gr8outdoorz

Hahahahaha! Man we have been catching a decent amount out there fishing the tops of mats with hollow body frogs & punching them with a 1 1/2 oz punch weight & Rage Lobsters. Find the mats that sound like rice krispy treats (snap -krackle-pop) sound & fish them. That sound is bluegill feeding on insect hatches under the mat sou you know bass are not far. That has been our pattern the last couple weeks. We caught a few cranking off some points but the vast majority have been from the mats.

Swimbaits (Hudds), jigs, and shaky heads are what has gotten me the most at Grove. My avatar is from there. Got her on a shaky head on the wooded side where there is a lay down going into the water. The "cove" on the far end has produced some good ones for me as well. Better wear bug spray over there though, lots of tics! Its been a while since i have fished there. The fishing has been good on Glenn Springs so I haven't hit any of the local ponds. Hope this helps! Carlton

Just a heads up to all of us deal seekers on here. Overstockbaits.com is having their .99 cent sale right now. I picked up 20 Gander Mountain swim jigs in blue shad & smoke shad for $28 with shipping!

Ross has lifetime warranty as long as you buy it from an authorized dealer.

I agree with needing trout stamps, at least where I fish for them. There are a few local Fly Fishing Associations that have spent millions of dollars in conservation & maintenance of our trout rivers/streams. I believe that is a huge reason our waters produce such healthy populations of trophy trout. I feel lucky that I get to fish these amazing waters so adding a few dollars to my yearly license to help keep that going is no problem in my book.

Yea, they are quality built reels. Mine have all been bashed by boulders, mud, scree, snow, you name it & they are still functioning well. About 2 years ago I replaced them all (6) with the new Evolution LT's (that was an EXPENSIVE replacement!!) due to the MUCH lighter weight and could not be happier. I have owned/fished quite a few reels in my day but just fell in love with Ross back when I got my first one. I will tell you though, about a year ago I picked up a TFO BVK III for my 8wt rod & I am very impressed with that reel. The drag on it is sweet!!

I have never fished the 1800 but the Sage reels I have fished were nice and Sage stands behind their products 100% with great customer service. That seems to be a good price for it. The one thing you want to make sure of on a fly reel is that the frame is all metal construction which that one is. For what you will be using it for I doubt you would be unhappy with it. Also take a look at the Temple Fork Outfitters BVK reel. I have the BVK III on my 8wt St Croix Legend Ultra and it is a sweet reel. You can probably find the BVK I (it is sized for 4wt/5wt) for around $135-160. As long as you get one that is machined metal frame you are going to be happy with it for a long time. I used a $40 reel for about 15 years before I started purely hunting trophies and upgraded to stronger/smoother drag systems. Good luck!

I am partial to Ross Reels. They are built for a lifetime of use. I use Ross Evolution Lt's on almost all my rods, however they are about $325. Ross does make a reel called the FlyRise that is about $125-150 that is a good reel. I agree with everyone else about not needing an expensive reel for small/medium trout, bluegill, and bass. I hunt trophy size (25"+) Browns so I tend to put them on the reel as I am usually using light lines (6X & 7X tippet). Good luck & welcome to the addiction!!

I personally haven't cast one either, however most rods in the $300 range are quality rods . Im sure Cabela's has a good return policy. You could buy it, try it, and if its not the rod you wanted then return it. Good luck!

Never have a problem with mine. She is almost as avid angler as I am. It helps that I have purchased all of her rods/reels (Fly rods, bass rods, catfish rods, panfish rods, etc...). The fun comes when she finishes her Doctorate in a few years. Since I bought the house and am supporting us while she is in Pharmacy School, she wants to buy me a new bass boat as thanks!!

For me, the main difference between T-rig and Shaky Head is the worm I use. I'll use just about any worm on a T-rig, however on shaky heads I use trick/finesse worms that float. It allows the worm to "stand up" on the bottom so any slight jiggle of the rod tip will cause it to shake which drives bass nuts. That being said, you can use any type worm on either rig and probably be successful. This is just how I use the two rigs. Hope this helps!

By all means fish it!!! I would! Then it would be going in my display case! I'm a sucker for classic & antique flyfishing gear. As long as you dont do anything crazy you are not going to hurt that thing. Those reels are built to last a lifetime!

That reel is a CLASSIC!!!! Man if you picked one up for $10 you got a steal!! All you have to do is clean & grease it and it will last a lifetime! Most guys these days go for Large Arbor reels here in America so you don't see as many around, however they are extremely popular in Europe. If I had a vintage Hardy I would keep it with my collection of vintage gear I display at home. I have been fly fishing since I was knee high to a grasshopper and have collected quite a few classics over the years, but that reel has not been one of them unfortunately. Enjoy your catch!

I dont see why it wouldn't. It works for me.

On mine I started taking off the front trebble and upsized to a #2 Mustad KVD on the back. Its big enough to still hookup but dont have to worry about tangles. It also helps keeping hangups to a minimum when they crash off of timber/rocks.

They will if its an extended cab. I have a Toyota Tacoma prerunner extended cab and can fit my 7'9" swimbait rod in the cab. I have to lean the seat back to get it in, but once its past the doorway I can put the seat back up & it fits nicely. I just put the butt of the rods under the gove box and the middle console supports the middle of the rods so they are not resting on the tips.

Jigs, T-rigs, C-rigs. That Veritas has good sensitivity which is what you want in a bottom contact rod. I have a 7'3" MH Veritas. I use mine for frogs, only because my Jig & T-rig/C-rig rods are more sensitive. The 7.0:1 reel is perfect for bottom contact as well because you work the bait with the rod so you want a fast reel to pick up line fast.

Moderate action is a must IMO! I use a 7' M/M for shallow cranks and lipless under 1/2 oz. Lipless 1/2 oz & over get thrown on a 7'6" MH/M.

One point not brought up yet is that a 5.x:1 or lower ratio will keep the bait in the strike zone longer than a higher speed reel. When you make a long cast, which is needed for deep cranks, it takes a bit for the crank to get down to the depth the bass are in. That slower reel will keep it there longer. I too have a tendency to reel fast and I found the slower ratio helps me to keep the crank at running depth longer which gives me a better chance of getting bit. It also allows me to reel in at my normal pace. I used to crank with a 6.4:1 (25" p/t). Once I added a 5.2:1 (21" p/t) to my deep crank rod, not only was it less fatiguing, I was able to keep my cranks at the depth I needed them at for longer. I still use that 6.4:1 for shallow & lipless cranks, but I won't use anything faster than a 5.x:1 for deep cranks anymore. This, of course, is just MHO. Hope this helps!

If it were me, I would use that 7' MH/F Veritas for bottom baits (T-Rig, C-Rig, & Jigs) and get one more rod for moving baits (Spinnerbaits, Swim jigs, jerkbaits, Topwater, etc...). For me, the rod for moving baits would be a 6'6" MH/F. Hope this helps!

This is soooo true!!!

Im surprised at this! I have 5 PQ's with 2 being 5.2:1 and they cast great. As a matter of fact the 5.2:1's cast a little further than...dare I say it...here it goes...my Curado!

This!

Its a good line! I also use 12 (baitcaster) & 6 (spinning). Just wait until you get that 12lb snagged. That line is STRONG!!! Couldn't get my lure free so I tried to break the line (key word being TRIED)! Hahahaha! Wound up straightening a #2 treble hook. Got my lure back tho.

As long as you are not throwing deep cranks that MGX and Veritas Winch will be a good setup. I have the Veritas Winch 7'6" MH/M paired with a Revo Winch I throw cranks that dive below 10 ft. For shallow cranks and lipless cranks I prefer a higher speed reel witch is what you have in the MGX. 1) for line: I like 15lb fluoro for shallow cranks and 10lb fluoro for anything under 10 feet. 2) for knots: I personally use a DuoLoc snap due to it allowing the bait to wobble freely. This can be achieved also with any loop knot or a split ring. I don't use split rings just because the line can pinch between them and work loose. There are many ways to fish cranks. You just have to learn what you like the best. Hope this helps!