Nine Miler

In the price range you are looking, don't count out the Shimano Compre line. CPCC70MB 7' Medium Power, Fast Action, 8-17#, 1/4-3/4 oz. I have this rod in the Moderate Fast action, not the Fast action, and I find it to be excellent. Vibrations are transmitted surprisingly well, much, much better than I expected from a $110 rod. edit: it's okay to put a Revo on it, just don't tell anyone.

If the the price is similar, the xml is a better rod. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0053032122638a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all_NYR&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&nyr=1&Ne=46&Ntt=xml&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&N=3354+6263+56&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0 XCLS704-2A XCLS705-2A If you find the 704, I would go with that, but the web says sold out. The 705 would would be okay too, but not ideal for lightweight baits < or = 1/4 oz.

Looks pretty neat to to me. I mean, it doesn't seem like there have been many innovations other than with materials and shapes in reels in a long time. Good for them for some interesting new thinking. Its like that fan with no blades.

Its a small swimbait by those standards, but the Roboworm EZ Shad.

100% agree. I think 30 lb. PP would be ideal for your spinning tackle. It has the diameter similar to that of 8 lb. mono.

Erie, or St. Clair- don't know any guides though.

SkeeterDon, great post. My picture didn't really show what I was talking about perfectly. This is the idea I was trying to convey. ________ l_____ l l________

Oh Snap. Just drive around one day without any fishing gear in your boat. Trust me on that. Anytime you think you see a good spot, record it on your sonar and mark a waypoint. When you have been everywhere you are interested in, review the spots you marked and rate them based on their characteristics. When you go out the next time, you will have a good idea of where you should be fishing. Refine your spots as you fish. If you take gear on your scouting trip, you will be tempted and you will not get all the info you want. Trust me.

You can narrow it down, do you have electronics? If so, look for bait fish, if not, look for ledges where the wind or current is driving against them, it will stack up the food, and the bass will follow. If you have the ability, mess with the sensitivity settings on you electronics, a lot of times you can get the thermocline to show up, especially if you have a color screen, that is a good place to start as the water at the thermocline has more oxygen than the water above it.

If you think there are fish there, you just gotta work it until you find the depth where they are holding. When you do, toss a buoy out. Check the depth at the buoy, then work that depth up and down the ledge.

I tie on a good snap swivel, and then clip on one of these. I like them for their snagless properties, as I often drift for smallmouth with a dropshot.

Parallel. For sure.

BobP, More bites with fluoro? C'mon, maybe in your opinion or experience, but you can't make a claim like that. To the OP, you don't have to use spinning gear and light line in clear water. I can see to the bottom in several of the lakes I fish. Use what you are confident in. The gear should match the scenario. You said you have a lot of weeds, if you are fishing in that, make sure your equipment can handle it. If you are fishing in areas with less cover, downsize if you think it is necessary. I hardly ever fish any braids or pure fluorocarbon lines. I do have two rods spooled with braid- they are both spinning rods, with no leaders. I don't think I have gotten less bites with these setups than with any of my other stuff, copoly or mono, whatever, regardless of line diameter. You mention 12 lb. test braid. I would recommend at least 20lb braid which will typically have a diameter similar to 6 pound mono. This will be ideal for your spinning "open faced" reel.

I had a buddy in Victoria BC several years ago who lived close to some giant tidal flats that had bunch of crab that would move in with the tide. We were out one night catching crab in the trap off of a pier, but for fun we would drop a large hook with a small piece of shrimp on it. The crab would latch onto the hook with their claws but would let go as soon as they broke the surface of the water on the retrieve. The goal was to get them near the surface and then try to fling them up over the rail on the pier before the let go and dropped off. It is amazing what can amuse us.

I am just one of a many bass fisherman who launch their boat at Nine Mile and Jefferson, in Saint Clair Shores.

Merriam Webster says: Main Entry: ledge Pronunciation: \[ch712]lej\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English legge bar of a gate Date: 1535 1 : a raised or projecting edge or molding intended to protect or check <a window ledge> 2 : an underwater ridge or reef especially near the shore 3 a : a narrow flat surface or shelf; especially : one that projects from a wall of rock b : rock that is solid or continuous enough to form ledges : bedrock <the field was full of ledge> From fishdelta.com

Do like we do on the golf course. Fix your own ball mark, and a few more left by others. Its all you can do. Same with the trash.

After the cast, I let it sit for a good 20 to 30 seconds. Then I go with the old standby- bloop, pause, bloop bloop, p......a......u......s......e......bloop, pause, bloop bloop, p......a......u......s......e..... Those long pauses are about 10 seconds.

A lighter powered rod will help you to cast lighter weights and protect lighter lines better than a heavier powered rod.

I would disagree and say depth is one of the most important things you should consider. For baits that sink (spinnerbaits, swim baits, etc.) grab a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with one foot of water. Grab a stop watch and drop the lure, note how long it takes to hit the bottom, and do this for each one you are interested in. When you get to the water you will know how long it takes it for the bait to fall each foot. Practice reeling the bait on the water in a place where you can see it to determine the speed required to keep it running at one depth. When you got it figured out, cast and count it to the depth you want, then reel at the right speed to keep it there. For crank baits, I use my electronics. I will throw baits/move deeper until I can no longer dig them in the bottom. When I lose touch, I note the depth.

The good news is, in a few years (or months) you won't care about this decision at all, so it is a win-win. Get whatever you like. Brand doesn't matter. Even guys who have sponsors (as long as they have some character) fish what they like. If you like it and it is within reach, fish it. If you don't, don't; that is the only thing on which you should base your decision. If you buy something you aren't sure you like because someone else says you should, you will be disappointed in the long run. Raisinets, please.

I think he did brag in another thread about your casting contest...better check the rods, reels and line section. :-X

1st THANKS very much to all of you. About my hand in its mouth. This was a very lively fish flapping all over even while held. I had to get a good grip on it and its mouth was very big. ;D I like that! Most people put the thumb in the mouth and the rest of the fingers stay out- not this time. Hahaha. That is great, man. That lake looks like the second froggiest place I've ever seen. The froggiest place was posted by another forum member and it was just completely covered in lily pads, as far as you could see. Nice job, and congrats on the fish.

I use Trilene XL. Bait size, fine tuning depth, etc. determine the diameter. Usually 10# is the smallest I go and 14# is the largest.

I used to have two-a-days all the time in college...when I was on the golf team. Meet at 6 am on the soccer field for 2 mile run followed by a nice assortment of sprints, up-downs, crawls, etc. to get us warmed up. Then, it was into the gym for the squats, jump squats, and lunges down those never-ending hallways, wall-sits- the whole deal. After the legs we would hit the abs with all kinds of fun things. We did more core work, mostly abs, back and shoulders right after our trainer was done with our spinning sessions in the afternoons after class. When we were done with that we went to the course to practice. I never thought it would be hard to go down some stairs, or sit on the toilet until I experienced some of those workouts. I understand why we did it. 36 hole days, hoofing your own stuff in the heat of the southeast requires you to be in shape. Being ok to make it is not good enough either, you have to be prime physically because once you notice you are physically tired, it is likely you have been mentally tired for some time.