DRP71

If you could only choose one for fishing clear water northern smallmouth would you take FFS or 360? I am finally going to take the plunge and wanted to get some input since I haven’t used either.

Looking for some guidance on some smaller inland lakes to try out. The wife and I are taking a trip for a few days in early September to the Gwinn area near Marquette and taking the boat. Any ideas for lakes to try would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Air Force 25 years

I am not sure how this post ended up in here twice. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I have never taped the knot down. I am due for a line change so might give that a shot when I respond. Thank you.

Agreed! I am definitely not confident in disassembling a reel 😬

Nope…Thumbless That is great info. Thank you. I have never done that but plan to start. At a minimum at the end of the season. Thanks again.

I was trying to remember back to last fall when it happened and I am sure that is the first thing I tried.

Looking for a reel for my 7’3” mh Victory to fish jigs. I have a tatula ct100 right now but it slips on the hook set for some reason. I am just confused by all the models. How do you break them down to know what you need (ie. DC, MGL SV,etc.)? Makes my brain hurt. Hoping to stay at or under the $150 mark. Any suggestions would be great.

Looking for a reel for my 7’3” mh Victory to fish jigs. I have a tatula ct100 right now but it slips on the hook set for some reason. I am just confused by all the models. How do you break them down to know what you need (ie. DC, MGL SV,etc.)? Makes my brain hurt. Hoping to stay at or under the $150 mark. Any suggestions would be great.

What shaky head worms are you using for smallmouth? Want to try it this year. Any difference in colors used or same as tubes, craws, etc?

Thank you for the information. I have a Helix 7 MSI at the the console and 7 MDI at the bow. I will try what you mention above. Is there a benefit to the black portion in the middle for SI? I have the black portion now but will try contour mode and pulling in the width to 60-75’ instead of 100’. I never thought about running over the waypoint with DI. Thanks again.

I have a question about image clarity. When I am looking at my side imaging I can tell that something is there (rock, fish crib, etc) but the image is not very defined. I see images and videos of very clear precise images online but mine is not like that. What would be my first step in clearing things up? Clear water and set to 100’ both sides. I am guessing transducer placement but just not sure ? . Any tips would be great.

Thank you for all the info! I appreciate it.

For spinning reels I am planning on braid with floro leader and mono backing. My main question is what is better for backing on a casting reel, braid or mono backing to floro or co-poly main line? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Was in a small tackle shop yesterday and found a 6'8" Daiwa Kage jerkbait spinning rod on sale for $99. Couldn't pass it up so we will see ?

Thank you all for the info. Dwight, I will check out the suggested thread.

Want to start fishing a jerkbait this spring and looking for some advice on a good starting point. There are a ton of brands and styles out there ranging from $8 to $30. I think natural colors are the way to go... but where to begin with style and size??‍?

Another question is whether it is worth the expense to add pole(s) since I already have spot lock. I have never fished with poles. I am guessing I would need at least 10 footers. The water I fish is generally on the deeper side. Not sure that 8 footers would work at all.

Question for the power Pole crowd. Thinking about adding a single power pole in the distant future and wanted to start collecting some info. What are the advantages and disadvantages to a single Power Pole? Boat is an 18'1" Vexus aluminum and I fish up north for clear water smallmouth. Any info would be great.

No. I am not really sold on anything yet. Trying to figure out which way I should go before the ice is out. Thank you. I have a few that I have picked up here and there but haven’t really tried them yet.

I haven't thrown a jerkbait much and would like to try this spring. Fishing northern smallmouth in clear lakes so thinking of going with a spinning setup. Not sure if I need a new rod though. The only rods I have under 7' are a bps carbonlite 6'6" mh/f rod with a president reel or a custom 6'10 ml/XF that I use for fishing a ned rig with a Daiwa Fuego reel. Just not sure if the mh is too much and the ml too light or if I need to find something in a medium-fast. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

The rod I am using now doesn’t allow me to cast the lighter/smaller baits very far and I am not getting a consistent hookup. I am losing 1/3 of the fish before I get them to the boat.

Just starting out throwing swim baits for smallies and would like a dedicated rod. Been throwing 2.75 to 4” paddle tails with jig head or under spin (1/8 - 1/2 oz). Currently using a falcon buccoo 6’10” mh finesse jig casting rod with mixed success. Looking for recommendations on which direction to go. Wanting to stay in the $100-125 price range.

USAF Retired 1991-2016