gulfcaptain

The Black ***'s I would look into the MH. Have the 7'6" and have fished jigs up to 3/4oz without any issues nor does it feel over powered. So the H action may be a bit heavier then you would like. But still love the rod. One of my favorites to fish.

Haven't used the Rage Bug, but use the Biffle Bug in 2-8ft depths with a 3/8 swing head jig and a slow steady retrieve kept good bottom contact. Looking into fishing that SK head sometime in the next few months as well.

Exactly, no common sense. A lot of times there are reasons for "No Swimming"

I have a few "Duck People" where I fish, but love the "Rage Guy"........he's awesome. Very funny video.

X-2 on the sharpie for the first 7ft or so.

3/8 to 1/2. If you're gonna fish deeper 15-20" most of the time I'd go up to 3/4. Also depends on your trailer you plan on using as well. But those 3 should cover most of your needs.

Some lakes are water district, no float tube, no swimming, no wading due because they are used for drinking water. Others no access to wet lower units, wet boat, etc due to trying to stop zebra and quaggula mussels. I'm guessing it's more liability issues where smaller bodies of water restrict swiming, float tubes, boating, tubing due to law suits and "stupid" people who don't use common sense or take personal responsibility.

My preference, 8am to 2pm. Those are the hrs my boy is in school and I have time to fish. But I have no problem fishing all day any day or at when I have a free time which isn't too often.

Murky water, no vegetation, pike & musky = few bass. Find another pond or try for the other two apex predators. Some places aren't worth the time to fish. But I give it to you, you have been extremely patent and persistant.

If this pond has musky and pike stocked into it, then it probably doesn't have much else. You might not be catching bass there because there may not be much of a population if any with those two fish in the pond.

MH X2 with the fast action.

I didn't know that was a qualifiying event since it it didn't offer up any AOY points. If he is in, then I wouldn't bet against him.

And wasn't focusing on finessing so much as to fishing for the lakes spotted bass.

Wheeler hasn't qualified for the Elite series yet. So don't think he's gonna be making the Classic. But if he were in it I wouldn't count him out at all, that kid is a beast of a fisherman.

IF it was me, I'd get a navigational chart and pick an area that looks the best. Navigational charts will give you bottom composition as well as where wreaks, pipelines, submerged objects, etc and look into an area of the river. This way I had an idea of what I'm fishing before I get there and can eliminate as much water as I can and see what cover, creeks, and drainage areas are available. Then narrow it down with access to deepwater with a possible drainage creek or backwater area close by. Then I would Google Earth it to see what it looks like from above. Just a suggestion and hit up local tackle stores and see what kind of report you can get. I'm sure they would be more then willing to help considering the reason you are asking is for a great cause.

Each brand is different, but agree, some companies MH are H in others. I prefer a fast action over XF but that's personal preference. But it's always going to be a rod that will drive the hook home weather in open water or in vegetation.

Go fishing. Sounds like you have a few weekend fishing trips to take and see what you find.

Look into the Black *** rods, you can find something there you are looking for or even the Green. I was thinking of their 7'2" MH Green *** for a Frog Rod.

If you think about it, it sends multipl frequenies, so you can overlay your pictures and have a higher resolution picture which then gives you a cleaner picture. But word of advice, if you're going to use multiple functions at one time, get the biggest display you can afford. But it does have it's place. And deep water like the 300ft you don't get as good a picture with higher frequencies, they have a larger cone coverage, you get a better picture with the lower setting since it has a narrow cone. Normally run a split screen 200/50 and use both to get the best idea of what you're looking at. Bass fishing, I want to see the branches on the tree in 18ft of water and the bluegill in them and that bass sitting off to the side. The higher resolution will let you do that.

If that lake is Ashley's home waters and already has a win on there yes he may be a force to be reconned with. But then he may have too much knowledge and overthink his approach as some pro's seem to do when they get on their home waters. If it comes down to a dropshot/finesse bite, I'd still say Marten but would also lump Rojas in there too.

I agree, you already had the fishes attention, just the slight twitch caused the reaction bite. Sometimes they want it barely moving, other times they want to chase it across the surface. That's the fun part, trying to read the signs and figure out what they want.

They are supposed to run right at or below the surface. Most make a little v wake. You may have to wind even slower. I know the Rapala Waking Minnow is a really slow crack and to get it right at the top you have to wind slowly or it tends to dive. But it mainly depends on the bait as they all have different actions depending on the lip and angle.

I've had issues with wacky worming as well with the hooksets. I have found most seem to hook themselves with a little lift and wind. No need for a hard hookset as there isn't any plastic to drive the hook thru. Just my opinion.

you might try sending him a personal message on here. He has a few posts and might be able to answer you directly or send him an email. He's really good about getting back to you quickly.

Next time offer without even asking and he will be good. And you can always tell him sorry you were short on funds or forgot to bring some with you and give him a bit more. That way you don't feel bad.