BrASSmonkey

I prefer the Daiwa magforce v or z systems. I have them set to between 3 and 4 usually. More if using a lighter bait, or casting intot he wind. Spool tension is adjusted according to the specific lure I am using and dropweight.

Are the spool bearings ok? If they are shot, it could affect casting distance. Is the spool shaft bent or damaged at all?

It may be blasphemous on this site, but Northern pike are my favourite fish. I just love the short hard runs and aggressive nature of these fish. I have had most of my success using inline spinners, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits.

I have the narrow spool version. It is nice and light. The stock bearings are pretty good, and the reel is smooth. I do find the spool a little heavy for pitching lighter lures. For $100, I think it is a good deal.

I use a heavy fluoro leader on some of my combos and lighter on others. I use a fluoro leader for 2 reasons: 1 - I like the added confidence of the 'invisible' line 2 - I fish in northern pike infested waters

What is the action on the rod? Is it more moderate? I find that moderate action rods cushion the vibrations a little bit more. It could be the vibrations in your rod arm wearing you out.

Most of my fishing is done with crankbaits (although i am trying to change that), and what I try to do is select a crankbait that will swim to just about the tops of the weeds. If fishing gravel or rock bottom, I will pick a bait that will contact either cover or structure. If it is rocky, the crankbait should be bouncing of the rocks. Otherwise, the bait selected will dive deep enough to run along teh bottom and stir up some ruckus. Once I cast it out, I will try to swim it down to the weed tops so that it is just ticking the weeds. When it gets hung up, I stop reeling. Sometimes I just firmly apply pressure until the lure slides over the weeds, sometimes I let some slack into the line and allow the bait to float back and up. Sometimes I rip it through the weeds, depending on how thick the weeds are. I find the crankbait deflecting and changing directions when it contacts the cover or structure often triggers fish into striking. Good Luck

I love the ACS seat as it fits my hand perfectly for how I like to hold the rod and reel. I do not have small hands, nor do I have huge hands. However, I do hold the rod and reel with 3 fingers ahead of the trigger, and it works well for me.

The Curados can throw a wider range of lures, while I feel that teh 6.3:1 gear ratio is the more versatile ratio. So the better all around reel is a Curado with a Citica gear set.

Definitely a workhourse reel. The thing casts well and is very connected. The reel is a factory supertuned version of teh Daiwa advantage. It has 11 bearing (I think) which makes it super smooth. The only 2 drawbacks are its weight and the size of the reel. For some, these 2 items might kill the deal. But if you can, get one in your hand first. Very nice reel.

Of the three, the Sol will be your best light bait lure. I prefer my Fuego for an all around lure due to its weight. My HSTA is my spinnerbait reel, and I do not throw anything below 3/8 on it regularly. With respect to the noise on the Exceler series; is it a whirring noise on casts? It could be a burr on a part associated with the spool.

If you don't mind used, then you can get a used Daiwa Fuego or Sol well into the low 100's. I know, because I did. You can also get used Daiwa Advantage HSTA for well within that price range. All of these are good magnetic reels, although the HSTA is a little wide. The Fuego is a great all around reel. The thing I find about the magnetic brakes is that you do want to make sure you adjust the spool tension for every different lure you are throwing. The external dial ont eh brakes make it nice and easy to adjust the brakes for changing winds. I find centrifugal brakes more forgiving. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I have a 7' MH casting C3. I find the rod to be relatively light, but tip heavy. Due to the tip heaviness, I find the rod to feel unbalanced and heavy. Aesthetcially, the rod is beautiful. I use mine for spinnerbaits and heavier lures.

;D

While Samurai is definitely quieter, rounder, softer and more supple than any other braid that I have tried, I found the suppleness to be its downfall for my original application of the line. I had originally used it on combos used for jerkbaiting, and the slack that would develop in the line used to wrap around my rod tip frequently, leading to frustration. Further, the slack in the line, when not managed, resulted in some knots on my spool which went unnoticed until the knots lead to breakoffs during casts. I have sinced switch the line onto my crankbait rod, and have been much more satisfied with the results. My experience with the line is mixed. I think the line is fabulous if you can deal with the potential annoyances that can crop up. BrASSmonkey

I'm vain. I said it. What?

I really enjoy Classic Patterns as well as Lunkerville. At times I feel a lot like Mike D, trying to learn from seasoned anglers, much like on forums such as these.

I am absolutely jealous! I love pike fishing, but have yet a chance to fish for lunker that size!

Split grips. I'm shallow. I own both, and don't notice a real difference between the two. I just feel trendy and younger when I use split grips.

about $100. Seriously though, depending on the technique the rod is going to be used for, the general benefits such as lighter, more sensitivity due to that light weight and higher grade graphite are all tangible differences. For bottom contact baits, where sensitivity is key, these benfits will be most evident. On techniques where the rod's sensitivity may not be as important (ie - crankbaits etc), these benefits may not even be actual benefits. Further, higher grade graphites are also generally more brittle, which can lead to a less sturdy stick. These are all things that should be considered. There are also different innovations that you get in the high end rods that you would not otherwise get in lower end models. In the end, you need to find out what you are looking for in a rod; what characteristics are important to you, and then see if the higher end rods provide those specific characteristics. Are these characteristics provided by the more expensive rod worth the difference in price? That is up to you.

It would be a toss up. I love the feel of my 6'6" Browning Midas/Fuego combo. It is exteremely well balanced (just below the foregrip, and light. But I have a soft spot for a modified Abu Garcia 4600 c3 (now a c6) on a 7' St. Croix Premier MHM. The bg round reel casts great, and is just so much fun to wield. BrASS monkey

As others have stated, fishing the front of the boat can be an advantage if you purposely make it so. My brother tends to let me take the front of the boat because he does not want to deal with the trolling motor. I have no issues with this, as it allows me to target weddlines that we are following before him. However, he saves on the aggravation that can be controlling the trolling motor. BrASSmonkey

Fishing was slow one day so I decided to do some on the water electrical work behind the dash to fix a guage that wasn't working. I plugged something back into the wrong slot which killed a fuse. This was a new boat, so I did not know where the fuse was. So, we used the trolling motor to get back to the marina. I had used the boat the weekend before, and had neglected to charge the battery. So, now we were trolling on low power to try and conserve energy. Eventually, we make it into the closest marina just as the power dies completely. Unfortunately, the marina was a 45 minute cab ride to the marina where we had launched from and where we were parked. So, 2 hours later, I get back, haul the boat out of the water, then find the fusebox complete with a spare fuse. Lesson: no on-the-water electrical work. BrASSmonkey

Is this fertilizer the same fertilizer used on agricultural lands? This fertilizer is usually rich in phosphorus which is used by plants. The phosphorus can lead to algae bloom (the pea soup that some may have observed). In many instances, too much phosphorus can lead to the eutrophication of a body of water, which causes the depletion of dissolved oxygen, limiting the growth of aquatic life in that body of water. Without knowing what goes on this body of water, th addition of phosphorus worries me (I am a wastewater engineer in Canada and phosphorus loading from wastetwater treatment plants is controlled heavily here). However, if done in a controlled way, it should be susstainable. BrASSmonkey

I guess in order to really assess your situation, I would need to know what combos you do currently own and your level of satisfaction with the gear. Secondly, knowing what lures you currently have, what you like to use, what you plan on trying out this year would help determine your needs there. You already said that you have 2 fishfinders which you are not all too familiar with. I would learn to use the fishfinders before considering upgrading the units. Only because if you do not know how to use them, who is to say that you would gain any benefit from new units? I would likely aim at perhaps 1 new combo and the rest on lures and tackle. If you are happy with your combos, and have sufficient comboes to handle different situations, then go all out on tackle to be as flexible as possible. I would think that in tournaments, you would need to be as flexible as possible in order to tailor your approach to what the fish are telling you they want on a particular day. JMHO. BM