badgerboyng

I'm almost certain that the only thing they changed on the new LTBs is the handle. They've been upgraded to have the same handles as the Legend Elite rods, but the blanks are the exact same. Because of this, I wouldn't expect the balance to be drastically different on the new rods. I haven't handled any in person, though, so I can't say for certain.

I like the dirty jigs swim jig for all around use, lethal weapon II for open water / smallmouth, and lethal weapon IV in vegetation. Dirty jigs has a lot of colors, but a lot of the best colors always seem to be sold out online. Lethal weapon has a smaller color selection but I catch a ton of fish using three basic colors: black/blue or purple, green pumpkin orange, and pearl. The lethal weapon jigs are hand tied and have an amazing wire bait keeper. The paint is extremely durable and I've put the hooks through hell and they keep on going.

Would the 6'8 M XF avid X, which is not technique specific, have a soft enough tip, or does that line of rods act more like jig/worm rods?

It sounds like it would work well with hybrid line or maybe abrazX, since it's got a bit of stretch. Thanks everyone!

I see that the St Croix 6'8 M XF rods are labeled as topwater rods. I'm a little surprised by that, since spooks and poppers have treble hooks. I would expect an x fast rod to rip the small trebles out. Does this rod (in any of St Croix's lines) actually work well for treble hook baits such as spooks? If so, I think it would work well for jerkbaits too. Any opinions on this? I know they make a 6'8 fast jerkbait rod, but I'm curious to hear how well the x fast tip works.

I detailed (cleaned) cars in my driveway for $80, which ended up being more like $100 with a tip. It would take me around 4-5 hours and it was hard work, but all you need is a hose, a bucket, some high quality towels, cleaning supplies/wax, and a nice shop vac. Doing that just a few times was enough to buy some nice equipment/lures. I didn't do it every week though, it was something I would do a few times per month during the warm months.

A lot of people keep their hooks like this, you just have to be VERY careful not to jab the line guide with the point of the hook. Just hook it on either side of the line guide, above the level wind. I've also seen people place the hook on the handle on casting reels. On spinning reels, you can put the hook on the bail.

I use 10lb white braid on my spinning gear because it gives me greater sensitivity, allows me to cast further, reduces line twist greatly on spinning gear (bye bye wind knots!), and because the thin white braid floats enough for me to see when the line twitches (very important for most finesse techniques) but not thick enough to where it's floating so much that there's a huge bow in the line. As for breaking the line on a bad snag, I'd rather lose the lure than break a rod from trying to free a snag with stronger line or dealing with cut up hands from stronger braid digging into me while freeing a snag. Sure you can bend out hooks with stronger line, but with finesse fishing, I'm not usually losing anything expensive... Maybe a tube jig or senko. Not the end of the world. And as others have said already, don't underestimate the strength of 10lb braid, it can easily bring in the fish of a lifetime in open water.

That makes sense. It's easier to put on the cover than to clean bug guts and dirt out of the interior.

I've never owned a boat, but I was under the impression that people only use boat covers when they store their boats outside. I don't think I've ever seen a boat pull up to a launch with a cover on it. Why would someone cover their boat only for the ride to and back from the lake? I ask because in my mind why protect the boat from the sun during the 30min-2hr drive to the lake and then fish on the water with the boat exposed to the sun for 4-12hrs? Can someone explain their reasoning?

It's okay if a 3/8oz tube is too heavy for it, because I have the Avid X wacky rod that can handle heavier plastics. I like to always have a senko tied on to that rod but I can always use it for a heavy tube or shaky head if needed.

I'm thinking about getting the LTB drop shot rod (6'10 ML XF). I want to use it for drop shots of course, but I also want a rod that will be great for tubes used for smallmouth (1/8-3/8oz tube jigs). Has anyone had experience with this rod? If so, would you recommend it for tubes or is the tip too soft? As a bonus I'm interested to hear if this rod would work well for finesse jig worms, such as shakey head finesse worms and Ned rigs. Finally, I'd like to hear people's opinions on whether or not the sensitivity of this rod is overkill for these techniques. Thanks

Thanks for all of the replies so far! I have only been using the forum portion of this website, but I'll definitely start digging through the articles on the main website. I'll check out the youtube videos for sure. I will have to start building connections with people who fish Sturgeon Bay a lot so I can get some *** on where to go. It's so daunting to locate them in a few days without tips from locals. Thanks guys, keep em coming!

I'm looking for suggestions of resources (books, videos, online articles, etc) that explain bass location really well. I've read In Fisherman's bass location book, and it was helpful, but I'm looking for additional resources. I've never been able to consistently find bass, and since I plan on fishing tournaments next year, I really need to step up my game. Also I should mention that I fish ponds, lakes, rivers, and Sturgeon Bay for LM and SM, so I need to learn about each of those types of water and both types of bass. All suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Has anyone used the spro fat papa 55 squarebill? If so, what colors work best? I'm starting to get into cranking and I want to streamline my color selection until I gain confidence, then I might branch into more colors. For now though I want to stick with what works.

The 6' 8" M XF Avid X is definitely an amazing finesse rod, as others have mentioned. Great for wacky rigged senkos, perfect for poppers, works for small jerkbaits, skipping, etc. I would start with that one, which is a good middle ground. Use that for a while and then you will know if you want another rod that is lighter or heavier. Then either buy a ML fast or X-fast for things like drop shots, light tubes, etc - or get a MH fast for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc.

There are a lot of lakes around my house and my cabin up north that are under 500 acres. Many of my favorites are about 200 acres. I would love to also go on the Wisconsin river and possibly Sturgeon Bay for massive smallmouth, although it might not be possible from a small watercraft. Although J Francho says it can be done, maybe after I get comfortable with paddling if I choose a kayak. I've looked at a few kayaks that are unbelievably stable. My friend's parents have a boat with a very deep V hull that we can use for large water, but we can only take it out rarely. I want something that I can load up by myself and go fishing alone whenever I want and my friend with the boat is busy. Everyone made good points about the cost... Both options have a lot of hidden costs that pile up. I guess I'll have to increase my budget to accommodate for the extras (paddle or gas tank, etc). I'll admit that getting a boat registered and taking a boating class and all of that seems like a huge pain in the butt.

$600 is pretty cheap. Where can I find that?

Mixed opinions so far. I just think I could get a really nice kayak for the money, compared to a pretty junky boat. However, I forgot to mention that I already have an old 7.5 horsepower motor in my shed, which might make a boat the better option.

I'm on a tight budget, and want a boat for under $1k. I've never had a boat before, and my car is a Nissan Altima, so I know I can't tow much (1,000lbs). Nobody in my family and only one of my friends that lives near me has a boat, so I don't get to fish much. I'd like to get my own boat so I can finally get out on the water whenever I want, but I have two limitations: my budget ($1k) and my car (1,000lbs). One option is to get a really nice kayak (emotion, vibe, or feel free) for under 1k, and then upgrade it with time. I do not have a roof rack on my car, but I'm thinking maybe I could just buy soft roof racks for $100 and make it work. I can see this working well for the small ponds and lakes around me, however, I'm not sure if I could take a kayak out on the Wisconsin River, which can run pretty high/fast. On the other hand, my friend got really lucky on Craigslist before and got a nice little boat with a motor, trolling motor, and trailer, all in excellent condition, for about $600. I am confident that I could tow that with my car. I could use a small old aluminum boat and motor on small lakes and ponds, but again it might not be strong enough for the WI River. Or I could just keep saving my money for a few years until I have a vehicle capable of towing more and then buy a larger aluminum boat for a few grand. What do you guys think? Kayak or small old boat? Or should I suck it up and wait a few more years?

You can rig a tube by inserting a tube jig into the tube, and then poking the line tie through the tube and then tying your line to it. Or you can use a small worm/T-Rig hook and lay the bend of the hook along the outside of the tube. You can peg a weight to it like that. Another thing you can do is hook the tube through the nose and then use it on a drop shot, or cast it out like that and let it drift. Two popular ways to fish a tube are to drag it slowly on the bottom or to pitch a t-rigged one into cover or my favorite is to skip them under docks.

Drop shot, tubes, trick/finesse worms on a small shaky head, Ned rig, small wacky rigged senkos (4" or less), tiny swim baits (4" or less) can be killer, and of course you can throw a beetle spin (tiny spinner bait) with a light trailer... Don't be deceived by the small size of these baits - fish them with close attention and subtle movements and you can catch some really big bass. Try to choose just a few of those things. It seems like you're not used to fishing these lures, so keep it simple with a few at first. Don't get overwhelmed!

Just weighed my Stradic FK 3000 spooled with 6lb Yo Zuri hybrid line: 8.45oz... seems to me like Shimano's listed weight of 8.3oz with no line is accurate.

Walmart still sells the 3700 series water proof trays... They're $10. Cabela's has all Plano trays 25% off right now, at least by me. You just have to look.

Have her come with you and read a book while you fish. It's the most classic solution.