Steveo-1969

Wow, now THAT'S a cold front!!

I haven't used a Carbonlite either, but my primary spinning rod for small baits is ML/XF. It's rated lure weight is 1/16-5/16. It caught a 4# LMB on a shakyhead last year and numerous 6+# catfish in river current. Performed flawlessly.

I'm guilty of this too (laying a rod down on rocks). When I fish from shore with 2 rods I have no choice, but when I set a rod down you'd think it was a stick of dynamite I'm so gentle. I made the mistake last year of letting my son try out my new GLX spinning rod and when he set it down on some rocks it slid a couple feet down an incline. Needless to say he hasn't touched it since...

I'm normally throwing a jighead with some type of plastic for walleyes in the spring (nothing against treble hook lures or live bait, just don't fish them). 3" or 4" Gulp minnow, 3" or 4" Gulp grub, 3" or 4" Rippleshad. I just bought some Keitech Fat and Swing Impact baits to try this year too. Various colors and I switch often. River temp is still 36 degrees, but it won't be long now!

I fill the first half of the spool with cheap mono then the second half with braid for two reasons. 1) With mono backing the braid can't slip on the spool, and 2) Braid is expensive and I use less this way.

I am essentially the same on my spinning setups. 10# Sufix 832 with a 8# fluoro leader.

Wow, what a giant!! I wish Eric Haataja was still on North American Fisherman. You could tell he is a great fisherman and was really good at explaining things. Tyler Kapela is good too but he's primarily a salt water fisherman. Nothing against it, I just live too far from the ocean.

I was bank fishing and noticed a young man about 15 yo was using his spinning rod incorrectly. He was casting and reeling with the reel on top instead of on the bottom. I walked over and very nicely asked if I could show him how to cast and reel properly. After a couple casts he seemed to have the hang of it, was casting farther and not having to reel backwards. I walked back down the bank feeling pretty good about the karma I had just built up, looked back at him and he was again reeling in backwards with the reel on top. Thinking about it now I should have asked him which hand he preferred to reel with and moved his reel handle for him. Sigh...........

Ditto. I've been fishing my river every weekend and haven't caught a smallmouth since October 26th. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. Hopefully someone can help you.

My girlfriend begs to differ....

This won't help you at all because I haven't fished it yet (D@#M WINTER!!) and nobody in my house understands why I'm so excited, but you guys will!! A month ago I bought an NRX 893C Blue. I got it as a demo rod/rep sample, but it was brand new still in the plastic when it arrived. Can't wait to fish it.

Summer is my favorite time too. The water in my river is low and clear and WARM. Wade fishing! Shorts, sneakers, tackle bag, favorite spinning rod, lucky hat and there is nowhere I would rather be than standing in the river. Unfortunately it looks like summer is never going to get here...

I have one gray pair and one amber pair. Love mine too.

I had the same debate with myself last year when I bought my Stradic CI4+. I ended up with the 3000 size figuring I might get a little longer casts without adding any (noticeable) weight. I can't tell you if my casts are longer or not, but I'm very happy with the reel.

Bill Dance did a show fishing this worm on a YUM Punkin Ed jig.

LM bass just under 5 pounds on a Strike King Rage Hawg in junebug color.

I fish the Upper Potomac and have the same problem in the winter time. I just can't reach the wintering holes from the bank and normally don't catch bass in the wintertime. Are there walleyes in your river? Maybe try a ball head jig and gulp minnow or grub.

There is a St. Croix Legend Tournament 6'10" ML/XF for sale in the Fishing Flea Market right now. Advertised $160 TYD I believe. Great deal!!!!

X4

I fish every weekend year round, sometimes both days and sometimes only one of the days. So I'd say I average around 75 times a year and anywhere from 12 hours per trip to just a couple.

For the past year I've been fishing with a GLX spinning rod with recoil guides. 10# Sufix 832, 8# Abrazx joined with a uni-to-uni knot. I've never had the knot hang up in the guides. I fish about a 3 foot leader so the knot is always running through the guides. No problems.

Yup, I dream about fishing a couple times a week that I remember. I don't usually remember specifics except that the dream was about fishing.

Heck yeah!! I got a Chicago Bears camo hat last spring and I was wearing it for EVERY fish I caught! If something happens to that hat I don't know what I'm gonna do......

I don't know the difference between a walleye rod and a bass rod, but not all walleye rods are tip heavy. I have a Loomis WPJR 821S GLX that is technique specific for pitching jigs and it is not tip heavy at all. Rods for vertical jigging, rigging, bottom bouncing, etc. may be different though. I got it specifically to catch smallmouth on light plastics and it works great! Even catches the occasional walleye as well...

The more I watch this show the more I like it, and I love that it's 2 hours now instead of an hour. But I'm starting to dislike Iaconelli more and more. And you can tell there's no love lost between him and some other guys like Shaw Grigsby and KVD.