FarNorth

T is for Tarpon which is what they carved the face to look like.

Yes to the RoF and water temp. They have a little booklet with the bait that mentions it and the temp that it suspends at. It comes with double split rings on each hook so that you can go down to singles in colder water and mentions hook changes or suspend dots for when it gets warmer. Stock hooks are ST-56's, 3/0 front, 2/0 rear.

6oz and the tail slides upwards from the bottom into a keyed slot.

My new Megabass I-Slide 262T's have arrived. Paint jobs are nice and hooks and rings are much beefier than on the 185 (my biggest complaint about the originals). No more mag hold for the hooks. Removable tail, will have to see how it holds up. Grabbed two of the pre release ones as the colors should work well for the fishing I do. Decent price as well compared to offerings from other Japanese bait companies, $87.00 US each after shipping. Now i just have to wait 5 months for open water... Sorry no swim video but megabass jp has one on their website. Packaged like an I-Phone... GLX Silver Salmon & Coral Pink Back Packaging included for in your Tacklebox/Boat Size compared with I-Slide 185 and Deps 250

This. I use 60lb braid for baits 3oz or less and 100lb for larger baits along with an appropriate sized Fluoro leader. Don't go too light and you will be fine. Your leader is what the fish are going to see so don't worry about the braid. I have been using hi vis yellow braid and it helps me to keep track of where my bait is and I don't feel that I lose bites even though the waters I fish in are quite clear.

Has anyone tried gluing in a small rare earth magnet for retention rather than poking the 3rd arm into the bait? Thinking about trying it out with a frog hook but i have a while to wait now until open water.

I hear that you are not a fan of the butt jointed models but I have really learned to trust mine. They are just like fishing a 1 piece stick when together and are much easier to transport if you are not keeping them in your rod locker all of the time. For me to consider a rod over 7' now the offset handle feature is a must. Just my opinion. You could always try the MB Black Jungle FZ-80XBJ Nephilim for your really big 10+ oz stuff. It has a longer handle than most of the other Megabass rods. I haven't purchased it yet as I really don't have any baits that large. I do have both the Super Red Demon and the TS-78X and like them both for topwater big baits. I do find the handles a bit short for baits that are presented slower like glides and big softbaits but will likely just add a couple of other rods for these down the line. FYI the TS-78X makes the SRD look like a finesse stick it is MUCH more stout. I use an Evergreen Super Stallion Black for most of my sub 3oz baits. Its just perfect for soft baits like 3:16 Minnows and the 6.5" rising son. If you want to find other JDM options Deps has their huge custom lineup but the information on what to choose with those rods is a bit more difficult to come by.

I fish whatever the fish are biting on a given day. I pretty much always have a swimbait rod rigged and ready to go. There are a lot of times I am fishing something smaller and see a big follower that won't commit. Out comes the swimbait to seal the deal.

The baits are big enough that I can't notice any difference in the swim from the leader. Yes they catch fish. Pike really don't seem line shy anyways, have caught them for most of my life with 25lb steel leaders. The Fluoro is me trying for just that little bit of extra realism. They are lighter in the water than metal leaders and help the bait stay more level on a pause.

I use these and 250's for pike. I use about 12" of 100lb fluoro leader crimped right to the bait (no split ring) with a solid ring on the other end.

Purchased two 3:16 baits from Doug. Shipping was fast, packing was good, and baits were exactly as described.

Wish I lived closer to the ocean so that Tuna fishing wasn't a vacation only activity. Looks like a fun day.

Hi I can't comment on how a the Conquest compares to a TE as I only have a current/old Conquest 401. It is a great swimbait reel as long as you aren't trying to use it with anything too small. (Sub 2oz). The non disengaging level wind really slows down light baits too much. The new 2014 Conquest 300/400 sizes are currently just a rumour and haven't yet been released in Japan. If they do appear the first ones available will likely find their way to Japanese retailers around March 2015. I do have a new Conquest 101 (for crankbaits) and it is an exceptional reel. The larger versions are likely going to be worth the wait in my opinion. I plan to order one as soon as they show up in Japan as long as they have lefties and don't make any huge changes beyond capacity. Good luck with you decision.

I just used a kichen knife to pry a bit and pop the glue. Came right out.

Purchased a bait from wiswimbait. Arrived as described. Good communication.

Just purchased a bait from Nick. As described, good communication, and shipped promptly. Would buy from him again.

I put a little extra Tungsten putty on top of the rear weight to get mine to sink with the proper orientation.

I have the Rainbow and Salmon on the away. They look pretty good and the price is not too bad.

Japan Tackle has a Studio Composite swept carbon fiber handle for Daiwa that is 108mm if you really want that little extra bit of length.

I am planning to just make my own harness with heavy fluoro and clear heat shrink tubing once the stock one gets too beat up. I do think the red is a bit distracting on top of the bait as I fish mine close to the bottom.

True. Most around here don't bother with much beyond jigs, spoons, and the odd rapala. They just want to catch a fish, big ones just mean you got lucky. I still use smaller baits if I am trying to catch something for the dinner table.

Hi, I just wanted to say hello and thank you to the many people that have contributed to this board. It is a wealth of information. I am slowly making my way through the non redundant threads and am about 30 pages in and continue to find new pieces of information that should really help me out. I am a bit different than most on the board as I fish primarily for pike, walleye, and lake trout but many of the same principles apply. I have fished larger baits since I was a kid but mostly plugs rather than baits that realistically imitate forage fish. This will be my second season using swimbaits and I expect that with some of the tips found here I should be a lot more successful. I already have a couple of really nice setups and am just rounding out the last few baits I want to experiment with this summer. Thanks again for sharing such a great resource.