georgeyew

I like Mepps and Terminators. I have had good luck with the Mepps #3 gold blade. I just got a #4 gold blade and #5 Black Fury to see if I can entice the bigger bass to bite.

I know!! That is pretty impressive. It speaks to the strength of the line too.

The Zman Pro Series Chatterbait has weedguards. That should help a bit.

They might not be available online anymore. Call your closest one.

The Blair Wiggins is a graphite inshore rod and the Rick Clunn is a fiberglass. The Rick Clunn is much softer. The Blair Wiggins ML that I have is more like a M compared to other rods.

Dicks had them on sale last year, 2 for $50. Maybe they will run that special again soon. Sign up for their emails.

Correct. I saw some at Dick's yesterday.

I know that it'll get better. You were right on with your spinnerbait recommendation. Great job!

A big Mepps spinner and chatterbait would be fun to throw at night.

You might need the opposite of a medium heavy rod. Remember the chatterbait is a moving bait. You don't really need to set the hook hard. The fish might be short striking it or not fully taking it in. Try switching to a mono line to give them more time to eat it. Same concept as a crankbait and spinnerbaits.

If you are looking for a thin stiff rod, you can check out the Quantum QX36. I know that they are not high end, but I have been impressed with them. They are pretty thin and stiff.

Wow, that must have been a fight of a lifetime! Great job getting it in.

If you are out on open water, you can land "almost" any size fish with that rod/reel. But it will also depend on the line that you are using. Don't over think it. Just go out and have fun.

That's an interesting idea. I might try that with one of my jigs to see if that improves my hookup ratio.

I've seen the Berkley Shock 7'6 H at BPS and it is a pretty stout rod. I have the 7' MH and it is a pretty tough rod. I can only imagine what it would take to snap the H.

That's how I did my 2 rods that did not have hook keepers.

You can use chatterbaits in the same conditions where you throw spinnerbaits.

It will depend on the blade, if there is a big colorado blade on the lure it will be a very heavy retrieve. If you want a faster retrieve, you can change it to a willow blade.

Thanks. I missed the part about fly fishing. I have been looking for spider lures for my spinning gear but have not had much luck.

I am intrigued...what's a slow sinking spider?

I think that circle hooks are perfect for kids. The usually don't know that there is a fish on the hook. So when the fish swims off, it gets hooked automatically. One of the best fool proof way to fish.

It's not weedless. The hook is exposed. If it lands hook down it will get hung easily.

Here is one: http://www.***.com/abu-garcia-revo-rocket/

The Soujourn looks like a nice rod. I'll have to look into getting one.

Woohoo, congratulations!! Nice fish.