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The Avid 7 MH/F is a nice rod. I used the rod for spinnerbaits for a couple years and then gave it to my Dad. He uses it as an all purpose setup now, mainly for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, and light frogging.

Shimano has given me a few freebies, too. Great customer service.

Wade or shore fishing: One all purpose rod, a large fanny pack with a couple pounds of tackle in it, line clipper, pliers, and a bottle of water.

Deep cranking is not really part of my arsenal, but most like slow to mid-speed reels for that. I prefer a mid-speed reel(6:1) for shallow cranks and a fast reel(7:1) for spinnerbaits. Shallow cranking is the only time I prefer a reel slower than 7:1.

I assume you're using this on a spinning reel, correct? If not, disregard this. If you're used to using 8-12# lines on spinning reels, I would recommend 15/4 PowerPro. That was my first braided line for spinning reels, and I ended up going thru tons of it I like it that much. I'm not a fan of using braids less than 4# diameter on spinning reels, but some are. 15/4 Power Pro is the best place to start, IMO.

How much?

That's still a good price.

Lake El Salto, Mexico - LMB Amazon - Peacocks Kenai River, Alaska - King salmon A fly-in resort in Canada - Pike, walleye, SMB, grayling, lakers (Probably the surest bet that you'll pound some fish.)

You should give Sufix Elite a try. Softest, limpest line I've ever used.

Just for fun, I used a small Beetle Spin on a 7' M/M cranking stick. Caught a few fish on it, too.

Thanks for working that out, Glenn. I went with 3 small decals instead. Two for the trailer and one for the truck.

I spent a lot of time fishing the 2-4' and the 8-10' range.

For some reason, I'm not able to buy multiple decals. I'd like to get 2 small and 1 medium, but it won't let me order more than one size or multiple quantities at once.

Good looking bait, MonteSS.

I have Orange Seals in one Curado. I think they've added at least 15 feet to my cast and made pitching and roll casting easier. I picked up a pair of HP ceramic hybrids last week and I'm looking forward to trying them vs the Orange Seals. They both cost about the same.

I thought it was a very good PPV, although the GSP Shields fight was very boring because GSP was on cruise control after he injured his eye. All the other fights were exciting, and the Machida finish was legendary. I'm glad to see Machida rebound like that after some disappointing fights prior to that.

Same here. I would rather trim the weedguard shorter and remove a few bristles rather than fan them. I used to fan all my jigs. Fanned weedguards tend to catch and trap skirt strands and it makes the profile of the jig bigger, and also sometimes makes the jig fall funny or flip over when you hop them.

I like the Z-Man Original personally. I buy them when they're on sale usually, and they're well worth the $3-4. I don't like to spend much more than that on a chatterbait because the pike up here like to bite them off.

I played around with the 66MHM in my local Gander a little today when I went there to pick up a fishing license. It like the feel of it for shallow to mid-depth cranks and jerkbaits in the 3/8 - 1/2 oz range. It feels to me like a spinnerbait heavier than 1/4 oz would overpower the rod though. I prefer a MH or H power, fast action rod for spinnerbaits, but I also tend to use heavy spinners.

Anyone using all caps must mean business, besides if you don't like it, there's always the "100% MONE BACK GUARANTY."

What a wall hanger!

How big are the lures that you plan on tossing? I think that for the most part, your average spinnerbait and flipping/pitching tackle work very well for northerns. They can easily handle a 10 lb fish or throw 1 oz lures.

Congrats! I have a love/hate relationship with Northern Pike. They're a blast to catch, but they've cost me hundred and hundreds of dollars worth of lures.

I like them both in 12# on baitcasters. I've heard that the Hybrid has a little higher breaking strength than the Ultra Soft, but I haven't had any breakoffs with either. Honestly, I don't think there's that big of a difference between the two in the 10-12# tests after they've been conditioned with KVD L&L. Check out these deals on 1 lb. spools. You'll be set for years. Hybrid: http://www.overstockbait.com/Yo_Zuri_Hybrid_Fishing_Line_p/hb1p.htm Ultra Soft: http://www.thelongfin.com/yo-zuri-hybrid-ultra-soft-1-lb-spool.html (some are out of stock at the moment, but keep an eye out, they come and go.)

My favorites are: Black jointed Jitterbug Big wakebait like the Rapala DT Fat 1 or Xcalibur XW6 Zara Spook It's not topwater, but a black and red 1/2 oz spinnerbait with single Colorado blade fished just under the surface is by far my best producer.