Boomstick

I have a couple of two piece rods, so when I spool them I will just run it through the first guide and leave the second part off.

I'm not going to tell you what you will catch more fish on, but I am going to tell you that in my opinion fishing the hollow body frog is just more fun.

First, I need to correct you. 29 is not too late to get into bass fishing! Hell, I never fished for bass a day in my life before 35! Second, I would start by learning the sidearm cast. Basically, draw a Nike symbol with the tip of the rod and as it swings around and you start moving in a downward angle, pickup the pace of the cast. Once you get it, you'll never bird's nest again short of line digging into itself or snagging a low hanging branch. Next you can then work on your accuracy. Once casting is second nature (which really doesn't take long), this will be a lot easier. Next, work on your backhand and overhand casts. These are a bit harder, but remember that the overall motion of the tip of the rod should more or less mirror that of your sidearm cast, just in a different direction. And the one thing that got me for the longest time is I would tend to cast too light, which can result in a bird's nest -- be sure to really throw it to where you want it to go quickly (although you don't have to force it). Also release timing can be tricky.

A good reel with a good braking system will help keep you casting, which will help catch more fish. But you don't have to break the bank here. Around $135 buys a Daiwa Tatula SV on eBay or a Pflueger Supreme XT. If that's too expensive, try a Daiwa CT. But hell, I've caught fish on an Abu Garcia Black Max which cost $30!

It's a perfect spinnerbait or chatterbait rod. The tip has some initial flex but it has a lot of backbone behind that so it has enough power to set the hook although I will use my MH/F rod for anything above 1/2oz. The overall action is a little stiffer than most deep diving crankbait rods with a lot of hidden power reserves. It's also really good for fishing square bills around cover as the rebound is not too slow, but stiffer than the ideal open water crankbait rod. But given the limited space I have in my car, it's the most versatile moving bait stick I could find. If you are familiar with the St. Croix Mojo Bass Spinnerbait rod, the action is overall quite similar. It's also extremely sensitive for a glass rod. Vibrations are slightly muted, but you still can fell just about everything. It's a little heavier than it's graphite version, but the weight doesn't really bother me personally.

Currently I use primarily three rods: 6'10" MH/F Tatula casting rod with a 7.1:1 Tatula SV and 40lb braid for soft plastics, jigs, paddle tail swimbaits, frogs 7'2" MH/MH Glass Tatula casting rod with a 6.3"1 Tatula SV and 15lb fluorocarbon for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and square bills 6'9" St. Croix Avid X spinning rod paired with a Daiwa BG 2000 and 12lb Sunline SX-1 for finesse.

I am expecting it to be a late spawn this year given that some of our local lakes just thawed this past weekend. It may end up being a slightly colder spawn than usual as well -- will be interesting.

There is no right or wrong, it comes down to preference really. I like braid to leader because it casts better (less line twist) and you can switch up your leader size as appropriate. Running straight flurocarbon can be a little cheaper and quicker to spool up as you don't have to buy mono backing, braid than leader.

I had some $15 Walmart rods, but I broke them both loading them into the trunk the first fishing trip of last year. After I figured out I really liked fishing, I went and got a Tatula 6'10" MH/F and a Tatula SV reel, then added a Tatula 7'2" MH/MH glass cranking rod and a 7.1:1 reel for the older rod. This year I added a 6'9" ML/XF Avid X and a Daiwa BG for finesse and might add a frog rod and both of the boys got some quality rods as well. Next year I will add a proper frog rod. I hope to get a boat someday too, My tackle bug has taken a backseat to populate my boat fund

I have one like that. I was fishing on a rowboat with my kids and didn't have a scale, but I caught this smallie on my first cast of the day that was around 20-22" using my arm as a measurement, and pretty fat. There is a chance it was a Vermont state record, but I'll never know. Still though, a 10lb bass is quite impressive. Up here, 10 pounders are like unicorns...

Yeah it's true the taxes in some of those NY counties are so high that it tanks house values, but you end up paying as much as you would elsewhere on a house 2-3 times the cost. But there are some great spots for outdoors, especially in the Lake George - Lake Champlain area and the Adirondacks. There's a house for sale on Great Sacandaga Lake I wouldn't mind buying...

Welcome to the forums! I actually picked up fishing in a similar manner. We had some cheap rods, but rarely used them and every year, my youngest son asks if we can go fishing when we go camping. Every year the answer has been how are we going to fit rods in the car? Fast forward to last year when I bought my '92 Cadillac Brougham that has room for our camping gear, plus new camping gear I bought last year plus camping gear I couldn't fit in my old Acura RL or Dodge Charger plus rods. So we learned what we are doing by watching youtube videos and following this site and talking to others, picked up some slightly better than Walmart brand starter rods (which then turned into more serious rods etc), and gave it a shot. We had more fun last summer than ever before.

Congrats on that beauty! I hope to catch one like that someday! And welcome to the forums.

I use my Daiwa Tatula 6'10" MH/F for frogs all the time with 40lb braid even in moderate cover. I just got a Dobyns Sierra 704c for my oldest son for his birthday and while it might have a faster tip, the rod has more overall flex to it in comparison. As for the Daiwa, I believe that is a MH/MF rod so it will not have the tip you will want for fishing a frog. That said, I think you'd be fine in open waste and lighter cover.

He isn't quite a first timer anymore. I did figure that fluoroclear was a smaller line than yo zuri hybrid or cxx or some others, so I am going to take the chances on the 15lb line on casting gear being pretty decent. I could step it up to 17lb or try a heavier variant if needed. The good news is it's cheap enough! He wants to improve his soft plastic fishing so I thought the fluoroclear sounded like a good choice.

Well I did say "tighter wobble", technically not tight wobblers but they do have flat sides but a little extra height sort of like a Rat'l trap with a lip and much less wobble than the Fat Boy or even a KVD. (It's possible I have the model wrong on the Lucky Craft too, but I'm 99% sure its the RTO). I rarely use a true tight wobbler. A lot of people tell me they have great luck with them in lakes I fish at, but I never do.

If you fish around the shore through weeds, grass and stumps etc then I would use something like 14lb or 17lb Sufix Siege on the MH and 10 or 12lb on the medium for more open water situations. Also if you fish topwater, use mono. If you ever find yourself using deep divers or fishing deeper water, try fluorocarbon, especially on the MH which will probably be your deep diver rod. I would not be too concerned about differences in stretch. Both fluorocarbon and monofilament will stretch, the main differences I concern myself with is the necessity to either sink or float and price difference.

My oldest son's birthday was yesterday and I got him a new rod and reel, and I got him some Fluoroclear for primarily use with soft plastics so I'll get some first hand experience with it. I chose Fluoroclear based on tackletours review, seems to be the best bet between visibility and knot strength. My second choice was Yo Zuri Hybrid from all the forum members here who I have seen recommend it. Personally, I am expecting it to be fine. Remember people caught fish before braid and fluorocarbon exists, plus if you watch Glenn's videos, he uses it for a lot of things as well.

I pretty much stopped fishing it too for the same reasons. The only times I may consider it is for a finesse presentation, (which I normally use flurocarbon for leaders anyway so it's a moot point) but I would go with 8lb line as a leader where I will normally use 6lb with other lines. I will also use XL in 4lb on ultra light trout gear. I personally do not believe XL has any benefits or reason to be on casting gear. I tried that once too, and found the memory made it pretty much unmanageable, plus tying baits on a windy day was quite the challenge due to the loops in the line. I've had better luck with other lines. Finally, I broke off oh something that shouldn't have and went home and respooled that reel with 12lb Big Game which handled better than 14lb XT.

I have found that Trilene XL probably has just as much memory as Big Game, but the difference is 12lb big game is .35mm where Trilene XL 12lb is .33mm, so calling them both 12lb is misleading. XL might break around 12lb, but I can tell you for a fact that I've had 12lb Big Game withstand over 20lbs of pressure before. Unless you are using really light line, I would recommend Trilene XT or better yet Sufix Siege line. They are strong and have much less memory.

^^^ Couldn't say it better myself. I would recommend watching the videos on this site for more specific technique instructions. Then of course, get on the water. After a few months, you should be able to begin establishing patterns and locating bass to some extent (I quantify this because even the best of us don't always manage on some days).

Welcome! I think you will like bass fishing. Bass fishing is fun, as they respond to many different tactics at different times of the year, so it's always something different.

I would have gave up and replaced it after two seasons max! Or in some cases, midway into one if it turns out the weeds are thicker than usual and I want heavier line etc. I don't think that will be a problem this year as it will probably still be snowing until July.

That's actually really impressive.

$110 is a great price for a Tatula rod.