tkunk

I'd say the most commonly used jerkbaits weigh 1/2-5/8 oz, so that rod's probably underpowered. Also, unless you're tall or your boat's a deep V, you'll probably be slapping the water with a 7' rod.

Non-obvious things, at least for me, are Lowrance Point One Small kicker engine for when your big engine doesn't start 5-battery setup: 3 for trolling motor, one for starting the big engine, and one for running electronics Good trolling motor batteries Built in cooler (not a fan of warm beverages or hauling a big cooler around) Good chip for electronics Jackplate Trim control on your bow

The Tranx 300 doesn't cast lures lighter than 1 oz very well. I typically use mine for 1- to 4-oz lures. For casting distance, it really shines with anything heavier than 2 oz. The one caution I'd mention is that the reel's foot isn't a good match for some bass rod seats. My Tranx fell out of Dobyns and PowerTackle rods while I was fighting fish. I know for sure that works great with Legend Tournament muskie rods, but I don't know if it fits the bass versions.

They're my favorite. In addition to being super durable, they're the only spinnerbaits I've found that run true when you burn them. For smallies, I like double willow, all chartreuse and all white.

Something seems off with those smallmouth numbers. In some of the spring tournaments on Lake Michigan, you need to average about 5.5 lbs per smallmouth to win. As someone who fishes Lake Michigan, I'd actually say that 6's are common there that time of year. People do make a big deal about anything over 7, though, so that might help give people an idea of what's considered a big fish in region 5.

I wouldn't use such a small reel for WTD topwaters or jerkbaits. These lures cast very well, so you'll be able to cast out just about the entire spool on most days. At the beginning of your retrieve, your spool is small because it has little line on it, so your inches per turn (IPT) are relatively low. At the end of your retrieve, your spool is big because it's nearly full, so your IPT are relatively high. A drastic change in retrieve speed during a single cast will mess with your cadence. IIRC, the difference between a full and nearly empty spool on my Metanium XG (which is a small reel but bigger than an Aldebaran) was around 12 IPT. This drove me absolutely nuts, and I was much happier when I switched back to a 200-sized reel.

I'm looking for a casting rod for 5/8-1 oz jerkbaits. With the rod, I'd throw 5/8 oz lures 50% of the time and 1 oz lures the other 50% of the time. A rod with a short butt and fast action would be great. Ideally, the rod's length would be between 6'8" and 7'2". I use braid with a mono or fluoro leader, so the guides should be able to handle a leader knot. Price isn't a big issue. Lighter is better, but I don't care much about sensitivity. Currently, I'm using a 7'6" moderate fast/H flipping stick for this application, and I'd like something lighter in weight and power, shorter, and faster. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Very roughly, I think there are two ways to drop shot. First, you cast the bait far and retrieve it somehow. The retrieve can be anything from swimming the bait to dragging it with long pauses. I don't do too much of this, so I don't have an educated opinion, but light weights seem to work best. Second, in deeper water (say 15+ feet) you use your electronics to pitch the bait to something interesting, drop the bait vertically near something interesting, or drop it on fish you see. In any of these cases, you never move the weight. This is what I normally do. Here, I like using heavy weights for a couple of reasons: [1] If I see a smallie on my graph, I want to get the bait in front of it ASAP, because there's a good chance it'll move; [2] If I want to pitch or drop to something specific (for example, the shady side of a boulder) I don't want the current moving my bait a long distance before it hits the bottom.

Non-titanium guides can rust (I don't think Avid freshwater rods have titanium guides), so I wouldn't take the chance with a rod I cared about.

I've seen them spawn between 3 and 15 feet.

People loosen the drag after fishing in order to avoid compressing their drag washers. It doesn't matter what type of line is on the reel.

As others have mentioned, he got lucky. I typically use 180 lb Stealth Tackle fluoro leaders for pike and musky. I've had fish bite through 100 lb leaders, so I don't screw around anymore. I've never had a 180 lb leader break, and they last a long time. I dislike wire leaders, because they kink.

Wave size matters more than wind. 30 MPH winds on a small lake are a minor nuisance, but they're deadly on big water. Never fish if there's any possibility of a storm. Winds can go from 0 to 60 MPH in less than a minute, and waves will react accordingly. There's no way you can land your boat without beaching it in conditions like that. Where I fish, people try tying up to something, and it ends up killing them. Every boat is different, so it's hard to give advice. But be very conservative when you're trying to learn what you and your boat can handle. For example, don't fish in 4-footers if you're not 100% confident that you can manage 3-footers. Never take chances.

Birds are usually a good sign, unless they're just sitting on the calm side of structure to take cover from the wind.

When I'm finesse fishing, I point my bow into the wind and cast directly into the wind. If you don't cast into the wind, you'll get a big bow in your line, and you won't be able to feel anything. You can also troll a finesse bait like a drop shot or a tube across the bottom. On very windy days, use your trolling motor to point your bow into the wind, and try to keep your speed at about 0.8 MPH. With practice, you'll get good at letting the wind push you through high-percentage areas. My favorite method is to drift with the wind and chuck reaction baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits. I cast with the wind and cover tons of water. If I hit a school, I spot lock about a cast's distance from them. When I spot lock, I'll often use my kicker motor to prolong the life of my trolling motor's batteries.

That shouldn't be happening with a paddle handle. Anyhow, if you keep your thumb firmly on the thumb bar during the cast, it won't happen again. It's a good habit to get into, in case you actually do end up using a power handle for anything.

It's best to match spool capacity to presentation, so I recommend determining how many leadcore, dipsies, and downrigger lines you plan on running, and choose your reels accordingly. The 800s will be great for leadcore but I doubt that you'll need even half of their line capacity for other applications. For example, if I were using it for muskies, an 800 would be about 1/3 full, so it'd be overkill.

Even a 25-lb king will spool you on a Calcutta; plus, you'll want a line counter. For salmon, you'll need at least a 45 D-sized Okuma Convector. If you plan on running lead core, you'll need something like a 55-L. If you want something fancier, go with Shimano Tekota reels. I have Okumas, and I've never had any issues with them. Shimano TDRs are great trolling rods for dipsies and lead core. I don't use downriggers. I have top-end gear for all my bass and musky casting applications, but I think expensive trolling gear for non-saltwater species is a waste of money. Durability on the cheaper products is good, and you're trolling, so you don't care about sensitivity or the weight of your combo.

Depends on current. If you want to fish a senko deeper than, say, 10 feet, you're probably better off putting one on a drop shot.

IIRC, the state record is over 11 lbs, and it was set about 80 years ago. I'm sure there are at least a few 10+'s swimming around, but good luck finding them.

I have the Rocket, which I think comes with the same 3 handles as the Beast, so I know what you're talking about. I've never owned a Beast, but I would guess that even if you put the power handle at its longest setting, it'll still be tough on you and on the reel to retrieve 10s. You'll probably want to check with a better musky fisherman than me, but if you insist on a versatile left-handed reel, I'd suggest going with the Beast with the power handle and rarely throwing 10s. You'll be fine with mag-dawg-sized-baits (assuming you keep your thumb on the spool when you rip) and anything that doesn't pull harder than 8's. IMO, giving up the ability to throw 10s or giant crankbaits isn't a huge deal, but YMMV.

You'll be able to burn anything up to 8s with the 61HS. 10s will wear you out, even with a power handle. It's personal opinion, but I think the 61 is too slow for blades. With a reel that slow, it's hard to create a big speed burst when you see a follow from far away. Plus, when you're ripping dawgs with it, you'll constantly be reeling as fast as you can just to get slack out of your line, which is a pain. If it's in your budget, I'd go with a Tranx 500 HG with a jigging world power handle. It's got 43 IPT, and it's powerful enough to handle 10s. Last year, I used a Big Nasty with a Tranx HG for everything except light lures, and it worked great. This year, I swapped the Big Nasty for a custom rod with a longer butt, but I kept the Tranx HG.

Sometimes it helps if you loosen your spool tension knob all the way when you spool your reel.

Musky fishing can be awesome. Also, the big pike, which hang out in the deepest, coldest parts of the lake from late spring to late summer, move shallow and hang out near the last remaining weed beds. I love bass fishing, but in WI, but I seldom fish for bass after early September. TLDR: A bunch of giant, pelagic fish move shallow and become catchable, once the temps start falling.

I broke the tip of a Daiwa rod on a big pike, and they honored the warranty.