MarkH024

This coming season im try YZH for the first time. Got 12# in 600 yd for $13.00. Not a big investment so if I don't like it, no big deal. It gets rave reviews here so im confident it'll work out.

you aren't kidding. That place is a fish factory. That increased my cabin fever by %100. Some of these penalties are border line ridiculous. Just my opinion

Round 2 was impressive! Just got around to watching it. Healthy healthy lake they were on. Smallmouth factory!

I'm right there with you.

The same way. Could be deadly on bedding bass or bass protecting fry in close quarters after spawn. You fish the lure........not the color. Keep doing what you're doing.

Bummer. I wasn't aware either, however I thought they would have more of a color selection on that bait. Was planning on nabbing one too, but not in any real hurry. I know they have some interior nylon construction to keep it together, but I'm still uncertain of what a few pike would make of it. The pike on my lake love to bite the tails off of everything I throw....

Has anyone tossed this thing yet? Hoping someone outside of hard water realms has had the opportunity and can chime in.

How about the spearing the natives do?

I have a 60" Vizio Smart TV. I can stream neftlix, hulu, amazon, youtube and more right to the tv with WiFi. I can also stream from my PS3 so if one fails, I have the other. No additional money spent here.

Backing if you like to save money. If money isn't an issue, tape your braid to the spool and spool away. You can turn an 150 yd spool of braid into 2 BC spoolings if you back it. Just makes more sense to me. One 300yd spool could do all 3.

I'll be at the Schaumburg one this year. I attended it last year to see Ike do a tank demo. Overall the show is good, seminars are good but the deals really aren't there anymore. I am no longer going with the mindset to spend money. Now I'm just going to "look" and if I happen to see a deal I'll jump on it. I don't go to Rosemont anymore as it has dissipated into nothing but a parking fee. The only other that I usually attend that I skipped this year is Harper College Musky Show. A coworker of mine said it was terrible so I'm glad I didn't pay for that either.

Spot on. You should be more concerned with the rod before reel. Your M/F will be better suited for 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz, where the MH/F will be better in the 3/8-1oz selection. Specify on how light of lures you plan to throw. Another Medium or ML might be necessary.

Beside from looking senile Hooti, hows the reel? It's my next consideration for purchasing. Any initial gripes?

She's been good to me. Starts up every spring really strong. The problem I had was some plastic piece connected to the gas fitting that basically deteriorated. It had to be replaced which was almost $200 for just the part and another $200 for labor. You know how it goes. I wish I was a bit more mechanically inclined but I'm not so doing it myself was not an option. My old man had a temporary fix for it that made it last a season but when it finally went, we just paid to have it done correctly.

No matter what you do....owning a boat is always going to make you reach deep in your pocket. There will always be something that needs fixing, upgrading etc...etc. My Ranger has an Evinrude Ficht 115 on it. 5 seasons now and I've only had to bring it in one time to have a piece fixed. Parts and labor costed me around $400. That's the worst I've had to deal with so far. Will it be the last, one could only hope but most likely not. I also know guys who have ripped their lower end units off in Canada scrambling to find a place to fix it in a day so they can salvage their trip. That's a couple grand expense and plus some for expediting it. If you're truly concerned on the boat/motor you're purchasing, have it brought into a certified mechanic that can vouch for the condition. If you know what you're looking at, you can always hook up the motor to muffs and have it run in front of you. I don't have enough experience or knowledge to tell you what to stay away from. A lot of it it boils down to personal preference, like the Ford vs Chevy debates.

Pike will cut through braid with relative ease all the way up to 80# and even when its the snakey 16-25" pike. You will want either a heavy fluoro or steel leaders if you're very concerned. Spro has some relatively inexpensive Fluoro leaders that I have used. A lot of guys make their own. Those of us in pike waters need to just pony up and understand there will be casualties (lost lures). There is a tie-able leader material called Toothy Critter by Cortland. You could give that a try as well. I only use a leader on some of my expensive swimbaits, the rest of my stuff is up for grabs as I prefer not to use a leader when I don't have to.

wrong siteRon. Hehe. Welcome!

I use a 6'8 M/XF St Croix Avid with a Symetre FJ 2500 spooled with 20lb Suffix Performance Braid or 832 for all my weightless plastics, especially skipping stick worms (senkos) around docks. A leader to break off snags would be a good idea around docks so you're not losing a ton of braid in the process. If you're not likely to snag a lot, then you can fish straight braid.

I wrote out a paragraph portraying my same feelings on that comment made. I decided to delete it as it's not even worth wasting time on Internet tough guys. Congrats for sticking a red flag on your backside BigBass. You may as well delete your account now.

Not certain about the bass season but musky I know is the 3rd weekend of June always. So count that out if you stick to your scheduled date. Last time I went to Eagle Lake in 2010, we were there the 3rd weekend of June for musky and the smallies were protecting fry and there was a mayfly hatch in full strength. Ice out was pretty early that year. Make sure you keep up with reports and especially ice out information. That is going to definitely tell you how the fishing will be. Eagle Lake is an awesome place with a ton of lodges. I don't know about renting and camping though. I've never been in that situation myself.

I feel your pain brother. Hang in there, you will manage. I have 20 month old identical twin boys. I work, she stays home to raise them. Better than daycare knowing your kids are being raised by the right person.

interesting. First time ive heard that. I'll have to try that out sometime.

Dryer sheets in every compartment and especially around the electronics wiring. Cheap and easy.

Happy Birthday Mike! Have a great one. Thanks for the great products.