drew4779

I'm about 2 1/2 hours away so I only make it there a hand full of times a year but have been going for over 25 years. I had a buddy post some pics last week of two 5 pound fish he just caught there. This is traditionally when the big gals really start biting at AEP.

Welcome! AEP may be the best public waters the buckeye state has to offer. You are fortunate to be so close.

I fish SW Ohio and SE Indiana. LM bass with red eyes are very common.

I don't think one manufacturer can truly be considered "best" because individuals value particular attributes differently. One may value innovation over durability, country of origin over cosmetics, castablity over breaking, etc. It's truly in the eye of the beholder. That being said, I own, or have owned reels by many different manufacturers (abu, bps, browning, daiwa, lew's, pflueger, quantum, shimano), and my preference is shimano and daiwa. There are other brand reels in my arsenal that I love, but I keep coming back to those two. BTW, my dad fished one quantum pro for over 25 years before it finally gave out on him. He loved that reel.

Most of the time I use 4/0 EWG style hooks.

My DS rod is a Mojo spinning rod and my shakey head rod is a E6X casting rod. This really isn't a fair comparison, but I can say that I really like the Mojo rod and feel I over paid for the E6X.

The E series is my all time favorite. I have a 200e7 and 50e chronarch, and a 200e citica that's been upgraded over the years. I've owned many other nice reels since, some that I really liked a lot, but still find myself fishing the E series reels more often than not.

They have their place. I know guys who prefer them when fishing from the bank. It's easier to manage the back swing when dealing with trees and brush behind you. Also, when using a "walk the dog" technique from shore, it nice when you're not smacking your rod tip in the water with every twich. I recently inherited a couple 5'-6" pistol grips. I think I'm going to give them a try this spring on the kayak. I'm new to kayak fishing, and the few times I got out on it last year, the 7'-3" flipping stick just felt weird to me while sitting so low on the water. With casting distance being much less of an issue on a kayak, something shorter may feel more manageable.

The tube is my go to bait. I learned fishing Lake St. Clair as a kid. My dad would find us a patch of grass off shore in 8 - 12 feet of water. We cast to the grass and let it sit. My dad would then smoke a cigarette and only after he'd finished, he tell us to drop and slowly lift our rod tip. Those tubes would get slammed when they'd fall back down. This technique is still responsible for my best day fishing. He'd swear you'd have to let them soak before you even think of moving them. Since then, I've had a tube tied on at least one setup for the past 25 years. I've learned many other ways to fish them over that time and everyone seems to get bit. Smallmouth, largemouth, spots all seem to love them. A great bait that I almost never see anyone use in my area.

I doubt that Ely, Minnesota is near the locations you've listed (I don't think it's near anywhere). But, 20 years ago canoeing through the boundary waters, a buddy of mine caught a bass that was in the 8 - 10 lbs range. She wasn't weighed, but it was the largest northern LM I've ever seen.

I don't see magic swimmers mentioned a ton on the forum, but I've had some great days on the water with those lures.

I go with function over form. Sure there are colors (black) I prefer over others, but my gear doesn't have to match if it performs. My favorite rod I own is white. I wish it were black but it feels better in my hand than the others.

This is the best advice you could get. I've taught my daughters (9 and 12) how to use casting gear with just a little tape on the spool and some backyard practice. Good luck!

Check Dad's Ole Tackle.

Tube Tales I always have a set up with one tied on. My go to.

Back in the mid-late 80's, the lake at our boy scout camp in Ohio was lousy with them. They didn't sting and we'd scoop them up in plastic cups. You couldn't look at that pond without seeing hundreds of them everywhere. I've never seen them anywhere else.

One of my best friends grandfather was a studio guitarist who played with some of the biggest names in music for 50+ years absolute favorite guitar was a Gretsch Chet Adkins County Gentleman. He was shedding into his 90's...he was unbelievable. My buddy would challenge me to let his grandfather listen to any song I could think of, and he would recreate it to the note after hearing it only once. I remember asking him to play the solo to Metallica's "One" when it first came out and he scoffed and then nailed it and then showed us how he'd extend it for live shows. It was like getting one on one instruction from Kirk Hammet himself... Too bad I didn't have the kind of talent to build off of knowing him.

Sounds like you found the fish, and that's half the battle (the tougher part in my opinion). Like others have said, now you need change up something else. Could be the color, could be the retrieve, could be the lure. You're close. Keep at it.

I've owned many guitars, and my seagull was far and away my favorite. I played in garage bands for about 10 years. I pretty much quit playing in 2005 when my first daughter was born. I pick it up about once a year, play for about an hour and tell myself I'm going to start up again, only to put it back in the closet for another year.

I've managed to keep the bait monkey away for about a year... And then I see this...

Yes. They are more or less the same thing. I have a browning fishing specific pack that doesn't get used much anymore. I switched back to basic back pack after about a season or two with the browning, just to scale down. It fit too much and became too heavy. I now prefer an Easton softball back pack. The bat holder fits rod tubes perfectly. It's not uncommon for me to hike 30 minutes to an hour to access my favorite spots, and I like to have my hands free on those journeys.

There's a bobber stop on my flipping stick year round.

X2 on lizards. I also do well drop shotting onto to nest. Caught a couple last year parking a gigantarel on the beds as well. They really hated that thing.

Venom salt series. Color: Roadkill. Why?... Because they catch me tons of fish. I also like cabin creek and mizmo tubes.

I may have let her if I would've had some tape for the spool on hand. I told her it would be best to practice in yard first. I'm all for it. What better way for her learn? Also, gives me an excuse to buy another reel.