mjseverson24

black would be better IMO in dark or dingy water, the more reflective ones should be better for clearer water situations, but these are only rules of thumb, nothing says black cant catch in clear water or silver in dirty... Mitch

i think i am in the greenhorn tour as well... should be a fun series... Mitch

A-rig------------->(-12) spinnerbait----->1 weightless plastics--->1 crankbait------->2 chatterbait----->2 swimjig--------->2 lipless crank-->4 buzzbait------->4 shakey head -->5 t-rigs----------->5 jigs------------->6 top water----->6 c-rigs---------->7 football jig---->7 dropshot ----->7 hollowbody frog--->8 jerkbaits------->9 punching------>10 big swimbaits--->10 Mitch

havoc craw fatty, or the rage craw... Mitch

I think that spinning is easier for younger kids to learn on, the mess for screwing up a cast is far better on a spinning reel than a casting one. I also believe the cost difference plays a big factor. Also a lot of northern fisherman are ignorant of the benefits of casting gear, especially since bass are not as sought after a fish as say the walleye, Muskie, and even the crappie... Mitch

yes... if they are both in good working order... Mitch

I am sure I fish lakes very similar to the one you are referring to, I use straight floro, especially with a heavier power rod for jigs and c-rigs, the main advantage is slack line sensitivity, but the other is the little bit of stretch helps keep fish pegged more so with the c-rig than the jig, with the jig the stretch from floro is good for rod and reel protection... also floro has superior abrasion resistance over braid so the pike/muskie will have a harder time breaking you off... My suggestion for floro would be abrasx, or Berkley 100%. 17-20 lb should be more than enough... another good option is like a yozuri hybrid... Braid works just fine, it is just not my preference... Mitch

it has a small head with a largeish body, i would have a hard time going much over 7 with it, but only because the picture is not very good... Mitch

the lakes that we fish up here are perfect examples of junk fishing lakes. every time out i have rigged up spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, swimjigs, t-rigs, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, frogs, dropshot, flickshake, shakey head, tubes, and c-rigs... most of our lakes up here have enough diversity that you can catch quality fish using most of these techniques almost every day... Mitch

I honestly have not had many/any issues with any products out there. Most of the time if i don't like a product i just didn't know how to use it correctly... Mitch

I bought my mom and wife plane tickets to arizona for mothers day weekend... It just so happens to be MN fishing opener weekend... WIN WIN... Mitch

^^^ no its because he believes in their product, and they are happy to pay him to fish it... Mitch

i dont have a clue on all of the tackle i have, but the stuff that comes on the boat is in the 120# range... Mitch

my best advice... think like a frog... Mitch

my wallmart sucks... Mitch

quantum is one of my favorite brands, they are in my opinion the best bang for your buck company out there... i have no experience with their spinning reels, but i do with the casting reels... the energy pt is an awesome casting reel, it is light, strong, and reliable... it performs close to many of the 200.00 range reels... the smoke is arguably the best casting reel quantum has made, it is a very long casting reel, especially when dialed in... I dont have any experience with the tour MG, but it looks great, i was able to play with one for a while, and it had a great feel, unbelievably light, and smooth... but once again no on the water experience with it... Even the lower end reels are quality options like the kinetic pt, the catylist pt and the accurist pt... many people don't like them, so i am sure some will chime in, but i enjoy my quantums, they are great workhorse reels... Mitch

try the rainy river when its first ice out or when its about to freeze... can be up to 4+ hour of waiting just to launch the boat... The mississippi river pool by red wing MN is also terrible in the cold months as it is about the only open water in the state... literally thousands of boats within the first 2 miles of the river on nice days... Mitch

they apparently last long enough for a few very good pro's to win millions of dollars fishing them... Mitch

awesome... couldnt have happend to a nicer guy... Mitch

I personally like to upgrade my spool bearings, for a few different reasons... 1) they do increase casting performance when pitching... 2) they can be run dry so you never have to worry about lubricating them... 3) when i do upgrade i go with the hawgtech bearings... Mitch

^^^ no sugar coating there... its a tool, use it to catch fish, if it gets scratched or dirty, just make sure you have some good stories and pictures to explain them... Mitch

trim one tail of your koppers 1/2 in shorter than the other, this will help it to walk... Mitch

I am with fly fisher, if i fish trout, i always go barbless, and i am wading in the river or stream so it never comes in contact with anything other than my hand, i also keep them in the water unless it is picture time. the big ones are more resilient, but the small ones die very easy... Mitch

The only time i use braid with a crankbait is lipless cranks, having to rip them through the grass... I use floro or a hybrid line for almost all of my crankbait setups, and all of the rods are glass or composite... My advice would be to do a google search on some of the top crankbait fisherman on the pro circuits... see what these guys use and why... KVD would be a good place to start... Mitch

Oh wait i don't buy it, there is a quantum reel in that picture... Must be photo shopped, because as we all know they don't work long enough to catch any fish...lol... Thanks for the review, i was planning on picking a few of these up this year, as i think they will work well in the lakes i fish... Mitch