Willduhhbeast

This is pretty much what I feel as well. Those two are the creme de la creme.

Bingo. The market dictates itself whether you agree with the prices or not. There are some guys making some serious profit off of these things but to be honest, a lot of guys paid top dollar. So when you see these things going for 250+, don't get mad, they might just be trying to get back what they paid.

You wont regret it man!

I rig a lot of my hudds the STE way and I cant tell you guys how many times the farthest rear stinger on the bottom was the one that held the fish on. I'm talking 5-9lb fish too. I have also never had a fish gill or gut hooked, although thats all I keep reading about on here with hudds and stingers, though it is certainly plausible.

Sounds like a cool experience. Its crazy how much knowledge you can get on this forum by just reading and making some relationships with guys. So much info is out there, and guys have tried so many things that they can lend advice on. Glad you ran into someone who gave it to you straight.

Some of it has to do with exclusivity but these things GET BIT. Nothing is a magic fish catching bait. You certainly have to fish where the fish are, but in my opinion, the 250 is the closest thing to a Hudd as I could imagine as far as bites per trip. As far as $250, its nuts. It really is. And its hard to justify. But the bait is legit.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I have caught a lot of fish rigged with two belly hooks(STE) and I haven't had one remotely close to being gut or gill hooked. I certainly see the potential for it though. It might have something to do with targeting suspended fish rather than fish near or on the bottom. A lot of the fish actually had the most rear stinger right in the side of the mouth, and was often times the only hook that stuck. I'm pretty sure the first fish I stick that swallows the bait deep could make me change my tactic for good though.

One of the deepest, realest things I've read on here man. Its incredible how things happen, good and bad.

I always look forward to, and enjoy reading, your posts. Thanks for your contribution to this thread and this forum. I think there are certain scenarios where I would be tempted to fish after dark, on closed bodies of water. To me, its generally not worth is. I haven't found a place around me that seems worth the risk, such is the one you describe OP. If its a public access body of water during the day, and it closes at night, i'd probably risk it every once in a while.

Im not doubting butch's skill level one bit. I believe he's a great guy and he's obviously a great stick. But tuning is just tuning. A saiko tuned bait swims in a certain way, but the stock bait also swims in a "certain way". Just like a bait tuned to run deep, instead of shallow runs in a "certain way". Don't get caught up too much in the "but its saiko tuned" conversation. I agree, its all situational. To answer your question about weights. You can add or take away weight to make it swim any way, and almost any depth you desire. I do know that its harder for me to make it swim well at deeper depths. I think the tuning is harder visually, and physically. A lot of tweaking can take place to make it do what you want. Its easily the most versatile glides I've used.

My first impressions are WOW as far as casting and smooth feel. The line capacity doesn't seem to effect what I've done so far, and I don't even foresee it being a problem. I havent actually gotten a fight with it yet but it's functionality is good, and exactly what I was hoping for. It does feel big in my hands for a lower capacity, low pro reel, but I enjoy the feel. I have pretty decent sized hands. Now to answer your question. I LOVE the DSV. Its hard to say its worth 300+ to upgrade but they are sort of in two different categories. I'd say the DSV is sort of like a raw, muscley reel, without a TON of refine feel or look. Its functionality is superb, as it casts a mile and also fits well in hand. Are you going to get 10 extra yards on every bait by upgrading? Probably not. Are you going to have a smoother, more refined reel in your hand if you upgrade to the z200, probably. But the distance between the two isn't huge in terms of function. They both get the job done.

One advantage that just dawned on me is not having to re-tie my leader connection as often. I HATE tying the connection because I need it perfect or I keep tying. I also cannot stand the knot going through the micro guides on my ldc. I'm thinking a little pre trip work and I should be fine on that connection for an entire trip. Of course I would not neglect re tying the bait. See, I'm a huge fan of braid, I understand many are not. My major drawback was my insecurity with my knots in so many places, lol. I think I'm going to give this a shot. Thanks for the input colby.

I was wondering if anyone has been using hollow spectra to fluro/mono to throw their swimbaits. I understand it takes a little bit more preparation pre trip, but it looks like it fits my needs for a "seamless", 100% strength connection. For those of you wondering, this video is the version I would consider.

For you lefties interested, I found both left and right handed for 325 on hi's tackle box.

I went through with it. I did a quick google search for a promo code for TW and found a pretty good one. 10% off if you use "cmalone" promo. I got the reel for 315 shipped.

Good stuff bruce. I think Im gonna give it a shot. Hard to pass up that price really.

Do you guys think this paired with a ldc heavy and some 25lb pf or cxx would be nice? I currently have a 400te, which i want to put on a heavier rod for the bigger baits. I am thinking about making this(z200 and ldc h) my 8 inch hudd and smaller setup. Opinions?

Yes I believe it DOES make a difference, there is times when there is a good day of fishing that wouldn't matter, but scent adds an extra advantage. I feel it also hides scents like, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (LOL), Super glue, sunblock, soap, hand sanitizer, any chemical substance we may not be aware our bait is hitting from our hands while fishing. I'm starting to rack up some video footage that scent does matter! On the point of masking our human scents, I often think about this. Specifically with scented soaps and pumping gas pre trip, I always try to be very careful. Although I have never used scents, its something I have considered. Ive also read on here how procure can add a slickness to the bait and help fish take it. Even the slightest bit of an advantage can be the difference between keeping a fish hooked and not. We have all seen fish come up and just stab at out baits and never seem to commit. I thought it was just generally a maneuver fish pull, but possibly those types of actions could change into bites if the fish tastes what they are supposed to. Has anyone had a trip where they did not use scent to start, then put some on and killed it? I understand its a small sample size with many variable but it would be an interesting read.

Do you guys notice a difference in fishing a paint/rubber smelling bait and one you guys have treated with something? I wonder if sometimes we just over think certain aspects of our fishing. At the same time though, whatever gives you even more confidence is certainly worth it, especially in the swimbait world. Sorry to take this thread slightly off topic.