gilkeybr

Another vote for 30lb straight braid. If I could only have one line, this would be it.

Sometimes I wonder how much good those clubs are actually doing me as I spray them all over the course. I think there are days I could shoot within a couple shots of my best score if I just had my 7-iron and a putter. A 7' MH/F casting rod is like my 7-iron. And I agree with the other people who said make it a 7' M/F if you're fishing a spinning rod.

If i'm fishing in water where I suspect toothy critters will be, i'll up size my line and hope for the best. Usually will run 17-20lb FC in those situations.

I would be okay with getting a fish boat side and it swimming away. But if its a prized lure, i'd be going overboard just like this guy!

I have a Antares 70 on my GLX 853. I think having a slightly "heavier" reel is nice, as opposed to something extra compact. I think the Bantam MGL would be a great choice (I have an XG and love it). I don't have any metaniums, but I expect those would be solid candidates as well. I personally wouldn't put my Aldebaran 30 on it. But it is a great reel, so its not like you could go wrong anyway

Just got this Aldebaran 30. Started off pairing it with my small JB rod (ML/Mod-Fast). This thing will really launch 3/8oz jerkbaits. Its also extremely light. Excited to get more experience with it.

With some practice I can tie a FG knot in nearly the same time it takes to tie a double Uni. The slowest part is the half-hitches at the end, depending on how many you tie. The narrowness and strength of the FG knot is well worth the slight increase in tying time for me.

I generally skip the cranking it down portion. Also, don't rule out any actions. More times than I can count i've gotten bites while fishing jerkbaits from reeling it back in, doing short pulls instead of pops, etc. You don't know what the fish want that day until you get the first bite!

I am looking to upgrade my fish finder. I got a Humminbird 899ci SI HD previously to see if having a fish finder would be a benefit for me: It is. I like the interface and functionality of the 899, although I do struggle with getting as good of clarity out of the graph as I would hope. With that in mind I have been shopping some of the newer units, namely the Helix G3 8-10", and I had a couple questions that i'm hoping the more experienced people on this board can answer: 1) I see that the Helix G3s with Side Imaging+ have the "XM 9 HW MSI T" Transducer while the Solix models with MSI+ have the "XM 14 HW MSI T" Transducer. Does anyone know the differences between these two? I ask because I learned after getting my 899 that it came with the "compact" SI transducer, which in hindsight may have changed my buying decision. I can see that the two transducers have different connectors, but looking at their specs and information they have the same operating frequencies/etc. 2) Would there be any way of connecting my 899 and one of the G3 Helix' (or G2 Solix for that matter)? I plan to sell the 899, but in the event that I don't it would be nice to use one in the console and one on the bow. Would I have to run both transducers? Or can the 899 get information from the XM9 HW MSI as well? *EDIT* I did find a compatibility chart on Humminbird's website that shows the 899 can be paired with Helix/Helix G2/Solix. No mention of G3? I would expect it to be the same! 3) Is there some other unit/brand that you would recommend instead of humminbird? As I said i'm comfortable with the interface and performance. However, its the only fish finder i've ever used so maybe I don't know what i'm missing! Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I would prefer a ML Spinning Rod to a Medium if I could only have 1. Would be easier to throw neg rigs while still having the power to throw reasonably sized DS weights (1/4-3/8oz or more depending on your preference). I also agree with what was said above which is to have your second casting rod have a more moderate action. Will be better for moving baits. I've only had it a short while but I recently got a Dobyns 704CB and it feels very versatile

I have some reels with braid that is almost old enough to get its drivers license ?

I use a Palomar and Improved Clinch pretty interchangeably. I generally find myself using the improved clinch knot because its easier to get a short tag end (less wasted line). I have braid to flouro-leaders on most of my setups. So in an effort to make the leader last as long as possible, I want to minimize my tag ends. I struggle to tie a palomar around a decent sized crankbait without at least a 3-4" tag end! On an improved clinch, the tag can be less than 1"!

I really like the characteristics of this lure for early season bottom presentations. Are there similar options out there for a fast-sinking, small profile, lipless? Have a Jackall Trigon TN60 on the way, but wondering if there are some other options as well...

The first hard bait I was ever taught to fish with was a Rapala Rattlin' Rap in Silver/Blue. Since catching my early fish on that lure, that color combination has always had a special place in my fishing heart. When I saw this color, I knew I had to get one. Its like the ol' Silver/Blue taken to the extreme. Very cool

I like the leader to be around 5-6ft as well. This allows me to re-tie many times without having to put on a new leader. The other thing is it avoids having to pass the leader knot through the levelwind. On some of my reels, namely my Daiwa T3 reels, the opening to the levelwind is quite small and the knot (even a FG knot) will not pass through well. Once the leader gets down to 24" or so i'm usually cutting it off and tying on a new one.

I have had a surprising amount of luck lately selling rods locally. High end fishing equipment is a niche market, so selling locally might be harder the more expensive your gear is. But for off loading entry level rods, its been good to me. I also have noticed more success on facebook marketplace than craigslist. Recently selling reels, I had better luck on ebay than on the forums here. Turns out the bass fishing community has some real cheap skates ?

Having a fish and ski boat, there isn't enough deck space for rod storage. This means you have to "store" them in the seating area, which can get awkward if there are too many and you have multiple people moving around the boat. Because of this, I find it best to stick to around 6 rods in the boat at one time. Maybe a couple more if i'm fishing alone. On the kayak (Sun Dolphin, non-fishing kayak) i'll usually bring 3. One in each rod holder and one in my lap. Bank fishing i'll usually bring 2-3. But that also negatively impacts your ability to move around. So I often find myself wishing I had just brought one...

I typically leave mine on. I have some baits that the trailer has been on for, literally, years without issue. I only had an issue once, it was a Keitech on a screw-lock 7/0 hook and it did rust the hook. Not sure if theres just extra salt content in the keitech or what???

A 4.8 Green Pumpkin Keitech is a staple for me at this pond in the summer time. Maybe downsizing could help...

I'll fish for anything that puts up a good fight. Drum are a common by-catch on lake st clair when targeting bass. Some friends will roll their eyes when they see that its a drum on the end of their line. Did you get excited when you felt the hit? Yes. Did it strip some line off your spool? Yes. Sounds like you had a good time then! I don't get much enjoyment out of pan fishing. But, when the ice sets in you take what you can get!

This winter I got a 5-hook umbrella rig to use in the spring as I have read over and over how it is a good early season lure. I have fished it for quite a while this spring at my local pond, and haven't gotten so much as a sniff! This culminated in yesterday where we had a slight breeze, partly cloudy, and a nice warming trend. Should have been very good conditions to fish. I started with a lipless and got 4 bites (and 3 fish) in 5 casts. I then thought, "Now is a good time to get that A-rig out and get some confidence in it". I proceed to fish the A-rig for quite a while, once again without a bit. For the record, I have 4-3.8" paddle tails and 1-4.8" paddle tail on the rig. I then switched once again to a jerkbait (Flash Pointer 115) and caught a fish within the first couple casts. Having good success on two different techniques in a short amount of time but striking out with the A-rig got me wondering. By all accounts the forage species in my local pond (21 acres, 8-10ft deep max, minimal structure/cover) consists of bluegill, perch, crappie and maybe some crayfish. You will also occasionally see a large carp rolling around. There is no evidence of shad or other species that I think of as "schooling". It has me wondering: Do A-rigs work in ponds where the primary forage is bluegill? Surface temp on the pond yesterday was in the mid-50s which is pretty impressive considering ice-out was just a couple weeks ago now. Its starting to feel like the A-rig window is closing without ever getting started!

For a beginner bass angler one concern for me would be boredom. Someone fishing for the first time probably won't enjoy soaking a weightless senko or slowly bouncing a ned rig back, even if its their absolute best bet to catch a fish. Theres some entertainment in cranking a spinnerbait/crank/top water. Breaks up the monotony. If you can find a body of water to fish where those strategies will also catch fish, your newbie might find them more entertaining.

I have used a 7' MH/F to sling an S-Waver 168 plenty. But, of course, not every MH/F is the same. So maybe yours are a bit softer than mine. I think the suggestions of getting a 7'-7'6" H/F rod are wise. Will give you the ability to throw medium sized glide baits as well as other heavier rigs when it suits your fancy. When you go up to a full blown swimbait rod, they're a more "single-use", IMO

Now that you have a list that includes almost every crankbait currently being sold, what will you do with it? Mr. Bait Monkey says, "Buy them all"

It does everything you'd expect of a reel in that price range. It doesn't massively out-perform its competitors, but it also doesn't lag behind. Its a fine $200-$250 reel.