Junk Fisherman

Champion XP in the $250 range is a good bang-for-the-buck rod. The HPs are $100 more and I don't think they're worth it. I still have 2 HPs but if I was looking for value I would stick with XPs.

People that never get out at daylight, especially on the water, are missing out.

Agreed. I always set an alarm but rarely use it.

I have always been a daylight to 2-3 in the afternoon fisherman. I wake up all week around 4:30 so waking up early to fish is never a problem. Hell, I often wake up, have a couple cups of coffee, read everything online and still get to the lake by daylight especially in the fall. During the early spring and late fall/winter I will intentionally get to the lake later in the morning after it has warmed up a little but for the rest of the year it is daylight. I have had too many instances where there was a an excellent morning bite that died as the sun got higher in the sky. The fish in my avatar is my PB smallie and that was caught at little after 5 AM when it had just gotten light. It also depends on whether I am fishing local or driving a far distance to fish that day. I used to wake up at as early as 1 AM so I could get to the lake by daylight. I have started to change from that practice since driving extremely tired scares me and I don't enjoy fishing as much throughout the day when I really tired. When I am very tired I do not fish as well and am lazy in the boat. I don't change lures as often or try different spots- I just go through the motions too much. I'd rather get to the lake at 7:30 with full energy than get to that lake at daylight in a zombie-ish, sleep-deprived state. I do like the idea of getting to the lake later in the day and fishing till dusk. I used to always fish the evening bite when I dated that girl with the summer cottage but...... That is something for me to consider in the future.

I used the combo this past weekend- Steez 76 MML and a Tatula 3000. Best rod I have ever used. I used the rod for Ned rigs but with it large weight range of 1/16 to 3/4 oz, I plan to use it for whatever I anticipate to be the best spinning application I will use for the day. So that will mostly be Ned rigs when I am fishing for largemouth, tubes for my shallow water smallmouth fishing, and dropshot for deep water, summer smallmouth. I recently posted this on another forum about the rod: "After using the rod for the last couple days all I can say is WOW. The level of crispness and sensitivity is unlike any rod I have ever used. It is incredibly light with an extremely sensitive tip and those guides are game-changers. The word I keep coming back to is "crisp." You get a tap and with the braid you just get a jolt unlike other rod/line combination I have used. It is such a sensitive, delicate rod then you set the hook on 17" bass and you see the rod in action. The best rods I own are a newest model GLX 843 and a Dobyns 741 and 742 Champion HP and this Steez is easily at a higher level than those. I was throwing a Ned rig on a rip shoreline with the rod and with the braid the sensitivity was unreal- much better than the Champion HP which is a great rod in its own right. I bought this rod with the intention of using it as my drop shot rod but with the range of action and lure sizes from 1/16 to 3/4 oz, I will use the rod for whatever I anticipate as being the best tactic of the day whether that be a Ned, a tube, or a dropshot. I am eager to see how it handles heavier presentations and those 4 and 5 lb smallies I tangle with up north. I can already envision buying another one of these in the future. Can you tell I liked the rod?

I had a 17' semi-deep V Lowe for 15 years and fished the hell out of that thing. Caught so many fish out of that boat. After I had some initial motor problems that thing ran flawlessly for years. It was beat up and old and I never cared about scratching it or tying up to a dock or hitting a laydown. When I finally I got a house with a garage big enough, I analyzed and fixated on boats for a couple years before I got my X-190 in 2016 which was the ideal boat for the way I fish. I am always worrying about scratching it. Makes me wonder if I would be happier with a tin boat that I wouldn't care if I beat on. But then I get on that Basscat site and start playing around with a build-a-boat feature. That Caracal is calling my name.....

Fished Lake Michigan yesterday and plan on taking a 2-day trip to central IL this weekend for what will probably be my last trip of the year. Granted, if the weather is nice around Thanksgiving or Christmas, I am apt to sneak away for a couple days. I don't ever really shut it down.

Wish they make reels with shallower spools.

Anyone have any opinions? I own a Tatula and it is excellent. Light, smooth, and solid but as always I wonder if something is better. Any thoughts are appreciated.

On high end reels, spare spools are too much $$$. I just looked into this recently. It would be nice though.

I would definitely rather have a trolling motor with spot-lock than a shallow water anchor. Actually, I'd rather have that trolling motor than new electronics too. About the only time I use the Talon is at the dock, taking a break and retying, or if it is very windy and I don't want to use the spot-lock (this is rare). Scouting the waters in the winter before the upcoming season is a smart move. ?

Pulled the trigger on an Steez AGS 76 MML from the Tackle Trap. 10% off and no shipping. I sold a Dobyns HP and some other things recently so this wasn't that big of a hit to the wallet. It will instantly become my best spinning rod. From all the excellent reviews, it seems as if I can use the rod from anything to Ned rigs to 1/2 oz tubes and anything in between. I plan on using it as my #1 dropshot rod (3/8 oz sinker is my standard weight) and my 1/4 to 3/16 oz tube rod. I'll pick up a Tatula 3000 or a Ballistic over the winter.

I agree 100%. The only time I use my poles are at the launch, retying, or on the occasional when I want to stay in one spot and it is very windy. But I get it, different strokes for different folks but I use my spot-lock constantly. But I also think my Talon is kinda loud too.

You should be able to find a Fortrex used at a good price from people upgrading especially over the winter. Does it use the same plug and bracket? Interesting that you use the powers 20-1 over spot-lock. Granted I fish a lot of deep water, but don't use my Talon much at all. I have even been kicking around the idea of not getting any poles on my next boat. I use spot-lock constantly. (Who am I kidding? Of course I will get poles on my next boat but the thought has crossed my mind.)

I found that the weedless hook didn't go through the Elaztech very well and I missed some fish. I figured my jigs are cheap and if a lose a couple extra it was fine. I will drop down to a #4 hook if there are heavy snags. A #4 hook catches fewer snags.

I enjoy perfecting presentations and catching fish when trying new baits. But at end of the day, give me my 1/16th oz jigs with a #2 Owner hook and a green pumpkin TRD and I am a happy fisherman. Oh yeah- the Hula Stick and Tickler work pretty well too.

If I could only fish one rig it would be a small swimbait like a 3.8" Jackall Rhythm Shad in blue pearl with a 3/16th oz Owner ballhead jig. I was tempted to say a Ned Rig but if the wind gets up you can't fish it. My combo would be a 792 Dobyns Champion with 7 lb Gamma Touch fluoro on a Daiwa Tatula 3000. I could go with a dropshot too but the swimbait is the most versatile.

Tatsu if you don't want to use conditioner. How much line are you putting on? For pitching and flipping reels I only put on 50 yards and for reels I cast with, I put on 75 yards. I like to replace line a couple times a season which reduces memory. I also use line conditioner. A couple squirts the night before a day of fishing. A bottle less than $10 lasts a couple years.

I never shut it down completely. I fish lake trout in the winter and am going to start northern pike fishing from my kayak in a small river. Obviously, a deep freeze and ice will stop me but if there is open water and the weather is tolerable, I'm fishing. Besides, I have an excellent cooling lake that open on March 1st so if you fish late into November and can sneak out once or twice over the winter then cabin fever is greatly reduced.

The Xi5 has been great for me. I have seen the 80 lb thrust on sale for around $1500.

If I had my choice I would go smallmouth fishing over anything BUT I fish cooling lakes that are largemouth-only and some other small inland lakes that do not have smallmouth. Plus, early in the year the largemouth fishing heats up a good month or so before the smallmouth become fishable. The portion of Lake Michigan closest to my house is unfishable if the wind is coming from the east or north so there are many weekends that smallmouth fishing it out. I would much rather largemouth fish in my boat than wade or kayak smallmouth fish in rivers. But in the summer when I have the choice of going north and smallmouth fish or going for largemouth, I always fish for smallmouth. I fish for lakers in the winter too. So I guess to answer your question, no I don't fish specifically for smallmouth but they are clearly my favorite.

My sister-n-law wondered to my wife a few years ago why she wasn't mad when I went away on fishing trips. She had this mistaken notion that we were staying up late, drinking, and doing all sort of hell raising. My wife laughed and said how we might have a beer or two but we are going to sleep early since we are waking up at 4 AM to fish all day. My wife knows the work it takes to fish all day. Hell, I rarely drink a beer on tournament weekends. Now once I get home that is a different story. Other people don't know.

100% Bass fishing is not relaxing. It's a lot of work getting to the lake at daylight, running a trolling motor all day, and all the up and down and casting and pitching. And as I get older I am realizing that small things like getting a good night sleep, wearing comfortable running shoes, making sure to lean on my butt seat, and eating correctly are very important in order to feel as good as possible when fishing. I'm not complaining in the least because the enjoyment and satisfaction I get from it far exceeds the work that it is but it definitely not relaxing. Going away for the weekend and coming home late on a Sunday night and going to work the next day is becoming more and more difficult.

I've always heard positive reviews about them. If your research shows that it was taken care of and is a good deal, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it if it fits your needs.

I prefer to fish by myself for the most part. While it would be nice to have another guy with me to use different techniques and try to narrow down a pattern, I am willing to give that up to have total control of where and how I am fishing. When I get a little bored I listen to some podcasts or music. I used to fish with different guys and had a few fishing buddies but I don't really feel like I am really missing out. After a long week of work, I love the solitude and the time to reflect that fishing by myself offers.