AndZ

I saw Oliver Ngy was catching some really big bass on them. So I ordered some 8 and 10"... and also the new Mag Slowl, which is said to have a different swimming action - without too much head movement . I think I saw it on a JDM fishingtackle online shop: "Unlike the MAGDRAFT, MAGSLOWL’s head section is crafted to remain still, concentrating action in the thin, shapely tail section". It will take some time to arrive to my neck of woods but once I have them I will use them and post reviews on them.

Hey guys, I'm having my first serious swimbait rod custom built on a 8', 1 - 8 oz. blank from NFC... but it won't be my last swimbait rod for sure. I've waited long time for the components to arrive at the rod builder... but they're finally here and this weekend I'll get him the blank to start working on it. Funny thing is until a few days I was dead on the spiral guides setup, but now I'm not that sure anymore. I owned some JDM rods that came with acid wrap from factory, first guide offset to about 45 degrees to the left and I didn't think I experienced line buildup on the reel spool. Now, after talking with different people, I got even more confused. Some recommended me a spiral wrap recipe that goes 0/45/135 degrees... other told me to go a different route such as +30 (offset the opposite the spiral direction)/90 and that's it. I just got off the phone with the builder who also had doubts about the necessity of a spiral wrap. The blank is a Mod-Fast action, but it's really stiff at the first view. I don't know what to do: go spiral or keep it simple, straight on top? Any idea would help me make up my mind or not but thanks anyway! I attached a picture of the blank deflection test with different weights... I suppose the weights are in European grams. I am planning to use the rod mostly for slide swimmers 250, 8 and 10" megabass magdraft and other big baits in the 4 to 7 oz. lure range. I got the reel already, a Lexa 300HL, did some bearing upgrades on the handle and cast control... and I can't wait to get the rod built! The lake I usually fish in here for other speciese got a lot more clearer lately (over 7' visibility) so it should work ok for swimbaits...

I have one in chartreuse and I fished mine a little the last Sunday, on a reservoir near home. Keep in mind that we don't have bass in here so toothy critters are our target. I cast the nekosogi on some flats area with a depth of about 7 to 8 feet... and on very slow retrieves, the bait gets down really quick and it stays there no matter how slow you turn the handle. I fished it on a Tatula HL with 6.3:1. Didn't catch anything on it but I had no bites on any other lure I tried - and I carried a small arsenal with me that day. What's interesting about that lure is that on slow retrieves you can feel it bounce its large lip against the bottom... I used small pauses to let it rise a little above and resume the retrieve. It gives good feedback on the rod with 30 lbs. Sunline FX1 braid... I will soon try it with some Machinegun Cast 20 lbs. line from the same manufacturer. On the videos from youtube the lure's best action is achieved while touching and bouncing off the bottom, avoiding small obstacles... but on lakes with lots of snags or grass I can't see that lure living there. Once I fish it more I will let you know. I'm curious what's its maximum diving range so I'll fish it on some deeper 15' to 20' lakes this year.

Problem solved: I got the Nude Black. The SK was nice, but the SS Nude Black is rarer and I had good luck with similar color patterns in the past - both in clear stained water. I will get a SilentK later. I wish I had dough for both though...

I thought I'd post some of my new additions and addictions Not fished yet as my rod is anything but ready... can't wait anymore!!!

I think I'll get the cheaper one, SK. My rod is not built yet, so I have to kill my waiting time with something.

That's some nice info, thanks. Dead sticking that size of a bait should work well sometimes. I'm still undecided on what to pick... will know by tomorrow

That is the question... I've got money for one and one only since I blew all this month's budget on various baits. I am almost flat broke Should I get the Silent Killer in Flash Carp or another Slide Swimmer in Nude Black? Both are OG. What I got so far: 1 new SS in Firetiger and 2 OG SS in Deadly Keta Bass and Flash Carp. I don't know which one to choose. The Silent Killer could be later converted to a Slide Swimmer. I was thinking to get the SK, fish it stock for a while... see how it goes and then maybe cut off the lip and make a wake SS. From videos the SK action doesn't impress me much. On the other hand, the Nude Black color is soooo awesome for so many reasons - I can see it work in clear water, stained, bright sun, cloudy... But can't get em both. Thanks for any thoughts!

That's the one with the chains - found another topic with a much better picture. http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/737-swimbait-underground-x-44-mag-lure-retriever-stratos284/?hl=+heavy%20+lure%20+retriever And that's the biggest and meanest lure retriever I've ever seen http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/404-lure-retrievers/page-2?hl=%2Bdragging+%2Blure+%2Bretriever&do=findComment&comment=5101 Can't get 'em more custom than that... but it looks to get the job done.

Ugh... I dunno if that helped... but it's evening in here and I was reading some S.U. topics anyway. Looks like the .44 mag has chains attached. I understand that it might be available in a bigger/heavier version.

Thank you, I learned a lot since I've been quietly reading S.U., looking forward for more.

First link contains several links to lure retrievers topics http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/28959-swimbait-retriever/?hl=%2Blure+%2Bretriever&do=findComment&comment=239367 This one looks like a custom retriever (with a pic) - I thinks it's called .44 mag: http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/15895-nice-lure-retriever/ Another topic on "The best lure retriever": http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/28300-best-lure-retriever/?hl=%2Blure+%2Bretriever Hope that helps

Thank you guys!

... and introduce a new "recruit" to the S.U. crew: myself and my fishing craze for a lifetime. So... Hello from Romania, first of all. I'm Andrei and I've been fishing for all my life... but got bit by the swimbait monster back in 2007. Been fishing with all kind of Japanese small to medium baits up to 3.5 oz... and wasn't interested into trying something bigger until last year around November. So I got doing lots of research... like I do with all my fishing stuff. I'v also found the S.U. community both in here and on facebook and I read through all the 190 pages of the main forum - the topics that I was interested in (and I still read them). Last November I quit smoking... and couple of months ago I told to treat myself with a new combo, so I I invested in a new blank to build my first swimbait rod for baits over 6'' and over 4 oz. Long story short, the builder in my town's still waiting for the components so the build is not ready yet... but I started acquiring new baits in the meantime. So after religiously reading many topics on baits on S.U. on this forum, I got into getting some biggins. So far I've got a Deps new SS 250 in firetiger and 2 OG SS 250 in flash carp and deadly keta bass... and I am wondering whether to get a third OG 250 in Nude Black... I find that color sssmokin ssssexy for both stained and clear water. Also gost some DRT KLASH 9'' and Tiny KLASH because I find their action so amazing and versatile, a few Nekosogi DSR and will also get some SS 175 OG - I got some from recent years, been fishing with them and they're great. But I can't wait to get the 250 in the water this spring. Haven't fished yet the Klashes and the Neko's yet but once the new rod is ready, think I'm going to sleep on the water... or next to it for the next few weeks. One more thing: we do not have bass in our local waters (but we're working on it) so our primary target species are pike, zander/walleye relative, European catfish, perch and asp. I mainly fish for pike, zander and perch with various techniques from bait finesse to heavy presentations... In order to catch a few bass, we'll have to travel to nearby countries such as Hungary or Croatia... but as I said (and I cannot say more), we're working on the bass situation on our waters... from our own funds. It's really tough and the pouching on public waters makes it worse but the future generations of anglers I think they will get some braggin' on the S.U. 3.0 forums, 50 years from now, with some decent bass catches To get a glimpse of my fishing you can visit my blog on www.abrevis.ro/blog - I kind of neglected it since last year... but soon hope to get my own fishing-dedicated website. I'll be trying to come with my own reviews on the S.U. swimbait scene & related gear I'll be fishing in the future, to try to add something to this great community. Good luck fishing and S.U. posts will always get my like on fb and not only there. I think I'll to order some wear this year, at least a cap and a hoodie cause they're great! See you around, AndZ