Boomstick

I just got my oldest son one but we haven't made it out yet. I was hoping to make it out today, but it's quite cold and my foot is killing me. It's certainly been upgraded compared to the regular SLX though, so I think it will be worth it. I have been seeing many people say they prefer it to their Curado K and Curado 70s as well, so I figure it was worth a try. If nothing else, it's a bit smaller than the Curado K with the spool being maybe 80% the width which makes it more comfortable to palm. He will probably use it for real light finesse jigs and weightless soft plastics, but it's also supposed to be decent for skipping and pitching so he could use it for 3/8 and 1/2oz jigs and heavier T-Rigs too, not sure if he's decided.

To be honest, I think your reel will be fine. If nothing else, I would apply oil to the bearings and when you take the spool out, clean up what you can with a Q-Tip.

I have the Tatula 7'4" frog rod. It has a ton of power to pull the biggest bass out of the thickest of cover and it casts the smaller 2.25" LiveTarget frogs which happen to be my favorite very well. If you are looking to double up and fish jigs, get the Sierra 735C which has a softer tip and is better for multi-use, but if you want a pure frog rod, the 7'4" Tatula is absolutely awesome for that.

Well jerkbaits are clearly winning out here, but I have to say crankbaits deserve a mention here. At certain times of the year poppers can beat out both.

Look for a bottom of sand or gravel with rocks maybe as large as a basketball, no larger. They will suspend next to these rocks. Look for similar rocks on dropoffs. Once that is exhausted, target laydowns next. My typical smallmouth lures would be jigs (pitching if you have a soft bottom or football if hard, with a chunk trailer), ned rigs for shallow water, drop shot for deeper water and top water and spinnerbaits and crankbaits especially at dusk/dawn although a crank or spinnerbait works all day except in July. 1/4oz inline spinners work well as well as your traditional bass style spinnerbaits. Sometimes the best way to catch smallies that works on any day can be if you identify a lot of rocks large enough to hide a smaller behind but no larger than a basketball (they avoid large rocks), throw your drop shot next to each one and let it flutter around a bit. If there's a smalle on that rock, you'll be putting your bait in front of it's face.

I'd start by locating fish in areas without current because they just won't be in current, rocks or not. And if there is no pockets without current, they will be deeper. Then they like rocks and bottoms made of sand or gravel typically. Look for rocks on slopes and shorelines which can be great. Rocky shorelines can be good also. They seem to like smaller rocks maybe no larger than a basketball and seem to avoid larger boulders as well. Then as mentioned above, crawdads do hang out in the mud. I have caught smallies hopping a jig in mud before, but it seems that they won't suspend too long over mud, more like get their meal and go back to their sandy bottoms or rocky ares

https://www.takemefishing.org/ lists federally maintained bodies of waters as well as which species of fish they hold. It can be useful for finding new places to fish.

I just drove by the Tomhannock Reservoir which is east of Troy last Saturday and I didn't see any ice anywhere, plus all the smaller ponds and whatnot I passed by as well. Smaller lakes are likely ice free.

Nice! I just got my oldest son one for his birthday. We haven't used it yet, but it's nice and fairly compact in size compared to the Curado K. Kind of excited to try this one, many people seem to like it better than the Curado K and Curado 70 too. Apparently tackle tour and myself have very similar ideas of what to throw on this rod as well.

That's a nice pickup at a solid price. I would ideally pair something like a Daiwa Tatula SV or a Shimano SLX MGL 70 with that if you can't free up the Curado K as they are great for lighter lures. I would use 12lb fluorocarbon of your personal preference. As for what to throw on this rod? Well it is a little heavier than your typical medium and lighter than most medium heavy rods. It is very similar to a Dobyns 703C which they call a medium heavy but lighter than most medium heavy rods. Basically it's not the medium heavy that you can throw 3/8oz or 1/2oz jigs on. Instead this would be that rod that I use to throw soft plastics on in clear water or light cover. I usually use no more than 1/4oz on a T-Rig and most of the time no more than 1/8oz and this will throw them weightless. You can also throw small swimbaits, power shot (drop shot with a 3/8oz weight) and 3/8oz spinnerbaits. And while not its primary application, you can also throw most treble hooked baits, especially jerkbaits or a square bill in grass.

I just picked up a the Daiwa Tatula Elite Ehrler finesse M-MH/XF model used for $200. I haven't got it in, but my intended use is for light soft plastics and T-rigs with no more than 1/4oz. I expect it should be perfect for casting these lighter lures and provide a little extra power over the M/XF I've been using in the event there's some light cover. Other rods that I have experience with that would work are the Dobyns Sierra 703C and St Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F Plastics rod. I would definitely go with something in the medium or medium plus range for 12lb line and open water with lighter T-Rigs personally.

Basically I avoid lighter lures when it's windy and increase my brake. And it's not just lighter lures, but you want to ideally use lures with a total weight that is closer to the upper end of the rod's rating as well for maximum castability when casting into the wind. It's also a good use for my Daiwa SV reels.

I would go 7' unless I was looking for a rod to cast under low hanging branches or something specifically. But it's not too big of a deal.

I believe this is an issue of the past. I haven't really had this issue with any modern spinning reel.

At the end of the day, anything between 6'6" to 7'6" works just as well for me. The most discernable difference is is the longer rods are easier to hit low hanging branches if that's a concern. Beyond that, you may see marginally better casting distance with a longer rod, more noticeable when flipping and pitching than anything.

Oh sorry, I got lazy with the invite.

Well regardless of that, I think it's safe to say somebody is going to have a good year on the water

Yup, great to see you all. No stupid boating accidents this year please

For me, it would probably be AIC, Soundgarden, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Was never really into the grunge/alternative thing much, but I liked a few songs from AIC and Soundgarden a bit.

Greetings from Massachusetts

Other than the Lund Pro-V bass which is much more expensive and a whole different beast, the Lund Renegade and Ranger RT188 would be at the top of my list of aluminum bass boats. To be completely honest, I would give Lund the edge but if you have a Ranger dealer that is closer or can get a better deal on the Ranger, I would go with the Ranger.

Does anyone have any experience with the Daiwa Tatula Elite Ehrler M-MH/F "Finesse" casting rod? I am considering selling one of my MH/F casting rods and upgrading it. My primary intended use would be for soft plastics and finesse jigs, but I was also wondering how it would handle a 1/2oz spinnerbait and if that works, how about a chatterbait (with a trailer), mainly if I opt to not carry the other MH rod.

I have a YakAttack BlackPak plus two YakAttack Omega rod holders (plus a Zooka II for my net). I could add three more to my Blackpak, but then I would have to turn it or block access to the blackpak itself, so I haven't bothered. I've actually been debating trying the Wilderness Systems kayak crate one of these days which would get me one more rod and some storage for small things up top, but honestly I'm not sure if the storage up top would be difficult to turn around and grab something and thus is it worth it, and it may be more difficult to grab boxes.

While the idea of a lever to go backwards is weird to me, some people prefer it. The larger issue is is that lever has been known to be a common point of failure and can be hard to engage or disengage. Some model years seem more prone to failure than others as well from what I understand. It's probably not something you'll use enough for it to be an issue.

I will usually bring 3-5 depending on where I am fishing, what time of year and how many different presentations I expect to be throwing. Occasionally I will bring 6 which means I am keeping one up front with me at all times.