Lard_Bass

Anyone having luck on the lake so far? Been catching small one in the shallows and some larger ones along the weedlines.

lol. The bait monkey just got me on a new carrot stix, shimano curado 200e7, and a bunch of senkos. I am impressed you were able to stay away from buying new gear. The force is strong with the bait monkey.

Just curious, this has been on ongoing debate amongst my friends. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. Seems like personal preference.

What do guys do if they use 80-100 lb braid? I didn't think baitcasters drag went beyond 10-12 lbs.

That's funny because all I used in my saltwater days was Trilene on my old baitcasters. I haven't used a baitcaster in over 10 years and I see they have come a long, long way. I am little worried about Yo-Zuri ultrasoft though in slop conditions especially when I am jigging and frogging. I got some spools of regular Yo-Zuri Hybrid (not Ultrasoft), should I try that on the baitcaster as a learning line?

I just made the jump into baitcasters and bought a Curado 200e7. I'll be pairing it up with a 7'0" XHF Carrot Stix. I am planning on using this rod for a bunch of applications. Mainly jigging, worming, and frogging but also for heavier cranks and small swimbaits. I have only used Yo-Zuri Ultrasoft on my spinning reels (a great tip I got from these forums) but don't know what to use on a baitcaster. Any recs would be appreciated. My one buddy is suggesting to use Fireline. I went to the store and had no clue which one to purchase (Crystal, Regular, etc). I decided to hold off and see if you guys could help me.

I usually set the drag on my spinning reels by using a bag of groceries set at 1/3-1/4 the weight of the line. I got that tip from someone on this forum and my drags have performed awesome now. So, for 8 lb test, I will get 2 16oz cans of soup and put them in a plastic bag. I'll rig up a hook on a rod and reel. Attach a hook to the plastic bag and lift it with the rod. If you can lift it, and no line comes out, the drag is too tight. I lift until a little line starts coming out. I have been doing this for a couple of years now and had no issues. Recently, I caught a nice 7 1/2 lb steelhead on a spinning reel I used for bass fishing. The drag worked awesome. Steelhead are notorious for long runs and my drag performed flawlessly. My one question though, I am just getting into baitcasting. If you have 50+ lb braid on a baitcaster, how do you set your drag then? I was just thinking about that today as I ordered my new Curado.

I picked one up and it is amazingly light. I cannot wait to try it on the water. The tackle shop said that they bought a ton anticipating higher demand that never came. I may be in an area with other species are more heavily targeted (i.e. walleye and musky). The pluses of the rod are its weight, sensitivity and lifetime warranty (you can return to them or, supposedly, to any authorized dealer). So, over the counter returns are nice to have. The negatives I have heard are possible breakage and guides. I wouldn't know but those are the comments I have read everywhere. A majority of people love the carrot stix. At a $100, I think it's a steal. There are not many rods in that range that are worth it and perform like a $300+ rod.

Anyone in the Minneapolis area, a local tackle shop called Thorne Brothers has Carrot Stix at 30% off retail price. They have about 2 Gold Series left and about 8-10 LTX series. They are clearing out inventory because they are just not selling much of them (more of a musky shop). Most are Medium Power Casting Rods. They have an online website but the deal is at the store only. I fed the bait monkey and hope you do too.

I love topwaters. I use a chug bug and Rebel Pop-R. My best times are morning and evening when the water is just calm. Whenever I see a bass jump and break the surface, I throw topwaters and usually have high success.

Here is one of the sources that I saw on another forum: http://tackletog.com/jip/2009/03/21/e21-21-carrot-gold-stix-review/ And saw this review here: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?hvarEID=3310707&hvarAID=vantage&cm_ite=Freshwater+Fishing+%3E+Soft+Baits%2FLures+%3E+Worms&catalogId=10001&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basspro.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%3FstoreId%3D10151%26catalogId%3D10001%26langId%3D-1%26partNumber%3D10203730%26cm_ven%3DAffiliate%26cm_cat%3DVantage%26cm_pla%3Dfeed%26cm_ite%3DFreshwater+Fishing+%3E+Soft+Baits%2FLures+%3E+Worms&langId=-1&cm_pla=feed&cm_cat=Vantage&cm_ven=Affiliate&partNumber=10203730&storeId=10151

I saw on several other forums and the first review on BPS says that braid should not be used on Carrot Stix. I am thinking about getting a stix and wanted to see what everyone's experience was with braid on the stix. Any issues with the guides?

Thanks for the recs. That black widow looks sweet. Unfortunately, neither reel is 7.1:1.

Bassprofishguy, Thanks for the feedback on the C-stix. Do you use yours for flippin/pitchin or other applications. What is your stix paired with?

I just modified my post. I meant the Megaforce Plus but don't know if that is must better than the regular Megaforce. I was looking for a 7.1:1 reel and it stood out. It felt smooth when I was at the store but again, I don't know how the drag is. Thanks for the heads up. I 'll look into some other reels.

ToledoEF, I did exactly the same thing but did not get a taker. Flukes worked well when I lived out east but I am learning that the milfoil in Minn can run deep. The beds start from the shoreline and the weedline can be 20-25 feet deep. I have never seen anything like it. Some locals including Jeff on this board told me that I am not getting deep enough with the fluke. It works if the weedline is about 5-8 feet deep supposedly but not as effective in deeper water. Just wanted to share what I am learning at the moment.

Yes, another thread about the carrot stix but this time about a specific one. I am eyeing up the 7'9" Fast-XHeavy (CLTX791XH-C) version. I need a good flippin stick to punch through heavy slop. I also see that I can use this as a swimbait rod because it can handle up to 3.5 oz lures. The boys at TW said its a fine stick to do double duty. I am thinking about pairing it up with a Daiwa Megaforce Plus baitcaster. I was also contemplating the shorter 7'6" version. Thoughts or advice? Much appreciated.

Jeff, I think I know what you mean. But to fish the structure underneath means I need something to punch through the milfoil. So, are heavy jigs and T-rigs are the way to go? Yeah, I am having a love/hate relationship with Tonka at the moment. I am going to head out with some buddies who know the lake better. I studied the lake maps/contour changes and thought I had a good plan of attack until I found every area covered with weeds. I have never seen anything like it. Even the docks were ticking me off because they were infested with milfoil. Lilypads are beginning to pop up so I expect this lake to look like one big swamp soon.

I am talking Tonka. I moved up here in the past year. I used a topwater in the clear parts of the beds near the weedline and got some hits and tried a jig with a Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub but no strikes on that. Also, tried flukes and senkos and no luck either.

I am fishing a new lake and dealt with a ton of weed beds that I am not used to. All along the shorelines to the middle of the bays. Just curious to how everyone would attack this heavy cover especially during the morning bite.

Thanks. I was guessing that. I won't need a spare tire because I won't be trailering it. It would have been at top of my list if I was. I am going to upgrade my trolling motor and probably get an anchor system for the front.

Spare Tire?? Don't quite follow. Also, you think a 70# trolling motor would be sufficient? Thanks for the help.

I recently purchased a 24 foot fishing pontoon (Premier Explorer) with 135 HP. I am new to boating and my dealer gave me a $600 in-store credit to use on accessories for my boat. I am overwhelmed with the amount of stuff to put on the boat. My boat already comes rigged with the following: -55# Minn Kota trolling motor w/ battery -Rod locker -Lowrance x52 on helm (this can be upgraded) -Fish Eagle 320 (they are mounting a unit I used on my canoe to the front of the boat) - this can't be upgraded -Aerated livewell Here are things I am contemplating on purchasing / upgrading: -Lowrance H20 Handheld GPS or upgrading the x52 on the helm to a GPS / Depthfinder combo -Deckmate anchor system with 25 lb richter anchor -Onboard charger for trolling motor battery (or should I just use my old portable charger and skip this upgrade) -Hour meter for my engine (necessary?) -Fenders / Bumpers (anyone got a recommendation for pontoon boats) I am sure I am missing some stuff. What do you guys recommend doing for a new rig setup (which of the above should I do or not do). Any help would be greatly appreciated. -LB

There has been a lot of rain lately in my neck of the woods the night before I go fishing. I have scrapped numerous outings due to the front that moved in. This past week, I decided to go fishing the day after a thunderstorm. I caught a nice 2 lb bass on a weightless rigged Wave Worm (similar to a Senko) - chartreuse colored. I have tried bright colored cranks and spinnerbaits but had no luck recently. What do you guys when the conditions are muddy?

Here's my .02 on the Money Minnow. I bought a pack and was not impressed. I rigged it with an X-Swim bait hook (1/8th and the recommended 1/4 oz). If the bait is not rigged almost perfectly, it will swim tilted on its side. The action was interesting but the bait itself is very fragile. While I did not catch anything on it, I could see that just rigging the bait a couple of times that it didn't have much use left. Maybe I am not used to using hollow body swimbaits but I did rig it carefully each time. I actually think that for cheaper money, one can use the Wildeye Storm swimbaits that already have the hook buried in it. I like the Storm swimbaits better than the Yum. Again, just my .02.