punch

I got turned onto Boss heads + skirts off TW and i'm now using those. WAY more cost effective (pike like to bite them off in Minnesota) and the hooks are SHARP. I land way more fish with these Boss swimjigs.

I use 10 or 20lb power pro (usually 20) to a 8lb Invisx leader. I use it around toothy critters, like walleye and pike, so I tend to dropshot with a little heavier line than I would prefer. I usually use either a VMC neko hook or a owner 1/0 wacky/dropshot hook.

I hope so! I'm going to target reefs/sunken islands near the islands. Plan on tossing jigs & soft plastic jerk minnows, dropshots, tubes, and swimbaits. Probably do some cranking? Worst case I'll go get a bag of fatheads haha.

Actually we're going up 21st-24th.

I'm headed to Kabetogama next weekend.. super excited. Anyone here have experience on it? We're going up for 3 days of smallmouth fishing.

Another vote for the Chug Bug.. just be sure to upgrade the tail hook to something sharper.

I always nose hook. My favorite hook personally is a Owner 1/0 wacky/dropshot hook

There's no "best worm", but there's lots of great ones! You can fish traditional stick worms (like a senko) wacky on a dropshot. There are also purpose built finesse dropshot baits. Personally i'm a big fan of the PowerTeam Lures 5" tickler. If I could only use one drop shot worm for the rest of my life, that would be it. It's got amazing action and it's super durable. I also love drop shotting the PowerTeam hammer shad. Killer in clear water. Other favorites are the KVD Strike King dream shot, biospawn plasma tail, and the classic roboworm. If you're into crappie fishing, I do really well tossing a dropshot and a white Gulp minnow. Crappies can't resist.

Anyone going to Thorne Brothers tonight? Seth Feider and Brent Ehrler are going to be there from 3-7pm and the store usually does like a 20% discount store-wide for their "special events". (just speculation on my part based on past events)

Great deal on the CT's.

Me and a buddy are fishing the Greenhorn open derby on Coon this weekend.. first tournament this year. I'm excited!

Went out and hit Rum River for a few hours last night and caught about 6 smallies. Mostly all on wacky weighted senkos and swimbaits. No huge donkeys but it was fun! River was high, dead calm and low flow. Very enjoyable.

Gander.. found a Lews Tournament Pro G series RH new in box for 60% off. 80 bucks! Yes please.

That's actually a fantastic price for the 3000.

That reel's going to be a little fast for what that rod's meant for. Might want to slap on a lower gear ratio.

FYI, Zman has a new 'upgraded' shroomz head that's just hitting stores now. My local tackle shop just got them in last week. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z_Man_Ned_Lockz_HD_Jig_Heads_5pk/descpage-ZNLHD.html Has a better hook and a new, much better plastic keeper. It's only $1 more than the normal heads. I picked up a pack to try out.

I got out for some fishing Saturday AM with my buddy on Mille Lacs. We first hit 3 Mile Island and saw a ton of fish and activity on the electronics.. but only caught one walleye. Lotta boats were pounding the island and didn't get any bites either. We picked up and moved over to Hawkbill Point and worked around the rock point with simbaits/tubes. We found one little corner that poked out into some deeper water and I caught these guys with a translucent/chartreuse Keitech fat impact on a 1/4oz tungston head. We only caught walleyes on tubes all morning, which was weird. I only got to fish for about 5-6 hours so I was pretty happy with two quality fish in that time. It was warm with bluebird skys so I was anticipating a grind. We really had to work to find some active fish... the few other boats we talked too were having a similar lack of action. That 4lber made the entire morning worth it though! 4lb 1oz 3lb

Anyone hitting Mille Lacs this weekend? I'm camping here and plan on fishing the southeast corner. God help me.

I'm also a fan of the ZX series rods. I have a topwater ZX that's taken some serious abuse for the last 3 years and it's been great. I used the cranking stick for a long time also. For 70 bucks they rule

I spent the weekend camping/fishing Lake Carlos up in Alexandria and had an EPIC weekend of clear water bass fishing. I think I caught around 40 fish. It's such a cool and challenging lake becuase it's very clear and very deep. The bass tend to school up so if you can find them, you can get into some fun fishing. The most effective baits all weekend were a storm chug bug popper, zoom super fluke in baby bass, and the NED rig. The ned has been such a confidence bait for me on clear lakes. I call it the destroyer of worlds. It's such a versatile bait. I was fishing it shallow along the edges of reeds, hopping it down steep banks, fishing it on the bottom in 25-30 feet. I just use the different weight heads depending on the bottom (soft bottom, lighter ned.. it'll rest on top vs getting stuck) and depth. I caught a few fish on a terminator bluegill spinnerbait in thick cover and a couple on jerkbaits. I always forget to toss the fluke in clear water, but I had one tied on all weekend this trip. Bass can't keep off it when they are around other bass.. they get competitive when you twitch it and let it "die". I really like simply nose hooking the fluke on a 1/0 wacky hook. I was dying the tails blue to imitate the pumpkinseed. My baby bass colored storm chug bug has gotten a workout this year. I even picked up a nice smally (not many in this lake) on the NED It's a hot smallmouth spot in the fall. I've fished it several times so if you want to go let me know!

Not to mention he unearthed a post from 2011 just to **** on it.

Sweet, I live like 5 minutes from the Anoka fairgrounds ramp.

Hrm I'm going to have to hit the river this week.. RUM is callin?

Entry level fishing kayak on sale at wally world https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lifetime-Tamarack-120-Angler-Kayak-Olive-Green/55604992?u1=de478e7473ac11e79195d289d02817d70INT&oid=223073.1&wmlspartner=lw9MynSeamY&sourceid=33737809773727091725&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

Got out the other night and caught them with a white/chartreuse chatterbait and a dropshot with a finesse worm. Got about a dozen? Nothing over 2lbs though. Fished off shore in about 12' near healthy weedlines. Banged the shallow bank a little bit around docks/reed with topwater at dusk and just ONE bite.