Red,
Which vicious were you using? I havnt used the new elite fluorocarbon but I used the old stuff and it was just junk…the seaguar products have a much smaller diameter and is a much smoother casting line. Give it a try I think you’ll be very pleased.
To me a spro is tough to beat, but this year I’ve given the koppers live target frogs a shot and I’m real pleased with them. I think the hookup may even be better than a spro (for me atleast) they are super soft out of the package and are a very realistic looking frog. Both have been very reliable for me 
doubled? come on now…i think its just a matter of fishing a rod with a good amount of tip and knowing how to let the fish eat the bait good before you set the hook. I probably dont fish a swimjig like most guys do tho, I throw it in stuff you’d normally frog in quite often
I throw braid exclusively for swimjigs, mainly because i fish the river exclusively. If i were fishing more lakes i would have a fluoro setup as well. This year im trying the suffix 832 in 50lb test and love it, although it loses its color rather quickly. Throwing it on the new powell endurance 714 Heavy/ex fast tip and its the best swim jig rod I have used. The backbone on this rod is off the charts but the tip is very forgiving for those quick strikes. I dont by into the theory that fish see your line with braid since your typically moving the bait fast and twitching it looking for a reaction strike, i dont believe they can get a good look at it. As you can tell, theres not much finesse with my swimjig fishing 
Love the reels, hate the rods…
4/0 or 6/0 Owner Beast twistlock hooks seem to be the best for me for this application. Either in the 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz
Thanks Jeff
Quote:
a couple new powells….got the square-bill crankbait rod, the spook/trap rod, and the wacky rod from tackle warehouse….so far they seem to work pretty well with the steezes and the certate i had laying around.
Curious as to how the powell squarebill rod fishes? I know its rated up to 1 1/2 ounces but is their enough flex in the rod for crankbaits? I like my squarebill rod to have to play in it
I’ll stick with my mustad ultra points until they fail me. I’ve used gammys and have rolled them but i have yet to roll a mustad, things are rock solid and sharp As many elite series guys that rep trokar hooks tho I’d have to think they are great hooks, just a little pricey for me 
As stated I do think they are a little on the heavy side but still doesnt mean they are bad rods. Although, i did hold them side by side with a duckett micro magic rod and the duckett rods seem much lighter and more balanced, they seem like they would be a sweet rods. Amen Boods, lets just go fishing
Nice fish
nice
Quote:
Tackle Warehouse has a Powell “Swim Jig” rod designed by jared lintner that sounds/looks pretty nice.
I just use my 7′ MH premier, which works great for me. Tossed them on 30 pound braid last year, but will be trying fluoro this year.
I’ve felt that rod before and I wouldnt throw a swim jig on it. But thats just me. I dont think they designed that rod for heavy cover fishing, it has a very soft tip on it. You MIGHT get away with braid on it but in my opinion it is way to soft of a rod for your typical swimjig rod
Powell 714 endurance. nuff said
Good Luck!
I’m going to be giving punch skirts a real shot this year…
im gonna go out on a limb and say the 2nd weekend in march
Quote:
all of the quantums ive owned or other ones that my buddys have had over a year or two just feel like crap. they still work yes and do the job, but grind and grind and grind. i cant stand a reel that was insanely smooth at the start begin to do that. as dumb as it sounds i loose focus on fishing and focus on how crappy they feel. JUNK!
Kris, just curious to what you mean by how they feel like junk? as in how they feel in your hand or when you cast? Just curious. But to me it still comes down to preference just like anything else..dodge vs. chevy etc. To me a quantum reel just feels better in my hand with a rod than a shimano does, could be the size of my hands. I would have to agree with the previous posts as well about how quantum has come a long ways with engineering their products. I dont know if all you quantum haters keep getting lemons but my reels dont make that screaming noise on a long cast, just make sure they are lubed up.
Nice gills guys 
I use all Quantum reels as well and I found for me a happy medium is a 6.3:1 gear ratio. Its slow enough to where you can slow down if you need too but still has enough speed if you want to speed things up. I used the quantum catalyst last year and got a good deal on an energy pt I will try out this year
Nice report and fish
Craw Papi and Chigger craws are my go to baits but I dont think you can beat the scent of powerbait plastics she stuff smells nasty but the fish love it. I also tried some trigger X flappin craws last year and they work really nice for a swimjig trailer, the flappin bug is also a good flippin bait I found out
sounds like a blast Jay!
nice lookin fish
very cool
