Cire

Either will work but I mostly use a white willow leaf spinnerbait since it is more weedless. They will bend the heck out of them and distroy the skirts though so bring a few

Spoons (Daredevil Red/White) and spinnerbaits (white) have always worked well for me in the UP. Another method is large sucker minnows on a bobber. In the mornings the best spot is a creek or river where it flows into the lake, if one exists, otherwise the outside weedline or large flats.

my Cabelas carries Megastrike also....as another option.

The weight is better balanced with the reel under the rod. I have both in UL combos that are used for trout stream fishing and the spincast is balanced better. Another advantage in stream fishing is it is quicker to cast and reel with either compared to a traditional spinning reel (but I do manually close the bail). Cire

4lb Yo-Zuri Ultrasoft is what I use on my ultralight setup.

I have the same bag and agree with the reasons. I would go with the biggest bag that you can because for some reason they always end up full! Eric

I would go with the Albright. I used to use the Blood knot but had way to many issues between braid and flouro. I have not determined though if the problem was with the flouro or not, since I switched back to Yo-zuri US when I switched knots. So far haven't had an issue with the Albright. Eric

I would go with the Albright. I used to use the Blood knot but had way to many issues between braid and flouro. So far haven't had an issue with the Albright. Eric

I believe that I have the Cabelas EXV Gore-tex. I waited until it was on clearance to get mine and didn't have much choice for color but for less than half price you can't beat the value. I have not had an issue with them yet after 2 years. Eric

Set The Hook

Vinny, what lake did you catch it on? Just for information, hopefully it isn't a lake I fish regularly because I haven't seen a 6+ lbs yet this year. It can't be me, I hope..... Cire

I agree totally. I tried FC at the start of the year and finally had to take it off and switch to braid with a FC leader. I was having major casting problems and since switching have enjoyed using that setup. But now have braid and FC line connection issues but I think I have that figured out now. Cire Edit: I was also going to mention that it was 100% FC and KVD did not seem to help the issues.

I am in Central MN also and agree totally with the statements above. Interesting though, I believe that it will make us better and I have started to really enjoy the challenge. The first month was tough but that was because I wasn't fishing the fish and conditions, I was fishing history. Now it is easier, so for me it has been a down summer but that is learning/fishing. Cire

OK, now it has gotten pretty tough with this weather rolling through. I will not be able to go for a week or so, hopefully it stabilizes a little. Last Thursday my pitching bite went away, tried some cranking with nothing and then decided to throw some topwater at about 7:00pm and had some fun. Not crazy but steady action at least out of the pads. Later, Eric

Cabelas carries it also...

We mostly use big suckers under a float also. The size of the sucker is proportional to the size of the northern in my experience. As far as the time, I have heard that you can use this all day but we have mostly went out early in the morning and fished a creek inlet into the lake. Eric

My brother-in-law and I have been thinking about making this roadtrip..........better move it from thinking to doing!

It has been going pretty well lately here in central MN. The beginning of the year started off like junk but the bite has been picking up. Almost all of my action has come off a t-rigged Reaction Innovations sweet beaver 4.20 or zoom bush hog pitched to cover, mostly docks with some pads and rushes mixed in. I have also been adding Megastrike which seems to be helping. A week ago, I caught a 5lb 3oz pitching the bush hog to a dock. I did start the year with jigs, spinners and cranks but now haven't thrown that since the t-rigged plastic bite is going so well. Eric

For me up here in MN, it seems that I'm moving the bait to quickly when I get pike. When I slow down and keep it towards the bottom I can keep from getting bit off. This is true with jigs or soft plastics. But if the pike are feeding then it doesn't matter to much since they take it on the fall. Eric

I would start with 4 out/2 in. I have an older Curado that I have always set 2 out/4 in and never had an issue. Bought the new Curado, set it as always and had overrun every cast. Set it to the 4 out/2 in and haven't had a problem since. Eric

ROFL! Dang, you have to be careful what you read at work or people start looking at you funny! Eric

For me up in the north, panfish are the only thing open for a good month or so after ice out and the bass season opens. Also, on ultralight gear a 1lb crappie fights pretty good plus it seems we usually catch a few bass along the way. Eric

I found an online mapping website that I have been looking for for awhile and I wanted everyone to be aware of: http://www.angling-technologies.com/ It uses google maps and overlays usgs topo's or water depth contour lines. You can use google normal, satellite or hybrid as the base layer. They do not have all of the states but they have mine! But best of all it is FREE! Eric

It is not on my computer either so something is up.... Eric

I went ahead and ordered the XC705 since the Lamiglas forum responded that the rod was the correct choice for texas rigs and jigs. Thanks for all of the responses! If you are interested, Cabelas has them on sale for $120 from $200 on their website. It seemed a too good of a deal to pass up but now I have to wait for spring to give it a try! Eric