ludwig

I'd have to say #1 would probably end up being the sidefinder for sure, on my or any serious anglers list... But I must say growing up on 8lb stren and switching to 12lb seaugar flourocaron line was intense. I've been pretty successful targeting areas that were for years "No mans land". I can't venture too deep into SUPER HEAVY cover..But on my M-XF spinning rod, reel spooled with this incredible line.. Besides line twist and poor(in comparison to mono)memory...It's the perfect tool to littleraly connect you to the fish you are targeting.

I'd have to say #1 would probably end up being the sidefinder for sure, on my or any serious anglers list... But I must say growing up on 8lb stren and switching to 12lb seaugar flourocaron line was intense. I've been pretty successful targeting areas that were for years "No mans land". I can't venture too deep into SUPER HEAVY cover..But on my M-XF spinning rod, reel spooled with this incredible line.. Besides line twist and poor(in comparison to mono)memory...It's the perfect tool to littleraly connect you to the fish you are targeting.

I'd have to say #1 would probably end up being the sidefinder for sure, on my or any serious anglers list... But I must say growing up on 8lb stren and switching to 12lb seaugar flourocaron line was intense. I've been pretty successful targeting areas that were for years "No mans land". I can't venture too deep into SUPER HEAVY cover..But on my M-XF spinning rod, reel spooled with this incredible line.. Besides line twist and poor(in comparison to mono)memory...It's the perfect tool to littleraly connect you to the fish you are targeting.

What this guy said! On that note; Nightcrawlers - you might not catch bass this way, but you'll still catch fish on them. THe point? Well even though a sunfish is not a largemouth bass, the fact that they share a body of water and the ecosystem there connects them. Walk the shorelines, any frogs? Lots of bugs? Ect. Every little bit of info helps. As mentioned above, water clarity, spook factor. Weeds/Cover/Structure. Is the lake pressured? Are there a lot of predators? Even if you can't answer all of these questions, just a few will get you closer to that 10+fish day!

Create your own structue. Throw a bunch of 5-10lb or so rocks out into an area. Take a big ole' stump or a nice chunk of a tree and throw that out. Cinderblocks, bricks, old tires. Just watch what you throw, don't put anything toxic in there and watch when you throw it. If you're smart about how you do it, it's harmless. Instead it will help solidify the ecosystem on your pond! If you want to go really nuts... Wait until the lake is well frozen and place the structure on the ice... Besides that, try to look along the shorelines or listen along for food sources. Do you see or hear any rodents, frogs, lizards? Are there a lot of aquatic insects? (I've caught 3LB bass with spiders smaller than a dime in the gullet). Sometimes those shallow pond bass can be really fussy. Keep your eyes and ears open. Keep your options open! Good luck!

I like throwing blue/black fleck fat ikas around the bluegill spawn.

What he said. I also like the watermelon red/Green Pumpkin red. These things rock. You can flip em, picth em, dropshot. With the T-Rig you can drag, hop and even a bit of swimming. CHances are if you have some that look "Natural" for your area...That a bass will decide to eat it, eventually..

I queston this too sometimes. Both have their pros and cons. When you fully inbed your hook, my two cents is that you're better off in THICK weeds, brush - thicker/matted stuff. Cover that will be putting more or constant "pressure" on the bait. You'll probably want to set the hook a bit harder and you might loose a few more fish. Also with one or two fish your plastic is probably going to be toast. I only rig it this way, when I fear that the hook will "set itself". On the other hand, when you put just the tip in - I find that the bass will almost hook themselves. When I'm fishing around walls, rocky bottoms, deeper open water(where others might use a jig) and "normal" weedbeds. I do the "tip in" most of the time, I think it gives you a milisecond more to hook the fish. But as I stated previously they both work. Hope this helps.

Wound up grabbing a Revo STX burner. 119.99 at tackle warehouse. Could not pass that one up! CAN'T WAIT to try it out!

Unless I see a good deal on something else, I will be going with the following. An Abu Garcia REVO STX and the Dobyn's 7'3" HF rod. One last question, and it's a bit redundant. Anyway - do I go for the 6:4 or would I be better off with a burner reel? I'm leaning towards the burner, would think it would be more useful. But i'm lacking experience in this department. Thanks again guys, I've got it narrowed down and I'll let you know how this combo fishes!

I've got the St. Croix Mojo 6'8"Mxf(Wacky style) paired up with a Pflueger Supreme XT. It's great for throwing wacky senkos or stickbaits. Also good with other weightless plastics. Doubles as a nice dropshot combo too. I use it primarily for throwing jigs and t-rigs.

I used to live in Ringwood and while I was there I did a lot of hiking. Let me tell you, in just about any part of town you would find water. Be it a small stream, small lake or large pond. Can't really go wrong, just two things to keep in mind.. A few of the lakes/streams are under private ownership and patroled regularly. Also there are a lot of critters in that town. Bears, coyotes, racoons, foxes. I was hearing about some bobcats out in stowntown for a while too. Just keep your wits about you if you're in Ringwood(or Westmilford) and tight lines no matter where you fish!

I picked up a Pfluger supreme XT earlier this year for 99.99 at BPS. Marked down from 129.99(I believe). Anyway it's discontinued now, but I still see them floating around from time to time. Let me tell you, this thing is RUGGED. I've brought in logs, 30lb+ chunks of slop - with bass still on it. Comes with a spare spool too, I'm probably going to grab another one from the local tackle shop. If you do find one, it will probably be around 80.00, for a reel that was originally 129.99 ... Whatever you choose, good luck on your purchase!

Thanks for the input guys! Lot of great suggestions. Seems like almost everyone is going with the revo for this application. Reel aside, my rod budget is up to 180.00 or so. I saw the Dobyn's mentioned and that looks pretty good. But before I sink my teeth in...Would I be better off going for a MH or just a H rod? Woud like to flip, pitch and tinker with swimbaits eventually. Being as i'm young and not made of money, I really like gettng multiple functions out of one weapon. Thanks again guys! Tight lines!

For my next rod+reel purchase I'm looking to get into flipping and pitching. Looking to fish laydowns, heavy matted grass, pads, pockets ect. Thick stuff. So I think this is what I would go for, 7'3"+ MH/H X-Fast action rod. But if you have reason for me to budge from this, let's hear it! Also if you guys could reccomend some good tools of the trade, both rods and reels it would be appreciated! Tight lines, Ludwig