Attila

I think you’ve made the right choice with the line selection you decided on. That said, again, I don’t see a need to remove the fluorocarbon when fishing topwater lures. As well, since you mentioned a budget, I’ll say this. The InvizX I use as a “leader” is what is left over from spooling a baitcaster and a spinning setup fully as I mentioned in a previous post. There is no reason to go spend extra money on another “leader” line when the line that you’ve spooled with can and will hold up to the various conditions that you’ll fish. The first time I went with a braid and fluorocarbon line selection I was apprehensive. I had fished straight mono before and had really good success and was worried that my uni to uni knot wasn’t tied properly. I got my first fish within 10 minutes on a popper and didn’t have any issues. Then the fish got bigger and eventually I nailed the 5lbs smallmouth pictured below. The knot held and the line didn’t fray at all even though the fish ran over rocks, through weeds, and probably a few zebra mussels along the way. I realized then that I had found a line setup that would work for many presentations in various conditions, so I stuck with it.

The lures you're throwing matches quite closely to what I use. I fish my setups with 20lbs and 15lbs braid and match it with a piece of InvizX in 8lbs test used as a leader. I think it's the best option for you as you'll be able to fish through some junk when required with your DT's and also be able to manage the action on your jerkbaits more with the zero stretch of braid. As well, don't be afraid to keep the fluorocarbon on when using lighter sized poppers that weigh in at 3/8oz or less. I routinely throw size 9 Rapala Skitter Pops on that same setup and catch decent fish all the time without any negative impact introduced by the piece of fluorocarbon used. Pictured below is one of the many fish I've caught using this setup. I've been using InvizX for a couple of years now, both as a main line for my finesse and spinnerbait/crankbait setups and also as a leader. While it is a bit on the pricier side, I find that it handles a lot like the mono which I used to use which was a feature I was looking for when I was making the transition. I still put KVD line conditioner on my spools every night before I go out and give it another shot when I start using the combo's the day of just to ensure that I don't have any line memory issues. I use straight 12lbs for my spinnerbaits and crankbaits and straight 6lbs for my finesse outfit. Hope this helps, and have a great day.

One used for jerkbaits, another used for light topwater poppers, a third used for senko's and tube fishing, and a fourth for light jerkbaits and crankbaits...it's quite the versatile combo.

I work at Bass Pro Shops...I'm chuckling while reading this...hehehe Best of luck with your efforts, it won't be easy but if you stay committed to it you'll see a difference over time.

Thanks for making these videos @jim k, really well done and definitely sheds some light on what anglers face in that water body. The current reminds me of the St. Lawrence; have you ever had a chance to dive there?

Caught a bunch of these guys today...nothing of any real size though. Going to be busy the next couple of weeks so am going to take a hiatus until mid-September.

Long story short, the wind really did me in yesterday. Casting a 1/4oz lure in 25km/h wind just isn't feasible. I was fishing it on my 7' MF spinning outfit with 20lbs braid and 8lbs fluorocarbon leader. When I did cast with the wind I found that the fish hit during the very long pause I was incorporating into the retrieve which started with a short swimming retrieve followed by 2-3 quick jerks and then the long pause. What I found most interesting was that some decent sized perch were hitting it as well. After a couple of hours I decided to tie on a Shadow Rap Shad and started connecting with bigger fish using my traditional jerkbait retrieve consisting of really heavy and big jerks with no pause incorporated. I was really surprised I didn't get more fish on the long, head up pause that came with the Ripstop versus the fast action retrieve I used on the Shadow Rap Shad. Ultimately the fish decided what they wanted and they let me know. To give the Ripstop a fair shake, I'm going to try it out again in better fishing conditions which I hope to fish in next week. I'm also going to be throwing it on a 7' MF spinning outfit but will be using lighter line, probably 15lbs braid with a 6lbs fluorocarbon leader. I'll report my findings back here in this thread. Cheers, and have a great day.

Perch eating perch...chunky one at that!!

Cold front smallie fun...

Bass Pro and Storm series have a few...

The force is strong with this one...:) Now that takes cajones....

Yellow perch are the main forage up here and I've been doing well on jerkbaits in that pattern too. I'm wondering which one will yield more fish in the post frontal conditions...will be a fun experiment. Nice lure purchases, some great patterns there.

Well look what I found...as part of my "product testing" oath, I'm going to fish this side by side a Shadow Rap Shad in the same pattern on Wednesday in post frontal conditions. Should be an interesting time.

Hi! @primetime I currently own and use an Exceler 2000, a Fuego 2500, and a Procyon 2500. I started using the Exceler on my jerkbait setup and caught several large fish over 4 pounds when using it. I found that the drag system was smooth but it didn't react well when I used it in rainy conditions. I currently use the reel on my UL setup and have it spooled with 4lbs fluorocarbon. While going for panfish I have tangled with the odd musky and pike and the drag has proven its worth time and time again. The reel functions really well and for the price point I think you're getting a great bang for your buck. I use the Fuego on my finesse setup with straight 6lbs fluorocarbon and am very happy with it. It's incredibly smooth thanks to the 9 ball bearings, and the drag gives me enough confidence to throw shakey heads under docks where I'm pulling out large smallmouth which love to pull and go airborne even when they're under the dock. The only thing is the handle took a bit of getting used to but I've grown to appreciate it and haven't lost any fish because of its design. The smoothness of retrieve really helps me when I spybait in the fall too. The Procyon has become my go to spinning reel. The drag is awesome, it's smooth as heck, but the biggest feature for me is the magsealed technology used to keep the elements out of the gearing. I fish in every weather condition imaginable and this reel holds up to it all without any adverse impacts. To me it's well worth the extra money, but I understand everyone has a budget they want to stick to. If you can afford to do so, I would say if you could get used to the handle on the Fuego then go that route. The corrosion resistant ball bearings will help ensure the smooth operation of your reel for many years to come.

I currently use 20lbs Power Pro Super 8 Slick w/ a fluorocarbon piece added on when I use my jerkbait spinning setups and I can cast my lures pretty far. That said, I'm going to give 15lbs Smackdown this fall on one of my setups to see how much further I can cast with it as I use jerkbaits as a search bait so want to be able to cover as much water as possible. I use straight 30lbs PP Super 8 Slick on my walking style topwater baitcasting setup and find that I don't have nearly the casting distance as I do when I run the lighter line on my jerkbait setup. I think this is due to three factors. The first is the diameter of the braid; the second is the weight of the lures that I use; and the third and final reason comes down to rod length. My topwater rods are 6'6" and my jerkbait rods are 7' long. Cheers, hope this information helps.

I'll use a piece of fluorocarbon line (InvizX for me) attached to my braid when I'm throwing jerkbaits, tube jigs, shakey heads, popper style topwaters, and weightless Texas rigged senkos. I run straight braid for walking style topwaters and when I'm flipping/pitching in heavy cover. For crankbaits, spinnerbaits, drop shotting, jig and grub combos, as well as for straight ultra light fishing, I run straight fluorocarbon line (InvizX again).

One of two baits I always have tied on come October....definitely a great cold water bait when jigged vertically.

@JustJames Glad you got out for a bit and happy that you got your gear back, phone included! Sounds like it was a fun time and a few fish came out to play as well!

I had a few free hours today so packed up one combo consisting of a Daiwa Tatula 7’0” Medium Fast spinning rod and a Daiwa Procyon 2500 loaded with 20lbs Super 8 Slick Power Pro in timber brown with about 7ft of 8lbs Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon as my leader. I recently created a small “GO” box that I could just throw in the car when I want to get away for a while. In it are some topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and finesse baits including marabou jigs, shakey heads, and some 2/0 worm hooks for stick baits. Today was testing day, and the lures yielded positive results. The intent for the next couple of weeks until Labour Day is to take only one rod and reel combo along with my “GO” box to water that I’m familiar with in hopes of catching both quantity and quality fish. I think it will help me learn to fish baits that I use a lot several different ways in hopes I can learn more about what makes them effective in various conditions. I arrived and the lake was like glass. My first spot had an area comprised of a sandy bottomed beach area with a solid inside weed line which sat in about 2’ of water; visibility for me was about 10ft from my casting location. I selected a lure that I haven’t used all year, a size 10 Rapala Skitter Pop in frog colour. I proceeded to fish the area for about 30 minutes and caught a total of five keeper bass, the biggest pictured below which came in just under 3lbs. I tried a Zara Spook in the bone pattern to see if the big ones wanted something different but it only seemed to interest all the smaller fish. From there I headed to spot #2, a fast water location which contained a rock and gravel bottom in varying water depths ranging from 3-7 feet. I made a few casts with the Spook but there was no interest shown. I tied on a sized 1.5 Strike King KVD Square Bill in the natural red craw colour which I had success with earlier this year at this location and it produced fish but nothing over a pound in size. I was a bit disappointed but the lack of results provided just as much information as the success I had at my first location. Off to spot #3! I arrived at my third location which consisted of a sandy beach area similar to spot number one however this time it was bordered by small rocky point off to one side which tapered down into the weed bed. The area was adjacent to a pier which I could stand on to cast to the outside weed edges of weed flats which sat in 5-6’ of water which were on both the left and right sides of the pier, with the area directly in front of the pier consisting of broken rock structure. I tied on the Skitter Pop and caught quite a few smaller fish, nothing over 12” in size. By this time the sun was up higher so I figured that the topwater bite would be done. I tied on a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad in the yellow perch pattern and walked onto the pier to cast to the weed edges mentioned earlier. My first cast yielded a 2lbs fish and for the next hour I proceeded to hammer the smallmouth on that jerkbait with the biggest fish coming in just under 4 pounds. All of the fish hit on an aggressive retrieve and really gave my setup a great workout. I didn’t get a chance to visit the four other locations I wanted to hit today so am hoping to get to them on Wednesday. The spots are perfect for trying out some crankbaits and finesse lures with docks sitting in 4ft of water with some rock and weed cover scattered nearby. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates and the fish are on those patterns when I get there. Cheers, and have a great day everyone.

@OkobojiEagle Want it to run shallower, just raise your rod tip. Ya, I've been tipping all my artificial lures with live bait in hopes of catching that one big bass that cannibalizes smaller fish...after all, live bait has always been the ticket for me. Seriously though, I started throwing the Shadow Rap Shad because everyone else on that pier was complaining they weren't catching anything...I caught that one on my first cast towards an outside weed edge...lol

Small, say sized 10, circle hooks of any brand. No hookset necessary, just reel until the hook latches on.

I'd do yourself a favour and pick up a couple of Daiwa's, you won't regret it. I personally use a lot of Daiwa products including a Fuego and a Procyon and they both operate perfectly for the conditions I use them in which comprises a lot of smallmouth fishing scenarios both in open water and around cover. Very smooth drag systems go a long way towards landing big fish. Cheers.

So I just setup an all purpose 7' Medium Fast action spinning rod with a 2500 sized spinning reel and spooled it with 20lbs braid with an 8lbs fluorocarbon leader of Seaguar InvizX of about 6ft in length. I'll be throwing everything from topwaters to jerkbaits to crankbaits and some finesse baits including weightless 4-5" Senko's on 2/0 worm hooks. I'm confident that the setup will hold up when I sting big, 5 pound bass under docks or around shallow water cover like trees. Cheers.

I second @A-Jay's recommendation of the Rapala Shadow Rap Shad. I fish it regularly over weedbeds and edges in 5' of water with great success, and the slow rise is just the ticket in the warm summer months. I throw it on 20lbs Power Pro with an 8lbs InvizX leader. It comes in a variety of colours so you shouldn't have any problem matching the forage in the lakes you fish.

All of my topwater baits (poppers and walking style baits) have either a white or chrome bottom, and I do well on them. However, I have noticed that a lot of my bigger bass have come on two specific lures; a Rapala Skitter Pop in the brown frog pattern and a Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg Jr. in the sexy shad colour. I'll use the Skitter Pop for smallies and the SD Jr. for largies, although I have caught both on either lure. I'm convinced that the smallies do come up close and inspect the bait, so the colours along the side and top of the lure do matter to me. It's also why I choose to run a fluorocarbon leader when fishing topwaters...but that's another story.