Spankey

MD don't know if you are in a big hurry but St. Croix has had all their rods at the local winter shows. Pretty sure it will be the same this year. i take it you are a Maryland guy I'm se penna. I picked up a 6'10" ML spin XF Mojo (new series) at show price. 10-20% off. Don't remember exactually. Discounts were going through Susquehanna tackle. Every St. Croix series was there.

I see where St Croix is putting out this rod that's called Bass X. Fall right in line with the premiers and Mojos. Seems to duplicate the actions of the Mojos. Believe I saw this on Tw website.

I'd have to feel them. I would never buy a rod sight untouched. In the shop is one thing on the water is even another but you got the chance to see and feel the action. Even if only going to the shop, you'll know if you like it. I own Mojos and have an Ike Rod. And many other St. Croix. I like my rods because I want to see and feel them first. Putting a reel on the helps also. If you can have someone let you fish with one first is a big plus. I think you should not rush. Take your time and feel them out first. Don't buy on impulse.

I'm anal and can be tuff to shop for. If it has to do with fishing or hunting. TW and Susquehanna Tackle has a decent Black Friday sale so I throw some stuff on paper and she'll call it in. If they have it fine if not that's ok to. Did have a spinning reel in mind, Simms bibs, deck tools, a few Strike King lures, couple of Rapalas, more kick n bass, some more tubes and jig heads. I have grand kids and my kids to enjoy the holiday with. I can always pick that stuff up over the winter at the sportsmans show.

I think that's what my youngest uses when running with kids and adults with disabilities in her cart. Marathon type stuff. Hers is great, nice photo quality.

I find myself fishing poppers more often because I have more confidence in them. I doubt my abilities sometime walking a bait perfectly. But I have confidence with a prop type bait.

There are things you can control in life and thing you can not. Your time on the water is something you have control over. Don't stress, don't put yourself in a stressful situation. I find it to be a relief. Maybe I'm selfish with the one thing of very few things in life I enjoy.

Yeajray231 hit it right on the head. "I agree you should have fun, even if that means fishing by yourself." Amen brother. I'll take my daughters, my grand kids or a guy who isn't even a fisherman who wants to experience it with me. In these situations its about them. Taking them. For them. When I'm bass fishing it not about messing around. I'm about catching bass.Or maybe I didn't fare to well. It's not about that for me. I'm at peace with myself. It's about those smallies and myself. I'm not thinking about anything else. Just what the creator provided. Don't need the drama, antics, BS. I have to deal with that all week.

Nice catch! I'm here in Pennsylvania also just reminiscing the 62 deg. water temps. Hope you're well east of the fires. Have family near Clinton. Be safe.

Buy a nice lure retriever. It will pay for itself on first lure or two hung up. Back years ago I placed an order with BPS. Somehow one came with the order. Clearly a mistake but I've put it to use. A casted metal piece shaped like a dog with sash chains hanging from it that slides down your line. Mason line attached to it to pull lures free. If I'm fishing an area and don't want to make a disturbance because your catching or suspect fish are there. If you have a lure hung up I clip my line and attach a bobber to that line and I go back later to retrieve it. I may have to do some treble hook replacements but my lure bodies are perfect. Just throwing it out there. I agree 100% with above posts, excellent smallie baits.

My strengths are fishing soft plastics. Like to finesse fish various ways. Fishing tubes, worms, grubs, soft craws. I'm no pro but crankbaits and topwater fishing must be going ok by the fish I've been catching. I'm more into straight line spinnerbaits like Mepps type of stuff. That's always went pretty well. This coming season I'd like to do some frog type fishing. Not sure what types. I have all winter to do my home work. I can maybe tie this into some fly fishing also. It would be a 180 to how I normally bass fish.

I think I'll get a few day of trout fishing in before the end of the year. I can only guess, 60+ days. If I said 75 I think I'd be stretching it. I had a few week at trout season that it seem like I went everyday after work. I feel this was a great bass season for me. Better than expected. Conditions were not great. Lack of rain. Hotter than the norm. Construction going on I a place I like to fish.

Whatever is in my hand at the time is propably my favorite just hoping for that big one. But I'm a St. Croix fan with my rods I fish Premier, Avids and Mojo rods. Spinning and casting rods. I like Shimano reels on the spinning side of things and Daiwa reels for casting. Never had a problem finding something I like. I have a few Garcia set ups I really like also. These are mostly decent quality stuff for daughters or grandsons to fish with if they want to come along. My personal best Smallie held up with a Vendetta Rod 6'10" ML XF for a couple of years. Crushed that with one of my Premier series Crank bait rods in mid October.

Take your rod along with to the shop and get something that balances nice. So much stuff out there, where as to say That i like Shimano Symeyre reels, might not match up well for you. To me the rod is the most important. Length and speed. Not saying a junk reel is ok but to me a reel is the storage spot for line. Probably incorrect because if I had a reel with a s#!+ drag system and a nice fish on id hate to loose him over that. I guess my thoughts toward the rod importance is for hook set. But any way I'm a Shimano fan.

Probably the most important thing that I forgot in my above post. Keep getting my grandsons out to trout fish as much as possible. I believe this is necessary and will help them be good bass fisherman.

Have my two daughters fish with me again next year on fathers day. Not kids anymore 29/35 years old. They were doing the fishing. Fish more jerk baits. Somehow I didn't fish them much this season. Got hung up on a few other techniques. Get a few days of bluegill/crappie fishing in. Try to remember to put my fly rod in the boat a time or two. Maybe just buy one and keep it in there. Fish a few more evenings. Hope to catch a snakehead while bass fishing. Never have. Never seen one for that matter. Call in sick a few more days while fishing mid-week.

I started fishing as a very young kid. Sort of fished for anything that would bite. Was seriously fishing for trout by 10 years old. Still love to trout fish wild, stock and for natives. Winter and early spring past time to keep me casting. My addiction to smallies came at about 16/17 yrs. old in 1976/77. The addiction for smallies came on a trout fishing outing with some school buddies that were trying to get into trout fishing themselves back then.

Not sure how true this is but I heard along time ago they came up with the color camo from melting down a batch of soft plastics and reusing them. If this is true, what a color, because Berkley Camo has always been a good color for me. Just something I heard in the past.

I was thinking back on this season and asked myself what I would do over or what mistakes I thought I made. Also what I thought that I was satisfied doing. I am more that happy the way things went this season. I wish I would have suspended jerk bait fished more. Have gotten some nice smallies this way over the years. Was more than satisfied with some of the topwater fishing I had done. This was after a couple of seasons in a row that I had not topwater fished too well. Why? I don't know, actually broke my confidence in it to a big degree. I catch myself going back to basics. I have to to get my mind right sometimes.

Change of mind, Pig and jig.

If I thought or knew a few bigger fish were there and they were biting. Smaller fish were say taking crankbaits and spinner baits I'd fish through and around it dragging some soft plastics. Just hopeful mr. Fatty was laying on the bottom. Your version of dinks and runts are bigger than mine.

I love your thread. Been keeping an eye on it. You've been given a lot of great advise. I hate to see you get discouraged, hope you don't. I take it the fish are there. That's The most important thing. This is what I'd do if I were you. Maybe this is for next season. When you go out only take 4" power worms, grubs and some tubes with you. You don't need a ton of stuff. The right colors. Email me about that or repost about some decent colors. Leave all the other stuff home. Learn to rig the above mentioned baits. These baits will make you fish slow. Very very slow for real. These baits will keep you in contact with the bottom. You'll learn the water you are fishing. When things are slow go this way. I'm not trying to be a kcid by telling you to leave your other stuff home. Just saying this will force you to fish slow. You'll have to. You won't have anything else to tie on or resort to. Youll fish what you brought or go home and I don't want to see you go home. You'll become a better fisherman that way. Than at some other time down the road do the same thing with some spinnerbaits. Than crank baits. You probably think I'm crazy but I'm serious as a heart attack. I'll bet you land more fish.

Aluminum angle and channel. Not to be a smart ass by any means. Check out what they have laying around at the scrap yard for materials. They will be glad to help you. Cheaper than buying new materials. Aluminum stays and struts are the way to go. Like your project.

Would think it should be pretty easy and fun project with just plywood, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" supports, nice marine carpet and adhesive. You have to know what you want it to look like before you start. No different than putting a deck on your hose for that matter. Having the right tools will be 75% of the battle. Have fun. Sounds like fun.

I'm a PA river rat also. Some time I wish I had a full blown river set up with a jet for super skinny water. I do it out of a 19 ft. Tracker. I get the job done but limited at times. Just make sure you have your safety equipment and a decent set up with your trolling motor. I use two deep cycle just for my trolling motor. My trolling motor means every thing to me. Have a Spare prop for t-motor and ob motor with you . I have them. Have not had to use them over the years. If I didn't have them I would have ran into issues. Smallie......what can I say. I've been addicted for 40+ years.