MIbassyaker

My wife's uncle -- a walleye fanatic -- tries to pick on me for targeting a species I don't eat....my counter is always, at least I target a species capable of resisting....

I'm not sure you'll be able to avoid stretch without some kind of braided line, and the invisi-braid may be the closest you'll get to transparent. Braid is thinner diameter than other lines, however, for the same lb test. Beautiful work. If I squint hard enough, the sculptures look a little bit like a school of bass...

A heads-up then: On the St Croix site, in the Bargain Room, the Rage line are marked down to $89 now, and there are a number of models in casting and spinning available. Another place you might check out for getting a better quality rod at a discount that falls to your price range is Fisherman's Factory Outlet, which has some rods by Pure Fishing brands (Abu, Berkley, Fenwick) at 40-50% off or more; I got a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth casting rod earlier this month marked down to $75; the original retail on those was $130. They still have a few of the 6'9" MH-F and and 6'10" MH-MF left, along with some HMGs and a bunch of Abu rods too.

Everything I've heard/seen about these is positive, and I just love moving topwater baits; but for some reason, I have ignored them. Although, the comment that they are pike magnets...Lol, just what I need: another pike magnet...

Lol. I had no intention of doing another order. But I just did. All I can say is my regrets about items un-purchased begin to loom large as midnight approaches on the final date of the sale...

shellfish > steak Sorry, it's true.

Yes, report back ! I'm another fan of Pflueger, but I always like to hear about competing options.

Backpack, no question. Shore or small craft. Why? Mobility and efficiency. Holds all the essentials. Has all the benefits of a bag, but with shoulder straps, so my hands are free when on the move, hiking or bushwacking. Softsided means it can squeeze into a crate on the kayak no problem.

Every one of those reels is nicer than anything I have. Whichever one gets ranked lowest, I'll be happy to take it off your hands...

Haha, that's pretty cool. However: Is there such a thing as a lure that won't catch bass? Seriously, is there? I do not know of any. I mean, I am not aware of any lure design ever created, anywhere, by anyone, that will not catch bass, at least some of the time. Sure, some lures and presentations work better than others, in particular situations. But Bass are notoriously aggressive, voracious, territorial, and curious...I am convinced they are capable of striking literally anything given the right circumstances. In just the last few months, BR members have posted here evidence of bass caught on gummy worms, wrenches, twizzlers, and bacon: So, to your first question, "would it work for bass", the answer is almost certainly "yes". And so would pretty much anything else, I wager.

This has been my understanding too, insofar as an increase in "quality" tends to correspond to improved sensitivity.

I don't use any heavy power rods either. But if I did, I would use them for some of the same things Jrob78 and Bluebasser mentioned, especially frogs, punching, and swimbaits; that is, heavy lures and/or heavy cover. I don't throw anything over about 3/4oz, and my MH rods have been good enough for the cover I usually deal with. I'll look into a heavy rod probably eventually, but I haven't felt the need for one yet where I fish most often.

My minor Black Friday adventure, so far: -first stop, Siebert Outdoors: A dredge dock rocker jig pack and a bunch of Mike's expertly-painted heads - swim, grass, brush, and dock rockers for some winter project jig tying experiments... -Over to TW: Had a cart ready friday morning, spent 2 1/2 hours either trying to get the site to load at all, or waiting for the sale prices to register. Some plastics, split rings, skirt material...and a rod for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits/bladed jigs from a company that cannot be mentioned... -Then to the St. Croix Bargain room: no specific BF sale, but hey, as long as I'm up, how about a Rage, still available at 40% off? -Tomorrow Morning: last day of the sale at some sites I get email updates for...we'll see if somebody has a last-minute discount on something else I want. I still need another reel....

I would think the most obvious suggestion is a medium spinning rod to handle lures under about 3/8oz. Another possibility would be a medium-moderate casting rod for crankbaits and other trebles, but your current set-ups can probably cover those better than they can handle the lighter stuff. If you're looking for a deal, check out the St. Croix Bargain Room -- they have Rage and last gen Mojo Bass rods discounted to $89, with a few spinning and casting models still left that fit the suggestions you're getting. I just bought a Rage casting rod, 7'2" MM today for shallow/mid crankbaits; it wouldn't have been my first choice full price, but at the discount (comes to 40% off), it seemed too good a bargain to pass up.

On Amazon for a few dollars, used. And get this -- when it arrives, here is what I find on the inside: :

Currently on my Winter Reading list:

Congrats! A PB for sure!

Bill, you gotta save up for the sales!

-Read up on books, articles -Practice short casts and pitches in the backyard snow. -Reel maintenance -Tackle re-organization -Tie skirts for jigs, spinnerbaits, etc. (I'm trying this for the first time this year).

Yes! It's on!! My cart just updated with the discount prices.

I suppose I could go vacuum the living room or something in the meantime...

Lol. We are pathetic.

I'm getting through to the site now finally, but not seeing the sale...

Nice catch!

What a great season! That is an awful lot of beautiful fish!