Iowa Matt

I am relatively new to posting here, but I have been a regular visitor and admirer for several years. I was getting the boat in order today and since I always enjoy looking at the pics folks post of their tackle, I thought I would take one of my bass tackle while it was out on the deck and looking pretty. Hope you enjoy. I really like this type of thread since we northern bass fisherman spend half the year looking at the rods and reels instead of using them! Left to right: Loomis 7' med GL2 and Calcutta 50B. My small cranks rod. The low gear ratio keeps my speed under control and the GL2 action works well for cranks. E21 Carrot Gold 7' med and Citica 200E. My medium and large crankbait combo. Despite both being rated med, this rod is WAY more powerful than the GL2, but still has a nice action for cranks IMHO. St. Croix LTB 6' 9" ML with Core 50Mg7. This is my favorite at the moment. It get used mainly for smaller plastics and smaller topwaters. I can do so many things with this reel that I thought were "spinning reel only" until I used the Core! Cumara 7' 2" MH with Curado 200E. Used for larger football jigs (love that!) and medium hard bodied swimbaits. Amazing that a rod so light can be so powerful! I know some bass snobs don't like spinning tackle, but I guess I feel like there are simply some things (and they happen to be things that I really enjoy and suit our lakes) that spinning reels do better. I carry the same number of them as casting reels and quite possibly catch more fish each year on them. Cumara 6' 8" ML with Stradic CI4 1000. This is my drop-shot rod and the rod that gets the most use during the summer months. Can't wait to try the new reel on this one! St. Croix Legend Elite 7' M with Sustain 3000. This one is dedicated to tossing soft swimbaits like Storm Wildeyes, Big Hammers, and Yamamoto Shads. I also use it in cold water for suspending jerk baits. St. Croix LTB 6' 9" ML with Stradic 1000 FE. Yes its the same blank as the casting rod! I think this is a super versatile blank for most of the bass fishing we do here. This one is used for shakey heads mostly. St. Croix LTW 6' L with Stradic MgFB 1000. I use this for smallmouth in our smaller rivers and for tossing smaller weightless plastics where cover isn't a concern. Like I said, if you have a pic of your stuff, post up! I like seeing the myriad combinations we come up with using essentially the same building blocks. Matt

I'm not a pro or anything, but I do fish spinning/braid almost all the time and have since modern braids became available. I honestly don't know why folks use such heavy line on spinning tackle. Seems like most are using 15-30lb braid. I can't imagine needing or wanting to use more than 10lb. I only have 10lb on one rod........all the rest have 8lb Powerpro. I normally use about 4' of 10lb flouro leader on all the outfits unless I'm fishing a super clear pit and then I'll use 6lb or 8lb flouro. I might use up to 10' of leader in these situations as well. If I'm using a natural colored braid (as opposed to red or yellow) I will often omit the leader completely for shakey heads, swimbaits, small TX rigs, etc. Maybe someone can enlighten me on the need for 15-30lb line? I am honestly curious, because I feel like a do a lot of fishing and am reasonably good at it and have never felt the need for more on spinning tackle. Matt

This particular fish has been very well documented and was, in fact, tagged and weighed after being netted by fisheries scientists from the State of Michigan a few months prior to being caught on hook and line. There is no reason for the angler to try and fake a picture. It has been in Field and Stream as well as In-Fisherman and is legit beyond reproach. It just amazes me that EVERY time someone catches a huge fish or shoots a big buck people have to try and debunk it instead of just being happy for the person! Sorry for the rant........ Matt

I use it for small to medium (4"-7") swimbaits as well as football jigs. Works pretty well for spinnerbaits and worm rigs too. Matt

I'm sure some purists will hate it, but I fish DS rigs more than anything else and I almost always use a circle hook. There are lots of good ones, but I like the Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp kahle style circle and the Gamakatsu Octopus circle. These hooks will do two things for you, they will assure virtually 100% hook-up rate and virtually elliminate deep hooking. Give 'em a shot and I bet you don't got back to a regular DS hook. If I had to use a J hook it would be the Gamakatsu Mosquito. Matt p.s. give the Strike King Elaztec Finesse Worm a try. It floats and has awesome action when nose hooked.

Spinning: St. Croix LTB 6' 9" MLXF paired with a Shimano Stradic MgFB 1000. One spool with 8lb Power Pro and one with 6lb Flouro. Casting: St. Croix LTB 6' 9" MLXF paired with Shimano Curado 200E7 with 8lb Power Pro. Both rods are built on the same blank. For my style of fishing this is as good as I have found and couldn't resist getting the same rod in both spinning and casting. Matt

I am a big Shimano fan, but the lack of a spare spool on a reel in this price range is just dumb. I use spare spools on all my spinning reels. I fill one with flouro and one with powerpro as our lakes tend to change clarity a lot during a season. Wonder how bad they ding you for a spare? I really like my Stradic MGs............guess I will have to get another before they are gone. Thanks for the review! Matt

I have the Cumara and two of the St. Croix LTB (6' 9" and 8') spinning rods and though they are relatively similar they fish very differently. It seems to me that the Cumaras (I have seen them all as I work in a tackle shop) are lighter than the Croixs for a common rating.........that is the M Cumara is noticeably lighter than the M LTB. The LTBs tend to be faster actioned as well. I like my LTB with 2-4lb heavier line than my Cumara and tend to fish them around cover and the Cumara in open water. The Cumara is without a doubt one of the best rods I have ever fished, just not as much oomph as the LTB of the same rating...............both super, just different. Matt

Rapala DT3 Rapala X-Rap 4"-5" finesse worm (Robo or Strike King Elaz-tec) 5" hollowbody swimbait 6" Senko I feel like I could catch a bass any day of the unfrozen-water year with these baits. I have been really trying to limit how many baits I take with me on any one day so that I learn to fish the ones with me better instead of switching every 20 casts. I think I would catch at least 90% as many fish as I do if I only had 5 baits to use. Matt

My boat and motor are small, but I really like the comp prop I got for it last year. I spend a lot of time in rivers around rock bars and I was worried about my lower unit after a buddy wrecked his on the same motor (35 merc). I got the four blade and it gave me two mph gain over the alluminum and when I am near rocks I don't have to worry as much. I couldn't be more happy for what they cost. I have not used one on a motor over 40hp so I cannot vouch for them under high hp situations. I like it more than my metal props FWIW. matt

IMHO the X-Raps are the most beautiful baits that are not super high $$$. For me they are a confidence bait, I feel like I can catch a fish on them any day of the open water season. They have the best action when worked aggressively and randomly. An absolute favorite that I carry in about ten colors in shallow and deep versions. Matt

I started using a circle hook for all my drop shotting this year and can't imagine going back to a J hook. If you haven't tried it you owe it to yourself to do so. BTW I try to get the hook point to ride up only because it seems logical that it would snag less this way. Matt

I have a 16' Tracker with 35 merc and 46lb trolling motor that I paid $2400 for. I added a new deep cycle and a Lowrance 522C IGPS. That makes it right at $3000. It has been absolutely dependable and it does everything I need a bass boat to do for the types of lakes we have around here. The biggest water we have is ~7000 acres and the majority of lakes are <700 acres so its perfect in my way of thinking. I have seen lots of boats in the price range you are looking at lately. Seems like for $4000 you can get a 90's boat with up to a 50 horse or so. Matt

I had a boron spinning rod in the mid 80's that was super sensitive. I used it for jigging and I am pretty sure it would have beaten about any graphite rod of the time in the sensitivity department. It has the "brownish hue" described above. Matt

Thanks for the replies. I will try the anti cavitation fin adjustment as suggested. This boat does not have any trim.........the motor is either up or down and this is done manually. Matt

Last year I bought a 1989 Tracker Guide V16 with 35Merc and console. Everything about the boat was in top shape and the motor has been nothing short of perfect since the day I picked it up. The only thing about the boat I don't like is that the steering wheel is very loose and I cannot let go of the wheel even for a second without it spinning to the right. Now don't get me wrong, I would never let go while up on plane, but I do a lot of trolling for walleyes and wipers and would like to get the boat to track in a straight line for a few seconds while I make an adjustment to a rod holder or reel in a white bass etc. at 3mph or less. If I let go now the boat will eventually make circles. Is there an easy way to tighten the steering? Thanks Matt

Slightly off topic, but here it goes. I have a new Curado 200E7 and love it, but I have found out that I have a source to get the Citica at a SUPER cheap price. Externally they are the same except for the color. Will I be disappointed after using the Curado if I get a Citica? I have 2 Revo SXs and as has been said I use them for spinnerbaits and bigger cranks where bait weight is higher than average. Anyone used the new Citica? Matt

I guess I will throw my thoughts in. I have used the LTBS69MLXF for more than 2 years now and would not trade it for anything. I have caught bass up to 7lbs on it and others species encountered while bass fishing (buffalo, carp, catfish) up to 25lbs on it. It has a lot of backbone despite the MLXF tip.........don't think its whimpy! The IPC technology allows the ML tip and the stiff butt to coexist very well and transition seamlessly. I like the ML better for casting than a M (which I also have) and I use it a lot as a crossover for multiple other techniques like small jerkbaits, shakey heads, small topwaters, and jigging for walleyes. Super versatile rod IMHO and you won't go wrong with either. I suppose for me it would come down to the average size of bass that I plan to catch. In my part of the country I am unlikely to catch a bass over 4lbs on any given outing so the ML makes more sense in terms of how much fun I have fighting the fish. Matt

I'm normally a complete fiend for Rapala products, but IMHO this is not one of their better efforts. It is (to me) much more labor intensive to get this bait to "walk the dog" in the proper fashion than it ought to be. It looks nice in the box, but my actual on-the-water success with it was not the greatest. I do wish that they would make a smaller size of it though.........seems a little big to me for a standard bait. Matt

I use a 6' 8" Shimano Cumara ML for flouro and a 6' 9" St Croix LTB ML for braid. I have been very happy with both for shakey heads considering that they are both built as drop shot rods. I am thinking about getting a 6' 3" St Croix LTB for my next one to be a dedicated shakey rod. Matt

Am I the only one that actually had relatively good luck on the helicopter lure? I used them for a couple years and caught a lot of fish on them! Matt

The other thing to remember is that he owns a business that sounds pretty decent in size...........so I am sure that the E21 money he is turning down wasn't going to be relied upon to put food on the table. Morals are easier to uphold when you are already financially secure. That said, I really like my E21 rod (7' med casting) and will keep catching fish on it unitl further notice. I hope this shocks E21 into returning to a higher quality product and doesn't ruin them...........the rods really do feel different than any other I use (and the E21 is the cheapest among them). Matt

All around: FX series Roboworm on a drop shot rig. I feel like I can catch bass on this bait any day of the open water season. Spring: Above mentioned for late spring and a 1/8oz shakey head jig with a similar worm right after ice out. Summer: Buzzbait Fall: Rattle baits (rattlin rap, red eye shad, traps, etc) because I can fish them so many ways. Winter: Sometimes I am able to target bass through the ice if I can find them schooled on a structural element. 1/64th glow jig and a minnow normally works well.

It still amazes me that people either don't like or haven't tried braid...........IMHO it is the beggest advance in my tackle since I began bass fishing (middle 80's). It allows me to detect subtle strikes and details of the structure I am fishing in that I would never get with any kind of mono. I use six standard rods when I am out after bass; 5 have braid and one has flourocarbon (for drop shotting) and the only time I ever use mono now is for ice fishing because braid freezes. To me (this is just my $0.02) braid allows me to cast farther all else being equal, feel more bites easier with no uncertainty, set hooks more solidly with no crazy BASSmasters TV hooksets, and get my baits deeper quicker.........plus it lasts about forever. I can't see a down side and wonder why mono is still so popular........are people just stubborn? Matt

Just checked 2lb Stren off one of my ice fishing rods and it ran .004". The 10lb powerpro I bought last week went between .0075" and .008".........still small, but nearly double 2lb mono. Matt