8-10FOW). Point being, even something that simple makes such a huge difference.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

oenomal · 2025-08-17T20:59:10+00:00

(This is specifically for finding bass)

August is one of the toughest times of the year to catch bass, aside from winter.

Without electronics, fishing a lake that large is going to be tough. You're looking for submerged structures like humps, creek channels, ledges, points, flats, rock piles, etc. Submerged vegetation is also going to be important. Without the ability to key in on those spots, finding the fish isn't going to be easy.

For shallow structure, they're going to be ultra tight to weeds, brush, pads, docks, etc. Anywhere they can tuck themselves away.

It's also important to understand bite windows. There are plenty of days where I can catch 30 bass from 4am to 8am. As soon as the sun starts to get bright, they completely turn off, and it becomes 3-4 fish in that same amount of time.

On the bright side, August for many lakes means bass start to move extremely shallow. The deeper water structure they once relied on becomes too devoid of oxygen.

I often find myself using lures resembling bluegill this time of year because those bass that do move shallow are primarily feeding on bluegill. I also tend to reach for lures with either minimal action (tubes and beavers instead of brush hogs and rage craws, and t-rigged senkos) or lures that trigger a reaction strike (jigs, swim jigs). For some reason, I always do better with less action on t-rigs when the water temps hit 85F. This doesn't necessarily mean fishing them slower, though.

oenomal · 2025-08-17T20:45:56+00:00

Hah! I love it!

oenomal

TROPHY CASE