mjseverson24

I fish EWG hooks a ton... I have never had any issues with the ewg hooks, i actually feel they are more productive for me than the flippin hooks or the offset worm hooks... I like the way most baits lay on the ewg hooks as compared to the straight shank, it has a much more natural look (at least to me) so i have more confidence in throwing them... i use the straight shank only when punching, it works well for that, but i have laso used the gamy superline hooks, and they worked pretty well also... Mitch

cover water with Spinnerbaits/swimjigs/crankbaits/football jigs/c-rig... when a spot is holding fish switch to a dropshot/finesse jig/shakeyhead/flick shake/kitchen sink... too many variable with a question like this... area of the country, time of year, weather patterns, cloud cover, types of cover available in the lake, bottom composition, and structure... in my mind you really have only two options... 1) speed up, cover a ton of water with reaction baits to find active fish... 2) slow way down on areas that are definitely holding fish, and finesse the crap out of them... Mitch

use two hands... i like the tatula, casts nice, good solid build, and affordable (which is odd from daiwa)... Mitch

Tatula 7'2" MH/R, or a crucial 7'2"MH/F, or a falcon Bucoo micro 6'10 H... Mitch

as long is it is in good working order, you are good to go... if you like casting equipment you will likely invest in some higher end gear at some point, but you don't need to in order to be successful... good find on the combo and good luck... Mitch

daiwa strikeforce... that puppy has seen a lot of 5+ lb bass, still works pretty well(doesn't get much love anymore)... Mitch

if there is minimal cover, then you need to cover water, so either a football jig or a set up like the biffle bug and hard head should be ideal... Mitch

Typically i throw t-rigs(pegged) in grass more often than i throw jigs as they come through it better, but in wood and rock i definitely use a jig more... not saying that i dont do the opposite, i just seem to be more productive this way in general... Mitch

it broke because you keep backlashing... floro is not for people who are learning how to cast with casting gear... either your reel is defective or you are still learning(honestly it sounds defective) how to set it up properly... floro is my favorite of the different types of lines out there, i have tons of confidence in its abrasion resistance, sensitivity, and improved invisibility over nylon lines... it does have draw backs, but if you choose the rest of your gear properly it compensates for its shortcomings... most 8 lb floro is the same diameter as 30 lb braid (on average) so the size should not be too much of an issue either... Mitch

X2 Mitch

Its hard to tell just how big it is, i would need to know how long your arm is, as i see it is stretched out as far as it can go... it does seem to be pretty long though... i would say 4-8 lbs... Mitch

yes... for reaction baits like cranks. no... for finesse and bottom contact... Mitch

i typically try to avoid talking bad about the monkey... it ticks him off... the next thing i know i am entering my credit card numbers on tackle warehouse... darn monkey... oh no here we go again... Mitch

I guess i am one of the few people who believes the ability to cast a long way is a good thing. this doesn't mean i make long casts all that often, but tuning a reel to be able to make long casts without backlashing allows me to cast shorter distance with less effort and more accurately... so for the OP i would suggest these few things to maximize distance out of your current setups... 1) remove spool bearings flush and lube properly...(or replace with bocas or hawgtech ceramic bearings) 2) continue to train your thumb ( this will probabily make the area of most improvement)... 3) use a smaller diameter line like 10 lb instead of 12, and use a line conditioner like kvd to reduce friction between the line and guides... Mitch

I typically custom make most of my jigs these days, I use boss gary klein's original, and the boss wood walker... When i buy jigs these days it is typically the boo-ya boo jig... colors range from blk/blu... blk/red... green pumplin/flash of color... watermelon/flash of color... I dont use much brown, not sure why, greens and blacks seem to do great for me... size, i typically start with a 1/4 oz if i am fishing less than 10 ft, then i adjust either up or down accordingly... deeper than 10 ft i typically start with a 3/8 and do the same process... Mitch

out of the two that you are asking about they both have their advantages and disadvantages... the revo S in my opinion is a better casting reel for a beginner, the centrifugal breaking is very easy and efficient. The lews MG has more power, and if you are an experienced caster the magnet breaks are great as you can easily adjust for any situation very quickly... I like the handle on the lews better than the revo. the revo seems to cast lighter lures better, but the MG has more line capacity... Honestly for the 130.00 price range there are a lot of good options, and at retail these are among the best... but as others have said you can get some great reels for this price range if you shop around... the Tatula for <105, the T3-B for 110.00, tatula type r for 130 ish, a curado g for 100 ish, bb1 for 130 ish... quantum energy for 120 ish... so many options, if you are really interested in the hoodie or shirt the others are good choices, but if you are looking for straight performance bang for your buck, these other options are far better IMO... Mitch

I dont use the GYCB anymore other than the shad tail worm, and the kreaure... for senko type baits i use either the yum dingers or the gander mtn brand. they have 40 pks for like 9 dollars... also the strike king offerings work well too... Mitch

That is one awesome set up, the core looks to be about as sweet of a reel as there is, and the NRX is probably a perfect match for it... Mitch

I typically rig all of my soft plastic baits the night before, i have never noticed a difference in performance between the ones that were rigged the night before or the ones that replace them after they get beat up (which doesn't take too long)... Mitch

honestly for me it depends on what your using... only a few of my setups are really designed for distance (mostly the crankbait rods). so with these a long cast is 45-55 yards is really about as far as i want to cast to have a good chance at landing a fish... that being said a 70 yd cast is doable if you have the proper equipment... Mitch

Honestly when i get home from a great trip I am so tired that i wash the boat off, put it in the garage, plug in the trolling motor batteries, if I am fishing the next morning I rig rods for the next day, otherwise I show off the pics to the family, then i thank God for the privilege to enjoy these beautiful MN lakes, hop in to bed and hope to do it all again the next day... Mitch

Great job Hootie... just got 8" of snow up here, on top of 2'+ of ice so three fish sounds like a fantastic day... Mitch

30-40# is great for these techniques... Mitch

it depends on the rod, and line you are using. braid and graphite rod------> increase reel speed and do a small sweep set... mono/floro and graphite rod-----> increase reel speed and do a medium sweep set... braid with glass rod------> increase reel speed and do a moderately hard sweep set... mono/floro with a glass rod-----> reel hard and do either the same or a little bit harder sweep set than with braid... just general guidelines, conditions and bait may change these a bit, but they area good starting point... check out some of the footage from table rock to see how the pro's set cranks using glass rods and floro or mono... Mitch

yes... the drag is the most important thing for landing large fish on spinning gear, so make sure it is set correctly, and you should be fine... I have caught dozens of 40"+ pike on 6'6" medium power ugly sticks, with cheap shimano spinning reels... Mitch