Boomstick

If you have a M/F rod, use that for 3/8oz and smaller chatterbaits (consider moving up to a MH for a heavy trailer). Alternatively, if you are using braid, try fluorocarbon or mono for more stretch, and if you are using fluorocarbon, try mono which has more stretch typically.

Considering your garage is only 19.8' deep, you may have to look at a smaller boat but I was impressed with the Lund Renegade 1775, with the Ranger RT 178 being a distant second favorite boat around 17.x Ft long. The Lund just optimizes the space better, the deck is longer and the rod locker is 100% on the deck itself but can hold 8' rods.

I typically find the demo models in stores are not the smoothest reels in the orice range generally which is their general downside. My 6.3:1 reel however is among the smoothest I own, so I consider that the abnormality here. Still, it's a good reel and arguably the best in the general price range.

I own two SVs and they really are great reels One of them (the newer one) has a slight click in it, the other is as smooth as butter. I use a 6.3:1 on my moving bait stick. It's good for those smaller, lighter spinnerbaits and lighter cranks, and still works well for heavier baits. I use a 7.1:1 on my worm/jig/frog rod. I plan on eventually getting a heavy rod for frogs and jigs, and will likely get a Tatula CT on that one unless I should find another Pflueger Supreme XT for $110 new.

I would go target catfish or atlantic salmon

Yeah that's the problem that the lake is fairly small and it gets over 60 feet deep in parts, but around those parts seems to be where I expect to find the smallies at. Much of the rest of the lake is shallow with slimy weedy bottoms where that's the sandy bottom area, other than the southeastern shoreline, which is where I caught what was by far the largest smallie I have ever caught, and still the largest black bass I have caught to date and I can drift along that shore decently.

I was debating trying a medium or deep diving crank in the deeper areas. One of these days I will give that a shot, I bet I'd do good there.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. There probably isn't much I can do about drifting. I will definitely give this a shot. This particular lake screams drop shot.

Hey guys I just wanted to see how you all deal with this situation. Today I rented a canoe up at Emerald Lake State Park and caught a 2.53lb smallmouth bass. Can't complain there because everybody had a rough day fishing wise and it was.the most fun I had all year. The situation I found myself in was that the drop shot seemed to be the perfect bait for the spawning smallies in the lake I was fishing, but with the way the canoe drifts, it drags me out if my target area rather quickly, where in the past I've had luck in the same lake working the shoreline with a spinnerbait as those casts are generally much quicker. Would I be better off using a Texas rigged worm/senko or jigs than trying finesse? What do you guys who are far more experienced with fishing from a canoe recommend I do in this situation?

Maybe it was a bad batch from the factory, I have no idea I'm just saying I have seen many that are straight or at least straight as far as the eye can tell and not bowed like yours so it doesn't apply to all Vengeance rods. So it be worthwhile to get a replacement through warranty.

I wish I thought of that now too!

I have seen Vengeance rods that are straight. I'm guessing that shipment was forced to sit crooked for a while or something.

I am going to say 6-7, but pictures can be deceiving so it's really tough to tell. here's a trick to help you out. Compare it against your index finger to your elbow. I know that for me (6'3") that runs exactly 18.5". So it's much easier to estimate the say 5" over that 18.5" than the entire length. I figured this out when I caught both the largest bass and largest smallie of my life last summer on a rowboat and had no scale.

Maybe your granddaughter can give my kids some pointers. Sounds like she's figured it out.

My son has a book of unique and famous animals, and this cat is in it so I'm going with legit. Back to the original topic, I went to play the clip and all I heard was my girlfriend yelling "If I hear that clip one more time, I'm going to donkey punch you"

I try to buy decent rods and reels so I will have them a long time. Unless a new model has something to offer that my current gear can't do, and it would have to be something fairly significant as well, I'm not going to run out to buy the latest gear. If I am adding a new rod and reel to my lineup, I will look at the latest gear.

First, what size weight and lure are we talking? If we're talking about light lures like 1/4oz and under, spinning is going to win by a mile. So for the sake argument I am going to assume we are talking about 1/2oz lures. So that said, I am going to probably have to go with the baitcaster. As far as price is concerned price is a non factor because I bought my oldest son an Abu Garcia Black Max to learn on which retails for $50 and can be had for $30 and I can cast as far on this reel as any of our more expensive reels. The difference is largely that the more expensive reels have far fewer issues with backlashing as they have much better braking systems. That said, I do a lot more casting on a casting reel, so I'm better practiced which may affect the result.

For around $75 on eBay and often Amazon or even full $100 retail price, it's hard to beat the Daiwa BG. It's sort of an odd model in a sense that it's a very well made reel that ignores the latest trend of dropping weight. That's the way I'd go, but I don't think you will be disappointed with anything from Shimano or Pflueger in the price range (unless you have large hands - the bail on some Shimanos hits my thumb).

I use a 7'2" MH/MF rod which is good for fishing in grass and has some bend as well.

I figured as much, but if everyone is catching them on a more vertical presentation, then I would try that. It's probably hotter there, so daytime bass are less likely to chase a moving bait.

I would wager you see a lot of baitfish in the parts you can see anything in the real shallow areas, so if I'm correct then that would be a good morning or dusk spot. Now in the middle of a hot summer's day, those bass are going to seek any shaded areas they can find, and those who cant find cover will be around the pond, but Id start sith the deeper areas once you've exhausted all cover.

I didn't suggest the drop shot or Ned rig because I saw muddier water, although you can definitely try finesse techniques as well. I tend to lean towards finesse as my preferred way of fishing soft plastics personally. Seems to be more effective up north.

This seems like a complicated scenario. Have you looked to see what people catching the large bass are catching them on? I assume they are catching then in the same are you are? If they're on a boat halfway across the lake, that's fairly meaningless. It seems you are using the right kind of lures from your description. You could try fishing soft plastics, jigs and Carolina rigs (use a mono leader for your Carolina rig so it will float), which are generally fished slower. If others are catching fish on slower presentations, maybe that's the fish's mood.

I second the St. Croix mojo bass. Probably the best rods made in two pieces, and not bad rods either,

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