Dwight Hottle

Beautiful smallie. My 7-6 measured 22x17 so I'm sure that fish at 25.25x17.5 would go over 9lbs. The world record at 11-15 was 27x21.66.

Great news indeed. Good luck going forward.

I have done a lot of walleye fishing over the years. This was my favorite 2 piece eye rod. It covers all techniques & excels at everything. It will handle double digit walleyes with ease. G. Loomis IMX Hot Shot Spinning Rod IMX 9000-2S HSR 2 Piece | Length: 7'6" | Line: 6lb-12lb | Lure: 1/4oz - 1/2oz | Power: Mag-Light | Action: Extra Fast | Handle: F | MPN: 12356-01

My size #2 are rated 60lb. size #1 is rated 33lb. Here is a link https://www.ownerhooks.com/product/hyper-welded-quick-snap/

PB's are always sweet. Congrats.

If it doesn’t just weigh it and deduct the few ounces from your weights.

I have caught smallies on bottom at a wreck in 56 fow.

My 7-3 balances just in front of the hook hanger with a bantam mgl xg which weighs 7.8oz.

I have the 7'-3" HExF model. It will handle everything you mentioned. It is very light in hand. You won't be disappointed with it.

Custom rods are great if you can get the blank that you want with the components you want & the craftsmanship that you desire. Unfortunately the NRX blanks are not available for a custom purchase. If you want an NRX there is only one choice. To me the Z bone on a xray blank is a semi-custom rod you can select the components from their list & chose the wrap colors & handle style. Or you can purchase the already finished Z bone for $399 on sale. I have owned three NRX's & I prefer the Z bones.

Absolutely jerkbaits.

Your line choice is too light for the lures you mentioned. You need a rod that will handle 1-3 oz baits. You need at least 20 lb mono or 65 lb braid with at least 20 lb leader material. Anything lighter will snap on your first backlash or braid dig in on the spool.

Looks a lot better for FL today than previously.

Good post & informative. Rapala bought VMC rather than VMC buying Rapala. Your comments almost sounded like you thought VMC control would change the quality of Rapala.

Welcome back man.

Loomis is good with plenty of offerings. Also take a look at St Croix rods. Many are listed as steelhead rods.

Take a small piece of electrical wrap tubing & place it over the opening & heat in place.

G Got out yesterday morning for about 2.5 hours fishing in southern Florida. Fished with Robert Perez (Hawgtech founder) for some topwater action. We caught about 10 bass & missed or lost another six. Great action for hot summer temps before the heat got to bad.

It's a joke. My favorite fishing method is jerkbaits.

Would I be out of character if I said jerkbaits? Also bucktail jigs. Live bait would be shrimp. glass minnows & greanies.

Yes sir. I speak from experience.

First of all the saltwater species all fight harder than fresh water species across the board. Period. In your comparison the snooks always wins.

X2. Get the bibs then you can use any rain jacket top heavy or lite because the bibs keep you warm & dry and offer full coverage to your backside when standing or seated so the parka style top is not needed unless cold is an issue.

Glad to see back.