iabass8

there was a user on here that has the ltx,hopefullyhe will chime in.

the 3 power is a good medium action rod. sadly, you won't enjoy fishing it for your intended purposes. i use the DX743 for senkos or 1/8oz trigs and a 733 for 1/4oz swim jigs and up to 1/2oz spinner baits.

top water is a great choice in early am and sunset hours. the topwater bite seems to die around the country when the water temp his 50ish degrees. bass can still be caught on top waters during the late fall/winter but it is few and far between. fish get lethargic and don't chase down reaction baits on a regular basis during cold water periods. during these times you will read a lot about jerkbaits and letting them sit for up to 30 seconds right in a fish's face before it decides to bite. slow is key during the cold water times. if you think you are going slow, go slower. less is more when it's cold. tight wobble vs wide wobble cranks, slow fall vs fast fall jigs, fast jerks vs slow jerks..etc.

water temp is a good starter. mid 40s and below the fish become less active then than during the fall feed period. to answer your first question...it really just depends on the body of water. some places fish better than others during mid day. i like to fish mid day when the water warms up from the sun when the water temp is in the 40s. rocks hold heat and warm faster so if you have any rocky structure around that would be a place i'd try.

deep water is relative to the area you're fishing. if the pond is 5 foot max depth, then i'd start looking there. if the pond has any green weeds, i'd try there as well. any depth change, even if it's 6 inchs, makes a different to bass and how they position themselves.

then you want the 5 power.

the 704 is good to about 3/8 and trailer as stated above. if you are constantly fishing some sort of cover /w jigs in the 3/8+ range, the 5 power would be the a much better rod. for 3/8-3/4 in any sort of cover. i don't know what series you got, but i love the DX745 for what you stated. the 4 power is more of what i use for plastics.

The avid doesn't come in a 2 piece 68mxf, that's why. get the 1 piece.

go ebay for lews reels. you will find them for a significant discount new in box from lots of retailers.

order it from any online retailer....shipping will be free.

the LTB small cranker is a buggy whip noodle. you'll like it for throwing kvd 1.0s but anything other than that get a St. Croix MHM for shallow/mid divers. the loomis crank bait rod would also be a fine choice. I prefer the tip on the dobyns 733 over the XF tip on St. Croixs when i used them. St. Croix tips are the fastest tips on the market and while i love them for certain things, spinner baits are not one of them. Save up your money as much as you can and invest in a higher end rod than the GL2 for jigs. It fishes well below it's price point. It's a very comfortable rod to hold but its blank is its downfall..as well as the components are not up to par /w other rods in its price range. Dobyns champion extremes can be had for around 260 during blank friday sales and they are 100xs the rod the gl2 is. the 745 is my favorite jig rod. if you are using the avid for one spinning application the mojo will feel dead. i like the avid choice but maybe stick /w the 68mxf Avid for multi purpose.

If you're punching heavy vegetation into mats, grass, etc, an exfast tip is not ideal and something that is counterproductive when punching grass. A moderate fast is the ideal tip for punching heavy weights into heavy vegetation. location of the country you are in isn't what dictates the type of rod used. The type of bait or cover you are fishing does this. People use the same DS set ups in california that they do in upper michigan where the fish aren't even half the size. you don't start using MH DS rods because you are fishing for much larger fish. Anglers generally do use 6 power over 5 power rods in certain parts of the country not because of the size of the fish but because of the areas you have to get the fish out of. 20 pound bass aren't common anywhere.

palomar knot for braid is all you need. go for it.

Wait until the end of the month for Black Friday Sales. Dobyn's Champion 703 or 733 ican be had just under 200 /w the 20% off at TW. Reel choice, and i hate to admit it because i just bit the bug and i'll be damned if they aren't amazing reels, lews tournament pro can be found on ebay for around 130$ new as opposed to 200 retail. this would be a fantastic do it all combo. this is also one of my set ups.

A product called U-40 will seal the cork and preserve it very well. It's a fantastic product.

those are great baits. the only drawback to them is they are about as durable as a senko.

It's a size designation made with companies. Shimano uses 500 ,750, 1000, 2500, 3000 and so on /w the 500 being the smallest. other companies like pflueger use 20 25 35 etc /w the 20 being the smallest. smaller sizes have the obvious lesser line capacities and sometimes a slower gear ratio.

i have literally heard the complete opposite of that with lots of river rat walleye guys on the upper pools. while i've never tried the clam and can only speak on what i've been told, the guidewear i don't feel they are restrictive at all and i normally only wear an insulated hoodie under the bibs fishing in sub freezing temps on the river. i am also a giant nancy in cold weather.

i agree. myoutdoortv or w/e it's called now used to be free and had hundreds of weekly updated shows. i think cost is something like 8-10$ a month but they don't have nearly the amount of content they used to have.

which rapala rod is it specifically? I believe rapala rods are distributed in Canada and have a decent following up there. they aren't really carried in the US by many retailers, if any. I'm not certain on that though.

hey jeff, we are in the same general area. what is the water temp you're fishing right now?

red eye shads, xcaliber one knocers, kvd 1.0-1.5, lc 1.5, rapala dt3

plano 3700. my jig fishing consists of generally 3 primary colors so i take the middle divider out of every other insert and use 12 spaces instead of 24. top row gets finesse second gets 1/4 third gets 3/8 bottom gets 1/2. blue craw, green pumpkin/red (watermelon red/green pumpkin craw-theres 40 different names for the same color), black/blue or black/purple. one box for brush jigs, one box for football jigs. third box i have divided in the same way but /w 3/16-5/16 swim jigs in half that are separated by color and size and the bottom is for heavier 3/4 flipping jigs/football jigs.

i've read the gloves are some of the warmest you can use for fishing. the bibs though have had mixed results. i'd go cabelas guidewear over the majority of bibs available.

If you want one fantastic ice rod, check out Throne Brothers. they make some fantastic ice rods.