mjseverson24

wind??? Yes----> spinnerbait or lipless crank No-----> swimjig or swimbait (usually natural colors) Mitch

Each lake i fish is different, colors change, style of baits change, sizes change, but if i had to choose these would be the ones that produce most often... 1) pit boss... 2) Craw fatty (cant believe this one hasn't gotten any love yet) 3) SK rodent 4) brush hog I use a lot more than just these, but its gets pretty lake specific... these are the ones I could probably fish anywhere and get it done... Mitch

I have quite a few of the new shimano's with the up locking design, the only time i have an issue is when my hand is out of position and i am fighting a fish. that being said i always tighten down the reel plenty, and the handle only turns about 1/8-1/16 of a revolution, which will do nothing to the stability of the set up, once i land the fish i just retighten... i wish i wouldn't happen, but it does not effect how much i enjoy fishing the rod... Mitch

1) a skinny 15" so around 1.25-1.75 2) looks to be about 22-23"(maybe even longer) hard to tell if it is fat or not by the position, but i would say really close to 6 lbs... Mitch

For finesse it would be hard to be a Daiwa T3 with a finesse spool, and upgraded bearings, the 60 position breaking system is awesome for dialing in light baits... 50 core is another great option... even the tatula type r should work great, especially with a bearing upgrade... Mitch

Casting-----> Abu Verdict 7'M/F with a Daiwa T3-B 8:1... Spinning----> St. Croix mojo bass 7' M/F with a pflueger president... Mitch

biggest difference between spinning and casting equipment, is with spinning when you let go of the line on a cast it basically comes easily off the spool with little or no tension causing the bait to go basically where it was aimed when it was released, but with casting gear you need to anticipate the tension on the line so you release your thumb from the line about 30 degrees to the right (assuming casting right handed) of where you are intending to cast, this will also ensure the rod is still under load when you release your thumb... i would assume the reason you are having this issue is releasing too late, and the rod is already unloading/unloaded so you will get a big pull to your left... another issue is the way you cast, learn how to "roll" cast as this will keep all of the momentum going at your target instead of a right to left motion(common with spinning gear)... an over hand cast should also reduce the "shanked" cast as well... Raul is also correct that if the setting are too tight with the right to left type cast it will amplify the right to left motion of the bait... good luck... Mitch

awesome fish man congrats... Mitch

I prefer fishing with someone else, it is a lot of fun to share a great day of fishing with someone you enjoy being with, especially my family, and close friends... I do feel though that my productivity increases when i fish alone, as i am not afraid to have a tough day, and can fish the techniques that i believe will produce the best fish... also boat positioning is also more of an issue with 2 people... Mitch

i would just take a couple pictures one with a good accurate digital scale and let her go... only thing better than catching a trophy is watching it swim away after the catch... if it was in well known public waters i might go and get it certified, but a good livewell with and oxygenator and U2, some ice, and it is pretty easy to transport the fish a long ways, and still release her safely... Mitch

i would say the rod is more important for effectively catching fish. i can use a abu black max or pflueger president for every technique i fish, and use a nice rod, and not see a dramatic reduction in productivity... a reel you can tweak and learn how to get the best performance out of it, but if the rod lacks sensitivity i will miss opportunities over time... it really is situational though... Mitch

Invisx/abrasx/red label are good choices, i would go 12-15 lb use KVD and you should be good to go... if you are proficient with a casting reel you should have very little issues with floro... one bit of advice dont backlash... if you do be very careful about getting it out... Mitch

there's a squatch in them woods... Mitch

I like 6:1 for shallow and 5 or 4:1 for mid to deep... Mitch

That casting model has internal adjustment for centrifugal breaking. I am assuming you are only using the mag breaks on the outside. backlashing will cause break-offs due to abrasions and crimping on the line... so set your reel correctly and you should be good to go. also typically using braid under 30 lbs especially for someone just learning hot to use a caster... good luck Mitch

I typically dont walk frogs, I use a tip up presentation, especially in the heavy cover... so the longer rods do a nice job of casting a long way, but also having a more favorable line angle to get the fish up out of the slop and in the boat... if i fish them in open water, i use a 7'MH/F but that is not very often... Mitch

congrats that is a healthy looking fish... Mitch

I am with ww2farmer on this one, rods in the 100 dollar range are more than adequate rods to be able to be competitive on any tournament trails in the country. The best bass fisherman on the elite series in 2012 (Brent Chapman) uses the W&M skeet reese rods. Most guys one here will not take you serious if you suggest a skeet rod, because they are "dead", "cheap", "ugly", "gimicky", "break on the first cast" rods... I used the skeet rods as just as an example, there are many other in its price range that get the same treatment. if you cant consistently catch good fish with 100 dollar rods the 400 dollar rods wont help out your situation, because the problem is your ability to locate and get your lure in front of actively feeding fish, but if you catch lights out every time you go out, well maybe the top end gear will take your game to the next level... just my thoughts... The Cumara is pretty tempting though... Mitch

prob a used curado or chronarch 50 series would be you best bet in that price range... A daiwa T3 for 200 is a great deal on a fantastic caster... quantum energy pt do pretty well with lighter baits, as the spool speeds up pretty fast... Mitch

These are the reasons i go to the lake very early(before others get there), and leave very late(after most leave)... I have backed up and launched too many boats that did not belong to me because people bought a truck instead of a SUV and don't know how to use their mirrors... Mitch

this list seems really biased toward smallmouth fishing this year... it was interesting to hear about the lakes up in the New England area... i figured the fishing was good, but didn't know it was that good... Mitch

7'6" H/F abu Vendetta... strong, light(ish), and affordable... Mitch

then apparently you have not cleaned it "enough"... Mitch

I dont do it all the time, when the fishing is good i typically don't take the time to put it on, but is fishing is pretty tough that day i will use it and it definitely increases the catch rate for the day... confidence comes from enhanced performance, if the scent did not out perform unscented I would not have confidence in it... I would assume that to be true of the rest of the sent using guys on here... Also I pretty much use scent all the time on soft plastics during tournaments... Mitch

I agree 100% with A-Jay, in the conditions you mentioned the bass have to adapt and rely more on their other sensory receptors other than their eyes as they have greatly reduced visibility... so using a crank with a good rattle is a great place to start, I also agree with MarkH024 a nice wide wobble is a great thing here also... Also in stained water like this fish tend to hold very tight to cover, wether it is weeds rock or wood, it serves them two things in stained water, an ambush point for baitfish, and also protection from larger fish... I am not saying color is not important, but in this case I believe it is the 4th most important factor, behind noise, action, and depth... Mitch