northern basser

I used 12# invisX on my chr. 50mg for most of the year and thought it performed pretty well. I had 12# yozuri hybrid on another bc and I think I might give the edge to the invisX. I know ones a co-poly and the other is 100% flor. , but these are the only reels I didn't have braid on.

I'm going to mess w/ it tonight.

I used 12lb. all summer and the break strength was incredible. I don't normally use any bigger line than I need to. Visibility, managability, castability...

Generally speaking, bigger baits= bigger fish/ less numbers. However there is always the exception. A small fish strikes a bait the same size as him or you catch a big one w/ a 3" tube. This was the first year I dabbled w/ swimbaits. I had 2 different sizes of strike king ones. A 4" and I believe a 6". Anyway, the 4" was a more "normal" sized bait. The other was pretty big. Like casting a log. I couldn't get a strike w/ the big one, but did manage to catch some fish w/ the "normal" sized one. Speaking of gators, I lost about a dozen lures trying to bass fish on a lake near Winnie this summer in 2 days. Most of them topwaters and the cut was instant wether it was 10lb. mono or 50lb. braid.

I'm done bass fishing for the year. Lakes aren't quite froze yet so walleyes and northerns are still active. I'm not much for ice fishing.

I'm done bass fishing for the year. Lakes aren't quite froze yet so walleyes and northerns are still active. I'm not much for ice fishing.

I'm done bass fishing for the year. Lakes aren't quite froze yet so walleyes and northerns are still active. I'm not much for ice fishing.

I've always liked crankbaits w/ rattles and a lot of action. This year my fishing partner(frogginstein) started using a silver and black shad rap which obviously has no rattles and a tight wiggle. He was hauling fish in the boat at a alarming rate compared to me. I finally began to use the same lure(different colors) and my luck improved. At first I thought he was just getting lucky, it couldn't be skill or choice of lure ;D ;D ;D ;D. Theres a time and place for everything, but this fall in southern MN those shallow running shad raps were the ticket! You just don't want to get weeds off it by smacking it on the water. I broke the lips off like 3 of those sh. run. shad raps. Oops

Personally, I prefer reels in the 6 something to 1 ratio. Maybe for deeper cranks the slower more powerfull reel would be better, but I rarely fish the really deep cranks. 5 to 1 reels seem very slow to me and are hard to rip lipless cranks with.

DVT, What type of sand paper grit?

There is only one thing bad I have to say about my patriarch xt, EVA knobs. I don't necessarily like the way they feel, but more importantly I dislike the thickness. I was thinking about replacing them or modifying them(shave, grind, sand, dremmel..?). The thing is I love the CF handle so changing the whole handle is out of the question for me. What I do like are shimano's knobs. Any help?

Looking at the same thing in Owatonna Vinny. Some people are getting stoked for ice fishing while I just dream of when I'll be able to get in a boat again.

The dual braking on my patriarch xt works great. I also really like the shimano centrifugal system. When I change between the two there is a difference in casting technique. The shimano will let you get away w/ those quick hard throws, while the pat. requires a smoother more consistant toss. I can cast my pat. the farthest though.

I have to agree here. My crankbait rod is my least sensitive rod and is the 1st one I will be replacing before next spring.

Sounds exactly like what I want on my ch50's. Would you mind if I asked you what it cost for all that? I would have replied sooner, but haven't been online for awhile. If I remember correctly it was in the $60 range. Not bad considering the bearings are $30 retail and the carbontex are like $10. I'm normally a do it yourself guy w/ a lot of things, but I'd rather not risk screwing up a expensive reel. DVT will get more business from me this winter.

DVT serviced my chr. 50mg, added new spool bearings, new cast controll washers and carbontex drag washers. I thought they did a excellent job and in a timely manner also!!

IMO anything that doesn't leak, Has a running motor, and a bow mount TM works. Transom mounts work too, but I've had to do that route this summer(transom m.) and it stinks. Having a TM of any kind is a plus and a must.

When are they gonna stock more?

I've been wanting to try samurai for a while now. It will probably have to wait for spring now. The cabelas near me doesn't stock it and I never ordered any cause my spools were full. Went to cabelas yesterday and picked up another patriarch xt(still love that reel!!) and they had some suffix 832. My longtime friend and cabelas worker recommended I give it a try. Today I'll do that when a take my daughter out. Water temps are cold up here and this will be the last outing of the year in MN for me. I got the 40# 832. Since I've only used PP I'll start a thread later for the comparison. Has anyone used both Samurai and suffix 832?

Thanks everyone

Just wondering if someone who has used the new 50e for a while could offer their comments. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on one.

I have a citica 200e w/ 50# power pro braid on it. This year was the 1st year I've used braid. I'm really liking it and its advantages, but there is still a place for mono, co-poly or flo. in my line up. The first thing you will notice is the lack of stretch. I'm still trying to condition myself not too rear back really hard when I set the hook. W/ braid having no stretch your hook set needs to be a lot lighter. IMO braid is more sensitive than other lines too. I'm anxious to try samarai braid also. Oh, by the way, I really like the citica. It is my least expensive reel and i'm very pleased w/ it! Not much less of a reel than the curado e7.

IMO, there is a time and a place for everything. I through mostly senkos when I'm worm fishing. Usually it's the 5 or 6" size, but I also like to through the big senkos. I think they are 7 inchers, but they are way thicker than the 5 and 6's. I can't say that they catch bigger fish, however sometimes they catch fish when the others aren't. As far as fish size, I watched a little dink take my big senko and it took him 3 full gulps to get it. I should have jerked it away from him right away, but it was kind of amusing.

I've owned an avid and a gl2 at one time. I have not used a crucial. I thought the gl2 was more sensitive than the avid, but the avid i owned was the older version. I think the newer avids are different blanks than the earlier ones. If I'm right, I'd be curious to find out if anyone has ever used one of the old ones and if the new ones are signifigantly better?

I have a navionics premium for MN area and surrounding states. Like mentioned earlier, more popular lakes that are broken down to 1' increments the chip is very accurate. Smaller less popular lakes(in MN there are all types) it only breaks down to 5' increments and is not always exactly on. All in all I'm pretty impressed w/ it.