MassYak85

^ THIS I don't care if you're fiteen or fifty. If you have one of those sit on tops with a small foam pad for a seat you will get sore after hours on the water. If you just plan on going out for a couple hours here and there it might not be a big deal but if you plan on launching and doing a day of fishing, definitely find one with a good seat.

The 130 weighs one and three eighth's* oz so it's going to be a judgement call on your end whether or not your 7' 6" MH is accurately rated or not. I would think it would be able to handle it. It's the musky 190 size that you need dedicated gear to use. *Seriously we can't have the numbers 1 and 3 next to each other without it being censored?....come on now.

I might end up grabbing some of the lucky craft cranks that are part of the 25 days sale. And I hear you on colors. For cranks I try to keep it pretty simple with a bluegill and a crawfish imitation.

That's a really cool idea I might have to try that, thanks

I have the cardiff 300 and have been using it for smaller swimbaits (< 4 oz) with 20lb CXX. If I had to get another one for 8 inch hudds using 25lb line I would probably get the 400. If you are really bombing hudds and maxing out the casting distance of your setup with 25lb line on the 300 you are going to be getting a little low on line at the end of the cast, which isn't the end of the world but your IPT at the end of your cast is now going to be MUCH less, which could cost you a fish here and there if you get bit at the end of the cast and you aren't able to take up slack fast enough. I'd say the 300 would be fine for just 8 inch hudds but if you say you might want to use larger baits and maybe heavier line (25lb) then the 400 might be the better choice.

If I had a dedicated jerkbait rod, I'd use straight 10# fluoro probably....but I don't haha. All I use for jerkbaits is a Medium Fast rod with 20lb power pro to a leader. It works and I have no worries about the leader knot but it's not what I would choose if I had more to spend. I like how direct the twitches are with the braid and the fast rod.

IMO with that budget the used market realistically is your only option for a descent SOT that will be suitable for fishing. And like others said factor in a PFD and a somewhat descent paddle if you plan on longer distance trips. Try to find one with a comfortable seat too, it makes a HUGE difference when you are out for many hours at a time. The FS12T is in that tier of entry level SOT's but it's out of your budget new, you might be able to find one used though.

It's certainly not my goal but if I had to choose between going down the bank and casting something like a spinnerbait or squarebill or stitching a worm for hours...I'll take the former. Again I know this probably puts me at a disadvantage on days the fish are less active but I'm fishing for fun 100% of the time. If I'm not having fun, I leave.

Honestly I'd have to say no. Although I can go hours without so much as a nibble and still have confidence, that'y only with certain techniques. I can chuck and wind a spinnerbait all day and actually enjoy just the act of casting, or cast to targets with a jig. But that kind of fishing keeps me active. Ask me to drop shot fish or stitch a worm and if I don't get bit in 20 minutes I'm done, onto the next area or technique. I know I'm probably selling myself short some days by doing that but it drives me crazy fishing that way. I guess it all comes down to I feel the need to be doing something....anything. Fishing so slow I might as well be dead sticking the bait I don't feel like I am actively fishing and don't feel productive, even if that is what the fish most likely want. So I guess I can be patient for a bite, but not patient in how I fish. The same can be said outside of fishing for me as well. I can burn away hours doing the stupidest of tasks or screwing around on the internet. But ask me to sit still and "relax" for so much as 10 minutes and I get this overwhelming urge to DO something.

Every time I sit there and fill a cart and think "there's nothing I should need for a while after this order". Then along comes a sale, or a YouTube video, or a thread on this forum....and suddenly the cart is filling back up.

My dad actually has a keel guard that is the same material as bed-liner. The guys at the marina knew a guy who was willing to try it and it came out pretty good IMO. It's gotten a little chipped up but better that than the hull.

This is exactly what I do except I have been using Ziploc sandwich bags haha. Where did you get those from? I've been looking for a more durable option.

Yea Tackle Warehouse will ship rods for free (over 50 bucks but most rods are anyway) and they ship them in very stout tubes.

I actually just take a Plano 3707 and put each spinnerbait in it's own little sandwich bag. Keeps them from getting tangled and while it doesn't stay organized and I can quickly look in and see what I have and just grab one out.

I thought this would be fun to see the replies. What is the most widely accepted or used lure that you personally have just never tried? And I don't mean the latest trend that you haven't bought into (yes that means whopper plopper cannot be an answer), I mean lures that have been around for a long time and have been a staple for many, but not you. Think Jitterbug, Senko, rooster tail. For me I have never actually fished a true senko, only knock-offs. I actually still have a pack of white senkos from years ago I never get around to opening.

I was thinking of picking up the Zako and Disco Green colors when I make a spring order. Disco Green seems like a good Crappie Imitation.

Has anyone tried these yet? They look pretty interesting and seem like they would make great swimjig trailers but I won't be able to try any until May lol.

100 dollar TW giftcard and a 50 dollar Bass Pro gift card

I would use regular Power Pro personally, I'm also a fan of 832 though. Make sure to use some mono backing to save money. For the leader you should be good with about a 4 foot leader. Now for weightless soft plastics I have been using yellow braid so I can see twitches in the line easier on the fall.

I would get a 130 size to try out, it's the most versatile of the three sizes and won't give you the problems of the 90. Even if you are targeting smallies I would say get the 130, I had a couple real decent smallies absolutely CRUSH the 130 but I lost both right at the boat. I think it really shines over other topwaters in two areas. Obviously it floats so you can pause it once it comes up to a prime piece of cover, but it also throws out a TON of commotion (more than any buzzbait I've seen) and makes a very unique sound. In short I think the lure provides enough difference from other topwaters out there to justify getting at least one.

Purely coincidence, every manufacturer is different. For me, a "true" MH/F would be like 3/8 - 1 oz.

For smaller bags of worms and craws I keep them in a 3700 box. For larger worms I just toss them in a big Ziploc.

If I just need to feel a tug on the end of the line a ned rig is hard to beat. But if I just can't figure them out that day I could toss a spinnerbait for hours and hours on end and still have confidence it would eventually get me bit if I just kept hammering the right areas.

I'm more concerned about the engineering and tolerancing of the parts. Whether or not a reel had it's part shipped over to China and had someone who makes 50 cents an hour assemble it isn't as important as how well the gears were machined, or the quality of the bearings used, or the grade of metal/plastic used for the parts themselves. Basically what I am saying is the quality is going to primarily come from the sum of the parts, so looking at the parts themselves rather than the assembly location is going to give you a better idea of the reel's quality.