WIGuide

I'm a right and I use right hand retrieve bait casters and left hand retrieve spinning reels. If I didn't palm the reel, I think a left hand retrieve reel wouldn't be too big of deal and would probably be the way I'd go. However, it'd feel cumbersome to use one the way I currently hold the rod.

I only boat flip dinks, any bigger and I'll either lip them, or get them in the net just to prevent this.

It'll take a little while, but would think it'll do nothing but help the fishing. The additional cover should give baitfish more habitat and allow their numbers to increase, and more forage should allow for more and bigger bass. I would expect with it being down so long though, that it'll take some time before you notice that since the bass will have much more area to spread out over making them seem hard to come by.

It really depends on the day for me. I feel most confident during the low light hours, but I've had days where it picked up as the sun came up even in the summer or days they bit all day long.

I use both and still haven't done it, I must just have thick skin. Only time I've ever been cut by line is from pulling when I'm hung up.

I believe the coldest frog fish I've caught was in 48* water. It was the only hit I had on it that day, and was the biggest bass I caught that day as well. However, I out-fished the frog about 15 to 1 with a crankbait, so although it still caught a fish, there were better options for that day.

My family owns a cabin on Miller Dam, a once red hot bass fishery in north central WI. The lake itself is very shallow, with average depth in the 4' range and naturally grassy. Unfortunately over the past 10-15 years the lake has seen it's share of hardships. In roughly 2000, a bone headed game warden put wild rice in each of the feeder creeks for the lake. The result has been a takeover of the rice. By mid summer, large sections of the lake look more like a field than a lake. With the lake being so shallow it has spread like wildfire inhabiting much of the productive flooded timber the lake was once known for. There was also another invasive grass that made it's way into the lake that choked out much of the native species of grass. Once lush large grass beds with well defined edges have turned into small clumps of grass spread all over. Due to it's shallow nature and the harsh Wisconsin winters, there have been a few years there have been small winter kills. Thanks to the lake association installing aerators the kill had been kept to a minimum, and the bass population hadn't taken a substantial hit. That is until 2012-2013 winter when a very late spring managed to wipe out a majority of the bass population. The club I fish with had a tournament scheduled out there that summer, and there was also another local club that had a tournament out there that day. (typical despite the lake not being huge) Between the 30 some tournament boats out there that day there were less than 15 bass weighed in that day. On a normal year, the vast majority would have brought in limits. It's sad to see such a great fishery go downhill. My dad and I had fished it a few times each year since, but nowhere near as much like we used to. Even the northern population had seemed to have stumbled a bit, but at least there is still hope for this fishery. Each year our trips have yield a few bass, with the size slowly increasing as well as the number. Not tons, but enough to have hope it will continue to get better. Also the size of the northerns has gradually increased. Not so much in the average size, but you're starting to see some larger ones. In the short amount of time I've fished there this year, I've caught 2 in the 30" range and lost 2 that were in that same class. My dad and I also almost had a limit of largemouth this past Sunday, and also caught two decent ones on Saturday. As for the weekend counts, combined we caught over 40 northerns and 7 bass. Fingers crossed that this fishery will continue to improve, and one day return to it's prominence of one of northern Wisconsin's top bass fisheries. A few quick highlights from this weekend.

I broke a rod a few weeks ago when it got caught under my tie down cleat as I stepped up to the front deck. Although it's not in two pieces yet, I'm sure it would be if I made a cast with it, or set the hook.

The Premier Spinning rods in ML come in both 1 and 2 piece models regardless of length. They're offered in 6', 6'6", 7', and 7'6". From looking at the price I'd be guessing the one at TW is a one piece. You could call and order one straight from them, or else everywhere should be pretty comparable on price with them. If you want more information it can be found on their website http://stcroixrods.com/products/freshwater/premier-spinning/

Same here. Just wondering what kind of knot these people are tying that they're cutting themselves trying to cinch it down...

It might be worth looking into a used motor from someone else looking to upgrade for more power. You'll be able to get one cheaper and also you won't be in the hole as much on your boat. It seems that putting a newer motor on most boats doesn't increase the value much. The whole value factor doesn't really matter if you plan on keeping your boat for a long while though.

Really no need to rant about a problem that isn't a problem. As far as I know just about every state has a requirement that if you have a motor on any type of boat it must be registered.

Welcome to BR!

I'm no expert on ice line since I don't ice fish, but from what I can gather is it's hydrophobic so it won't absorb water and then freeze. I don't see why it couldn't be used for casting, but again I've never used it. Also, the spools are much smaller than a normal spool of braid, so check that out before purchasing any.

this x2 It's normal for them to make a little noise, but from what you're describing it does not sound normal at all.

I use a 7'2" M/M for squarebills and other small crankbaits and it works really well. As for jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits I don't use a moderate action rod, but usually us a fast action rod instead. For jerkbaits I'll use a 6'6" m/f as it allows me to control the bait better. With a moderate action, I find I'm just pulling the bait more than twitching it because there's so much give in the tip of the rod. As for the lipless crankbaits I'll throw those on a MH/F as it allows me to rip them out of the grass better. If I was just using them in open water, I'd be able to get by with a slower action I think.

A healthy 17" fish should be close to 3 lbs. Each individual fish is different so it's hard to say exactly how heavy they are. If you want the most accurate weight I suggest buying yourself a scale. Even the cheap digital ones are fairly accurate.

Welcome to BR!

This plus hollow belly swimbaits seem to kill it it this time of year as well.

No automatic reorder. Even as much as I fish I can't predict the fishes mood and what they'll hit and what they won't so usage isn't uniform.

Something easy to throw in for your first aid kit would be super glue. You can use it to seal up cuts and stop bleeding as along as the cut isn't too big.

There will be a slight bit of the law of diminishing returns as you get towards the upper end. The biggest difference in the St. Croix line is between the SCII and SCIII, but there is a noticeable difference between that and the SCIV and again into the SCIV/V blend. It's not as drastic, but it's still there and it's a difference you can feel. Whether it's worth the difference in money is up to you. I know I could get by with all Avid's as they are great rods, but by far my two favorite rod lines are the LTB & the Xtremes as I feel they are worth the money.

I'd take a good look at the new gen Mojo Bass from St. Croix. Length would be up to you, but if it were me, I'd stick with the 6'8" MH/F.

All 3 of those techniques are great applications for a fast reel. I go with 7.1:1 for all 3. Granted I used a fast reel for just about everything, but those are applications that will excel with a faster reel.

Around here, you find both northerns as bass mixed in together. Musky's usually tend to move bass off their spots, but northerns don't seem to. Like I said that's around here so it could be different elsewhere. Steel leaders are crap and not worth it. I've lost more fish using those than line alone. If you're really careful and basically throw them out after every use you might be ok, but I don't bother anymore. The tie-able wire works though, but I have snapped that too. I could have a bad batch though. They make really heavy fluoro leaders that can work, but I think they might kill the action of most bass baits. You other option would be to simply learn how they fight. Most of the time you can tell as pike don't shake as much and just take off in a specific direction. If you feel that, DO NOT horse them. Play them very lightly until you can get a hold of the fish, or get it in the net. Also, get used to the fact that you will lose some baits. There's a reason I don't buy many high dollar baits unless I get them on some sort of super sale.