Deplorable Fisherman

A few of my favorite setups.

After reading the OP I was going to chime in with the same response. The CT does not have Daiwa's Zero Adjust so you will need to set up the rig traditionally, using the tension knob to adjust to lure weight. I have older SV TWs without the Zero Adjust and Tatula 100s and an Alphas SV TW with it.

Best: Trilene 100% Trilene 100% and Trilene 100% Worst: Anything Sufix I've gone through dozens of brands and their different iterations of fluoro and Trilene 100% fluoro is without a doubt the best I've used. I'm still cussing over lost fish and lures from using Sufix trash and it's been a couple of years since I spooled it up.

Nice! I'll be in MN starting this Friday as well. Hoping the bite is on!

My latest acquisition. Daiwa HRF Sonic Speed St Croix Avid X 7'10" Heavy

I generally take a few trips up to Minnesota every year. We hit the Mississippi river a lot but this years rain kept us on lakes. A few weeks after opener, despite blue bird skies for a few days, we hooked in to several nice LMs in the 4.5 to 5 lb range.

Me as well. Bought a couple of reels from them. Also check out Simmons sporting goods. Very good deals can be found. Stick with a Tatula CT. Don't bother with the type R. It's really not worth it unless maybe you're salt water fishing. I have both and they fish the same.

Daiwa Procyon 3000 St. Croix Premier SG 7' M 14 lb fireline crystal w/ 12 lb Seaguar fluoro leader Eagle Claw Shaw Grigsby HP hook Chompers 4" green pumpkin or watermelon seed w/ bell sinker inside (weight depends on depth, current, etc.) The action the tube has with this setup is fantastic. It gets the bites.

Largemouth - 4" Chompers Green Pumpkin Tube Smallmouth - 3" Heddon Excalibur Spit'n Image

I have a Tatula CT Type R and a regular Tatula CT as well as Tatula TW SV. The Tatula CT Type R is really not worth the extra cash over a regular CT (unless you are fishing saltwater I guess) and the TW SV is leaps above them both. I'm not the most agile person so I always seemed to have a problem skipping jigs around and under docks and cover, but that SV spool sure made a difference. I feel like a pro when I use that reel. It's really helped me fish better in the right situations. Plus I can launch a lure a mile with little to no thumbing of the spool and it just doesn't backlash once it's dialed in.

I think you made a great choice. I have two BGs and they are excellent reels.

I used to use the alberto all the time. Recently saw a way to tie the FG knot quicker and it's all I use now. Still takes a bit more time, but really is the best knot to use. 100% strength and such a low profile there are zero issues with casting.

I just came to say......hmmmm.....that user name looks familiar!

Do you think the change in bass opener will effect fishing? I used to live in Minnesota and go there at least 4 times a year and recollections of opener usually happening around post spawn was a bummer. A few times when the weather remained cold until opener it was fantastic. But I also fear that guys who live well their catches until the end of the day for pictures might impact the quality of fishing. Taking a fish far from it's bed might impact reproduction. Back to topic though I've been out about a dozen times this year just bank fishing and have caught about 60 bass. I don't keep an accurate count.

Anyone in the Northwest Indiana area fish the La Salle Fish and Wildlife / Black Oak Bayou? Anyone familiar with Zack DeYoung, the new manager who has decided to drain the Black Oak Boyou in favor for more bird hunting? Even though 500+ signatures on a petition were presented because he didn't bring it to the board or hold a community meeting over the idea, he just decided on his own. Now I am all for the hunters having their days.....but the bayou already closed between Aug. 15th to the end of the year and allowed over 600 ducks alone to be taken out of the area just last year....how many birds need to be blasted? Not to mention the impact it will have on the bald eagles that have begun to flourish in the area. The bayou is down 3 feet and most of the lillies have died out and it looks more like a swamp that has been gassed and bombed than a lake. I went there yesterday and my heart sank. I could not believe the once beautiful bayou looked like a war had happened. It was truly the only quality fishing spot in all of NW Indiana and now it is gone. Zack DeYoung needs to be fired and the area needs to be restored to it's splendor.

I used to tell everyone I caught 'em at Lake Nunya, but everyone knows where that's at now. So I send them to my new favorite body of water, Nodouches Lake. You'd be surprised how many people google search Nodouches Lake! Haha