mjseverson24

I prefer split grip, and I also prefer EVA. The EVA IMO seems to have a better grip when wet (except high quality cork found on rods over the 200 dollar range) and is quite a bit more affordable than cork so when I buy a rod that has an EVA grip i am paying for the blank and not the handle material... Mitch

Not a ton of lakes in MN that produce a bag like that. Nice way to end the season, and that should keep a smile on your face for a few weeks anyway. Mitch

Nice fish, its fun to end the season on a bass like that it. Mitch

I agree with everybody except about going home (its a tournament) that being said when the conditions get really tough like that I try and find a wind protected area and throw finesse type presentations like drop shot, shakey heads, flick shake's, split shot rig... you may not get a ton of fish but you should be able to scrape together a limit... I also agree go deeper than you were fishing when the weather was stable... Mitch

1) ---> Falcon Bucoo Micro 6'10" H 2) ---> Daiwa Tatula 7'1" MH/XF 3) ---> *** black 7'1" H/F Mitch

mid summer deep weeds = Big Large Mouth Bass... Mitch

To me the most important thing is the fisherman... The ability to make good decisions when the pressure is on, to be able to get that bite when you need that bite... All of these factors listed above are very important (location, color, action, depth, lure) but to me the biggest factor is the angler itself. Mitch

it depends on the size of the bass... If my first cast catches a 12" dink it tells me a whole lot less than if it is a 20" stud... I wont spend much time trying to see if that 12" was a pattern, but I could spend quite some time trying to repeat the larger fish's pattern... Mitch

I cant talk to myself, cause if I did they would take away my nuclear clearance...But i want to... Mitch

If I was in the market to spend 200 on a drop shot set up I would get the shimano compre DS rod ( i like the longer version as most my DS-ing is done horizontally ) and a pflueger president, well under 200 but no need to spend more... Mitch

Casting---> I look for at least an aluminum (or magnesium) frame, preferably machined, but cast is good too if done correctly(which most new ones are), I then look at the breaking system, if it is not a daiwa then i like a centrifugal breaking system, and one that has more levels of adjustability is better IMO. The last three things I look at are bearing count, handle length and design(knobs as well) and the overall weight of the reel. Ultimately it comes down to cost though, if I can get most if not all of these things and be at or under the "budgeted amount" great if not I usually spend a little more than I wanted to get the reel I want. If you are on a budget check out the skeet reese victory reels, you can get them for about 50.00 on line, and they are a nice workhorse reel at a great price... otherwise the Daiwa Tatula for about 100 is a great reel... Spinning---> I look for a box that says Pflueger President then pay the cashier... Mitch

I like to make the longest cast I can and still be accurate, I believe this gives me the greatest chance of catching a fish on any given cast. So with medium to deep cranks I like max distance, but when fishing shallow cover that has tight targets, the farthest I can effectively present the lure to the correct spot might be 20 yards give or take depending on conditions and lure. Mitch

bottom contact---> feel the hit or see the strike on the line, I drop the rod tip reel down as soon as the tip loads up i do an over the shoulder set. (some baits like football jigs and C-rigs i do a reel set) moving baits ---> soon as I veel the strike I make a sweeping hookset rotating around my body... Mitch

Personally I would still go with the 6 combo set up since you are going to be doing tournaments and time is money... casting: 1) Skeet reese victory 7:1 (50.00) Abu vendetta 7'6" H (80.00) total 130.00 2) Black max combo ---> 50.00(6'6" M or MH) 3) skeet reese victory reel 6:1 (50.00) and a 7'M Berkley amp(30.00) total 80.00 4) Skeet reese victory 7:1 (50.00) Falcon bucoo(100.00) or Tatula(100.00) total 150.00 5) Black max combo ---> 50.00(7' MH) Spinning: 6) Pflueger president(50.00) st.Croix mojo bass (100.00) total 150.00 toal investment ---> $610.00 + tax (but if you wait till black Friday sales it could be well under 600, and or you could upgrade a few of these components and still stay near the 600 dollar mark.) with 6 combos instead of 4 or 3 you will spend less time retying and more time fishing, especially in tournaments this is a big plus. if you were just recreational fishing I would agree with the others and suggest to buy more quality gear. Also tournaments are tough on equipment, with these combos if something happens to one due to tournament fishing life the replacement costs are less... Mitch

deep water ---> its less important medium depth ---> decently important shallow ---> very important Mitch

I love to junk fish, I would enjoy fishing much less if I only used one lure. I do enjoy when I can establish a pattern(especially in tournaments) but I really enjoy catching fish a variety of different ways... Mitch

26 casting combos, I typically bring all of them along on any given day and most days all of them get used at least some... I also bring 5 spinning combos along for the ride... Total investment is not too crazy I average around 200 dollars per casting combo and 150 per spinning. so all in all around 6000 for rods and reels... Mitch

I have not fished a "pond" in over 15 years(since I got a boat), with nearly 15000 lakes in my state I have not felt the urge to fish anything smaller... Mitch

Reaction baits ---> St. Croix mojo or Triumph and a Daiwa Tatula... Bottom Contact---> Daiwa Tatula Rod or a falcon bucoo micro with a Skeet Reese victory reel(can be found for about 50-60)... Mitch

Bass opener this year 3 guys 6 hours just shy of 100 bass best 8 went over 40 lbs 2 bass went over 6 lbs, and 4 went over 5 with a bunch of 4-4.5 lb fish mixed in... It was a great way to start the bass season... Mitch

For not much more I would get the Tatula ( around 100 ) great reel for the money... Mitch

I use floro whenever it makes sense( wood, docks, clear water, rocks and high pressure), but braid is easier to use so if i dont need to use floro then braid is what I will probably use... Mitch

Yeah I am pretty much in agreement with Josh Smith on this one, the math is good enough to get an illustration of Input to Output, which is what he is talking about. Typically when dealing with these types of single input single output mechanical systems (or electrical) we use a transfer function model, these models are just equations that relay torques, gear ratios, and other physical factors in determining how to effectively achieve a desired output through a controlled input. I can tell you with 100% certainty that If you change the length of the handle on a reel, you have changed key characteristics in the equations that describe its operation, which will change the input to output relationship. So the concept of effective gear ratio is totally appropriate when talking about a reel with different handles and or gears... I actually like the concept he was using of the distance the hand travels VS the approximate amount of line recovered per revolution of the handle, this is actually useful information that can tell you quite a bit about the system, such as energy in and energy out, total work, and the increase in energy required to maintain a specific speed while increasing the load on the output side by some arbitrary unit ( EG. Reeling in a fish, or some weeds)... The information that is less useful is the gear ratio and the IPT, these are only part of the whole and are inadequate in being able to describe the input and output characteristics of the reel without other factors taken into account such as handle length, as well as a few others, although their impact is relatively small... Mitch

The skeet reese S-Glass rods work really well for cranks and can be had very affordably, somewhere in the 50-75 range, another good cranking stick is the shimano clarus and compre TC4 series rods... Mitch

I like larger handles with larger knobs as well, I don't necessarily care too much about weight reduction, but I do care about the increased torque the handle will produce especially when using higher gear ratio reels like 7+:1. Another benefit to the larger handle is it causes the bait to slow down a bit while using your natural retrieve. I like this because I tend to catch larger fish when I move slower. I have no experience with the HT handles, they look great and I am sure they perform above the price point as well. Mitch