Boomstick

I fish primarily clear water, but I also have some weeds to contend with often so in short, I run both but like I mentioned before, my most expensive rod is my finesse rod.

I hear you there. Fortunately, I have yet to break a rod. I've lost one by loaning it to my son who lost it, but this isn't one that would ever leave my boat. And if I'm worried about low hanging trees or bridges, this rod stays at home.

I was looking more at the Steez SVF AGS with maybe a Steez SV TW or something. Occasionally I see them at a pretty decent price, and maybe I can find something decent this black friday. They have a 7'1" MH/XF rod which should do the trick, and a 7'5" MH/F as well and a 7'1" H/F. They also have a 7'2" MH+/F but they list that as a topwater, spinnerbait and deep diving crankbait rod, so it's probably not a great jig rod. Also the Megabass Destroyer FMJ looks like it would be a good all around jig rod.

I think that's a great suggestion, and the primary reason why that wasn't option #3 is that my most expensive rod is my Avid X 6'9" ML/XF that I use for finesse fishing, so I have a pretty decent setup there. The GLX/NRX are among the options I'm considering along with Megabass or maybe Steez since I'm a Daiwa fanboy admittedly - depending if I can find a pretty good deal

So I have been debating this idea for a while now of buying one high end rod and reel setup. You guys have largely got me curious. There's a few rods and reels I'm considering, but I'm less interested in the make and model to go with right now than what I should get it for - although I largely have it narrowed down to two options. My first and most obvious thought is something I could use for T-Rigs and dragging jigs (primarily 3/8oz and lighter and occasionally 1/2oz) through lighter cover - something I almost always have rigged up, and the presentation makes sense. My second thought is something slightly heavier that would be more of an all around jig rod, better for 1/2oz jigs. I lost my 7'1" jig rod this past summer, so I could kill two birds with one stone here, although I'm not opposed to buying the same rod again (as long as it arrives in one piece). Of course, if there is anything else, I'm open to suggestions as well.

I haven't used them, but I can say that I know they are decent units and people who do own them very largely recommend them, if that helps.

I don't fish in many lakes with Walleye too often - the only one I caught was on a crankbait, and I almost caught a good sized one on a spinnerbait when was in Canada a few years back. But I have seen people using flukes on small jigheads and catching a good number of Walleye before.

Sometimes small (1/4oz) poppers can be effective late in the year. I usually go with slow rolled colorado bladed spinnerbaits, jigs and jerkbaits myself.

The only time I did it was one time when I landed a good sized smallie and realized I had my drag set too lightly when trying to keep the line tight to try to keep the fish from jumping and shaking the treble hooks, but I don't normally need to do it. But I do know many people do.

I really like the 3/8oz jigs for up to 12ft feet of water, and 1/2oz for anything above that and only heavier if I'm fishing exclusively in 20ft+ of water. But if there is no cover, I wouldn't hesitate to go much lighter.

I could only imagine what it must have been like to hear the first Van Halen album when it first came out. The tone was incredible and EVH was basically faster and cleaner than any rock guitarist was before him. There's a reason it was the second most influential rock guitar album. RIP

That should work in almost any water clarity, as long as the fish in the lake you are fishing, where you are want it on that day

I had a Daiwa Tatula 7'1' H/F "Jig" rod that I imagine would do the trick nicely. I leant it to my son and he lost it as it fell off his kayak into the pond, but will likely buy a new one this winter.

I have a fairly small tackle re-supply list and I hope to replace the 7'1" Daiwa Tatula H/F "Jig" rod that I leant to my youngest son this summer and he dropped off his kayak. I am contemplating buying one really high end setup probably to fish jigs and T-rigs, since that makes the most sense as a vertical presentation and I always have one or the other rigged up. Not that I feel I really need it, but this forum has made me curious.

My personal thoughts on the matter is if going with a cheap casting setup, the reel is going to be more important. If you are fishing with something that doesn't have a working brake system and having trouble casting far or not getting birds nests or both, then your chance of putting that lure in front of a fish to even get a shot at trying to see if you can detect the bite diminishes a ton. Now once you get into decent reels, I think it starts to run to favor the rod more.

Now that makes sense - I thought you were saying you hardly use side imaging, and I've found some of the best spots using side imaging.

I had it narrowed down to the Helix and the Echomap UHD, ended up going with the Garmin because I was able to figure out how to use them in the store. But the side imaging really depends on the water you'r fishing doesn't it? I find places with tons of drop offs, rocks and fallen trees are great for side imaging, especially earlier and later in the year.

I went straight for the Garmin EchoMap UHD 93sv. Being a Bonafide SS127 with a center mounted dry pod, the 9" screen doesn't get in the way and it has the full spectrum of features. And I was in a situation where I couldn't really afford it, but I knew I would have the money for it in a few months. I found credit card that has 0% interest and offers better rewards than my current credit card, and threw a little at it each month over the summer. Now I'm set for a while.

@snake95 The 7" is the perfect size if you mount it on the tracks on the side of the boat like most people do. As far as the EchoMap vs the Helix, they're kind of polar opposites among fish finders. Garmins are very easy to use, and do not require a whole lot of settings changes in different waters. Hummingbirds aren't as user friendly and are a bit more finicky, but they have some pretty amazing imaging. I went the EchoMap route myself, but my second choice was the Helix.

As @Sprocket said, the importance is really up to the individual person. If you fish small lakes and ponds you can row around the lake and create your own maps which can actually be quite fun if you have the time - and in real small lakes, you can commit the general depth and slopes to memory easily enough. When I take advantage of the maps is when I am fishing on larger lakes (on a kayak) which is most useful giving me a direction when I'm first starting. You can also use your phone to pull up a depth chart of the lake you are on as well - it's not as nice as an active GPS map, but if you're looking at saving a few bucks on the Striker it's a very useful option to have. The unit I have is the Garmin EchoMap UHD 93sv - the imaging is pretty clear and it's very easy to use. Here is a video that describes how to map a lake and customize the colors on an EchoMap UHD - the Strikers should work similar. One thing he mentions as well is that you can download other user's quickdraw maps as well which you may find useful - although it is fun to make your own and you can set some waypoints as well.

Oh I have a few more.

^10. Well I'm sure you know Andy McKee who's clearly influenced by Don Ross and Preston Reed.

The tech is there, but right now it would be quite expensive.

^10. Solid playing, great arrangements! While we're on acoustic guitarists, my dad introduced me to Preston Reed when I was maybe 8 years old and I've been a fan since.

^10 classic!