Dwight Hottle

MHM is needed for the bigger baits 5/8 through 1 oz.

Since the tranx 200 is relatively new the jury is still out on that one. I have a tranx 300 & am very happy with it for throwing larger baits. The curado DC would be a good choice otherwise.

Welcome to BR. What part of Canada?

Great start for the year.

Careful Sam I haven't taken a shower since this morning.

This picture should get the prize for the biggest 6.25lber I have ever seen. Looks a lot bigger.

There is no wrong way to work a jerk bait. Try what ever you think will work. Just remember your successes & continue to repeat them.

This post brings back a lot of memories. I always enjoyed the magazine. I bought jigs from Bill Binkelman's brother. They were called Binkleman's Jigs. We also air injected our crawlers with needles, one of the lunkers love nightcrawlers secrets. I followed Spence Petros for a lot of years as he was really into chasing the esox family. All good stuff.

Welcome back.

I have a bantam MGL on my He3-H-73XF covers 3/8-1 1/2.

Some states & provinces award anglers with a master angler certificate or other award for achieving a certain weight or length of each game species. The achieved weight or length represents a trophy designation for that particular area or region. The in fisherman magazine awards master angler patches & certificates for different species in five different regions of North America. For example the in-fisherman requirements for smallmouth bass in region 5, the great lakes & tributaries, are 5.5lb minimum for kept bass & 21" length for catch & release category. Largemouth bass in region 2, southern states & Mexico, are 10lbs for kept bass & 24" for catch & release category.

Pretty smallie. Looks like a 3lb fish.

Hoping for a continued speedy recovery. Good luck going forward.

Best smallie 6-1 on a pointer 128 in Aurora red. Best largemouth 9-4 caught on an indigenous swimbait in gold shiner color.

Sweet.

Looks like you got a bargain. Enjoy.

I just ordered this one after searching through what was available in the marketplace. I wanted a medium sized bag rather than an oversized/overweight like I already have. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Falcon_V6_Speedbag_w__4_Flambeau_3700_boxes_/descpage-V6B.html

Hit the gym first. It’s a lot of work and I doubt you will want to stick with it unless you get bit early on.

Since you have only experienced a 6' rod give a 6'6" a try. You might like the longer rod better & even try a 6' 8" or 7'. I have always preferred the longer rod for distance & control when fighting a fish. It's just personal preference after sampling what is available.

Paul I have used the single owner replacement hooks on some jerk baits & topwater baits. The rear hook faces up & the front hook faces down. It's illustrated on the package. The hook up ratio seems really good. On baits with three trebles I just replace the front & rear hooks to maintain balance. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Single_Replacement_Hook_X_Strong/descpage-OSRH.html#customer_reviews

4.75-5.25 lbs

Sweet!

Mike they are tougher to fish in Fl because most of our lakes are shallow & filled with weeds. Look for deeper areas around lily pads, stump fields, stickups & rock riprap & weed edge lines. Otherwise you have to work them over top of the weeds or in weed openings. You can fish a jerk bait slowly like a topwater with twitches & frustratingly long pauses between movement. Floater & shallow suspenders are best for this approach. If you don't have the patience for that approach try working it with jerks & twitches & ocasional long pulls with pauses interspersed in between movements. Regular suspenders & slow sinkers work good with the second approach. I throw a lot of jerk baits as that is my favorite approach and they can be very effective. Give it a honest try & you will get rewarded.

Al would be my choice as well.

This is a good answer. Like Catt suggested you need top of the water, middle column & bottom. The jerkbait can cover both top & middle. The jig can cover middle (swim jig) & bottom. These two baits can cover it all.