Dwight Hottle

I like MHM for jerkbaits used with braid. I use a custom St Croix legend extreme blank 7' 2" MHM. Works great for 5/8 thru 1oz baits. The Avid MHM will work well too if it fits your budget better.

My best rods to meet your list of standards have been: St Croix, G Loomis & Kistler. My list of honorable mentions include: Megabass & Shimano.

Interesting line your using. Chain link?

Yep and a lot of people ignore the wisdom that is shared with them. They are simply unwilling to learn.

What some of you guys don't understand the bantam with it's updated braking system is not like the shimano's of old. It's no longer just set two brakes on & forget about it. If your not interested in accepting someone else's advice just do what you have always done & get what you always get.

Because it works better. Try it & find out.

X2

Try your Bantam with 4 brakes on & set the dial to 2.5 and adjust it from there.

The met is lighter in weight but uses aluminium gears I believe. There has been talk of them becoming geary feeling after some use based on gear wear. I had three including one DC but never experienced any problems. I bought a bantam because of the hype about the three piece frame and how smooth it was. After falling in love with it I sold all my mets and now own 6 bantams. Once you experience a bantam in hand it just becomes the "one" reel. The bantam is available from JDM sources for $272 shipped last time I looked.

If you want North Fork composite blanks check out Kistler rods.

1/2 is good for moderate depths up to 25' deeper than that I like to use 3/4 or even an ounce.

I personally like mono better than fluoro for knot strength.

Blade baits & or jigging spoons like a hopkins spoon will get the job done. Works best with braid & a short leader. I like to use an ultra small swivel for connecting the braid to leader because it helps with line twist.

I would recommend the IMX Pro 844C MBR rated up to 1 oz baits. It's a classic rod taper that can handle just about anything. If you don't want that heavy you can go with a 843C MBR rated up to 3/4 oz.

Alligator smallmouth largemouth bowfin (mudfish) walleye pike gar pickerel

Make sure you explore all your options & keep up your good attitude. My thoughts & prayers are with you.

I do a lot of jerkbait fishing and I have used reel ratios from 5:1 up to 7:1. They all work based on your personal preference. It depends on what you get into a rhythm with & how you like to work a Jerkbait. If you are using a lot of slack then a faster ratio is probably best. If you use more rod tip action then a slower ratio will work just fine. I would just use what you have until you develop a feel for what your doing. There is no absolute proven way to work a Jerkbait it’s more intuitive in action based on the bait selected & how you want it to perform.

Simple solution is just buy the two hook model 100 pointer, problem solved. I have never felt like I was missing fish on a pointer 100 or 100 DD because of only two hooks.

Get both length & girth & numerous photos. Tell the taxidermist you want your replica to exactly match your measurements. If he doesn't have the right blank try someone else. You can also request he paint the fish to look like your pictures regarding coloration & markings not what he may think your fish should look like. A good taxidermist will work with your wishes but might be more expensive. The best are not cheap.

No problems at all including 3 trips to Mexico on commercial air.

I would recommend a medium heavy moderate rod that covers baits from 3/8 to 1oz anywhere from 7' to 8'

20lb flouro will give you more protection from bite offs but is still doable for bass fishing.

5lbs plus is a great start getting back to your new normal. With the wrist fusion your hook sets might be better?

As soon as the water temps start dropping in the fall below 70 degrees. Best water temp range is 50 to 65. Same baits that work in the spring will work in the fall. Fall pattern is just a reversal of spring.

I like to use jerk baits for smallies. Also try spoons, F13 floating rapalas, crankbaits & bottom oriented baits like jigs, gobbie imitations & tubes. If you fish the areas around the river opening to the lake you can catch bonus steelies & walleye especially at first & last light.