webertime

Same can be said of the 806.

I got the Frabill F3 bibs this spring and they worked well all year. I did get the Stormr Typhoon as a Jacket though. That thing is bomber and can be used off the boat too, so I rationalized that expense.

Spinning... The new model Berkley Lightning Rod ($40) with the previous generation Shimano Sienna 2500 ($30). Sienna to Sedona there are veeeeeeery slight differences between them.

I'd be friends with him.

Handle lengths for swimbait rods and flipping are pretty different, that's something you might want to look at before trying to do both with one rod.

It's not an Alphas at all. The Advantage frame/design was also used on the Tierra and Cabelas's Prodigy (the greyish green one). They are really nice and very smooth reels. Drag could use a little Carbontex upgrade, but that's about it. I found that they palmed funny for me (wide) and I have huge hands. $70 is in line with what they are going for.

Moor it and fish it. Smallies love keels.

Not a baby anything, it's a minnow species. Might be related to logperch.

Talked to them at great length on Monday. No warranty on the RODS you build. They test the blank, then they want you to test the blank before the build. If there's an issue, it'll fail then. If you build a rod and you are a hack or whatever, then the rod breaks how can it be said that the blank was bad and not the build/handling that caused it to fail.

I'd swap out the mono for braid on the spinning rod. My Brooke Trout hacking errr hiking in VT has taught me that the more secluded ponds often have lots of weeds/wood around them as no human has trampled on or pulled out. AND no line twist, the braid will not foul where the mono may and might be enough to effect it's usability.

Anything model/frame introduced prior to ~2009 will greatly benefit from them. More current models, only replace if you need to.

Measure outside to outside diameter and inside to inside.

Wait until Black Friday for electronics. You can take it out now and pound the Smallies and Largeheads now with no real need for electronics. Personally: $1500... Garmin EchoMap SV and a 9" EchoMap DV at bow... Link the EchoMaps with a $20 cable so you can share waypoints. Stone simple to use.

I use a Phenix Recon2 804 in open water woth 14lb Sniper for chatterbaits in that size.

Point of reference. Bass X is the previous model Mojo without the purple lipstick.

I love St. Croix. The deal you have... you are nuts to not jump on the Loomi (Loomisses?). EX6 are like the Avid models

Is what I am hearing about NFC, that their powers are lighter than labeled, true?

I am guessing at 2 potential issues, one you can control. 1 You are setting the hook on smallish fish or have a small hook with a big weight and the weight is popping their mouth open before the hook can grab. This will always be something you can't 100% control. 2 You are Pitching/Punching too far out. The angle from rod tip to the fish is very shallow and you are setting the hook and pulling the fish into the thick stalks of the weeds vs. setting the hook and lift up out of the weeds. I used to do this all the time. When flipping set the hook like you are yanking your kid's hand away from a fire (if you are a parent you'll get it, if not think of it as a smokeshow of a girl about to burn her hand, you hero...) Good flipping rods in that range. Dobyns Champion 765/766 St. Croix Legend Tournament Phenix Recon 796/766 That being said you don't need a sensitive/$$$$ rod to flip. The length of line is short and it's usually taugh braid so that increases the sensitivity. A Daiwa Tatula 7'6" for $100 is a great stick and you can buy more tungsten with the savings.

Make sure it's not too long that when you hit the brakes, the rods all go slamming into the front. Could damage them...

7'6" is the one you will want for punching. 7'2" is a great football and Carolina Rig rod.

Keep a bowl of cold water nearby and toss them in once they have started to set.

Pretty darn bomb-proof reels. For what you could sell them for, then what you'd have to add out of your pocket to replace with Shimano equivalents, you'd be spending a good amount with little to no performance gain. I've had a 300 and beat the snot out of it with no issues.

Hold off until winter, lots of amazing deals on larger units. IF you can't do that, look at the Garmin echoMAP 53CV. It's nearly identical to the Helix 5 you are looking at, you can make your own maps with it just like the Helix. You can get them for less than what you are looking at spending. Chirp makes VERY little difference when you are shallow (less than 40ft) water. If you find an older model in a larger size, DON'T get stuck on it not having chirp...

Lunker City's Hellgrammite is money on a DS.

Get a bottle of clear nail polish and give the Perch a good coat. The finish on the Perch is pretty delicate. Good choices though!