Fishin' Fool

Many on this website have mentioned Gary Dobyns being a good guy as suggested call them and talk out what you received and see what they can do for you. I doubt you will be treated unfairly.

You can go medium but I have the 7'1" medium and it feels a bit heavy to me. If you wanted to add drop shot in there to on that rod I'd go with the 6'10" ML. And you can throw Ned rig in there too.

Yes they slowly sink based on the weight of the hook. I'm sure they have videos of Youtube of how they work. Flukes are simple to fish.

Before you spend $25 on a Megabass jerkbait go get yourself a package of Zoom Super Flukes in white pearl and a pack of 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hooks. Twitch, twitch, pause and watch how it looks in the water. You can even throw them over the weeds you mention because you bring the hook back into the bait so its pretty weedless.

Don't forgot to keep your head warm too with StormR neoprene beanie. I've found early/late season fishing much more tolerable since I bought one.

Senkos, drop shots and flukes.

Zip-lock gallon bags organized by lure type. @A-Jay has the best photo. He even has cute smiley faces on his bags that work the best

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Weedless_Power_Finesse_Shroomz_Jig_Head_3pk/descpage-ZMWPS.html

I've fished senkos on a 7' medium fast action rod for 15 years. However you could fish them on a 6'8" to 7'3" medium or medium heavy spinning or casting rod. It's really a personal preference. There is no right or wrong answer.

That's crazy that many of you can remember where, when and how you caught your 1st bass. Personally I dont remember my own but I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

Honestly to read your post that says you are starting your 2nd year of fishing I think your learning curve and knowledge is way past most at that point. When I was starting my second year of fishing my thoughts were purple or green pumpkin worm?

If it has a smiley face on the bag does it work better? Also it's been my experience in the past when I get rid of the packaging and then realize these lures work and then not remember who made it and which one of the 1000 different colors it might be.

This kinda goes back to the other post about having issues with Zman soft plastics stored near other soft plastics and/or Plano boxes. Just my experience from over the years I store my soft plastics in the original packaging and place them in gallon size Ziplock bags with like lures. So I have a bag for senkos, flukes, swimbaits, tubes, Zman lures, grubs, crawfish, drop shot plastics, etc. Maybe this storage method isn't convenient for guys with boats but its convenient for me when I want to get out quick, I'll just grab a Ziplock bag or two and a rod and I dont have to mess with bringing my whole tackle bag which if your like me I'm sure you have entirely too much.

Besides using centering pin screws for hooks you can also use them to add a small willow leaf blade to a senko or other soft plastics.

The underspins with the line tie 180 degrees from where the blade attaches seem to work the best. If you were catching smallies on it I'm sure you were fine. Just pay attention now and then to make the sure blade is spinning freely. From my experience when it is not the smallies wont bite.

A Poor Boys Erie Darter is one of my favorite lures to drop shot. My dad would always refer to those as a hellgrammite which I had no clue what it was until Googling it. Anyways, nose hooked on a drop shot works well for that.

My only suggestion is use your 6'6" M casting rod for jerkbaits.

Black in clear water.

My thoughts on your rod choices if you've never handled them before. St Croix runs slightly heavier, Dobyns runs slightly less than the rated power. I have not handled a Tatula rod to give you feedback. I'm right there with you about mulling things over.

I dont know how many times I've been schooled by Varitek in the spring on a XR50. I'd have something plastic on, tube, ned rig, hula grub and he would outfish me 5 fish to 1. I learned to throw the lipless in the spring.

How do you prefer to fish that area after the spawn and say after the catch and keep season opens? Does Lk Erie follow a similar schedule as Lk St Clair or can you keep fish the last Saturday in May on Erie? I know Canada is the 4th Saturday in June.

I watched a guy in a kayak fishing the south shore of Lk St Clair in the fall trolling a jerkbait and ripping it every now and then and he was smashing the smallies. I wouldn't see why that couldn't in the spring on the flats of Lk Erie.

Do your research but you can't go wrong with Shimano or Daiwa fishing equipment for the most part.

Just when you figure out how to throw one fluke then you realize you can throw 2 at once. Check out the donkey rig.

For the price range you're looking at I'd do some research and compare Dobyns Fury and St Croix Mojo in the size and power you are looking for.