Logan S

I believe it does suspend, although I've never really tested it...I just take their word for it. The FX does have a slightly different action. It's hard to describe, but I would say that the FX is a little more unpredictable in it's action. If you've spent some time with the regular 110 you will probably notice the difference. It's not a huge difference and I wouldn't say it's a negative, but I still prefer the regular 110. The folding lip is cool but on the 110 sized bait I think it's a little irrelevant, you can bomb both versions further than almost anything else. I think that folding lip would make a bigger impact on smaller sized baits where wind resistance is a bigger deal. It does seem like it's much less likely to have a broken bill and I will admit to switching to the FX when banging over rocks/boulders...I've roughed up the lip on one a good bit and it's still holding strong. It's a good bait and will catch fish, I'm not getting rid of mine...But if someone asks me to choose between the FX and Original in the same color, I'm taking the Original.

Sounds like you fish the same or at least similar waters as I do....I would lean heavier on power, at least a MH and I agree with WW2Farmer that a traditional 'cranking' specific rod is not a necessity. One of my favorites for the Potomac is a Powell Max Squarebill rod, which is a 6'9" Heavy/XF. You need some beef to the rod for popping out of the grass and for banging around the trees/docks/barges we find on tidal water. That's not the only rod I use, I do use MH/MF cranking style rods...But that Heavy/XF Powell is an awesome stick for this type of fishing. I fish all over and not just the Potomac, so outside of tidal water I do go with the standard moderate action cranking rods, both glass and graphite....But on the river these stay in the rod box. FWIW I use flouro in either situation. A MH/MF would probably be the more versatile choice, if you're only getting one I'd probably go that route. It could do shallow cranks plus spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, topwater, and probably a few other techniques.

For casting reels, I prefer Shimano's braking systems over any other I've tried. Doesn't mean its the best, just what I like the best. For spinning reels I prefer Daiwa, I was a 'shim-bind-o' casualty...Had 5 Stradics that frustrated me to the point of swearing them off. I've heard the issue is fixed, but I've been very happy with Daiwa's product so I see no reason to switch back. So I prefer both Shimano and Daiwa. I even put Shimano reels on Daiwa rods...Just because .

The rod you selected should be fine. I don't have personal experience with that manufacturer, but they seem to consistently get high praise so I'm sure it will work out well for you. You've got the essential part down - The 7 foot-ish length and MH/F. After that it's just a matter of price point and preference. For 1/4 and 3/8 Texas rigs I'm currently using the Megabass XX EMTF, which is a 7'5" MH. I've also used the 7' MH/F models of St Croix's Legend Elite and Legend Tournament series for many years...and If I'm fishing in tight areas, like around docks, I'll default back to one of these over the longer EMTF.

I fish jigs quite a bit and used to keep a huge stock on hand in the boat...But rusted hooks, oxidation, and deteriorating bands would end up costing me a bunch of jigs. Plus it was just extra weight and taking up space. Now I just keep one box loaded with 50-60 jigs in the boat and try not to put anything back in wet. I keep a decent supply of heads and skirt material in my tackle room in case I run low, but my box will usually last me through the entire tournament season and then I just buy or make more to restock. As long as you don't set the hook into brush or boulders, you can fish through the nasty stuff without losing too many. I have a good number of Black/Green and Black/Blue since those my are favorite colors and the 2 or 3 each of the rest of the colors. About half of these I put together and the other half are Sieberts. This system has worked well for me, the only difference this year is that I got most of my restock of the non Black/Green or Black/Blue from Siebert instead of putting them together myself...His are way better than anything I come up with, plus it ends up being about the same price!

I don't think it would be too bad a choice with what you described, but I guess it depends on your own scenario...I think in open water it would be a good performer for that technique. When I said it was too light for my tastes it was in regards to dock fishing and has more to do with pulling a fish out from deep under a dock. It just didn't seem like it would turn the head head of fish, especially a 3-4 lber, as well as the 6'10" M/XF LTB that I currently use for docks...If you want to have that quick head turn power instead of more traditional finesse spinning rod, this isn't the right choice IMO. Either way, I think any angler could find a good spot for this rod...I didn't originally buy it with the intention of it being primarily a small jerkabait rod since I had what I thought was a good rod for that already, but it fit in there and now I can't imagine not having it.

I have one, it's a great rod. It fishes lighter than it's rating IMO. I thought it could pull double duty as a dock skipping rod based on its description but I found it a little too light for my liking on that technique. Not saying it wouldn't be a good choice for that, just not for for the way I fish. By the rating you would think it's almost a MH power spinning rod (I did) or at least between a Medium and MH, but its definitely a Medium power all the way. Action wise, I'd call it closer to a MF than F. I use mine nearly exclusively for smaller jerkbaits and it's awesome in that role. I keep it spooled with 6 lb flouro and use it when throwing the small stuff like Pointer65's or when I want to get a little more depth and/or action out of a 110JR or X-80. I really like how the action is more of a MF, seems to keep the tiny trebles of small jerkbaits pinned. It seems like I've lost a lot less fish compared to the old rod I used, which was the same length but an XF action. I think you could probably use the Ronin for any spinning technique, but it's REALLY good at fishing smaller jerkbaits. I know MB says it can fish the full size jerkbaits too, but to me it seems just a little too light for that...But that could just be because I'm so used to fishing them with casting gear. Great rod, highly recommended by me .

I ordered a Yellow Perch Onimasu during the BF sale. I don't really fish big glide/swim baits, but I'm going to experiment with it this year...For $35 on sale it looked too good leave out of my order . The attention to detail on all of the available colors is pretty awesome.

Pretty sure this is me fishing in one of my favorite areas during a tournament on a local lake....I was looking at Google Earth before another tournament on the same lake and saw a bunch of trucks/trailers in the marina we usually launch from, leading me to think the photo was taken during the tournament the year before. Started looking at all my usual haunts and found this similar size/color/profile boat on one of my spots. If it actually is me on that day, it's just before I caught a good fish on the point up ahead of me . I love Google Earth, it's my most heavily used research tool when it comes to fishing .

I replaced all the carpet in my boat last winter, DAP Weldwood contact cement worked awesome. You can probably pick up a small can to fix your carpet pretty cheap at Lowes or Home Depot.

Wanted to do my yearly post about Fish On Bass Anglers...The 2016 schedule has been set and is in the image below in case anyone is interested. We have several members on this board, hopefully we can add to it! FOBA is a local bass club based in Montgomery County, MD that is open to all. We hold 13 tournaments per year and the schedule is very diverse, you will get to see a lot of quality water in FOBA! Boaters and Co-Anglers are encouraged to join, especially Co-Anglers. We have separate divisions so the boaters and co-anglers don't compete against each other. The club has a big emphasis on sharing information so it's a great learning atmosphere...Just as an example, during weigh-in results every angler explains how they caught their fish and other details about their day. Members can fish as many or as few events as they wish and in addition to tournaments we also hold and annual family picnic and a year-end awards banquet. We also hold annual US Coast Guard boat safety inspections to ensure boats are properly equipped and also to provide the USCG sticker that helps to avoid being stopped for future checks. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want any more information. Our first meeting of the new year will be in January and the tournament season kicks off April 9th! I don't think I can link to our site but it is on my profile as allowed by BR rules if you want to check it out.

It has a much thicker diameter per line rating than Seagaur or Sunline so it's usually seen as less manageable than other lines when compared straight up...12 lb Vicious is thicker than 15 lb Seaguar. Even when matching diameters I still prefer other lines, but it's not awful in the smaller sizes. IMO Red Label is the king of budget flouros, I use it and love it for both main line and leaders.

Fast action rod rated for 1/4oz - 1oz lure and 12-20lb line...For some manufacturers that's a Medium Heavy and for others it's a Heavy. For length, I like 7' rods. The 7' MH/F St Croix (pick a model) is the perfect jig rod power/action IMO...Not counting the super heavy flipping/punching aspect of jig fishing obviously as that would be a flipping stick type rod.

Nice! Spinning or fly? Making me jealous, haven't been out after trout in a few weeks...

I like the Vision 110+1 but have also had good success with the Staysee like others have mentioned already. Another option is the LC Bevy Shad, it's a great deep running jerkbait that is often overlooked....

Looks like you'll be busy, decent size order from me too . Anyone looking to pick up some jigs should jump on this, you won't find a better quality product...Most here know that already though I'm sure .

I called and cancelled mine. I hadn't been billed and the order tracking never changed from "Item located in stock" so I called to make sure everything was OK...Rep told me that they didn't have any in stock and would be searching warehouses for the next 24-48 hours to find one for me. I didn't need it that badly, plus I wasn't too thrilled with the report of it potentially being open/no box and DSG 'searching warehouses' for one... Plenty of deals to be found this time of year, not worth the headache for me. I have a feeling mine would have been cancelled anyway due to them not finding one in stock.

KVD 1.5 Lucky Craft RC 1.5 Manns Baby 1-Minus (might not technically be a squarebill, but I fish it the same) Haven't found a need for a 4th or 5th .

Be careful with that line of thinking... There's always something be learned, diminishing your opponents that figure it out isn't going to help you. If you passed them 4 times you have 4 points of data to clue you into what they might have been doing differently that lead to success. Sounds like you had a pretty good finish on what was likely a tougher day given your placement and the number of boats...Good job.

Since you're in South TX, I doubt this will apply...But they ice up a lot worse than standard guides if you fish in the cold. Other than that I don't really prefer one over the other.

I'm another Costa 580G fan...I've used many other 'good' brands and the 580G wins hands down to my eyes. If you're going to spend a chunk of money, go all the way. Another thing to take into consideration is lens color. There are some good all-around options, like the Sliver Mirror 580s (IMO the best all-around bass fishing lens). In lowlight or overcast conditions I'd take a copper or amber colored 'normal' lens over a mirror-finished 580G. I've got the Silver Mirror 580s on my head most of the time, but keep a few other pairs in the boat with different lens colors to cover all my bases...Not all 580s though, I wish they were .

I've used both, the Jackall sinks nose-down with essentially no action and the Duo sinks perfectly level with a shimmy. I've caught fish on both, but I prefer the Duo since it's falling action is better. I've used the regular Spinbait 80, the GFix 80, and the Jackall 75 iProp. I throw all of them on casting gear, 7'M/M rod and 10 lb flouro with a loop knot. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert in the technique, I just started using it this season...But I've learned enough to know when to throw it and when not to throw it on my local waters and caught enough fish to keep it a part of my arsenal. Cast. Count-down. Slow and steady retrieve. That's how I've had the most success, but I have caught a few on a lift and fall retrieve too.

Low-light and/or wind are definitely well known for being good spinnerbait conditions, but it doesn't mean those are the only times they work. Stained water and high water are both things that will open the spinnerbait window a little more and it looks like you had both of those. Hard to say for sure, but you know it worked at least once so remember it .

Not the Gunpowder, this was on the other well known wild stream that's not out in western MD. I'm not really equipped to fish the Gunpowder effectively...My rods are shorty small stream models and I don't even own waders. The places I fish are small enough that my gortex boots and rainsuit bibs are enough to keep me dry. I still need to pick my crossing spots, but it works for me. By the time I start thinking about buying some waders and a fly rod longer that 7' it's usually late February or early March and I go back into full blown bass mode .

Did something today I've never done before...Caught Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout all during the same trip on a local stream here in MD. I actually caught several Rainbows and Browns and then went searching for the Brookie to go for the trifecta, I've never been able to get all 3 on the same outing. The Browns live wild in the stream and the Rainbows are mostly stockers...Still unsure why our DNR stocks fish on top of a great wild population...But whatever, they are still fun and many holdover and become what I like to think of as 'half-wild'. The Brook trout are native and the population is pretty small, they only live in certain parts of the stream and small tributaries. You have to go out of the way to have a shot at catching one, but they are MD's only native trout so I try every now and then. Usually come up short but this time I didn't . Anyone that lives an area with 'real' fly fishing opportunities is probably rolling their eyes, but here in MD there are not too many streams which support all 3 species and most of those are out in western MD...So doing it here in central MD has always been a goal of mine . (I only fly fish in the winter after tournament season is over, I'm definitely an amateur when comes to the fly rod) #8 Woolly Bugger with a bead-head caught most of the fish today, with a #12 Coachman taking the rest, to include the Brook trout. A typical Brown for this stream. A cool shot of one of the Rainbows after I released it. The Brook trout that completed the day.