OntarioFishingGuy

X2. Not patient enough to slowly crawl a Texas rig. However, I love fishing weightless Senkos, just because they catch so many fish.

For casting cranks, I like an 8' rod. Specifically a St. Croix eyecon. For jigging I use a ML/F Avid, 7 feet long. For fishing in weeds, I like a M/XF Avid or a MH/F Fenwick ETS.

I actually didn't mind the size, but I was having repeated gear issues with mine, so I will probably end up keeping it for parts or something. It palmed alright I guess.

Nice! You won't be dissapointed.

I have the UL Trout Series (very similar to the panfish series) and it is a really good rod for light lines (2-3lb test). Any heavier and I would step up to the L/XF. XF rods with light and ultra-light powers are really fun to fish with, especially with small jigs.

Get the Ardent, sell it for a bit of money, use that plus the gift card to buy a nicer reel.

Power Minnow!

The worst noise in the world is after you dunk your centerpin and you hear that awful grinding noise... Still worth the picture though, dunk shots and shiny steelhead are awesome. But that noise makes me cry...

Interesting results. These bass are much smaller than the Chinook salmon we fish for up here, which are just 4 years old when they make their spawning runs, and can weigh in excess of 30 pounds. These fish are around 7lbs, and are much older. Just goes to show the variety of fish's growth rates.

I was wondering if anyone has used their 50 sized Shimano for fishing crankbaits. I have been considering using it on a M power cranking rod with 20lb braid to fish small squarebills, lipless baits, and DT-6s. Any input would be appreciated.

Geez, scary... Why people would do that is beyond me,

Yep, Pflueger would be your best bet.

Hi neighbor! Nice fish BTW...

No, you're not missing out. I throw frogs, punch rigs and DT-16s on spinning rods and have no issues.

I think TackleTour just did a comparison of these two reels.

I have never used the Avid X, but the standard model is a sweet rod. If you are going to get a medium power, I would recommend going with the 7'. I got the 6'6 and kinda with i had gotten the 7. Still an awesome rod though.

Vsauce.

The LTB rods are awesome, but are above your price range. I think you would be extremely happy with a St. Croix Avid spinning rod. Solid reliable rods that many members here use and enjoy.

Legend Tournament and Legend Elite

Bring extra boat plugs. De-barb treble hooks. Bring a spare spool of line-backlashes can ruin a whole spool.

Most of the guys up here prefer to target steelhead with float fishing techniques. I much prefer using lures like Kwikfish and Vibrax spinners. I also like casting off piers and rocks with Little Cleos. Its a very good technique when fishing around pressured fish, because the fish have probably seen a lot of roe and beads, but they probably dont see many lures. Another great place to use lures is when sight fishing steehead in small, clear, shallow creeks. I use a 10'6 rod for larger rivers and off piers and rocks, and a 7-8 foot rod for the small creeks. Give this a try on your local steelhead rivers and you may be surprised at how many fish it catches. PS. It works on salmon and browns too.

I have a Sahara on my St. Croix Trout series, and its a great little reel.

For hair jigs and smaller flies I use 140 Denier Ultra Thread. It has a bit of stretch so it doesnt break much, but you can really cinch it down and get a tight wrap.

People pay 50$ for tackle trays???????

Stradic FJ is even better if you can find it for 150.