WanderLust

1) Fat IKA <--- #1 by far for quality 2) 5" Senko 3) Jig and Craw

Yeah, I fished over the weekend and indeed did some topwater trails. Caught one dink smallie on a Kelly J and a decent slime dart on a Rebel Pop-R. I have a swampy spot I'm going to try a toad and a Money Hound in... See if anything is lurking.

Color would be the 1st thing I changed... I normally use a fluke / grub as my trailer. I like a slow steady (6.x or slower) retrieve although sometimes on the 2nd or 3rd cast I will kill it next to likely holding spots. I almost always use fluoro with SJ's as well.

I have both... 201E is my topwater reel and 51E is my weightless plastic / light jig rod. I haven't found line capacity to be an issue... I normally jig in 15-30' of water and it hasn't been an issue. I was just cranking with it this morning and had some absolute monster casts with a 1/2 oz lure. I re-tie frequently as well using 12# fluoro. 51 throws smaller / lighter baits much better than the 201... Its also lighter so balance can be an issue. I have mine paired with a G Loomis BCR 803 GLX and its perfect.

Hopefully I'll be out in the AM; water is still crazy high but the topwater box is organized and ready for deployment. In other words... "Its on like Donkey Kong!" Just gave my dad a really nice setup for his birthday today, he was very happy with it.

Its a nice reel with a decent feature set. I thought about adding one to my collection but opted for the Lew's Tournament Speed Spool as it was a bit cheaper and had similar features. There are so many great reels in this price range that its tough to go wrong. I'm a big fan of Shimano but have (2) Revos and the Lew's that see duty almost every time out. I'm a leftie so I have limited options. As far as $200 reels, the Curado 50E and the Revo STX or Winch are top shelf. The Smoke is light and looks cool so if that's a factor... I would say its a good choice.

Thumper is awesome... Anaconda I didn't have much luck with but in all fairness I didn't try it long.

I caught the biggest ones on a Rapala Tail Dancer (perch)and a keel weighted fluke style plastic. I can also recommend minnows fished off the bottom using a slip rig or catfish setup.... I know quite a few guys that slay them with that combo.

I have a ton of them... I use the smaller ones on a swim jig or Chatterbait. The big ones are great on a weighted swimbait hook although pike destroy them quick.

^^^^^^ LOL

Vanish is a pure shiza line regardless of knot. I've happy with 100% Fluoro in that price range. I found that InvisX and AbrasX had too much stretch although decent lines.

For that application Avid is great unless you prefer split grip...

Went out today and left my Shimano's in the truck. So it was Lew's and the Winch... The Winch was my go to all day but since it was a crankin sort of day this didn't surprise me. Since I cleaned and tuned the Winch its really a much better reel. The Lew's looks cool and seems great though, I have it on a Dobyns Champion so its not like its not getting a fair shake. That being said not sure it will ever make it on to the Loomis. 51E was made for that one.

bubblegum fluke is deadly... Hot Pink Xrap is also a great bait.

In fishermen Smallmouth book is decent... Knowing Bass is a great read as well.

Should be quite awesome! Best of luck everyone! I will start on the trophy during one the many boring and rainy nights we have coming! Pics when its done!

My current line is (2) Curados 201E & a 51E, Revo Winch, Revo STX and a Lew's Tourney Pro... 51E is my current favorite but are all in the same ballpark. 201E is being super tuned so we'll see if it improves an already excellent reel. The Lew's made a strange sound out of the box but after some cleaning and re-lubing its butter smooth. STX is an awesome reel as well but the paint job chips something terrible. In short, don't think you can go wrong.

After a few different setups.... For shore fishing: A large comfortable backpack: Contents: - (2) soft plastic binders - several terminal tackle utility boxes (jigs, hooks, weights etc) - several lure utility boxes organized by function (topwater, frogs, shallow cranks, jerk baits, spinnerbaits etc) - Knife - Pliers - Misc fishing & survival gear depending Generally speaking (2) rods rigged how I think the day is going to go. I have (3) more setups in the truck.

Daiwa Advantage A is a solid choice here. TDA153HSTLA would fit your requirements nicely. I recently picked up a Lew's Tournament Pro Speed Spool that's be great so far. and not to be left out if you can find a NIB Revo STX 6.4:1 that would be sweet as well.

Awesome... Also got some fishing in when it was nicer out. Been having some issues so it was nice to just get out for a bit.

Lamiglas makes a nice rod... Used Loomis or other high end rod is a treasure at the right price. I picked up a Loomis GLX last year and its my favorite rod.

Last time my buddies were over they commented on my collection... Its pretty obscene. I'm setting up my garage like a bait shop so I can just grab for whatever body of water I'm going to.

Veritas is a nice stick... In this price range people like the Shimano Compre and the Fenwick HMG as well. I prefer 6'8 for most plastic applications except heavier jigs.

Should work fine for that. I fish frogs alot but don't have a specific rod set aside for it. I use a St. Croix Avid 7' MHF most of the time... Also have a Dobyns Champion 704C that could see some use for this application. I know some people like a softer tip for this application.

In-Fishermen books are decent... Knowing Bass is very useful as well although a bit dry.