Further North

Don't know size (I seldom measure or weigh), but call it 15"- 16". It was on a orange Yamamato Hula grub on a 5/16 oz. stand up jig head.

Rod depands on where I'm fishing, and what I think is going to work...most often a 6'8" St. Croix Legend Extreme if I'm throwing gear, or a 9 ft. St. Croix Bank Robber 7 wt. if I'm throwing flies. That fly rod may go up or down a weight depending on conditions. I use a sling pack for carrying my "stuff". Lots of companies make them now, but when I started, using one, Orvis had the only one I liked. I've since updated it twice and use the original one for trout (it's kind of small) and usually use this one: ...or this one: ...yeah...they're Orvis...but they work, are reasonably priced and they carry a lot of stuff without having to deal with how weight hangs in a vest. they ride high and centered on my back where the weight is well distributed and I can get to all my "stuff" fast. If I'm throwing gear, I carry it in small Plano boxes that fit well in the packs, if I'm throwing flies, I swap out the Plano boxes for the fly gear ones.

The second part is why I use a plastic bead - I figure the glass is actually harder than the lead and more likely to not damage the line. Dunno if it makes any difference, but it makes me happy...

Strike King Smokin' Rooster.

That's about what I thought, but I wasn't sure about line I buy that I store before use, Sounds like it's pretty much good for along time. Thanks!

I'm sorta the opposite of that - I have some braid that's been on reels for going on 4 seasons now,,,still doing fine. I swap out my leaders often instead, I think it's cheaper in the long run.

I've had iPilots since they were new, am currently running a 4 year old 101 lb, 36 volt Terrova with iPilot and Link. if the noise bothers you, it'll bother you...it doesn't bug me and since there was no competition when the Terrova came out...that's what I use. "Follow the contour" is NOT the only way to use the Terrova - can can do that, you can off set to a contour, you can record and re-run routes and you can plot a course on your HB fish finder and have it follow that as well. As far as the Terrova not holding dead on a spot, that is somewhat true...if you make sure you are bow into the wind, you'll minimize movement...the other thing that I have found causes some pain is that I think a lot of folks go one motor too light. I run the 101 (and will replace it with a 112 when it dies) on a Crestliner CMV 1850. It's light, low to the water almost like a bass boat and doesn't get swatted all over by the wind. With more torque the 101 works a lot less hard than the 80 does, and it doesn't have to correct as hard to get back on your spot. Both these motors are great pieces of equipment and will change the way you fish if you don't already have one. Boat control becomes a much smaller percentage of you time on the water and you can fish more. try to find one of each on a boat and play with them, pick the one you like best.

I am curious what you folks see in line life, both when it is spooled and when it is stored unopened. I mix in a bit of everything, braid, mono and fluorocarbon a couple of hybrid type lines.

I have that reel, love it. Everyone who has used it loves it...I'd have a couple more if they weren't so expensive. I'd want to pair it with something a little further up the curve than the St. Croix Avid X (and about half my rods are St. Croix, so I'm not slamming them at all). I have one Legend Extreme rod and it's a heck of a nice piece of equipment...not sure it's worth the extra money though. I had the Shimano DC on a Legend Tournament and it was a great combo, but I swapped it off there up to a heavier rod that's dedicated to pike and muskies. I replaced the reel on the Legend Tournament with an Abu Garcie Revo Rocket and I really like the way that set up works.

It's hard to explain, and there's a lot of Youtube videos that'll do a better job...but I'll try. I use a long rod - 7 ft minimum, and my three favorites are 7' 6" and 7' 9". They are all medium heavy, fast action. I use a fast reel (because the retrieve is really just getting the lure back to you). I use an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. I set the spool to where the lure (usually some kind of soft plastic on a jig or a Texas rigged soft plastic) begins to free fall, and I turn off any braking as far as I can. I start with the bait just above the cork on the grip, grab it in my left hand (I'm a righty), hit the button on the reel, point the tip of the rod at where I want to pitch to, and while I let go of the bait and let it swing, lif the rod tip to give it forward momentum. Thumb the spool when the bait hits water, or when it is over your target. You're gonne get some backlashes...practice will reduce them, but they're never going away. Let the bait hit, and sink to the bottom, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, give it couple of short jerks to imitate a crayfish...reel in and repeat. If you see line movement, set the hook. Hooksets are free. I typically use a pretty heavy weight - 3/8 oz min, up to an ounce, but usually use 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce. If you go lighter, you'll need to back off on the rod action, at least until you get good at this. This is an accuracy presentation, not a distance one, so start short and work your way into it. Go watch some of the videos too, they'll help.

You will. Stay on it. I practice almost every day in the yard if I can't get out in the boat. Some days I practice pitching, some days fly casting, some days other techniques. I usually "cast around the house" so I have to deal with all wind directions and lots of obstacles. It works pretty well for me.

Accuracy is more important than distance, every time. Focus on that, distance will come with practice. "Use the Force, Luke."

I like double triggers on SxS shotguns.....

There's som big girls in that lake... Just a hair shy of 22 3/4", a nudge over 6 lbs.

Your opener was better than mine, I was in Nashville for work.... I live just north of you near Chippewa Falls, and other than Saturday up on Shell Lake it's been going OK, but I haven't touched any largemouth that big.

Fly fishing is way easier than it is made out to be. It requires a little more attention than we're used to to make sure the area where your back cast is going to go is clear, and there's a couple of things that'll help your cast...but it's not that hard. I fly fish for trout, bass, pike and musky...of the bunch, trout are the only one that really require the real finesse of lightly drifting a tiny fly to the surface and controlling the drift. For bass and toothy critters it's usually OK if the fly looks like it fell off a cliff when it hits the water...toothy fish especially.

Cool! A side note: I've started using a large trout net on smallies so that I don't handle them as much - I can also get them landed earlier and back in the water faster. If I want a picture, I can leave them in the water until the last second, lift out, snap and release.

I'm in NW WI, a bit north of Eau Claire. That particular lake is not a chain. As far as the great lakes go, Sturgeon Bay produces some big fish, as do some of the bays on Lake Superior. One that I know of has a 23" minimum.

That lake produces some awesome color. If I wak up early enough, I'm headed up there again in the AM.

I love fly fishing for smallies, and do it a lot. I use a 6, 7 or 8 wt. rod depending on conditions and how big a fly I want to toss. I've become a fan of Temple Forks rods, though about half my rods are St. Croix. I also really like Lamson reels - very often close to if not the lightest for the size, great drag and not over-the-top pricing. Lines are kind of whatever works - I have an Airflo streamer on one rod, A Rio Clouser on another, a Scientific Angler Hover line on another, a Rio Versitip on my 10 ft. 7 wt. and a Scientific Anglers GPX sinking line on one of my 8 wt. rods...horses for courses... Flies...I'm not a fly fishing purist, so I try to learn from what works when I throw gear...so a lot of my ties resemble what works there - I tie baitfish that look like Rapalas, crayfish looking flies that resemble plastic baits, and use a lot of common flies like woolly buggers, poppers and things like that. Consider Thin Mints in larger sizes, and Take a look at a Slump Buster...but then tie it bigger.

Here's a couple from NW WI

Pertaining to glass boats For aluminum boats....I run a 2005 Crestliner CMV 1850. Why they quit making them, I don't understand.

Curiosity got the best of me ans I searched for "T3 Ballistic"...Tackle Warehouse has them for $109.88...I can't seem to post a link though. ...my grandparents retired to Rogers AK, on Beaver lake in 1969...but it's been years since I've been down there.

St. Croix will still offer an upgrade if you break a rod ans send it in for repairs. ...other than that it appears that they have abandoned the plan. E-Bay is your friend - I've sold a bunch of stuff (mostly fly rods and reels) this year, bought some as well.

I used to use all spinning gear also, here's why I moved to baitcasters: Accuracy. I can control outgoing line speed much more easily with a baitcaster. I am much less likely to over-throw a shoreline into the woods with baitcasting reels. Distance. I can through my best baitcasters further than any of my spinning rods. Space. Baitcasters are much easier to store in my boat rod locker without creating a tangle of handles and reels. Retrieve speed. Many more options with baitcasters. Techniques like pitching that benefit from getting the bait back fast are one positive. I can always slow down a fast reel by cranking slower...I can't always speed up a slow reel. Lure size. This is a preference, but I prefer the way a baitcasting reel handles the heavier weights. I also find it easier to adjust drag if I need to, and having my cranking hand more closely aligned with the rod axis seems to help as well. I still have and use spinning gear (there's plenty of things it excels at (jigging for walleyes comes to mind; light weight lures like Rapalas and small Mepps also), but about 70% of my gear fishing is with baitcasting gear these days. I also throw flies a significant amount of the time (not itty-bitty trout flies...great big bass, pike and musky flies). I think being competent with different gear makes me a better fisherman and I'll use what works best on a given day with specific conditions...or what is most fun for me that day. Folks should use what they like and enjoy themselves.