stk44

"NOTE: It is not a violation of the bass regulations if a bass is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken. It is unlawful for an angler to cast repeatedly into a clearly visible bass spawning nest or bed in an effort to catch or take bass." http://www.fishandboat.com/Transact/AnglerBoater/AnglerBoater2017/MarchApril/Documents/2017-0304ma-11creel.pdf

Lol

I went out Sunday morning. I fished for about an hour and caught ONE descent bass on a drop-shot and slowly, delayed harvest trout fisherman started appearing next to me and side-arm-lobbing their panther martins in the general area... When my wife and daughter came back, it was time for me to leave and I told my wife," Watch how fast this spot is taken over" and 20 steps later, it was gone. This is why I like cold fronts and rain...

I will second this for the 6'9 MLXF avid X. FANTASTIC rod and has all the attributes Turkey Sandwich has described. When I go river fishing, I always bring my MLXF avid X and my MF LTB. I personally think it's a fantastic tube rod, I typically fish tubes with a 1/4 oz piece of tungsten with a t-rigged tube, mainly because the rivers I fish have too many snags for an open hook. I've fished up to 1/4" oz bitsy bugs with trailer and that is usually my tipping point when I switch over to the LTB MF rod. You can't go wrong with either of them.

Well, it all depends on your setup, but IMO, you can't do everything with one setup. Let's just say you have 30 lb braid on you bait-caster. I wouldn't use this for standard drop shotting, I wouldn't use that for a shakey head, jerkbaits, etc. I always try to use the lightest line that I can get away with. I didn't see you mention any type of jig, ned rig, etc usage so maybe if you had another rod you could cover the same area with a couple different lures instead of having to retie to give the fish another look. In the conditions you just fished, I'm not saying the rod would've helped you, in cold muddy conditions, I would've picked 3/8 oz black jig with chunk trailer on braid which would be perfect on your MH (assuming fast) rod. You still may not have caught any fish in those conditions, but it is definitely doable.

I would recommend bringing two rods with you- your MH 6'6 will cover the mid-upper end of the lure spectrum, and the ML-M fast action rod with a 2000-2500 size reel should cover your more "finesse" techniques that can usually help you get bites when no other presentations seem to work.

Do you have a medium light - medium spinning rod? I use that a lot this time of the year. Couple this with some 6-10 lb braid and you are good to go for multi species. I use this setup mostly for SM bass- it's great for skipping plastics under brush piles and under docks and also great for tubes, drop shot, light trigs, shakey heads, etc.

I have caught plenty of trout on jerks and cranks, but I've caught many more on much smaller baits like flies, small trout worms, etc. Maybe try downsizing your lures so even if the bass aren't biting, you could get some trout, panfish , etc. That might hold you off until the prespawn kicks off.

The silver max will do what you need it to do. The "flipping" switch is unnecessary and actually makes "pitching" much more difficult than it needs to be. I spooled mine with 30 lb braid and it casts 3/8 t-rigs very well. It's a solid reel, but it definitely doesn't have a very refined feel. I'm only not a fan of magnetic only braking systems. There are a lot of REVO's on sale at TW right now if you want to get more bang for your buck.

Congrats! I always enjoy reading your posts and the level of detail you use to pull things together.

I would recommend getting a small thermometer to Check the water temp. Knowing the water temp, the current conditions, and the recent weather trends you can get an idea of where the bass should be and what mood the bass should be in.

What was the water temp? I'm also assuming by the pictures that there was a cold front with some rain that probably cooled that lake a few degrees or more? Either way spring is just starting, you'll be on some fish soon. I've managed a dozen or so this year but it's tough- water temps mid to high 40's. Good luck *Also, with those conditions, I would've started with the lipless crank slowly cranked and a jig. The jerkbait option would probably not be the best choice but then again I just caught a few today in muddy water and the only thing they'd bite was a drop shot hellgramite I go figure.

Shakey shad has worked well for me: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gambler_Shakey_Shad_25pk/descpage-GASHSH.html

I was having a hard time finding them a couple years ago. I noticed Rapala made them hard to find on their website as well. I was starting to think something is up. If I get a chance and see them in the bargain bin, I'm definitely picking up a dozen or so...great crankbait.

This has been back ordered since January...I'm still waiting on mine...I am not banking on getting this anytime soon. There is a Gamakatsu option also.

Were your photos backed up to the cloud? At least you could salvage the picture...

Is the doodle dong a close relative of the dangle berry rig?

If it's normal to be at work and mapping out your next fishing trip on Navionics, then yes, I would say you are pretty normal.

Nice one!

Nice! Keep me posted on it. I might have to pick one up this year.

Wow. That tatula looks huge next to the ALX. I don't understand the braking system they put in it though. It is identical to the SX correct? I'm not a huge fan of that braking system.

Cool. I haven't seen either reel in person. SO the ALX is the same frame size as the MGX2? Are those both smaller frames than the MGX1?

armored craw is my favorite for skipping. I just wish they made it in a 5" size

There are a ton of really good ones. Put the bait up to the light and if you can't see through it, use it. Watermelon is generally a clear water bait, but if it works it works. You could dye the tail for dingy water. Some of my favorite colors for dark water are grape, black, and black/blue.

I just cant get over this picture...