Chris at Tech

Lately it's my Kistler KLX 6'9" M/F spinning rod and Stradic 2500 FJ w/ 10lb Sufix 832 braid. It's a more powerful rod than the specs would have you believe and I'm having a ton of fun throwing flukes and senkos on this thing. Oh, and the Owner twist lock light-wire 3/32 oz weighted hook may just possibly be the best thing since sliced bread.

Glad I spent all that time "fixing" the pics before I posted...

Those would be the guide's. I ALMOST refused to fish with the NRX drop shot rig for fear of the can of worms it would open. ALMOST

It's a golf club that happens to also offer an incredible bass lake as an added perk.

Hey guys, With three kids four and under, I don't get our nearly as much as I'd like but this week was good for fishing. On Thursday I took the day off and chased spots on Lanier with a well-known local guide. I've caught spots before but never targetted them until that day. It took us a while to get the fish to cooperate but we finished the day strong running and gunning, throwing swimbaits across the top of brush piles. Wow, do those spots hit a swimbait! This will not be my last trip to Lanier, especially after watching a 5+ come up from the deep and give my swimbait a brief kiss On Saturday, I got the honor to fish the VERY private and VERY well managed lake at the Piedmont Driving Club with my daughter. A buddy of mine won a charity auction and was kind enough to invite us over there for the experience. The fishing was a bit slower than we would have liked but my daughter got to spend some time in a boat and most importantly got her first fish so I will consider the trip a smashing success. I loved the time with my daughter, but in the back of my mind I was wondering what I could have done on that lake in my boat with all my gear. Oh well, I guess I'll just need to join the club to get access -- anyone have a spare $100k I can borrow?

Lemme think of the stuff I have stored in my boat... Duct tape Pliers Screwdrivers Spare prop Pfd First aid kit TP Anchor and line Dock rope Net Paddle I'm sure I'll remember more

So for starters, I should have included "in my experience" of like wording since I'm just stating my opinion... Personally I've not experienced any issues with knot strength during my fluoro use. But if this problem is prevalent then I would say you can learn alternative knots that are more effective for different lines to overcome this problem. But on the other hand, you cannot change the properties and performance of the line so to me, any knot strength issues with fluoro can be worked around, but there's nothing that can be done to make mono/co-poly as sensitive as fluoro in my hands. If I'm letting a plastic or jig drop, there's slack. Also when I'm bumping the bottom with those same techniques, I'm not holding the line very tight so there is always at least a bit of slack unless I'm pulling tight to move the bait. It's NOT enough slack in the line that a few cranks of the handle before setting the hook cannot solve. But by all means use what you like. I happen to like fluoro, but if you don't, I ain't mad at ya! Just seems to me that the OP does recognize improved sensitivy of fluoro (like I do), so my guess is that replacing the fluoro with mono would not result in the same sensitivity.

Roll of TP stored in a ziplock bag. Just in case...

If you even have a thought that the rod could see use with jigs or plastics, then go for the Champion

No And as good as braid is, it also cannot match the slack line sensitivity fluoro has. Neither can copoly

I use my 3-power Dobyns for weightless and lightly weighted plastics. For the techniques and weights you mention, the 734 is likely the better option.

Can I ask why not two $150 combos instead of one $300 combo? I just don't see one combo effectively meeting the two needs you've defined. One rod could pull double duty for bass and redfish/sea trout, but I think the parameter about being prepared for a 20lb+ blue is a game changer. Either the rod will be comfortable for bass fishing and under-gunned for the monster blues, or will be great on the blues but uncomfortable to cast bass lures with for extended periods of time.

Personally, I've only got confidence in the uni-to-uni knot. I've played around with a few of the others from the couch and cannot get them to hold consistently so I've never tried them on the water. It's nice to get a smaller knot, but my rods handle the uni-to-uni knot size just fine. No casting issues worth mentioning...

Avid or Kistler KLX would be my suggestions

Just a general comment... If you are new to baitcasters as your comment indicates, mono may be a better option to learn on. I personally like fluoro line but it does have its own learning curve, so trying to learn both a baitcaster and fluoro at once may be a bit frustrating.

I'm a sports fan but not a boxing fan, but events like this are a prime example of just how disconnected sports is with the rest of the real world. $100+ million for each of the two participants of ONE fight? Seriously? It's remarkable to me.

I used to think to myself that I didn't need a pair of pliers dedicated to changing split rings and treble hooks, but I rapidly got tired of the fingernail/screwdriver technique. It works but it's not the most pleasant. If you change trebles/split rings with ANY frequency whatsoever, invest in the Texas Tackle pliers.

How much weight do I need to punch through six inches of ice?

This model in the Avid line is my choice for topwater. I've never fished the Mojo but if it's similar in action and power to my Avid, it should do great for topwater lures (and really, anything with treble hooks).

No contest - Lanier by a LONG shot. I've never fished with them but I hear Ryan Coleman and Jimbo on Lanier are well-regarded guides.

Why not consider a johnboat you can tow on a trailer?

What you say is correct, but there are other features you should consider. Take a look at some YouTube videos to understand what GPS, mapping, side scan, down scan, etc offer to if those features are something you'd find helpful or not.

I usually have a c-rigged lizard tied on during pre-spawn and early spawn phases.

If you can, go to Bass Pro, Cabelas or another tackle shop with a decent selection. Play with at least one of each brand to get a feel for their user interface. Once you identify the user interface you prefer, you can target your search to your price range inside that brand.

Also try fewer wraps on the fluoro. A line of that width should be fine with 5 wraps.