Attila

I would say so. I own a couple of fast action Daiwa rods, one of which I use for jerkbait fishing, and there isn't a big difference in feel between the two. Along with those I own one Daiwa XF spinning rod and the difference between that and the fast action rod is quite clear. I used the XF spinning rod for really light crankbaits that weigh less than 1/4oz and for finesse applications like shakey heads and others. For any crankbaits, squarebills, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits in the 3/8oz weight range I use glass - it's a lot better I find.

I currently use the 7'1" MH Regular for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, squarebills, and crankbaits which weigh over 3/8ozs. It handles them without issue and there is no strain on my back at all when it comes to setting the hook with the rod. It absorbs the strike very well and I think you'll find it will do a great job for what you intend on using it for. In general, I leave the fast or extra fast action rods for jigs, texas rigged soft plastics, and frogging techniques as they require more sensitivity than a rod that is presenting a moving bait.

While I think both are excellent reels, my choice based on the ones you suggested would have to be the Tatula SV TW. The reasons are three fold; first, the SV TW rotor moves back towards the magnetic field which brakes the spool according to the weights of different types of lures. Secondly, the SV SPOOL with Air Brake System helps cast lightweight lures with ease to give you a longer cast with no back lash. To me, this is valuable as sometimes I find myself casting 1/4oz baits and I want to make sure that I get additional braking help from the reel when I'm casting to control the spool and its spin speed. Thirdly is the lower line inches retrieved per handle turn of the SV TW. When it comes to cranking, this guarantees that you're keeping the lure in the fishes strike zone a little bit longer if required. The SV TW is the reel that I would use if I found myself wanting a reel that can handle lighter crankbaits including squarebills, spinnerbaits/chatterbaits, and potentially any soft plastics or jigs that weigh in the 1/4 to 3/8oz size. Hope that this information is helpful, it's a nice choice that you'll be making that's for sure.

I use a MH Regular rod from Daiwa, gets the job done and I can throw other cranks and spinnerbaits with it as well. A Daiwa regular is the same as other companies fast.

Maybe I'm a bit of an old fashioned guy at 43, but I like flipping through fishing magazines for the informative articles and some of the great quality photography that's found within them. We spend so much time in front of screens (even when we're fishing!) that sometimes it's nice to get back to basics which for me includes magazines.

Love the patterns on this fish, nice one!

One of the hundreds of bluegills that I spent the day on, this one came in at 9" and hit a soft plastic. Fun times! Bass opens in 2 weeks...the wait is killing me!! lol

Congrats on your purchase! I was going to suggest matching the rod with a Daiwa Fuego 2500 that you can pick up at Tackle Warehouse for $99.99 but you've already made your choice! Based on all the reviews I've read of the Mojo Bass series I'm sure you'll enjoy it immensely!

I've been using the Black Diamond Spot 200 Lumens since last fall and it's been a really valuable tool to me. It comes with both a bright white light which illuminates up to 80m for 50 hours and up to 16m for 200 hours as well as a red light, a dimming feature for both white and red light, a strobe in case you get into trouble, and lock in the event that you're doing a lot of work and need a constant light source. On top of all that it's waterproof, and if submerged, water may enter the battery compartment and it will still operate. Obviously it should be dried out completely afterwards. It takes 3 AAA batteries which are included with the lamp. It can be purchased on sale for $29.96 online at the Black Diamond website via this link - https://blackdiamondequipment.com/en_CA/headlamps-and-lanterns/spot-headlamp-BD620621TRCHALL1.html

Some awesome photos being posted here, glad everyone is having a great spring and catching a lot of fish!

My vote goes with the Shad Rap as you can fish it in the entire depth range that you'll find yourself in and it's available in so many different patterns you should have no problem matching the forage in the lake that you're in. Another unique feature is that I've started to do is to upsize the treble hooks which makes the bait suspend, a great thing to do in cold weather situations as Mike Iaconelli describes in this video. I've listed the specifications below and you can find the complete colour selection hyperlinked here. Specifications Model Running Depth Body Length Weight Hooks SR05 4' - 9' 2" 3/16 oz Two No. 6 SR07 5' - 11' 2-3/4" 5/16 oz Two No. 5 SR08 8' - 15' 3-1/8" 3/8 oz Two No. 4 SR09 8' - 15' 3-1/2" 9/16 oz Two No. 3

Apart from my finesse setup which is straight 100% fluorocarbon, everything else is braid with a fluoro leader or straight braid. I used to use just mono but I really like the control that braid gives me over my presentations which consist of baits like crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters, and chatterbaits.

Is perhaps using mono a better option for you? Light line in the 6-8lbs test range shouldn't have any issues provided she's throwing the right type and size of lures. Also it'll save some money as well, given you can pick up a spool of say Stren for under $10 versus a good quality fluorocarbon. Finally, maybe some time at shore with just a practice plug is in order? I know for me sometimes I just go out to a local soccer field and cast a plug to practice my technique when it comes to various types of casts. Just food for thought.

Shaw wasn't chosen because his wife is a nurse, he was chosen because he's been removing trebles from peoples hands for years. Fact is this hook couldn't be removed using the usual method being braid tied to the treble and then yanked a la what we saw KVD do last year on Toledo Bend. As for why there isn't a nurse/doctor/medic on hand, they aren't really required. Your comparison to a high school football game is not really warranted, as fishing is non contact. You don't really have an increased risk of a broken arm/leg, concussion, spinal injury in fishing as you do with any contact sport. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, we know it does some times, but it just doesn't happen with any type of frequency to warrant a first responder being on site. I'm fishing tournies this year and will be letting those running those tournies know that I'm trained in first aid and that I'll have kit available to ensure that I can either remove hooks or apply the appropriate dressing in the event that they have to be sent to a hospital for the hook to be extracted. Have a safe season!

I'm only 5'10" but weigh close to 300lbs so I feel your pain. I buy most of my gear directly from Bass Pro Shops so went over to their site and ran a search for their Big and Tall clothing. I know for certain that most of these shirts come with UV protection built in, and most of them have the option of rolling up the sleeve to become short sleeved shirts. I prefer keeping the sleeves down to give full protection to my arms. Here's the link - http://www.basspro.com/Big-Tall-Big-Tall/Clothing-Men-s-Clothing-Shirts-Tops/Classification-Fishing/Description-Long-Sleeve/_/N-1z0vcwaZ1z0ustrZ1z0wahdZ1z0v7ed Hope that you find something you like! Attila

The original Muskol used to work really well, now I use Deep Woods Off and it does the trick.

I think they both have practical applications. I tend to use chatterbaits in sparse weed growth and in water that I find myself fishing a square bill in, including bouncing off of rocks and other debris. Spinnerbaits are used as more of a reaction strike as I fish them a lot like KVD does, namely burning them just under the surface to look for really active smallies. Attila

@Fishinthefish I'm running two ultra light setups at this time. The first is a 7'6" Daiwa Presso w/ a Daiwa Exceler 2000 which is spooled with 4lbs Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. I fish everything from small crank baits to jerk baits to micro jigs down to 1/64oz in size and it handles everything with ease. I've had accidental catches all the way up to about 10lbs in the form of a musky hit my offerings and I've landed them successfully. I find that the longer rod takes pressure off of the lighter line. It also works well for rainbow trout in the nearby tributaries. My second setup is a 5'6" Fenwick Eagle UL matched with an Abu Garcia Cardinal STX5 reel which is also spooled with 4lbs test Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. I keep this as a back up to the Presso combo above but I find myself using it when I'm not sure what the pannies will be biting that day when it comes to jig fishing, so on one I'll have one of my favourite go to soft plastics and on the this one say a marabou jig or something completely different from the first setup. I find the most important thing with any UL combo is the drag system on the reel. If it's good, it'll handle just about anything that decides to inhale the bait. Rod length also helps with this, as many steelhead fishermen use 13' rods to remove the pressure on their 4 or sometimes 3lbs test fluorocarbon leaders. I'm considering using my Presso setup for drop shotting this summer in some of the more open water locales I'll be fishing. Cheers, and have a great season.

I'm using a heavy action fast power rod for pitching jigs and texas rigged soft plastics and for frogging this season...I don't think there's going to be any issues. The only difference between the separate rods for each of the above applications is the rod length, which is 4" for the flipping stick and 2" for the frogging rod. In other words...not much difference.

I'm wondering which jerk bait are you using? X-Rap or Shadow Rap? Also, what type of fishing rod are you using, as in what power is it? As well, are you using a long pause during your retrieve? I ask because perhaps swapping out the stock trebles which come with the lures is a possible option for you. I did that with some of my Shadow Raps last year, upgrading the rear treble to VMC Barbarian treble hooks and occasionally swapping the front treble out and upsizing to a blood red coloured treble to give the lure a bit of extra flash. I've attached a photo below to show you how it looks with the treble hooks changed. As others have mentioned, a sweeping hookset works well. Also, I tend to fish braid with a fluorocarbon leader and it allows me give the lure more action while still having it look natural during the pause.

Great night in the Kawartha's fishing with some Rapala X-Raps and Shad Raps.

I'm a big believer in InvizX and it will work for your desired purpose. This year I'm going to try something different though. I'm going to be using braid mainline and running a fluro lead for my spinner/crank bait presentations. I'll have to see how it works for me but I like the thin diameter of braid which should help with lure action some while the fluro will give the bait a more natural presentation. I hope anyways...lol

I think that they're definitely interchangeable. That said, I use a 6'6" fiberglass for any spinner/crankbaits weighing 3/8oz's or less, a 7'2" graphite MHR for spinner/crankbaits weighing more than 3/8oz's, and a 7'1" graphite HF for my jig/texas rig/frogging presentations...I like having options.

I've been using Rapala Shad Raps and Shallow Shad Raps for years with great success. I've tried using the DT series but am just not a fan of anything with rattles in it...silence is golden for me. I'll be trying out some silent Strike King's this year to see how they compare to my beloved Rapala's.

I've been using Skitter Pops as my go to popper now for about the last 5 years. My favourite pattern in them has always been the brown frog pattern which does a great job of matching the leopard frogs which I find in many of the lakes I fish. I used to fish them on just straight 6 pound test mono with really good results but changed my setup as zebra mussels started claiming a few more lures during those combative smallmouth battles. I now throw them on braid with a fluro leader. Wait, what? A fluro leader? What, is this guy on crack? No, actually, I'm not. Twenty pound braid with about a 3ft lead of 8lbs fluro has gotten me more and bigger smallies than when I fished them on straight mono or braid. I think the reason comes down to retrieve. I've gotten to know the lakes that I fish very well, and know the areas that I fish that hold big bass. I'll cast out the skitter pop and give it the usual retrieve until I get it into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, I'll leave it there...for a while. The reason being that once a meal enters the smallies kitchen, it's going to check it out. When it does, they give it a few look overs and then decide if they're either going to attack and eat or just attack out of smite. That's when the fluro leader helps...makes it look more natural. Cheers, and have a great season.