MidwestF1sh

I had a couple denalis.... Had... Like you said they were just way to heavy for me. Very sensitive rod and comfortable grip but just to heavy for me. Only you can answer that question though. If its comfortable for you to fish, fish it. I just couldn't go from fishing a Powell to one of those.

Sloooooowwwwww down. Whenever the fishing gets tough you have two options, burn a lure back and hope for a reaction strike or slow down and try to get a bite. With the clear water and clear skies I would slow down and stick with a drop shot with a 4.5" roboworm. Or try a shakey head. A Texas rigged senko with a 1/4 ounce bullet weight fished along and into the weeds is also a good bet.

Biggest thing is have fun with it. I learned with small tournaments its not for the money really its for the guys you get to meet and talk to. You'll learn a ton. Great advise above. Limit yourself to 15mins before changing something you're doing and don't throw the same thing as your partner unless its producing keepers.

The spit where you caught number 2 looks good to me! I like how close it is to deep water and it looks like it has a nice point in the 10-15ft range. It's hadd to say what to do withoutknowing the weeds in the lake. I would almost pick apart spot two especially after you caught one there. A 5" t rigged senko with a quarter ounce bullet wait would be on the spinning rod and then on your mhf I'd have a jig, spinnerbait, and maybe a top water like a frog.

I use a Powell max 3d or endurance 775. I'd highly recommend one of these rods for that. The extra length is huge for fishing deep. I would go with a heavy rod but I don't throw anything less than half ounce with football jigs. The thing I like most is the length and the backbone.

That's an awesome story and memory for your son! Talk about once in a life time opportunity! Thanks for sharing the pics.

And they opened it to spearing last winter.... I agree completely. Other anglers understand catch and release but it seems like the majority of walleye guys keep every fish they can. Then when that's gone they have to point the finger somewhere.

That sounds like a great day on the water! Congratulations! I was up there that weekend and did pretty good. Caught a lot of smaller smallies and a few good 18-20.5" fish. I found them on deeper rocks. Might be heading up this weekend again depending on weather. Some of the pictures of the big charter boats going out and taking 30+ smallies all around 4 and 5 pounds is just sad to see.

Palomar passed through the hook eye after you tie the knot or I use a Palomar with a hook with a swivel on the hook specific for drop shotting. For everything else I tie the uni knot

Use it all the time. probably half the time I'm drop shotting its with a wackey rigged trick worm.

I always wondered why the majority or baitcasters have the handle on the wrong side.... I'd recommend just getting a left handed reel. It sounds like you like the combo tho so if you can get used to it do it.

I have the 736 max 3d. Its extremely balanced and light weight which like stated above is a huge plus with a heavy cover rod. I like it a lot when fishing in thick stuff. It has a ton of backbone. I'm sure you'll love either as both are proven to be good rods.

I'd you can get your hands on a used Powell endurance or the new max 3d on labor day sale is 160. I have tried a few brand but for under $200 I couldn't find one that comes close to Powell.

Haven't tried the infernos but I love other Powell casting rods! I am switching all my rods over to Powell. Highly recommend the brand and they stand behind their products nicely.

I've heard great things about phenix and even had them sponsor a tournament trail I did and got to test a couple rods out and really liked them. I stick to "my" brand rods which is Powell but if I had to switch it'd be for a Phenix rod.

In MN we deal with this a lot. Where there's a lot of pike or a few big pike there are very few bass. Change locations and maybe technique.

Had a good day yesterday. Sun up to sun down I was catching them on mille lacs. Not the avg. Size I was hoping for but got some right around 20" and a lot in the teens and smaller. Its nice to see the 12-14" bass up there as well for the future. Early morning I had a few waves coming over the front of the boat but later in the day it got calm.

X2 for Lew's. I have a bb1 lefty on my deep cranking rod and love it. It casts a mile and is very nice feeling. Lew's offers a lot of left handed reels (I fish lefty) and I have nothing but good experiences with their reels.

LEWS!!! the mb is awesome. I have three and they feel great to palm and are so smooth. ID say just pick up all the reels and play with them at a local shop and pick why you like but if that isn't an option... Go with lews...

I'm going out tomorrow in hopes of some 5-6lb smallies. So much fun chasin those footballs!

That's why I never go anywhere without a lock on my trailer. I've heard it happen a few times. Sounds like a HUGE inconvenience

I don't mind those in heavy timber but not grass. I've found they don't work as good for grass but they do get good hooksets

I fish with a bb1 on my deep cranking rod and when I was researching this same thing last year I thought the pro had a shallower spool for braided line. I could be mistaken but that's what I remember.

Any of the lakes they are mentioning will be better scenery and a nicer feel but if you wanted to catch tons of 4-6lb smallies there's nowhere better than mille lacs even though you said besides there:/

Skip n' slop Skip n' scum