Fishin Dad

A couple of us have been talking about this in another thread. I have the Daiwa Rebellion glass. It is very light and sensitive while still having the parabolic glass action. I love it. I found it on sale last year for $99 so I had to try it. Very glad I did.

They must have a ton of drawing power if they made them illegal so fast, even though I think we all know it was a knee jerk reaction. That still makes me really want to fish them, just not really in Minnesota.

I agree! That’s why I think they need to clean up their marketing and have R & D involved with them. I have regular Tatula, Elite, and Rebellion, even though none are for the same technique. They have all been nice rods for me. Nothing crazy, but solid for their purpose. The Rebellion with Ti sic guides for $200 seems like a good deal. I like the rod a lot. I have the Heavy Regular for for bladed jigs. I love it for that. Very light and actually sensitive for glass. I almost want to grab another one in case something happens to this one.

I use a lot of Trilene 100% fluoro. I get it very cheap and it has been bullet proof for me. It doesn’t have a lot of stretch. Suffix 832 for braid Big Game very limited in using mono or copoly.

It seems that Daiwa has not figured out how to market their rods. They make some awesome rods, but you rarely hear them mentioned, especially outside the Tatula Elite and Tatula line. They need to figure out how to get that segment going.

The nice thing about the walleye addiction here is the northern MN bass are pretty unbothered because of all the walleye hounds. I used to chase those marble eyes and still do a couple times per year. Living in Southern MN, the bass is where I put my time. If I am in the north, we fish for food in the morning and evening, but hammer bass in the afternoons. I really don’t see how a multi hook A-rig would affect either species in MN.

Yep, another brilliant move by Minnesota. If it didn’t have the amazing amount of great lakes, I would be out of here.

I have been interested in trying the A-rig here in Minnesota, but with only 1 hook, just not sure. Hogfarmer makes the Minnesota rig, with gold blades everywhere, but I really liked the thought of the Tactical micro rig. I am not sure the 1 hook issue can sell me though.

For some reason, I am more accurate and more efficient with the baitcaster. I am pretty sure I know your skipping lake!

I throw weightless Senkos on my MH bait cast rod all the time. Skip it under docks and wrench em out.

I love the Rebellion as a cranking rod. Found it for $99 early last season and loved it.

That’s super cool. I really cherish the hunting stuff (especially guns) that I got from my dad, especially now that he is gone. Those memories flow back wonderfully when I grab one. I have two girls 21 and 18. Both have fished and hunted with me, but never really fell in love with it. They still go when home and will even jump in a small tourney from time to time. I do end up giving some of my stuff to students and kids I see on the lake and it is fun to see their excitement too.

I would honestly love to purge ALL of it, and then just buy what I know I like, BUT, I wouldn’t know what I liked unless I bought all the stuff and tried it in my area. So it is kind of a catch -22. I am also a sucker for good deals and buy too much when I see a deal. I also buy stuff to “try” when I see good deals. I need to just stop watching fishing stuff, reading fishing stuff, and then buying fishing stuff, but that is really no fun. Part of the fun for me is trying stuff and messing around with it. My buddies also like my addiction as they get to use a lot of stuff for free!!

That would incredible. Such a great learning experience. We have all natural lakes here. No drawdowns. We are in a drought, but water is not down enough to really let us see the good stuff.

I am assuming you mean St. Croix, not Shimano??

Wow, that’s down a lot. We are in a drought too, but we are only down about 2 feet. It does show some interesting things close to shore. Our lakes seemed extra weedy last too. I fished a lot more outside weed lines. And got farther away from shore. It didn’t seem like fish were relating to shore as much as usual with water down.

I am pretty lucky. Most of the lakes, even smaller ones, have topo info for them. I suppose you could always use it for shoreline cover and docks and such. I would just assume Google is really useful for lakes that fluctuate water levels. It would be insane to see my lakes 4-5 feet low. The amount of stuff I could mark would be amazing.

Nice! I can see how that would be awesome in clear water. That is a cool side by side comparison. I have used Google Earth to see shoreline structure, docks, etc. Our water is pretty shallow and dirty here so see into the water is not really possible. If I travel north a couple hours, that is where the water has that clarity.

It sounds totally normal to me! Most of my 18 ice fishing rods are Tennessee handles and need to be taped on. I have found that the silicone rescue tape they sell works great for that. It only sticks to itself and is tough as nails. That way when you take it off, it doesn’t stick to your cork and wreck it. It also doesn’t leave any sticky residue. I like that you can position your reel at any location that is comfortable for you as well.

I want to explore new lakes and not get so set on trying to figure out tournament lakes. I also get hung up on the hot lakes and want to go there too often and catch fish. I know that may sound crazy, but fishing can be really good around here and 50+ fish days are common if you want them. Exploring new lakes and figuring them out is fun and rewarding. There is a lot learning that takes place in the process as well. Now, I just have to wait another 5 months to do it!!

I have looked at Google Earth many times, and from a computer so I can go back to older maps. The problem is, with natural lakes, there is not nearly as much fluctuation in water depths to be able to see lake bottom in low water times. How else, and what else do you look for on Google maps if you fish natural lakes?? I have tried to see points, weed lines, etc. I just didn’t feel I got as much out of Google Earth as I should. What am I missing??

Ok, thanks, I feel better now. Lol. Wow, you have A LOT of stuff.

That is probably something I should do as well. I have totes full of new baits and I am not sure I will use it all. It seems like as new stuff comes out, I want that instead. I told my fishing buddies they don’t need to bring much tackle this year if fishing in my boat. I need to use some stuff up. I need to stop looking at the emails I get about sale crap, stop watching videos, and stop being tempted. I am a weak weak man.

Sounds like a good plan!! I say the same thing all the time, and really want to stick to it, but then I watch a video, talk to a buddy, see a great sale and get STUPID! I go into the fishing room and say to myself, “How did you get all this crap and how are you ever going to use it all!” I set my mind to it and within a couple days, I seem to forget. I hope you make it. I am still trying.

Wow, thanks A-Jay! That is a great site. Those maps of the lakes I know look accurate. I appreciate it.