lmbfisherman

Ha that is interesting, I don't see how this could be classified since any competitor could check the weight if they so choose, odd indeed.

HAHA I know what you mean. I have a family to support so my budget is limited. A good portion of my arsenal is used too, 50% of my arsenal was used. If I didn't go that route I'd probably be broke and divorced.

For some reason I have avoided swim baits, I'm not sure why I have. I never had a desire to buy one. I also agree on the Alabama Rig - it does seem like cheating to me imo.

I don't have a set time frame, it is a judgement thing. Before I go out (day before) I will check the lines, reel and rod to see if they are ready to go. If there is an issue with the line then I'll re-spool. I use braid on most of my reels, have P-Line Floroclear and mono on the rest.

As for the OP - I have the MH/F 7'3 and it's one of my favorites. I'm waiting for the money to be raised to buy two more rods. A new Veritas is on my short list.

Maybe he's the eBay seller? Just kidding, well it's possible he's just dropping the deal for the rest of the fellas that a good deal is on, but I can see and agree with you on that. I don't think it was to make the guy feel bad.

You're missing out! FROGS are awesome!

I'd recommend getting the BPS PQ, I have one and I use it as part of my front line arsenal. I still like my Shimanos better (the feel), but it doesn't mean the PQ lacks anything, they perform very well. I've heard great things about LEWS, but I never owned one or thrown one.

If you are patient enough you can find the Veritas on sale pretty cheaply. I bought mine on a clearance shelf at a local tackle store for 49.99. In January when I went to BPS the Veritas were on sale in store for 74.99-79.99. I would've bought another one, however I was there to buy a new reel and some line. So I didn't have the extra cash to spend on it. I wish I did!

I am going to eventually to do the same once I gain another season or two under my belt. The best way to join so far imo (Ontario) is to join the local BASS Club. The one here where I am does 3-6 tournaments a year on various bodies of water that the members vote for. I plan on doing that next year. I hear Island Lake does a derby, try the K-W Optimist Club Big Bass (Smallmouth) derby..if you look around there are plenty of sites. I know there are some local ones in the Niagara region. Just google, you can find them.

Well, I'd advise you to pick one up at a local store if you are worried about this. At least when you are at the store you can do a thorough check, as far as breakage and guides I haven't had any issues with mine. I have used it pretty heavily last summer (4-5 times a week). I used my 7'3" MH/F even for frogging in heavy vegetation and never had an issue pulling fish out. If you don't want to take a chance, good alternative options were listed in the thread.

I like Lakes over rivers, why? because to me it is fun to fish with the different depths..in the end though I'm not too picky if I am able to pick up a rod and go fishing.

Get the BPS Pro Qualifier reel on sale now at Bass Pro Shops, if you can find an old reel to turn in like bassfinder stated even better at 65. If you afford it get a Compre, if not then may I suggest getting either a Shimano Sellus, Daiwa T Rod or Berkley Lightning Shock, or if you look hard I'm sure you can find a Veritas at a good price, get a 6'6"-7' MH/F Rod. I recommend a 7' rod as it would be more versatile imo over a shorter rod. You could use it for almost every application (like I do with my 7' MH Veritas and 6'10" Compre).

I have a Veritas 7' - Very good rod one of my favorites. However, I'd suggest a Compre over the Veritas, I have a H/F version of the latest Compre and I like it better (feel and has better sensitivity for me). I can't comment on the Mojo Bass - if you can spend a bit more I'd get an AVID if you want a St. Croix.

At the price you get it with the reel trade in, it is a steal. I used mine last season was like wow this is an awesome reel, I like it behind my Shimanos . Besides it is such a popular reel if you don't like it I'm sure you could unload it pretty easily.

I used my 6'6" MHF for a buzzbait, spinnerbait and plastics. Although it is a pretty tough rod, it is very sensitive. Love them! Just wish I bought the 7' version which was my mistake (as I learned to fish, I began to like the 7' rods). I have a spinning rod 6'6" MHF and another casting rod 6'6" MF. I used the MH ones more often as last year the weeds were dense/thicker than I normally see in our local waters. Obviously the side effect from the extreme drought/dry weather in 2012.

Totally true, I wish I knew BPS had these sales for Spring (last year was my first season getting into the Bassin' world) or I would've saved up my money and unloaded at one time. Due to my money being spent in January my wife would kill me right now if I spent another penny on anything to do with fishing. I'd be buried with my rods. LOL

I have Veritas 7'3" MH/F and I like it, it hasn't broken. *knock on wood* However, I also have a Compre Worm and Jig 7'2", I like the feel of the Compre a little more. Either Rod wouldn't be bad though.

x2

I have 6'6" Clarus cranking rod, I like how it feels and I can cast well with it..however I'm still a novice crankbait guy so I wouldn't have the best knowledge of how a setup totally should feel.

HAHA I had a think about that for a split second.

Yeah the best feeling ever when I see the line do any of them, I do however love it when it moves off the most. I remember how excited my 1st fish out of heavy/thick vegetation, pitching my bait into open pockets. My line just moved off to the right, waited a second and set the hook. It was hard to keep my excitement down and not set the hook too early. I was like wow this actually works like on TV! I was a total newb with a smile ear to ear.

Wow that is a good explanation.

Here is the other image. Thanks in advance for your input!

Where would you fish? Hi all, this is sort of test of my knowledge and see how you would fish this lake. I have been to this place once last season and caught a lot of 1-3 lb smallmouth bass. I hear there are some really big ones in there. There are supposedly largemouth which I haven’t found yet when I was searching. I am limited to the eastern area of the lake as I do not own a gas powered boat. I’ll be going around in either my canoe or inflatable boat equipped with my 30lb thrust trolling motor. I have standard size deep cycle battery which can also be limiting as I do not want to have to paddle my way back. I may have access to a 12 foot tinny, but there isn’t a gas motor for it. So I would also be using my trolling motor. I’d prefer to take my Seahawk 500 which I’ll be decking out with hardwood floors and have a Pirahnamax 190c? I believe the model. On the attached map image is basically where I think I can fish safely with my setup. The yellow tacked area is where I fished and was successful. To catch these guys I used a White/Cht Spinnerbait and a black buzzbait. They were caught early morning or in the evening, it was also in late July when I was there. This time I will be there in early August. I was learning to bass fish at this time (1st time on a boat and did a lot of research) and decided to use these two techniques in order to expand my knowledge.) I started off learning to use a swim jig and a standard jig first. I didn’t try other techniques, now that I’m 1 season older and the all of the studying I have done for the past year, I’ve learned a lot more techniques and hope to utilize my expanded knowledge this time around. The other marked areas (fish heads) I decided that they would be a good spots. I have also attached a backwoods map that shows the depth and where there are weedy areas. Let me know if you think the areas I marked off would be good or not or if an area looks good where I haven’t placed a marker please do let me know. Here is the Google Maps Link. http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.45731,-79.86730&z=14&t=h I’d say the visibility of this lake is very clear in some parts (like 10-15ft) and in other parts it is about 3-5 ft. Hrm it looks like I can't add the other file (back wood maps). I'll see if I can convert it to jpg.