Dwight Hottle

Congrats to @softwateronly on the new PB. Always carry a scale with you just in case. Congrats to @Bluebasser86 on a great tournament & reports.

@Swamp Girl I feel your pain. As a PA & NE Ohio resident for many years I experienced the cold & ice lingering for way to long before spring was finally sprung.

The wind can be your friend if use it to your advantage. When it prevents you from casting try strolling the bait well behind the boat & let the wind push you along covering water. If the fish are tight to structure set up above them (up wind) & let the wind work you over them then go out & around & reset up wind for multiple passes over a productive spot.

5'9" shrinking to 5'8" with age. German heritage.

@Pat Brown Sweet!!

@Blue Raider Bob send me PM and I'll email you or text the full resolution photo if you want.

Yea don't worry about the walleye label it is often given to MHM action rods. I had a custom rod built to my specifications on a St Croix Legend Extreme blank to use as a smallmouth jerk bait rod by a highly respected rod builder (Otterods). He referred to it as a walleye rod on his bill to me. It has caught a few walleye but it excels on the smallies.

This is one of my go to's in spring for big prespawn smallies on lake Erie. It's caught several six lb smallies.

@DitchPanda Do you remember his old stories catfishing with Otis 'Toad" Smith? Those were classics.

Lake O at sunset.

That's the female on the left & the male on the right in case you didn't know.

It's been a really long winter in Maine. 😀

I never gravitated towards the 6'6" blanks because I always preferred the 7' or 7'6". The versatility of the 844 MBR in the IMX line or higher has always been the industry standard. It is the one rod that can do just about anything regarding techniques. From single hook baits to treble hook baits to oversized/overweight baits exceeding the 1oz upper limit rating it does it all. And it can handle big fish without any problems. I have caught 30lb+ lake trout & pike on it & have used baits up to 2.5 ounces with it. The unique taper (MBR) is the secret sauce.

I’m really happy for you buddy.

Well Roland Martin & Bill Dance are still working in their mid eighties although both men's net worth would suggest they doesn't need to. Maybe it's just the love of the sport.

I’m 76 will be 77 at the end of this month. I have been blessed with good balance & a lack of everyday aches & pains. I walk briskly for 4 days a week & weight training with dumbbells two days a week. That seems to be the right mix for me to maintain strength & flexibility without burning to many calories. Adding weight is problematic for me so I don’t want burn to many calories.

@MediumMouthBass Are you using braid or mono for line? A moderate or moderate fast with braid will get the job done with hook sets on single hook plastic baits. If your using mono then you want a fast action rod. The moderate action rods do well with treble hook baits like glides & swim baits.

Like @Mike L I never bought a used rod or reel except buying one from a close friend who didn’t want it but I did.

@JHoss I looked but could not find the actual size. I'm pretty sure you want size 6 or size 5 hooks. I use mostly size 6, 5, & 4. to replace jerk bait hooks.

Switch to Owner ZoWire hooks STX-38ZN series & increase the hook size one size bigger than what it comes with stock. Use a sweep set hook set with a somewhat loose drag & keep pressure on them until they are in the net.

Your correct. 4 strand braids are more course & will cut through vegetation better. Suffix 832 & 131 having 8 strands or 13 strands is rounder & smoother thus less coarse. The multi strand braids cast further because they are more round & create less friction thru the guide train.

The pound test has little to due with your problem. The fact that braid in all test strengths has no give or stretch is the culprit. The number of strands doesn't change thing either regarding stretch.

So did Michigans.

I think what @A-Jay 's pictured portrays is it's ok to boat flip a bass you intend to kill & eat. If you watch his videos he goes out of his way to protect any bass he is going to release.

Yes that's true in general but vegetation will grow much deeper than Lake O's bottom depth. The reason for the lack of vegetation is because they have been spraying the hell out of it.