MattC

exactly, that 4oz mark is probably the safest limit. If I knew I was gonna have the success I had for the year so far on swimbaits I probably woulda jumped straight into the Champion swimbait rod lineup but I didn't have any confidence in tossing a big bait at them and only expected to catch some pike but over the winter I'll be adding a champion 807 and probably pick up a 806 fury or champion for the lighter stuff. Just would really like a heavier rod like the 807 to throw some bigger baits since that rod's ratings are right around the standard swimbait weights you typically see on some of the bigger 8-10" baits and from reading a lot of feedback the 807 is the true "do all" rod for jig hooks and treble hooks

I have the Dobyns 795 I got at the beginning of season to try solely swimbaits with for my entire season. knowing what the rod is rated for and looking at baits and competing sizes I sorta narrowed it down to specific sized baits I figured I'd have the best luck and chance of catching fish on. the Rod is rated 1-5oz but I wouldn't throw anything bigger then a s waver 200 (3.5oz) on the rod because you can really feel the rod load up and stress and didn't wanna damage or break the rod but I didn't plan on tossing anything bigger then the waver 200 so I just made sure to keep my casting under control and not get careless with casts and start trying to launch the bait across the pond or lake which in reality ya don't need to these baits are already heavy enough, all you have to do is make sure you load up the rod and let the reel and your thumb do the rest of the work cus the bigger baits naturally just wanna keep flying! I tossed a lot of weedless Hudd 68s on the rod and it casts them perfectly and hook sets with it are fine you just gotta lay into them and grind them into shore or the boat and keep there head coming towards you and not let them jump and shake or else heart break happens don't ask how I know about that! But honestly the rod will do what you're looking for it to do another option you can look at it is the 806 from the same Fury line up, little heavier and better suited for the heavier stuff and will probably do better for hook sets but that's another very solid option and will also allow you to toss some bigger baits if you get hooked into the swimbait world which definitely can and will happen, I originally just wanted to try it out and well now my fishing is solely swimbaits and the collection and buying habit is bad but is definitely fun and very rewarding when you finally hook into a fish!

I have both the perch and trout color huddlestons along with other colored hudds and the best producing color I've had is the green/silver. not saying the perch or trout color won't work for you, just mentioning what I've had success on. but if your lakes have Perch in them and believe the bass are eating the Perch then I'd say go with the Perch completely solely on having the confidence in that color. that is a big major role in the big bait stuff if you don't have confidence in the bait then you won't be able to catch a fish not saying it won't completely happen but that's a big mention at least just because you'd wanna throw it more and also throw the bait into some places others may not and that could be the key for that successful bite if that makes any sense?

you'll be happy with the Fury 795 for sure. I'm happy with mine and toss a lot of smaller glides on my 795 but mainly toss a lot of Deps 175 Slide Swimmers and the rod casts them and handles the weight perfectly, have also the Hudd 68 on this rod and it handled it find. Only thing I wouldn't toss is a 8" Hudd on the 795 I've heard of guys doing it in a pinch but they weren't making bomb casts just pitching the 8" Hudd to select cover and that's it or would make a regular cast but mainly just lob it out there. You'll be happy with the Fury 795 if you decide to go that route for sure!

correct the map card will work in it but my worry is the transducer difference between the 2 meaning the LakeVu "bundle" version that you can buy VS the version we got which is the "BlueChart G2" which is the coastal version that comes with a difference transducer that's geared towards fishing deeper water and I'd like to get the best quality image possible and if the deeper water coastal version can't give me a better image similar to the "LakeVu" bundle version that comes with the other transducer geared towards your shallower water that you'd find in lakes then I'd like to return it and exchange for the 73sv (that's geared toward inland waters) since I don't see spending $300 on the other transducer for the shallower better quality image, if that makes sense?

^ indeed it didn't. guess the LakeVu card only was offered or came with the 94SV's according to the BPS flyer and after digging the Internet and Garmin's direct homepage for there marine fish finders the 74/94's are for coastal waters and the 73/93's are the inland waters versions? that's my understanding from there website and when you click on the "LakeVu" option for say a 7" or the 9" it changes to 73sv or 9sv and if ya click the "BlueChart G2" mapping which is the coastal mapping it changes them to 74sv or 94sv and you also see the transducers switch from 51/52 I believe which is the "8-pin" VS "12-pin"

My dad just bought the Garmin Echomap 74SV yesterday from a local BPS store and practically stole it for the deal he got. Now after doing some research since I never really looked a lot at the Garmin offerings mainly just the Lowramce/Humminbird stuff so the Garmin's are completely new to me but we wanted to upgrade to something that'll make it a little easier to help locate fish this upcoming season compared to small hook 3 that came on boat, but now after seeing the 74SV is geared toward more coastal waters and not inland (since we only fish inland lakes) I believe I'm gonna have to break the bad news and tell him it's gotta go back and focus on getting the 73SV or going to something like the humminbird G2. We're completely new to this whole electronics thing and boat fishing we've always beat the banks and pond hoped so this learning curve is pretty big and figured a half way decent electronic setup would maybe help the learning curve. do you guys think the 74SV would still work well for lakes that are 50-70ft deep even though our fishing will be in the 30ft or less? just wanna make sure we get something that'll work and best image! Thanks, Matt

I've had some decent success tossing 3/8oz jigs around the thick hydrilla edges just popping them off the bottom real hard and letting them sit back on bottom for a minute and repeating, believe they call it "soaking a jig" but not exactly sure on the terminology of it. I also grabbed a few different size Beast Coast Punch skirted weights in 3/8 1/2 and 3/4 and where the grass is thicker I've been punching the 3/4 through it but some areas a jig even with weed guard still gets snagged so I peg the beast coast punch deal on with a creature/craw bait and drag it through the hydrilla and that's produced as well

I've heard and read about guys throwing the big 8"-10" Hudds with a 5:8:1 gear ratio, even the smaller 68 specials just slow rolling it along the bottom across points or creeping it on the bottom but I didn't know if the smaller Grass Minnows OR weedless Shads were meant to be fished the same way as there bigger brothers with a 5:8 or slower reel or meant to be used with a 6:3 or 6:6 ratio? I thought maybe these were designed for the pond hoping guys or the guys who fish an area where there isn't a double digit that we ALL would like to catch 1 day if we already haven't. I've tossed my Hudd Gill with a 6:6 ratio a few times with no takers now idk if I was in right spot or not but plan on throwing my 68 specials once the weather cools down and the bass start feeding up for winter in hopes of hooking up with a decent size North Eastern Bass, thanks for the input so far everyone!

I'm wondering gear ratio I should be using for the Huddleston Weedless Grass Minnows and also what ratio for the Huddleston Weedless Shad? I know everyone seems to preach a slow 5:8:1 for the big Hudds but what about the smaller Hudds like the grass minnow and Shad? I've heard if you use a ratio that's to fast all they'll do is roll over and not swim straight or true, so looking to find out or hear what's the best ratio for these 2 baits? Looking forward to everyones replies! Thanks, Matt

throw a 3/8 jig whatever brand you want and throw a nice trailer on there I prefer a rage craw chunk due to all the action and it allows me to either hop it along the bottom or I can swim it like a swim jig since that rage craw chunk has a bunch of action! allows me to kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone

I've been using the VMC 4/0 1/8oz swimbait hook w/screw lock on all my 4.8 Fat Impacts with amazing success recently just tossing them around in ponds and have been really impressed with the VMC hooks, was actually able to grab some different hooks/sizes since they were on sale at my local Field & Stream! I have used the exact same size 4/0 1/8oz hooks as I stated on the 3.8 Impact Fat but it was definitely pushing it for size so I'd feel more comfortable using a 3/0 either weighted or un-weighted

I did just recently open up my horizon or broaden my horizon I guess you could say by trying the whole punching thing with good results so far! I like you have been fishing a jig quite a bit this season and end of last season and more specifically at a pond me and little brother frequent often and would always smash them just hoping a jig around the weed edges and just always stuck with due to that mentality of "if it works keep doing it" I eventually wanted to try something new and after looking at those big grass clumps after a couple trips figured ehh what the heck if I'm catching them on the outside imagine what's in the center! so I went to punching those clumps of grass and it paid off so punching can definitely be a solid option to try if thick grass or mats are in the area and you're able to catch them in the edges! it never hurts to try at least and helps the thinking at least on the way home where you start to ponder "I wonder what woulda happened if I punched the mats/grass" but hey if it doesn't work or you feel more comfortable throwing that jig then by all means definitely stick with it, nothing wrong with that at all!

Also check out the GrandeBass AirTail Rattler, I grabbed a pack and fished them last week to try out on shaky heads and the tail was up and moving with very little rod tip movement. I did lose a few of the tails due to Bluegills but the action on them was pretty sweet

I grabbed a couple over the winter to try out thinking the same thing, I've thrown it but no successful bites yet hopefully going to toss it around some more this weekend. It is a pretty cool design though, it's something different in my jig box for a change

I fished the 6" FAT without any issues and also if I found myself needing to shorten up the worm I'd bite however much I needed off and still performed great like all roboworms, if you're undecided just grab a couple packs of the 4.5" in whatever color you'd like to try and if you have some 6" FAT's try taking a small bite off til you find the right size

ive fished the Eco pro tungsten wacky weight and have had some success with them

I just fished my new DC703c yesterday for a bit and was pleased for what I was tossing around (spinnerbaits and a couple 3/8 jigs and also threw a 1/4 shaky head) was beyond pleased on how it fished and it had tons of sensitivity in it. when I first got it in my hand I immediately thought "this rod feels light" meaning it's more like a medium instead of it being a meadium heavy but after fishing it noticed it fell more into the medium heavy feel but the rod is extremely balanced. my next rod will be a DC704c for just strictly tossing jigs and dragging them around in that 3/8 and up window though

I seen a post on Instagram not to long ago about a possible release of them at end of March once they got prices and packaging in order but now the patient wait will begin until June hopefully!

exactly how this is, it'll cruise at 40-45 and isn't a gas pig. when we he picked it up he bought it on the spot and guy said it was hardly used and my dad thought maybe the guy was just saying that to get it sold but when the bait was winterized for the year they checked the motor and the motor only had 11hrs on it and that's after we used for the remaining of the summer that was left

the boat my father picked up used last year over the summer is a Crestliner fishhawk 1650 w/90hp merc, the boat is maxed out with the 90 on the back. I love seeing his face light up with the big smile and all when the lake is clear and calm and he lets the 90hp eat. I'm not saying it's a rocket but for a deep V aluminum boat that's 16'9" w/ my dad, younger brother and me on it she cruises nicely

my father jumped on a lightly used Fish Hawk 1650 over the summer last year for a smoking deal, he was in the same shoes as you are deciding between deep V or bass boat but when the list started for what he wanted and wanting to be able to get him me my little brother and mom on it for a day out fishing and cruising around so deep V was the only practical option and when he located this boat he didn't believe price but price was true drove 2hrs one way bought it on sight and its been great so far. the guy selling the boat wasn't lying either when he said hardly used, when the boat went in for winterization they ran tests on the merc 90hp and it only had 11hrs total run time on it. only issue I've seen is storage is sorta tough but ya make do and when it's only me dad and brother and we stop to fish the back row seats unfold down to further extended the rear casting deck which is a BIG plus!

I have a BPS and Gander Mountain both an hour and a half ride from my house. Gander Mountain is literally 5minutes down the road from BPS and while at BPS over the summer I drove down the road to Gander and noticed they had higher prices on almost everything in the fishing department compared to BPS and on top of that not a single person in the department to help the numerous customers that were in that specific area alone. There were quite a few father and sons there looking to buy stuff or looking to get started fishing together and it killed me to see them not be able to have any questions answered for them to have an idea what they'd need or what would work best for the surrounding area waters. luckily they had the same thought as I and drove back down to BPS where there were MANY associates working with actual real knowledge who know the local waters and what works best.

sweet! now this is even more motivation for me and my little brother to get kayaks

seem to be having some issues resizing the picture in order to post it. any help would be appreciated just shoot me a pm