fishnkamp

Here is my two cents. It comes from fishing over 40 years and owning 11 boats ranging from a 12 foot jon to a 20 foot fiberglass rocket ship. Your best choice for small to mid sized lakes (read that as Lake Erie is a BIG lake for comparison) is an aluminum bassboat in the 17 to 19 foot range. There are plenty of new ones to choose from and plenty of good reliable used boats also to choose from. In the case of a used one I would look for something 2005 and up. Take your time and check dealers, craigslist, boards like ***, and Boat trader. I am pretty sure that you will need to travel to nearby states for the right deal. Just accept it because your area is going to be limited. One good thing about the right boat is it may already have expensive upgrades that a new one won't have, like upgraded electronics, and trolling motors. Here is a boat I consider a good deal if you are willing to go look at it. I personally know this dealer. He probably took it in on a deal for a brand new Skeeter. http://townemarine.com/boats-for-sale/2017-tracker-pro-team-175-txw-bloomsburg-pennsylvania-6375868/ That is a used 2017 boat for $14,995. I realize that a brand new standard package comes with warranties for $16,495 plus freight and dealer prep ( that is also ALWAYS added to the advertised price and it varies as to your location). This boat does not have the standard engine but rather the upgrade to an Optimax 75 HP outboard. That is the max the boat could have on it. They also have a really nice 2008 Crestliner 1850 FishHawk. It is a much better constructed deeper V boat with a 150 outboard, a 24 volt trolling motor, on board battery charger, and a 150 hp outboard. If you chose to go out on bigger water this will handle it but should fish very nice in a smaller body of water as well. They wanted $15,995.

Well you are in a pretty area. Be careful or gentle with my test. No need to give it the gorilla test, just bend it easy it gives you an idea how it will play. Casting and retrieving baits will tell you a lot more.

There is nothing wrong with the Pflueger reels. Cabelas carries the Pflueger reels and I think this is a marketing thing. I believe you will see certain brands being sold at Cabelas and certain brands sold at Bass Pro. If both stores carry exactly the same stuff why own and operate two brick and mortar stores. No matter which one you buy from JM still makes his money! I realize that does nothing for you wanting to use those gift cards. Take a look at a Daiwa Tatula CT or one of the many offerings by Lews. I am sure one of those would work for you. I would suggest a Shimano Curado K, but they are so new I have no idea what you will get. I guess you could go with a Citica, I but again I have no experience with them. I turned to Daiwa a few years ago and now 8 of my 14 baitcasters are some version of an Exceler,Tatula, Tatula Type R or Tatula CT. All have performed great. My choice now is the Tatula CT or Tatula SV TWS.

That is easy for me. I love the Daiwa reels, so a Tatula CT would be my obvious choice. Be aware though, it is a little heavier but works so well. That mag Force Z brake system is awesome, but you will need to adjust that reel totally different than your Lews or you will not be happy with it. If you go this way watch this Bret Ehrler video, all the Tatula family of reels need to be adjusted this way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj-7DUpJLGI&t=167s

I think you are fine to begin with. I would be more concerned about line and lures at this time. Like LionHeart said, for now, take one of the 7'3 MH rods and match it up with a 7.3 or 8.1 reel (one of your favorite brand or if you do not have a favorite, try one of my favorites a Daiwa Tatula CT). I would load it with 40 to 65 pound braid depending on how tough your cover is. Now spend your budget on some good jigs like the Dirty Jigs, V&M, Punisher or even some Strike King jigs. I would get a few 3/8 and half ounce swim jigs for general purpose and match them up with two different colored trailers. Those I would use around sparse cover like under docks and around pilings. Next I would go for some heavier duty flipping jigs, these are for your heavier cover situations. This is also where flipping hooks, tungsten weights and compact flipping style baits come in to play. I would not bother getting 50 colors. Pick a few 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 in a say three colors. Always have a black/blue combo and something in a green and something in a brown shade. match the trailers in color , perhaps with a bright tipped tail. Make sure to have some shad, bluegill, or sunfish color in the swim jig since these are used more to look like baitfish rather than crayfish imitations. You can use a lot of this technique when you and I meet up on the Upper Bay this spring or summer. The Northeast River will give you a thousand targets to flip, pitch and cast to. If you run out of targets on that river you are either amazing or delusional. LOL!

Good job. Did you take any before and after pictures. We all love fishing porn!

My rod for that is an Abu Garcia 7 ft Veritas Hvy. They run somewhere in that range.

Welcome aboard. You listed your location as Springfield. My wife and I had traveled out there years ago. Well you are lucky because you are not too far from Table Rock and that lake is amazing. Be careful running on it if you do not know it. If you are unfamiliar with that lake it is one filled with tall flooded timber and it is easy to hit something if you just drive straight down the middle of the lake. I suggest you take a guide and have him teach you the lake first. It will be a great investment of your time and money. We caught some very nice bass there once we learned the tricks to fishing for suspended bass in the standing timber.

I fish a lot of IMX rods as well as some Dobyns, Powells and Irods. I suggest before you make a purchase get an Irod Genesis II or Air in your hand. I have a couple of Powells, including an older Powell Max ( Max 3 D now) 683 CEF which is my go to jig rod. In fact it is the most versatile rod of all my 14 baitcasters. Some of my other rods are Dobyns Champion XP series and I am thrilled with them as well. My IMXs are from the "classic bass" series and are just hard to beat. So if you can find a local shop that carries some of these different brands go put some new sticks in your hand. I guarantee you will be amazed how light some of the newer rods are. One more thing that was mentioned make sure you test the rod out by putting a couple of reels on it to see it's balance. The place I think that has changed the most is the reels. You will find all kinds of changes in them. The choices in reels costing between $100 and $200 is amazing. That is another conversation though!

You will need to test this rod to determine a few things about it. First they look like nice rods and that one has enough length to do quite a few different things, depending on the tip and the backbone their rods are designed with. Let me explain. Not all manufacturers share the same formula when rating their rods. I love my Dobyns rods, but I know from experience that they rate their rods a bit heavier than most of us feel they are. So we choose a Dobyns rod accordingly. If I would usually choose a medium heavy to do a job I may go for a heavy in their lineup. In an Abu Garcia I would go for the MH knowing it will handle lures a bit heavier and the rod will be a bit stiffer than they rate them. So I would put a reel on it and for testing purposes, I would load some 14 pound test mono or better yet copoly line on it. Standing the rod up straight, take the tip with one hand and gently bend the tip down. See how far the bend goes down the blank before it hits backbone. If the bend goes from the tip down several inches I would try throwing some jigs, texas rigs, hollow bodied frogs and even some carolina rigs. This means it acts more on the heavier side and can handle lures a bit heavier than 3/4 ounce. It might handle baits say up to 1 ounce or bulkier 3/4 ounce lures like a 3/4 ounce jig and a typical beaver style trailer. If it is more of a moderate, meaning it bends down the blank a bit further, than it is more of a truer MH and I would not use heavier, bulkier lures. I would stick to the lures like Dwight mentioned. If it is on the heavier side it will make a great rod for frogs, jigs and carolina rigs. That length will allow you to bomb a carolina rig out or pitch a jig well. Go out and cast some of these lures and see what works for you. If it turns out to be good for frogs, jigs and plastics, both texas and carolina rigged, then I would consider changing the line over to braid. I would choose either 40 or 50 pound braid. By the way welcome to Bass Resources. Let us know what you find out and how it acts. Other members may be interested in your findings. Do you fish from a boat or shore and do you fish more big lakes, reservoirs or rivers?

You could look at a new Dobyns Colt series rod. It runs $80. I have never touched one, since they are brand new. I would suggest you save a bit more money and take a look at a Dobyns Fury series rod. I have a friend currently fishing 4 or 5 of them and he is really happy with them. Personally my Dobyns are much more expensive. A Fury rod runs $119 and fishes more like a $200 rod. It is winter so I would suggest to save a few more dollars and go that way. According to what Gary Dobyns has said about his new series they have nice blanks and he saved a few pennies on the components in order to sell one of his rods for the price a Colt sells for. I know only one person who currently has one and he likes it. Another option is an Abu Garcia Vendetta or Veritas. I have fished two Veritas before I upgraded both to Dobyns rods. I currently fish with one Veritas and that is a 7 ft Heavy which I have setup for punching. Be aware most Abu Garcia's run a bit on the heavier side with their actions.

It was Trout Unlimited in California that helped got the trout stocking restarted in certain lakes that had supported the fishery years ago. Pay attention to the records falling many of those BIG bass records lately are Alabama strain Kentucky Spots. Those fish are hybrids and really grow fast under the right conditions. My PB is just over 7, caught in Tennessee. It is ababy compared to the ones caught out in Cali.

I own a few Powell rods and like them but mine are the older Max series. They make a nice rod in all their series. My favorite rod by them is my Max 683CEF, the most versatile workhorse of a rod I own. Having said that for the baits you are talking about I have to recommend an Irod Genesis IRG 703CC Gabe's Rip Rap Special. I use that rod for all the baits you mentioned, it has a great feel and has landed numerous bass and stripers. It is more expensive but well worth it. It runs around $150. Just something to consider. One last rod to confuse you ab it more is a Dobyns Fury 705CB. I have two friends fishing that rod with those same baits and they love it. Still for me the nod goes to the Irod.

My choice for throwing jerkbaits is an Abu Garcia Ike Series 6'4 inch delay series rod. I like the feel and the look of it. They basically built a rod that should be 6'6 or 6'8" but made it with a shorter butt to avoid hitting your arm when you make that wrist/arm snap you use with a jerkbait. Take a look at this video. I have a Daiwa Tatula Type R in a 6.3-1 on it and if fishes really well. I use mine for both bass and rockfish (stripers) here on the Chesapeake Bay. It runs around $130. Be careful with too long a rod.if you fish from a boat often times it can hit the water.

Forget the stick steer. I have had one and they are good fishing boats, but do not have any advantage over what you have. Since you have a Tracker and seem to like it look at a Tracker deep V series boat. There are two models to consider. They will not draft much more than yours does, but it should make your brother more comfortable since he can just sit down inside the boat. For you, the change will not be too much. You will still fish from a raised front deck using a front mounted trolling motor, drive sitting behind a side console, and have some usable storage. The boat should handle waves a bit better too. Take a look at both the Pro Guide V16 SC and the Pro Guide 175SC. Here are a few pics. Notice some of he options. The Versa Track system means you can add fishing rod holders , in case you want to stop and catfish or crappie with multiple rigs at once, as well as add drink holders, a cutting board or tackle trays and tool holders. You could tailor it to your style of fishing when your brother is with you and go back to a more traditional way of bass fishing when you are not fishing together. They may be happy to work with you since you already fish from a Tracker. I would see what type of a trade in they would work out with you. Also do not just check with one Tracker dealer. I live between two BPS and the difference between the two marine departments is night and day. It depends on the manager. One hardly wants to deal at all and the other deals all the time. The one that deals all the time is busy and profitable year round, the other not so much.

Well here is what I want you to do. Ignore the cold for a few minutes when we get a warmer day. Try standing your rod up against a tree, walk your line out and then using a cloth under tension pull your line straight as you walk along the line. You need to remove any lure so the coils will straighten out. Adding a line conditioner like Reel Snot helps too.

Boy I can see I was up to late when I made my earlier post! I hot most of my points right but I left out an important detail that made me look lie an idiot. i meant to say I fish tidal water with my Daiwa Tatula family reels but previously used my Curados,Chronarchs and BPS reels. None of them were ever damaged by fishing tidal water and I do not flush them immediately when returning home. If I fished say the Delaware Bay instead of the Chesapeake Bay things would be different, since the Delaware is much saltier.

Guys, Glenn censors that company not because they sent people in hawking their gear, but rather we had some childish members really trashing that brand and Glenn was informed to either shut it down or suffer legal and thus financial hardship. Those members were quickly dealt with and are no longer members. He put in place a censor to avoid any mention of their products as required. It was nothing Glenn wanted to do, it was something he had to do. That happened quite a while ago. It is a shame, because today the equipment they make has as loyal a following as any brand and it would be a positive if their brand could be discussed openly. I do not use any of their gear personally but I believe the overall discussion would be a positive for them. It is their choice though and we can not look at it any other way. I would like to make a few clarifications. Everyone is talking like all saltwater fishing is the same. I fish tidal brackish water which are sometimes termed "inshore". The salt content on tidal waters can really differ. I regularly fish with my Tatula family reels ( and Curados, Chronarchs and BPS) on the tidal portions of the Chesapeake Bay including the tributaries such as the Potomac River, Middle River, The Gunpowder and the eastern shore rivers such as the Choptank. These rivers share both fresh water and a constantly changing level of salt water. I chase yellow perch, bass and rock fish ( stripers) and catfish and do not always flush my reels upon return. This has not caused me any issues. If however, I was fishing in much saltier areas I would need to always flush my equipment. So take the actual water you intend to fish into account, is it more brackish or truly saltwater?

Simple answer. Money!!! The Cabelas stores still sell the majority of the Pflueger brand reels, so why duplicate inventory. The Pflueger Supreme XT low profile baitcaster for $149.99 and their website says they are in stock. I believe, as time goes on, their best option to keep Cabelas and Bass Pro stores open and both profitable they will have to sell different inventory. For example, if you live near Bristol VA./TN. there is a Bass Pro on one side and there is a Cabelas on the other side of the state line. No more than 5 miles apart and both are relatively new stores. Johnny can use his huge buying power and split the stock between the two competing stores. However if he stocks the same reels in both brand stores he will deplete sales in both. Therefore if he splits the inventory by brand he gives the buyer a reason to shop both stores. He does not care which store you go shop at, he still profits. I am certain you will see more of this as time goes by. For several years there were no Daiwa reels sold in BP. Go order your reel online at Cabelas.

What is with all of your reel questions? Are you looking for something specific or exotic to play with\? If so what is your budget? What is your technique you want to cover?

I have found you get what you pay for. I would not expect much. You would probably be ahead of the game to look for a deal on a quality used reel.

I have run them inside of pvc pipe. Anywhere I needed the wiring to come out use a T connection.

I have to say I have never cast either the Coastal or the Lexa Wn reels. They have much of the same technology my Tatulas use so they should play just as well. However pay attention the Lexa WN reels hold a lot more line so i would favor a Lexa WN 300 if I was going for one. Check pricing on The Tackle Trap, Amazon, and Tackle Warehouse.

I have become a Daiwa guy, ever since a friend lent me one of his Daiwa Excelers to play with. I sold off all of my Lews, Shimanos and a few BPS. I fish nothing but Daiwa Tatula family reels. I fish mostly on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, like the Potomac River, Middle River, The Bush and Back Rivers etc. I even fish the main bay areas around some of the big islands. All of which are tidal water. All I do is rinse my gear off. We chase bass, stripers, big perch and cats. I have some reels that are 5 years old with no problems. I am sure a a Daiwa CT would work fine, but the Daiwa Coastal 200 would be great too. That reel will run you $150 new on Amazon. A Tat CT would run you around $100 on Amazon. I have purchased several reels from ABCD, a supplier on Amazon. I have had great service from them, so if you are thinking about who to buy from on Amazon you can have confidence with them.

Reel Snot is a good one too.