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I have quite a few positive memories of the Scimitar rod too! I think the one I have is still currently sitting in the basement.

From my experience, the differences are very minute. Would a fish have bit the slim and not a 4" regular? I hope not... On the other hand, if one of those models were on sale, I'd definitely jump on it. I don't have any experience with the 5" thin senko though. Good luck

As discussed, cold would be the main reason not to use micros. Semi Micros (especially if they're K guides) on the other hand, gets a great big thumbs up from me.

Seeing as you're somewhere where line and guides will freeze, I recommend mono. Reasoning is because braid absorbs just a little bit of water and freezes up and causes problems. Mono doesn't (or absorbs less), so you will get a little bit less freezing in the cold temps. I do plenty of ice fishing in the winter, and my recommendation for you is to use low memory monos. Another factor would be to use the lightest line size you can get away with for your fishing situation so that the line is more manageable. I don't truly believe in "ice lines" but a good quality mono would be good in warm and cold weather. My favourite for its price so far is seaguar senshi. I also like to use a little bit of KVD Line conditioner, but I'm not positive it makes a huge difference. If you believe that you want FC for whatever reason, feel free to try! I am trying some 3# FC for my ice fishing this year but I have a gut feeling that mono would be easier in terms of manageability at the end of the day.

I know exactly how it feels when you use a certain bait that catches fish all of a sudden after not catching any for so long. Just know that it's probably the fish turning on whether it was coming on to the piece of cover or had enough of seeing your bait so many times. If you're down to not being able to find it, you'll have to find a replacement. TW could be an option for you, if you feel like paying for the express shipping. The particular one you want seems very similar to the RI Flirt Worm. And I've seen my buddy do really well with a Yum Killshot if you're stuck on yum and their scent. Dropshot is also the technique i find can use absolutely any bait. Also the best place to re-use flipping baits that are too torn to be hooked weedless anymore.

Keep in mind which model of underspin you are using. I find with the basstrix's stout hook, a M or MH works great. Otherwise, M should do for lighter hooks. 6' - 7' would all be your personal preference

The pitching on concrete is how I learned to skip a baitcaster. You want to have about 50-60 feet of concrete for you to learn. Instead of "skipping" it on concrete, your main practice should be to have the bait land on the concrete and slide across the concrete for 40-50feet. If you did it right, the bait will not bounce up on the concrete and just keep sliding. My recommendation is not to use a t-rigged plastic, but a hard bait (with trebles taken out) or just a lead weight (Of the approximate weight you're trying to skip out on water) You're practicing how the bait should hit the water, and making sure that there isn't a birdsnest to follow. Play around with settings on your reel - you'll hear anything from everything loose and no brakes to brakes and tension. I personally prefer some brakes and a little bit of tension. Some reels work better than others, depending on braking systems... It comes down to your own preferences. If you can skip a bait 20-30feet over water, you're doing well. Of course the ultimate in efficiency is to be able to pendulum the bait back without holding the bait and skipping it back out with extreme accuracy. (I'm not there yet) Keep in mind, skipping is all about placing the bait into the exact location and one perfect pitch / skip is going to be better than 10 that hit close to or around the target.

Any tips on how deep to throw the rat? I bought a CL8 a couple years ago, and it's been tossed a couple times but never caught a fish!

Was introduced this technique by a friend a couple of years ago. Love this bite! This is one of the few techniques that I try to avoid braid if fishing on casting gear because of the tip wrapping tendencies. Spinning on the other hand, not a problem!

734 is the exact action you're looking for. Nothing too stiff, nothing too fast, long enough to make a long cast. I was losing fish last year experimenting with rods that had too much backbone. The rod should also be great at throwing spinnerbaits, chatterbaits around cover. Also, you don't need any fancy sensitive rod for a topwater. This is a visual technique. Try to find a nice balanced rod, or go as light as you can with an extremely light reel.

I'm not a member of it myself personally, but it's pretty much like any other forum except you post "reports". Some are gear reviews, some are new products, and some are stories about their day out on the water. Just like anything else, some people offer good info, others seem like they're there to advertise. I believe it's based in Ontario, Canada but accomodates for North America, perhaps worldwide? Quite a bit of info on it if you're willing to sift through it.

I've got 2 metaniums and 2 chronarchs. IMO, the metaniums sling baits a little further, but that is with the brakes changed to the white ones. The met is a little less finicky when it comes to setting the brakes, but now I am regretting that I have 2 XG's which I'm starting to notice the downside of reels that are too fast. The 0.7oz difference is barely noticeable, and both are solid. If money wasn't a thing, I'd have 4 metaniums, but I wouldn't be disappointed with 4 chronarchs either. As for the Curado, I've only casted my buddy's reel a few times and it's no slouch either. Each step up is maybe 5-10% better, but at the cost of a Benjamin...

I've been following the Shimano lineup since I got my 13met when it first came out, but I am thoroughly impressed with the Alphas SV. Casting wise, it seems to be about the same in terms of distance against my chronarch CI4+, but it seems to be able to do it easier, and with less thumbing required once set properly. Retrieve wise, it is buttery smooth and the drag seems to be fine for cranks and spinnerbaits. The spool can hold more line than the spool says it can. I currently have a little mono backing and 125yds of sunline sx1 in 20# all on that "shallower" spool. It beats the chronarch in price, for about equal performance. The downside is that there are only 2 gear ratios to choose from. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one if I were to upgrade one of my other reels.

I think the remedy is just set the drag looser that you would with mono and use a soft rod. Also, I've enjoyed the idea of putting a 2' mono / fluoro leader as shock absorption and stretch. Sunline sx1 has been great for me in 20#. Will continue to use that until I get my heart broken. So far it's been treating me well

For the lazy folk that are spooling reels and just sucking it up, point the notches at the rod. At least this way it'll catch less often. Spooling a baitcaster shouldn't be a problem as you're exposing the side of the of the spool of line directly to the rod.

I don't have an answer for your question, but I don't mind a splash for a long bomb cast. When I see videos of bass underwater, a loud splash usually gets the attention of the bass and I would think is a good thing. (Maybe not 100% of the time - who really knows the definite answer to this) When you are casting this far, it usually means that the bass would be unaware of your presence. And grabbing their attention would be beneficial IMO. Just my pennies. Hope someone else has a good answer to this.

Has anyone did any hook upgrades to the 50X? Ever felt the need to? I love the 50X when the crankbait bite is on, but the flat I've yet to have cashed out on. Hoping that the FRS snat ch is going to be good

Take a smaller sized spinning reel you already own and spend the money on a rod! Usually a combo reel's drag isn't smooth at all. Brands I like are the *** ice rods, fenwick, and st croix. M action for bigger fish, UL for panfish! I use 1000 sized reels for UL's and 2500 reels for M. (Might be overkill but does the job fine for me) If fishing for panfish don't use more than 4lb test, but you can get away with 6, 8, or 10 with the medium rods. Make sure it is good line that generally is low memory, and withstands colder weather well. Electronics, clothes, and all the good stuff I left out - if you want more details you can PM me.

Received one after snapping my smallmouth rod. Had the 6'9mxf (which was absolutely my favourite spinning rod in the world) then replaced it with a 7'mf the rod balanced (but not as good as the smallie rod), it was noticeably heavier to hold. theres also something that I can't quite put my finger on yet as the water here is all frozen. Sensitivity seems to be there, but I wish I could turn back time and not break that smallie rod

Useful for anything that you'd want to have the ability to make a cast as far as you can. (Frogs, Cranks, Spinnerbaits) Not useful in my opinion for pitching, short casts, or accuracy. http://fishinglifestyle.net/2012/02/boca-bearings-orange-seal-review-extreme-casting-distance/ Take a read.

This seems like a super idea. With trebles, I can see that destroying the suspending of jerkbaits. Crankbaits seem like they could do, but you would miss some fish if they were only swatting at it. Some of these could be solved if you turned me into a Texas rig pegged with a light weight, but that is not as cost efficient when using tungsten. This may open up another option in my walleye fishing when you throw exposed hooks at weeds.

Love how smooth my ci4+ is. Does it really catch you more fish? Definitely not. Does it offer a lot of joy when fishing? Hell yes.

I think you're overemphasizing the fact that you don't have the right rod. If you're going to punch / hit holes in the mat, do it without a leader and you should be in better shape. There's no point for a leader anyways. Yes, you'll be overpowering your rod, but getting the bite matters most. I don't know of another technique that's as good as a t-rig when fishing heavy mats and they're not jumping out for frogs and the such.

2/0 or 3/0 Superline EWG Gammy's

I believe this varies from bait to bait. I find some poppers walk well, others not so much. I believe that the ones that are capable of walking the dog are also the better of the poppers. It's well past topwater season in my part of the world... Enjoy!