anderb54

The Jackall Squad Minnow is a staple, and the new Rerange is going to be the worst kept secret here soon. I absolutely crushed it this fall with the 110 size.

You're going to love that FMJ. It's an awesome jig/texas rig rod, and it's a more than capable spinnerbait and chatterbait rod.

Grand Traverse Bay is a really special fishery, I cannot recommend it enough. It should be a bucketlist destination for any serious smallmouth fisherman

I live about 20 minutes south of Burt and Mullett. They are smaller than the bay, yes, but still pretty large lakes. Generally speaking, unless the wind is really blowing from the north, the bay is relatively calm. Ben Wolfe out of Traverse City is a good guide for the bay, and unfortunately I'm not aware of any guides on Burt and Mullett. I'm sure there are some though.

As a tradesman, I have a lot of tools at my disposal. You can buy something cheap and never have to use it, or you can buy the right thing, and in the event that you do have to use it, you don't have to worry about it not working. Knipex diagonal cutters are the best out there, followed closely by Klein. Both will run about $30. For what it's worth, I have to buy my own tools, and if Knipex makes a tool that I need, I buy it. Worth every penny.

Geez man, last time I saw your thread on this it was between 2 rods. It's between the Daemos and the 843 for me, and I'll tell you that the Daemos is less expensive and has better balance and ergonomics. Get one fast before it's not an option, because Destroyer lines don't stay around forever

Pointer 78, Jackall Squad Minnow 80, and the 08 sized X-Raps are good, but a killer bait everyone should have, especially smallmouth fisherman, is the X-80 Trick Darter.

Poor Boy's Erie Darter/Dropshot Goby for lakes near me with gobies in them. I've had great success with the Keitech Custom Leech as well, especially in black, as well as Ice Fish in super clear water

I'm sorry to hear about your girlfriend's sister. @A-Jay is from my neck of the woods, and although I haven't personally met him, he's the nicest person you'll ever meet on this forum. I hope to meet him in person some day. Hope that stuff gets some good use; I know that all it's good for right now is to stare at where we come from lol

I have a BB1 Pro that I occasionally still use, it's a solid reel. Casts good, braking system is decent, and it's pretty smooth. I use it mostly for squarebills and other shallow/medium cranks.

Can't go wrong with a Steez, but I will say the Metanium MGL is one hell of a reel.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Lews BB1 Pro. I love mine for cranking.

You'll be surprised how many "small" bass you can catch on larger baits. I've caught plenty of 2 pounders on 7" glides, Hudd 68's, and 7'' Slammers. Big bass in my area rarely exceed 6 pounds, and anything over that would definitely be considered a trophy, so it sounds like we're in similar situations

They're a bit pricey, but the Lucky Craft Flash Minnows are pretty shallow suspenders

For plastic, I like the Jackall Aska. Colors depend on water color, but I use the Tennessee Shad color the most. For balsa, it's hard to beat the C Flash squarebills.

Just saying, you can currently get a Chronarch MGL on a certain website for a lure shop in Japan (wink, wink) for $225. If you're not into that, I've heard nothing but great things about the Curado K's.

I can't say I have any complaints about the casting performance of the Daemos. Since it's made for single hook applications, hooksets are decisive... you can really lean into it without worrying about breaking the rod. Sensitivity wise, I'd say the Destroyers are on par with the GLX, but with better balance and ergonomics. The fact of the matter is, at this price point, you have a lot of good options. None of the rods you get are going to disappoint you, and will likely be the best rod you've handled/owned. Be sure to read up on everything about them, and pay close attention to the warranties on each, so there's no surprises if you need to warranty one.

That's basically what the rod was designed for. It's an evolution of the Diablo Spec-R, which was made for any application that uses big single hooks. They have a dedicated jig rod, the FMJ, which is awesome to fish, but it's definitely beefier with a stiffer tip. The Daemos is for sure the most versatile in the Destroyer lineup, and for what you want, it'll be awesome.

I've not used the Legend Elite before, but I've had lots of first hand experience using the Daemos, and I own several of the others in the Destroyer line. I keep buying Destroyers because they're incredibly sensitive, well made, and the ergonomics are top notch. It's obvious every time I use one that a high level of thought and craftsmanship goes into those rods. Let's be honest too, there's a certain mystique and sexiness to Megabass products too, especially their rods. What you're paying for is a functional piece of art. I can tell you right now that if you buy the Daemos, you won't be disappointed. It's as good of an "all around" rod as you'll find in that price range.

I've caught bass on bigger bucktails and Suicks before, but I wouldn't specifically use them for bass. I've had a TON of followers on the Super Shad Raps... I've always wondered if guys in areas with bigger bass ever use them with any success.

You won't have any issues with pike that size using that rod. Just a heads up with the Destroyers: they don't have hook keepers, so be sure to order one of the Fuji EZ Keepers with it too if that's what rod you choose. I have them on all of mine, I think they cost like $4-$5.

Daemos Specs Length: 7'2'' Power: 5 (aka medium heavy) Lure Weight: 3/8 to 1 oz Line Rating: 8-20 lb Action: Fast The Daemos is a great all around rod. I've mostly used it for swimbaits (Keitechs), spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and bigger jerkbaits like the Pointer 128, Rerange 130, etc., but you could easily use it as a jig rod, lighter Texas Rigs, and even frogs in moderate cover

At that price range, I'd definitely consider the Megabass Destroyer line, specifically the Daemos for what you're looking for. That being said, I like my Champion Extreme, but it's a spinning model, so it's not an apples to apples comparison.

Jerkbait. My personal favorite is the Ito Shiner, but there's so many more I could list that are great baits. Second favorite would have to be a jig.

I had some issues with break offs and knots slipping on it. Got it for free, and I can say I wouldn't buy it, especially at the price it's offered at.