Spankey

Starting to Jones now to get on the Big “D”. It’s not quite time yet for me. Picked up a new crankbait stick a few weeks ago that I’m ready to use. Family got me some new balsa lures for Christmas that I wanted. Got a few new XD’s on TW last sale. Hope spring makes an early appearance. Just hanging.

Just throwing this out there but Rapala has a nice selection of fishing tools. To each his own, their stuff has always worked out good for me. I’m a Rapala junkie. I may not always or hardly ever been able to find rods, reel, and lures I want but tools have always been on the shelf locally.

I’m pretty tooled up when I’m out. I have everything in this small tool type caddy. Everything is in one place and not all over hunting for stuff. Spray scent, bug spray, line conditioner all in this. Long needle nose short nose pliers split ring plier braid scissors hook file lip gripper fish gripper jig eye buster cap light nail nipper small filett type knife

I’ve never been much for netting fish up until the last few years. Bought a decent Frabill for muskies. I don’t fish for muskies but manage a few or so each year. It just makes it easier on some bass as well. The right net materials are easy on the bass as well. I don’t let my bass flip and flop all over my deck like BASS and MLF guys. Not sure if that is good for them. I have the ability to treat my live well also.

I love that bottom prop pop R version. Great looking bait.

Thumbs up for the Skitter Prop, Tiny Torpedo also. There are a few prop fans around. Buzz baits will have their place being thrown over grass. Whopper Plopper has issues picking up pieces of grass. I've only thrown the smaller 90's. Maybe I should throw larger.

Went with the Abu Garcia 7' Vertias Medium Moderate Action. Can't wait to use it. About a month away. I looked around and many rods, they were not the right feel to me. Or at least not what I was looking for. Had a guy order me in a SC Walleye version and the Garcia. I'm a big St. Croix fan but walked out with the Garcia. Rod has the feel I'm looking for. How it performs on the water will be the test but I have no doubt about it. I feel that strongly about it. Good luck in your search, everyone has a different feel as to what will work for them.

Agree 110% They claim there is a seal in them that the Symetre did not have. Helps keep it dry if it takes a dunk. I have not had to repair or rebuild any yet. I’m fishing the 2000 series. Great reel. The old Stradic reel went real cheap at the new introduction. Should have bought a few but like many guys I just can’t lay out that kind of $$$ just to have a reel set around. There was nothing wrong with the old Stradic design.

I would have bought a few more Symetres over the last couple of years. It’s been replaced by the Nasci. As good if not better. No problems with them.

Rod support may just be my biggest issue. Possibly be down and out for a few. Scheduled for the end of next month. Anticipating an early spring.

Getting my hand operated on. I will not let this stand in the way of my fishing or shooting and work for the most part. Feel the need to pick up a LH baitcaster to eliminate any issue or inconvenience to my life style. Only thing is I’m not going to spend a lot to cover this possible inconvenience. If the choice was yours buy a cheap ole Garcia Black Max or BPS Pro Qualifier they have on sale now. Maybe just use my spinning gear early on in the season. Just thought about throwing a lefty on my favorite casting rod for short duration. Cheap enough cure for a temporary dilemma.

Ok cool. These type of sites can be so opinionated who knows what goes. Sometime you dont know until you get a warning.

Probably because they don’t sponsor but there is a lot of stuff that doesn’t appear to be a sponsored. Maybe moderator will jump in.

Tough to give or push your opinions. Everybody has their own gigs. Easy to be opinionated on a sight like this. Personally for years I’ve been a St. Croix and a Shimano guy. Have no complaints. My last few setups have been Abu Garcia. I like that they put out rods with moderate and moderate fast tapers that are not hard to find. I bought not the highest end of their reels but the Revo series and they are fine.

I can’t tell you how much to spend but I’ve had two St. Croix Premiere Series Cranking sticks for a long while now. I love them. I just picked up a Garcia Veritas for some heavier deeper cranking. Lake is frozen can’t give any reviews but there will be no need to that rod feel great with my reel on it love the softness of the tip and where the backbone of the rods starts. Opinions will work work as a start for you but go touch a bunch of them. Don’t rush to buy it take your time. Do some homework, keep in mind the lure weight you are working within. The rod is an extension of YOUR arm not some other guys. Opinions will go so far. It has to be right for you. A rod rod I wanted to see and touch is a rod called a Fenwick Fenglass. Can’t find one, not able to touch one. Made for cranking. Price doesn’t break the bank. But how can you buy what you can’t find.

Shimano Nasci, replaced the Symetre the other year. Shimano guy told me had something to do use of the name “Symetre” copyrights. Just as good, I think better, not cheaper by any means.

I just got the (4) I ordered last Friday today. Went with the 6 footers. I bought them because the price was right. Have smallmouth written all over them. Love the finish on them. I'm a big Rapala fan going back to time as a kid. But I got real sour recently over the scatter raps, they suck in my opinion. I didn't like the regular price on them so I didn't bite on them. Can't wait to use them on the river. I not looking to go crazy with any baits pre-season. I picked up a new crankbait rod a few weeks ago and I'm going to get into more pitching, flipping and punching later in the season and will be looking for a heavy stick. I feel good about the Bratz and the price I paid. Good luck with yours.

Nice dude, thanks for the response. My only experience is drop shoting and split shoting morning dawn. Closest to pink or bubble gum I throw.

I’m pretty convinced now that I’ve put myself out of some smallies by not using pink. I’ve pretty much turned myself off to the color and Ive ignored it for all these years. As I gotten a lot older I’ve become a lot more optimistic and open minded in many situations. Maybe I should try pink after all these years of chasing smallies. Do largemouth also have an attraction to this color? Do you fish it in all situations like dead sticking, small Texas Rig, shoting/drop shot, wacky? Thanks.

I don't throw very big senkos. All colors mentioned are great but Pumpkinseed and black always seem to produce. Some of the shorter Dinger have the short chartreuse tip tail. They produce well.

I'm frogging a bit more this year also. Last season I was throwing the Booyah Pad Crushers and Pad Crusher Jr's. Done ok. Wish my hook up rate was better. I'll work on that this year. Want to pick up a few popping versions. I fish them now on a MH and a Med. rod. I'm in a search mode now for a multipurpose rod or Pitching, Flipping & Frogging. I'll find it but over the last couple of weeks of searching I haven't found it.

If you like fishing with the chartreuse tail try the green pumpkin with the chart. tail and pumpkinseed with the chartreuse tail also. I happen to like the chart. tail on some of my worms. Solid worms are as productive if not more. But it's all good stuff. Have fun.

My biggest smallmouths have been caught with crankbaits. My biggest smallmouths have been caught in October. My biggest smallmouths were caught on a color that doesn't work as well for me throughout the heart of the season.

Great post. They are not fussy. But you have to find out what their sweet tooth is after that day.

You’ve been a HUGE help and I’ll take you up on your offer. Gonna stop and look at those MossyBacks after work today. I’ll have what I think is the ultimate rod in my hands within two weeks. That’s why I’ve been down playing my grass situation. I’m sure it’s nothing compared to your situation. I do have this one spot on the lake where it is acre upon acres of solid Lilly pads. I’ll post some pics of the vegitation situation when I get on it. Ice there now. If the truth be know when I figure out what I’m doing I’ll most likely be doing some 3/4 oz. Max 1 oz punching. Thanks for the help. Good fishing.