evilcatfish

I've put glass rattles in a frog, not sure it made a difference to the fish

There are many great colors. Really dig the clents colors and green or lavender shad

Nichols are my favorite spinnerbaits, but every angler needs a War Eagle in the Mouse Pattern

6.3:1 or 6.8:1 for me

Personally, I only use backpacks when bank fishing, and comfort/mobility is more important than storage space and features. Don't get me wrong, the packs marketed toward fishermen are nice and well made, but once you put all your stuff in there they become heavy and cumbersome. I pretty much stick with a little sling pack I got on ebay for $14, or if throwing big swimmers I'll use my more traditional sized pack. I usually don't bring a ton of stuff out, and am pretty much always covered, but will have backups in the truck. Usually never bring more than 2 rods bank fishing as well

They work great. Not too big, not too small so they produce numbers and size as well. Keep some glue handy to extend the life of your baits. Here's a write up Tackle Tour did: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewlittlecreeperallamericansunfish.html

Purple nitro is a great color too Its definitely a beast. I've got plenty of big swimbaits and whatnot, but nothing with this kind of width. The aventa or full size pompadour might be up your alley if you want something a little smaller

So much for saving the gift cards I had until the next sale...

Straight 6-8# fluoro on my baitcaster, mono on my spinning rod.

Alright, giving the ZPIs a go in the Tat and an SV 105

I've been a big fan of Bocas, but just picked up some ZPIs from the tackle trap as they came highly recommended

Tubes work well.

2.5-2.75" tubes with a 1/8 oz head is my favorite winter bait, maybe a bigger tube under certain circumstances. Sometimes feel like finesse tubes have gone out of style since the Ned rig gained so much popularity (nothing against the Ned of course, it obviously works well)

Yes its the PX Type R. If you want a smaller profile reel, there are some deals out there on Alphas SV 105s right now if you look around.

The Iovino rods are an extension of the Nanoace line. If you scroll through the pics on TW you can see the markings. Or on my rod here it has the Nanoace logo then a little further down it says signature series in white script (sorry, crappy photo in my low light basement)

I've used my 6'10" quite a bit in the depth range you mention with 6-8# line and its performed perfectly. I can't speak as to the other model, but I'm sure it would do well. I really like this rod for tubes also (not the heavier double dipped tubes though of course)

The Major Craft Nanoace Don Iovino model (6'10" M XF) is an excellent rod and provides a lot of bang for your buck. I absolutely love mine, light and just as sensitive as many higher end rods I've owned. Mine is paired with a Daiwa Pixy Type R and handles most all finesse techniques quite well. I highly recommend this rod. *Be advised that despite the medium rating its much more of a medium light.

I really only got turned on to Dobyns in the past 1-2 years, and stories like this are responsible for it. It's nice to know they are so hands on and care about their customers. The only complaints I've ever heard about Dobyns were from obvious trolls or unreasonable people with unrealistic expectations

I think TW will have a Presidents Day sale

Nichols low pro for me, pretty much the only spinner I throw in rivers. The Siebert and war eagle are good too though

These look awesome. That new Ryoga looks great too

I feel like all the suggestions mentioned would be great choices, but if I could pick one it would be the Daemos. The new destroyers are very impressive. If you want to save a few bucks (and can actually find one) the XX diablo spec r is similar as mentioned above. Or if you can wait a bit, the next gen XX rods are coming this year, though I don't believe the exact models have been confirmed yet.

I believe they are the same size. I have a 150SH and really like it

How long did you end up waiting? I got lucky the time I ordered and it was only a few months, but it sounds like some of the recent wait times have been far longer

My new Tatula SV with RCS carbon handle and SLP knobs. I think the lime green looks pretty slick with the purple highlights on the reel. Now for tuning and new bearings, think I might try ZPIs this time