Attila

Nice fish! I wish I could crank some open water at this time of year but everywhere here is covered in ice already...oh well! Glad to read of your success!

Love the fresh new look!

While I agree that there are different strokes for different folks, I disagree that it is important for @A-Jay and others like myself who post here to feel any type of admiration. We simply want to share our knowledge in hopes that it will help others enjoy as much success as we do when we're out there.

A couple of years ago I wanted to learn how to fish a jerkbait. I'd start the day with my topwater and once the bite died down I'd take out my jerkbait setup and fish that for the whole day around as much cover as I could, learning everything I could along the way. I did the same with crankbaits a few years ago. I intend on doing the same with chatterbaits/spinnerbaits this coming season...

Creating a FB page might be the best way to go actually...

Found this in an article from another site... Beyond that I'd suggest following up on MLF's Facebook page...

I wouldn't eat them but that's up to you....and I wouldn't give them to the dog either.

Hello, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this matter. I used to have my own website where I would share all the Canadian Air Force experiences I had the opportunity to cover for various aviation magazines. It also included some of my best images from air shows held annually across North America. It was fun to get feedback and it provided me with a lot of encouragement to keep getting better at the art that I'd selected as my medium. My site was hosted up here in Canada and I used Net Objects Fusion for the design and layout. It was very easy to use and I could change the layout and content very easily which was quite handy for a person who had and still has no knowledge of coding or anything else beyond a simple understanding of computer use. I did not monetize the site at all, no real desire to. I provided copies of all the photos and articles that I wrote and took to the parties involved and they could get prints if they were so inclined; kind of my way of giving back to them who protect the freedoms I enjoy each and every day. So I thought about creating a new site devoted to my fishing exploits, perhaps chronicling my camping and tournament exploits and sharing some of the knowledge that I've managed to garner over my lifetime of fishing. The thing with me is, I love sharing the experience with people and that would be the purpose behind such a site; to share the experience...not to make money off of it. I'm not searching for money as I make enough during my day job to make me quite happy and content. It's part of the reason I post here on BR; people ask questions and I'm happy to help with my knowledge on the topic even if others may disagree with it. So if you want to monetize a photography site, there are plenty of options available to you like Zenfolio. If you want to make money sharing your wisdom and knowledge try getting picked up by a publication. Many moons ago I found myself writing a weekly fishing column in a local newspaper which helped give me gas money during school so that I could go fishing...it worked well and opened up other doors to me. If you want to guide, then a website will help with directing people to you who are wanting to pay for that type of service. What you'll need to do is check out the market, find out if people are actually willing to pay for the content that you'd provide, find an inexpensive way to create the website you want, then find a way to direct people to that website; not easy things to do. All of these were factors which drove me away from creating a new website devoted to fishing...it's easier and cheaper for me to register on a great site like BR and learn and share the wisdom I have for the sport that I love. Cheers, hope that this helps.

I was in the same position you were in and I went with the 6.3:1 for both squarebills and medium divers. I was debating getting the 5.5:1 but I just don't fish water that is deep enough for me to require the lower gear ratio reel. The deepest lures that I'll be throwing might hit 20ft but that's at the deeper end of their running spectrum. I asked myself...do I really need to worry about 3" of line on every turn of the handle during the retrieve? The answer was no. When it comes to rods, I bit the bullet and bought 2 different ones; an original green Team Daiwa S 6'6" M action glass rod for any baits at and under 3/8oz and a Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MHR for any baits 1/2 oz or more in weight. I'm looking forward to using them both this year with a CT Type R in a 6.3:1 on each of them. I'm looking forward to seeing and more importantly feeling the difference between glass and graphite next year. Cheers, and happy hunting!

I know that I'm not included in your list, but I'd like to add my $0.02 worth if I could. I've spent the last few years experimenting with what your query is about, and I've discovered that fishing with braid and then a fluro leader will give you the best imparted action on your lure while at the same time delivering a stealthy approach to your presentation. With regards to stretch, while I don't personally use Sunline, I have heard many praise it as a go to flurocarbon line. For myself, I find that Seaguar InvizX is a great fluro line and it does posess some stretch which will give me a bit more leeway in setting the hook. I've tried fishing straight mono for jerkbaits but found that I couldn't impart the same action as when I used braided line as my main line and as well I found that the InvizX I used held up really well against rocky cover when bringing fish in. I could also use a lighter pound test for both, as I was running 20lbs braid w/ an 8lbs fluro leader and catching 5lbs bass out of cover without any issues. The lighter line also played a part in imparting greater action to the jerkbaits I was fishing. Finally, with regards to suspension and fluro; while InvizX is meant to inherently sink, I found that the majority of jerkbaits I ran worked as advertised. Namely my Shadow Raps sank, my Shadow Rap Shads floated, and my X-Raps remained suspended. So in other words, I didn't notice a difference in bait suspension characteristics at all. I hope that this information helps you!

Seems like an interesting project to work on, hope that they turn out well for you. I personally use dressed trebles on my X-Raps and they are made and sold separately by VMC. I've always found them to be sturdy and economical as well, which is why I stock up on them in bulk. Cheers, would love to see your results once you're done. Attila

Depends really on when and where I'm fishing... When the conditions call for something with a smaller profile that can reach that depth, I'll go with a deep diving X-Rap, namely the XRD08. Towards the fall I usually go with something in the J300D series, but have also seen success with X-Rap's in the XR10/12 family. I believe that the fish want a bigger meal after Labour Day, especially as the weather starts turning colder. One thing that I didn't see mentioned so far in this thread which helps baits run a bit deeper is line size. I always keep a ML action rod rigged with straight 6lbs fluro which works well in getting baits deeper provided the cover I'm fishing permits its use. Generally a sparser weed edge or something with rocks present is the type of cover I'm talking about. Cheers, hope that this helps. Attila

I'll go ice fishing a few times for perch, crappie, and bluegills. It's fun and hey, a bent rod is a good rod. Apart from that I'll do some photography if I feel so inclined... On the bass side of things I review video and research new water that I plan on fishing next year, along with stocking up on my favourite lures and some new ones that I want to try out next year. I'm also debating going to Flordia for a few days to catch a double digit bass on a shiner under a float...it'll be a last minute decision though as air fare gets pricier this time of year. Today I put my rods and reels away for a winters nap; they'll be back out in March along with a couple of other combo's that I've picked up to target panfish, pike, and trout. Cheers, enjoy your off season if you have one!

I tried throwing 3/8oz chatterbaits on my 7' MF jerk bait rod this past year and really noticed that it didn't have the power to get fish out of the weeds as I thought it might. As a result I picked up a 7'2" MHR rod that I'll be using for both chatterbaits and crankbaits because I really need the power to get the fish out and away from cover like lily pads and docks. Hope that this information is helpful. Attila

Ice on the guides you say? Something I dealt with yesterday during my last soft water outing of the year...it was compounded by the fact that I used braided line...lmao Air temp was a balmy -10 degrees Celcius, for my American amigos that's a balmy 14 degrees Fahrenheit...usually at this time of year I'm either fishing for perch or for rainbow trout but thought I'd give open water one last chance. Didn't take...lol One of my fly fishing buddies swears by Chapstick and he's out there all winter...so that'd get my nod. But moving to Florida would get my first nod...out of hurricane season of course....and can you get rid of those gators please??

I think a lot of it comes down to what the forage base is of the fish that you're targeting... In our more northern waters I've had success using the classic patterns like perch, silver, and dark brown crawdad because they match what our small and largemouth bass are eating. That said, I've seen bass in the spring time with crappies half down their gullet so perhaps at certain times of year a "live" pattern may work a bit better. Keep in mind though that here in Ontario most of our bass water opens up in mid to late June, not early as our friendly neighbours to the south. Rapala is discontinuing a lot of stock as they whittle down the keys and characteristics of successful bait types and introduce things like the Shadow Rap and Shadow Rap Shad. Classics, however, will never go out of style which is why the Shad Rap in basic colours like perch and black/silver will always occupy sections in my light crankbait box. Same can be said for the DT6 in classic patterns. About the only thing that I would like to see is a return to a silent version of the DT series as I prefer silent squarebills over those with any type of sound. As for cost; I wouldn't bet on seeing a change in the cost as the lures cost a lot to produce and here in the Canadian market paying $12 for a great lure isn't really asking that much. If you're fortunate enough to live in the USA then you'll get things a bit cheaper, but don't expect to save much if anything at all if you shop at a Bass Pro or Cabela's here in Canada as the company has to pay duty and tarriff's to get their product across the border, a cost which then gets passed on to us, the anglers. I just stored my gear away and am making my list of go to lures for next season...plenty of Rapala's included as to me they work year round for multiple types of species in various lake types and water conditions. Cheers.

Makes sense, thanks for sharing your insights @A-Jay. Much like you the water I fish is very clear, so learning how to fish unfamiliar water conditions is something that I was looking for advice on. Cheers, and thanks again.

Glad to help, just wish I could be of more assistance with regards to your stained water situation. I've never had the chance to fish stained water up here, only some tanic water from time to time. Glad to hear you're finding success, and keep it up! @A-Jay and @thebillsman; do you include longer pauses when fishing stained water? Would imagine it helps fish zero in on the target...

I've been a fan of Seaguar InvizX for fluro and PowerPro Super8Slick for braid. I've gone away from mono and am okay with that. I fish a lot of reaction style baits including jerkbaits, topwaters, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits and stick with the above two types as they are easy to work with and have little to no memory. In many respects InvizX handles much like mono as it has a small amount of stretch which I find works well for crankbaits when matched with a glass rod setup. I also use it as my dedicated UL line at 4lbs test. The rest of the time I am using it as a leader attached to my main line which is braid as described above. I like Super8Slick as it's very easy to cast and I haven't lost any noticeable time dealing with professional override situations. The only application I use it for as a standalone line is topwater fishing. I find that using braid as a mainline gives me a better connection to the lure and I can control what it's doing more easily while fishing which is important when it comes time to change up retrieves for one reason or another. Along with the above handling characteristics, I think you'll find the cost associated with both types of line to be in the moderate to low category. They come in a wide variety of pound test which means I can always find one that suits the type of fishing I'm doing. From a strength perspective, I don't think I've ever had a fish break off either of the above, and that includes landing some decent sized musky which were running up against some rocks during their capture while I was out bass fishing. Cheers, hope that whatever you decide to do that you have confidence in your choice!

Thanks @Jrob78, I appreciate the quick follow up and your feedback. Sounds like I'll be good to go with this rod for my intended applications.

As an avid jerkbait angler, I've always gotten the right type of action on my jerkbaits by using a7' medium action graphite rod with a fast action. I match it with a 2500 series reel and run braid to a fluro leader. Much like A-Jay, I only use glass for crankbaits and light ones at that, weighing only 3/8oz or less. @thebillsman; if you haven't already I'd suggest fishing jerkbaits in colder water where a more subtle presentation is needed, especially when it comes to using a jerk style retrieve. Perhaps more of a soft twitch action is what you're looking to use, especially in colder water applications. With regards to summer time fishing, I find that all fish, be they in an aggressive/neutral/negative mode, have no trouble tracking a bait and hunting it successfully regardless of the speed of retrieval. This is especially true when it comes to smallmouth bass. Cheers, and good fishing.

Sorry to open up this thread again, just need some feedback on this particular rod which I just picked up. I plan on using it for deep diving cranks that run 15'+ and any other crankbaits that weigh in at more than 1/2oz like certain squarebill types, and I believe I'm okay in doing that. My main query is using the same rod for both spinnerbaits and chatterbaits which are greater than 1/2oz in weight; given that they are single hooked moving baits would I have any difficulty in setting the hook with this rod? I ask because I have problems with my back occasionally due to a sciatic nerve injury from years gone by. Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

It's a bit different for me as a shore based fisherman who goes wading occasionally. There's one particular bay that I fish that if I choose it I could easily spend a whole morning covering everything from rocks to weeds to docks to sand bottoms in water that ranges in depth from 1ft down to 8ft. When I do fish there I'll only take 2 setups with me, a topwater and a jerkbait setup. This generally allows me to draw out fish from all the areas which I can reach without standing in water that is over my waist in depth which I find too uncomfortable to fish in. I think the most important thing is to cover the entire water column when one is fishing, even if the water is 20ft deep. I've had smallies travel up from those depths to hit topwaters which is pretty cool. Next year in 2017 I plan to diversify and fish some deeper diving crankbaits along with my regular topwaters, jerkbaits, and shallow/medium diving crankbaits which I know will increase my catches for the year. Finding new water to fish is hard for me as many shorelines are being cut off from anglers, so I spend a lot of time discovering the nuances of each location that I fish in hopes to find little things that will hold fish, particularly larger fish. Crankbaits work well for that, and I love throwing them in new locations where there is no observable cover like docks or weeds or big rocks. Sorry if I strayed from the original topic. Regards, Attila

Hi Drunkentigerr, I'm glad you enjoyed my post. I'm a shore fisherman who doesn't mind getting his feet wet by wading publicly accessible shorelines. I grew up fishing Rice Lake and camping on Serpent Mounds, then our family bought a cottage on Sturgeon Lake and that opened up a lot of new water for me. I've found that the fish are still there but the manner in which we fish for them has changed. The only obvious change in numbers is the hit the walleye population took, and I'm happy to see the slot limit in place which has been helping the last couple of years. Hi Yeajray, nice to hear from you. Yes, my favourite Skitter Pop pattern is the brown frog pattern which I usually cast around rocks and docks during somewhat low light conditions. Last year (2015) I also was successful on the silver/chartreuse X-Rap Pop which I intend to include in my topwater box in 2017. This past year I spent more time devoted to walking style baits like the Strike King Sexy Dawg Jr. as I wanted to gauge its effectiveness against highly pressured fish, and it worked very well. Cheers, and both of you have a good day. Sorry for the late responses. Attila

Good stuff! What pattern did you pick up?? I personally tricked out a couple of Shadow Raps with a VMC bleeding red treble on the front and a VMC Barbarian on the back and it helped catching short striking fish quite well. I swapped out the hooks after the originals had done battle with a 40" musky and while I landed the fish the hooks wouldn't have been able to handle any further contact with any type of fish. I always reel fast for the initial dive as it'll put a bit more flash and noise out into the surrounding water that you're fishing which can be seen and felt by fish from a fair ways away, especially if you're after smallmouth. That's during cold water fishing. During warm water fishing I won't crank it down much and just start with the jerk retrieve as I'm normally fishing aggressive fish that will travel distances to hit a jerkbait.