mjseverson24

I agree i would get the older model exceler for like 65.00 it has mag-z breaks and an aluminum frame, far superior to the arid in my book... Mitch

wow that would have been a great deal... I really enjoy the quantum reels I have, once you find the sweet spot they perform far above their price range...IMO... Mitch

at 109 there is plenty of room to upgrade if you want, I was looking into the carbon fiber lews handle at tw, or a hawgtech... my new ones should be here tomorrow, cant wait... Mitch

The reel seat on the new shimano rods are in my opinion the best design out there, it gives maximum contact with your hand to the blank, i have a few of the compre/clarus series and they feel very nice for the price... I dont mind a little tip heavy, one of my flippin sticks is a 8' mojo (that is super tip heavy) i used one of the BPS balancers to help, it is now pretty comfortable to fish with... thanks for the reply... Mitch

I would suggest using a abu veritas 7'6" MH/F or the vendetta 7'6" H/F both at like 80.00 the vendetta has a softer tip, the veritas is a bit more sensitive and lighter, but is pretty stout... Mitch

Those look like great combos. I love shimano rods, but I have been staying away from their flipping rods as they feel relatively tip heavy to me... How does the balance feel with that chronarch on it? the Ci4 is a good looking reel, i may have to give in and add a shimano to the current lineup... Mitch

for 109 these are a crazy good deal, and actually the regular t3 under 200 is pretty darn good as well. as far as 7:1 as compared to 8:1 it is just a few i think 3-4 inches per turn different. awesome reel though i wouldn't hesitate at all... Mitch

the black max does not have a micro click drag system... so if you hear a click there is something wrong... Mitch

I believe they did a study with bass in a tank with just lines of floro, lines of mono and lines of braid tied to the bottom and on top with a float with a sensor of some sort. the study showed that the bass ran into the floro lines much more often than they ran into the mono or braid. does this mean anything? maybe not, but it sure doesnt prove that mono or braid is less visible to fish than floro... maybe someone else will chime in on where the study is from... i just dont remember... Mitch

if the primary forage is crawfish use a tube, if the primary forage is some kind of bait fish use a dropshot... this is my general guidline... in MN way more lakes have baitfish than crawfish so i typically throw a DS 90% and a tube 10%... tubes are a good flipping bait for largies though... Mitch

i like 1/4 oz jigs for grass less than 8 ft, 3/8 for grass between 8-16 and 1/2-3/4 oz for deeper than 16 ft with grass. for wood i like 1/4 oz, and rock i like a little heavier than grass so i typically start with 1/2 and go heavier the deeper i get. colors I like natural green pumpkin or watermelon with a flash of color, or black/blue and black/red... Mitch

KVD frog...(or spro frog)... Mitch

I honestly have not looked at the line ratings on a rod ever. This rating is basically useless to me, and most of the time the lure rating is also garbage. If you grab the rod flex the tip (nicely) and it feels right where i want it to be i don't care about the rating on the rod. I know how i want my rods to feel and perform the manufacturer is trying to give you guidelines or approximations for use, but only you can definitively say what works for you... (its hard buying on line for this reason especially if it is not a company or rod series you are familiar with)... Mitch

I use the palomar for all of my braid to lure knots and i have never had an issue. there are plenty of good knots out there if this one just doesn't work for you, but I would say that it is the best overall knot I have used considering strength and ease of tying... Mitch

if you are going to throw the rig with it i would get the heavier of the two, better safe than sorry. but if you are almost always going to be flip/pitch with it i would get the lighter one as it will probably have better balance. Mitch

i think that usually means the number of rods you can have fishing per person at the same time, like trolling for walleye or other species using multiple rods simultaneously. MN has a max of 1 per person... Mitch

wow that is nice, I have been wanting to get one of the new cumara's, i just have not pulled the trigger on one yet. the design to me looks about as perfect of a set up as i can imagine in a rod, I love the minimalist design of the rod, they cut just about everything they could off the rod as to reduce vibration dampening. I think you are going to like it a lot, unless you reel like you are going to pull a trigger on a gun, which in that case the short rear grip might not be the best fit for you... Mitch

No most of the events I fished as a co were team tournaments, and I typically ended up catching 4-5 of the 6 that we would weigh in, so no complaints from my boater... If i fished the tournaments where it is individual weight i would probably bring the maximum allowed by the rules, or up to 10 whichever comes first... Mitch

I would say this is true for big saltwater fish because the gear is just not powerful enough to winch the fish in, but in freshwater for bass, I typically avoid the "pump and reel" as it puts uneven pressure on the line and hook, my goal is to keep constant pressure on the fish as to not allow it to shift the hook in its mouth. the pump and reel can lead to a lot of lost fish especially with crankbaits at least in my experience. everybody has their own way of doing things if it works for you thats all that matters, but saying that your way is the only right way is a slippery slope that leads to scrutiny especially on these forums... Mitch

I have a few of the t3-b's, For flipping and pitching light lures i dont think there is a better reel for the job. I just picked up two of the 6:1 ratio reels this week when i saw them at 109.00. I love the ones I have, and am excited to get the new ones i ordered. Mitch

I would say for me an average day is 25-30 bass with another dozen or so pike mixed in. Most of the time my best 5 fish weigh over 13 lbs. During the summer peak season I would say the average is closer to 50 fish days with days approaching the 75 fish mark not too uncommon. 5 fish limits during this period usually range close to 18 lbs with some lakes well over the 20 lb mark... Spring and fall can be tough times in MN with the constant changing weather patterns and fish in transition periods, but if you can figure the pattern for the day it can get crazy... Mitch

between 25-30 depending on the lake ( some lakes that don't have matted vegetation the heavy frog gear and punching gear stays home)... When i was a co angler I brought around 10... Mitch

good idea. A lot of people really swear by these rods, that I would have to believe with the right reel it should feel great... Mitch

What reel do you have on the avid, maybe it is not a good fit for the rod. The avid does have superior blank construction as compared to the ***, but is it almost 100 dollars better? only you can make that choice, to me it doesn't, but the avid is a great rod in its own right... Mitch

for 10 bucks more you can get the abu verdict for 60.00 at FFO... Mitch