iceintheveins

The PQ is the one to go with.

Veritas 7' MH spinning.

I have a curado E and its my best baitcaster. I was really unhappy when I found out how much worse the G series was. I hope they just return the old design. Don't really want to spend 200.00 on a chronarch.

I like terminator the very best, with pepper jigs spinnerbaits a close second. Booyahs are good and strike kings all right, I want to try the North Stars though as well. Don't overlook war eagles either. I go with mono for spinnerbaits, fluoro works fine though too. Ten pound test is as light as you should go, and only for 1/4 ounce baits. With 3/8 ounce and bigger spinnerbaits, 12 - 17 pound mono or fluoro is the way to go. With big bass and heavy cover, 20 pound works too. I prefer a 5 something ratio baitcaster because I prefer to fish my spinnerbaits fairly slow and deep most all the time, but a 6 ratio is fine if you can slow down or you need speed, which can be better at times when fish are dialed up or you must have a reaction strike. With colors I have best luck on gold blades or gold/silver blades. The best skirt colors to me are golden shiner, white, white/chartreuse, and a more natural shad type color. Black is good in stained or murky water as well though.

I use KVD and have never looked back. A big difference in lowered memory and fewer backlashes, and a good 10 yard increase on most casts.

I have always noticed a moderate difference in hookset percentage. There is no contest, instant anti reverse is the way to go.

Pure fiberglass is best. 7' MH best for crankin deep. The Wright and Mcgill S Glass is a great one.

I am looking for a drop shotting rod. Is this one a good rod for the reasonable price?

Parasite lead weights. You will never peg again. www.parasiteweights.com

Generally a solid thump, almost no matter how they take it.

I think they will be very good options, especially in areas where there isn't a whole lot of cover to bounce off of. I have always had good action on rapala baits and no durability problems.

I carry all of them. Lipless cranks are better when you need to get really deep, especially in clear water rocky situations. I also really do well on lipless cranks by using a stop and go type retrieve around grass early in the spring, ticking the tops of the grass or even ripping it out of the grass when it fouls. But for banging off timber and rocks, or shallow situations, regular billed crankbaits usually are better. Again though, it's a matter of having both and letting the bass tell you what they want.

The zoom super fluke and bass assassin can't be beat. I use white, baby bass, green pumpkin, arkansas shiner, and lemon shad type colors. The 5" model is best fished with a 3/0 EWG hook on 8 - 12 pound line. I throw them out and let them slowly sink to the desired depth, and give them a twitch or two, and let them sink some more. Vary the amount of jerks and lengths of pauses. The sluggo is another good one but fishes shallower than the other two. Fish it the same way. I consider the senko a different type of bait, fished slower and deeper.

Blade bait is good, deep running jerkbait too like a travado dp or pointer deep. The travado DP is much cheaper and has as good of action as the pointer.

A guy I know often does well in tournies at lake powell fishing the brush in the upper 50s with frogs.

What is your favorite largemouth jerkbait in 45 - 52 degrees of water?

I have had a shimano sahara and would say good things about it too. But the President is better.

Pflueger President, hands down.

Green Pumpkin, black sapphire, and rootbeer green pepper.

So what are your favorite lures to use when ice has only been out for a week or two and the temps of the water are still in the upper 40s? I was thinking jerkbaits as I do well with them in the 50s. What about drop shotting as well, and since it's a grass lake I know lipless cranks work well in the grass at this temperature. The fish won't move up on shallow cover for at least another 2.5 - 3 weeks until temps reach the upper 50s, but I'm sure a slow fished jig out deep or even a swimjig might do well. Anything I'm overlooking besides a slow rolled spinnerbait?

Elkhead Reservoir near Craig has lots of nice smallmouth and some largemouth as well. The Yampa River is crown jewel for smallies in some stretches, with fish in the 3 - 5 pound range pretty common. Just make sure you release every fish in the Yampa because they USFWS and Colorado Parks And Wildlife are killing them for no reason because they think they hurt native chubs and suckers.

Why do they close it?

Does down imaging see as far out as a traditional 20 degree or so sonar cone? Or is it only right below the boat, and do I need traditional sonar as well to accompany it?

No shad in this lake, bluegill, green sunfish, and crayfish are the forage. Should I look for them just outside the shallows near the first drop off?

What are you guy's favorite post turnover baits for mid 50s clear/lightly stained water?