mjseverson24

I throw some of my bigger spinnerbaits on the Clunn glass rods, the heavy action SB rod, it has plenty of power to set the hook from quite a ways. I also have the skeet glass cranking rod, and I would not use that for spinners as it would probably have a hook up ratio issue. Hope you figure out what was wrong... good luck... Mitch

the abu veritas 7'9" heavy or the 7'11" heavy are great sticks for 80.00 plenty of power, light, pretty sensitive. For a reel I would suggest either the Lews super duty, a citica E, curado E, or really any other aluminum frame and gear sideplate reel out there should work. I like a faster retrieve for most of my bottom contact, but punching it sometimes is good to have power, so maybe the 6:1 ratio is a good one for this, and an upgraded power type handle might not be a bad option either... Mitch

Its tough comparing a 300 dollar and 150 dollar rods, obviously the 300 dollar rod should perform better than the 150. in the case of the IMX and the Rage the IMX will definitely perform better, now you bring in the IMX vs the Crucial, or Tatula, even the falcon bucoo micro, or the *** black, and I would pick those every day of the week vs the IMX, for the added 150-200 dollar the performance upgrade is in my opinion not enough to justify the increase in cost. The rage is not typically one of the contenders for the best 150.00 dollar range rods, its not a bad rod, it just doesn't stand out. So if it has to be between the rage and IMX i go IMX... Mitch

I love to dropshot it is one of my favorite techniques, for hooks i like 1/0 and 2/0 gamakatsu finesse wide gap hooks or a 1/0-3/0 ewg. for weight I like the pencil weights best from 1/16 to 3/8 depending on water depth. for lures I like a 4-5 inch senko type wacky rigged (the o-rings are nice for this), a gulp alive leech is also a great bait, as well as a 4-6 inch finesse worm. the yamamoto shad tail worm is another great bait, or the KVD dreamshot. for a starter set up i would recommend a 7' ML/F or M/F spinning set up. personally I use a 7' ML/F st. croix triumph and a 7'M/F mojo for dropshots, both are paired with pflueger presidents, spooled with 10 lb braid and a 20' floro leader usually about 6-12 lbs. Mitch

lol i would say that was a disgruntled employee on his last day in the factory... Mitch

You don't shoot a squirl with a 12 gauge slug, you dont shoot a moose with a pellet gun, you don't bring 14 of the same club golfing. Technique specific rods have been a great upgrade to the fishing gear market IMO, the more choices we have as anglers the better we can fine tune our presentations. try to dropshot with the same gear you punch with...lol good luck. I Also think the rod qualities have increased quite a bit over the years as technology has progressed, the biggest difference i see is the quality control and attention to detail has decreased, but i still believe the overall performance and product is better now than it ever has been it just costs more... Mitch

5+ inch swimbaits, and jerkbaits. Not that I dont catch fish with them, just the frequency and quality is not what where it needs to be to get a lot of time. If the time and spot call for these baits I definitely throw them...(a few 4-6 lb fish would definitely boost my confidence in these)... Mitch

At the 100 dollar range for lews I would look online for the tournament MG, The new orra is nice except it is mag breaks only, which is not too bad, but for like 65.00 on an auction site you can get the previous model daiwa exceler which has the mag -z breaking. Mitch

I have two squarebill rods, and i love both of them, the first is the skeet reese 7' glass, and the other is the shimano Clarus 7' M/M. These rods are perfect for the way i fish squarebills, which is predominately in grass and wood. If i were to get a st. croix for SB's I would go with the 6'10" Mojo glass... Mitch

I think either the veritas or the vendetta would be good options, I would stick with the MH though as well. Mitch

I would take a look at the quantum smoke micro, the falcon bucoo micro, the Tatula 7'6", fenwick atos. All of these are below your price range but work great for the application especially with the lighter reel... I am sure there is a Dobyns in your range that a few will suggest as well. good luck... Mitch

I would get a higher speed reel myself, but if you like the 6:1 there is nothing wrong with it. I just like a faster pickup rate for jigs and t-rigs... Mitch

those look good man, I have quite a few of the same baits. I am looking forward to getting them wet... Mitch

I used to be a big time crankbait fanatic, but now I have basically quit buying them, because I have 3-4 of each bait that I use. I have 2 full size planos for squarebills, 1 for deep divers, 1 for jerkabits, and 1 lipless. I have about 200 cranks for walleye fishing in about 5 other planos that dont make the cut for bass fishing... Crankbaits are great, but I have other baits that I find catch much better quality for me... I still love them though, my pb came on a square bill... Mitch

I like wind, anything lees than 40 MPH and I will still be able to catch good fish (depending on the lake)... Mitch

Personally I like st. croix and shimano spinning rods. so either the St. Croix Avid, or the Shimano Crucial with a pfleuger president or arbor... Mitch

I would go with the falcon Bucoo Micro. I personally love micro guides for everything except braided line applications, like frogging and punching. the bucoo is one of my favorite value rods on the market right now. Mitch

Almost every rod I have tried above the 100.00 dollar price point I have liked. I can narrow it down to about 4 lines of rods for me. 1) Shimano Compre/Crucial 2) falcon Bucoo Micro ( so light it is ridiculous) 3) abu veritas, verdict and vendetta ( great bang for your buck) 4) st. Croix Triumph and Mojo ( these are great moving bait rods as they are a little heavy, I also have the flipping stick it is a beast no worries about breaking this stick) All of these rods are in the bang for your buck category, which is where I typically like to purchase my equipment. I do appreciate the enthusiast level gear though and will probably own some in the near future... Mitch

I would suggest the Lews Superduty, or the ardent F700 or 500. also an older model chronarch or curado with an upgraded handle and drag systems would also be a good option... I typically like Mitch

Yes it happened to one of MN best lakes, Leech lake, they had to "remove" the birds then the fish population came back. Mitch

For tubes I like either the shimano compre/crucial in 6'8 or 7'2" ML/XF or the st. croix mojo 6'9" ML/XF both are great tube rods. Mitch

Loomis rods are fantastic, I have a friend who fished them exclusively, they were really nice and sensitive, I personally would not pay 300+ for them, as I feel the rods in the 200.00 range are so very close in performance. that being said I have not used the newest high end ones, I imagine they are even better then the models I used... Mitch

Pretty much the do it all rig is a 7' MH/F good for just about everything and great at a few things. if you like a shorter and typically more balanced rod a 6'8" to 6'10" is another good option... Not sure if you are looking for a specific rod, but some good options are the shimano clarus and compre's, as well as the ***, falcon bucoo micro, or the veritas... Mitch

what do you want to use it for? Mitch

I have two, types that I love to fish, heavy matted vegitation typically milfoil, and deep weeds. Mitch