r83srock

Welcome! I’m not a bears fan but I love Chicago, haha. Tite lines.

I have had great luck with my Gill set. I bought it based on cost (half off) and I don’t regret it. It’s still expensive to me but no different than a good rod and reel, so I bit the bullet. I see gill is on sale a few places online again, pretty steep! I would go one size bigger than normal though. I typically wear large and ended up with XL.

Nailed it!

I go back and forth between fishing a fluke on a spinning rod and a baitcaster. I do like skipping docks with a fluke on spinning tackle, but my preference overall is a 7’ mh fast baitcaster, and 15# big game. I like throwing that bait right in cover and twitching it out. I like a VMC heavy wire round bend 4/0 hook, but a Gamakatsu round bend 4/0 will get better hook ups with less effort, and won’t tear the bait up as bad. I use both depending on cover and depth. Twitch twitch pause…

I have the new Bass X in the flavor you are interested in. Compared to the old gen bass x and previous gen legend tournament, it feels really nice. The guides haven’t disappointed me like I thought they might, and so far so good on durability. It’s crisp and light, right at 4.00oz on my scale. It’s one of the better balanced st croix casting rods I’ve owned. I have and Abu Max X on mine and the combo can really do most anything, but its definitely crisp enough and balanced enough for jig fishing, I’d say up to a 1/2oz.

I don’t have any rods that are 100% technique specific, but close. I have two 7’4” Heavy Fast St. Croix casting rods. One is set up with 50lb braid and the other has 65lb. Oftentimes, these setups are overkill for bass fishing, but when the need arises (heavy reeds, pad fields, thick milfoil mats) I have the horsepower to turn the head of a big bass and get them moving, along with a big ball of grass. For heavy frogging and punching, these setups are necessary for me. I never really felt the need for 65 lb braid, or even 50 for that matter (I’d rather use 20 or 30) until I started seriously fishing the upper Mississippi River (wild rice). That place changed my mind. The wild rice is so woody and abrasive it will chew up even 65lb braid by the end of a day. It’s the diameter of the line that’s needed, not the listed breaking strength. The 7’4” Heavy is not a broom stick, it’s got some flex to it. I will also throw a 6” weightless senko with ease, in heavy cover of course. I will also use these rods for a heavy Carolina rig and a mono leader. I use a 7’ medium mod fast lighting rod for traps and medium cranks and a 6’10” medium fast Lews Hank Parker for most treble hook top water/jerkbaits/shallow cranks, both casting rods and spooled with 12lb big game. Im a happy camper most of the time with a 7’mh fast casting rod with 15lb big game, and a 7’m fast spinning rod with 8# Trilene xl, can do most things with those.

I used original spiderwire a few times. My dads friend taught me to fish grass weedlines with it. I remember the feedback was unreal compared to the Trilene XL I was using at the time. If I remember correctly, the line seemed to be uncoated and I thought it might have been a three strand weave not 4. I also used Berkley whiplash and spiderwire stealth, those two seemed to be the exact same line. Once power pro came out we tried it and it’s still what we use. I’ve used lots of other braids since, quite a few I’ve liked, but seem to always go back to original power pro.

I throw a 5” wacky rigged senko mostly around docks. I use a 4/0 Gamakatsu wide gap finesse hook, 20 lb power pro moss green braid, a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7’1” MF spinning rod, and a 35 size Pfluger reel.

Cool! It’s a great body of water no doubt, other than Sturgeon Bay probably the best body of water locally for a trophy smallie, especially in that area. Every fisherman has hoped that price of goods, fuel ect, would return the fishing pressure and boat traffic from the past couple years to a more normal state, nope! Kudos to those that have the funds to build a monster home next to the other monster home on a given body of water, guess I can’t blame them. It just stinks for the fisherman.

The Chain is busy, Big Green is just as bad and Winneconnie is worse with the cigarette boats everywhere. There are good times to fish each of those fisheries and summertime just isn’t that time, if it is it’s night fishing or 5am-9am. North country is hwy 64, north. That’s where smallmouth paradise begins.

I have used the St. Croix victory 7’3” MHF and 7’4”Hf. I own the Victory 7’3” HXF and it’s an awesome jig rod! I use mine from 3/8-3/4 oz jigs but I would say I use 1/2 the most. The Marshall could go it if you only fish open water. The 7’4 H is nice if you are in heavier cover. The 7’3” HXF is a good in between.

Curado 100b was the bomb, I still use mine. The BPS Extreme from around 2000 or so was basically a Pflueger Trion. Those and Pinnacle had some sleepers. Right now the Abu max x has me impressed at $60.

I’m a fan of the Berkley Lightning Rod, Lews Hank Parker series from Walmart, and the Daiwa Aird X. Out of those the Aird X is my favorite.

I fish my Aird X next to my more expensive rods and it’s great! I have the 7’ Mh casting with a Tatula CT on it. It feels a match made. I will say, I bought the new Abu Max X and that would be a great choice at $60. It’s worth the street price but you can get it cheaper on sale.

I hear you. Green Bay used to have a good one every year that dad and I would go to. It dwindled over the years. And got lumped into the hunting show. I know Madison still has one. Bit of a drive for me though. I remember my family going to the worlds fishing fair at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield in the early 90s, meeting all the pros as a 6 year old. Guido Hibdon stopped an interview to sign a hat for us and talk fishing with my dad. Dad still brings that up. Our local sport shop has a massive sale every august and our bass club has a cookout for the shop. We get a huge discount during the sale as a club which is nice! It’s almost the only place I shop anymore. The last Elite series winner is sponsored by this shop and stopped by with his truck and boat. Hung out with our crew for awhile and loaded up on burgers and sun drop. The local shop is the best thing we have got going by a mile.

My dad showed me this years ago, good tip! I also use VCI strips(cardboard) that I cut down to fit in the little compartments. I get a big pack of them from my nearest Menards but haven’t been able find them for awhile. I also like boxes that have the corrosion prevention technology built in. I use Plano edge 3600 for my terminal tackle and a mix of pro latch and flambeau, the once’s that have the anti rust built in. We got two new machines at work a few months ago from Italy. When unpacking and setting up the machines, there were about 50 huge desiccant packs, about the size of a ladies shoe, in each of these machines. All of us mechanics took some home. Some went in the toolbox and nut/bolt bins in my garage, a couple went in my ammo boxes and gun cabinet. They take up some space, but I don’t think I’ll have to worry about moisture for awhile.

I have fished the Victory 7’4” H, a friend of mine let me use his for awhile. I would say the 7’4” H is great for frogs and Texas rigs/jigs, it’s really light and sensitive for a heavy power rod, got just enough tip to pitch and cast accurately.

I like mono for crankbaits, but I’m going to try flouro for more things this year. I like braid for fishing plastics and jigs in grass, and frog fishing. But I agree that braid isn’t the all purpose line that we want it to be. I also like braid for ripping traps out of grass. I do feel I will miss/lose a few fish because of the no stretch characteristics that braid has though.

Man, it’s just fishing. I think rude people need to be told, after that just walk away. There’s certainly a time I would not have handled what you experienced, well at all. Im at a point where I let things go. Yesterday my wife and I experienced something that was pretty unsettling. We were walking on a trail paralleled to a road in our town. Two teenagers were on bikes on the road and a driver of a truck got very close to one of the young boys, squealing his tires. Well the truck got to the stop sign and waited, and the two boys were real upset. The one boy picked up a rock and rod towards the truck, and the driver steps out. My wife goes, oh my gosh this is going to be bad, I’m calling 911. The two started into it, throwing punches. This is a grown man mind you and what I later learned to be a 15 year old “boy” (BIG young man). This boy had his left arm in a cast and was whaling on this guy , the older guy slumped over in his truck. I took off on a run, remembering my wrestling days, I got behind the kid and got control of him and away from the truck, the driver took off. Of course we all had to give statements, it was wild for where I’m from! My biggest fear was that one or both parties might have had a weapon, and it crossed my mind at the time, but didn’t sink in until after, what if there was a gun? What if someone else, myself, my wife got caught in crossfire? What if I had been carrying my firearm like I often do, and someone where to try and take it off of me, using it against me!? I’m glad I’m that moment I wasn’t carrying, it may have complicated things with the police. I honestly don’t know if I will continue to carry! I don’t know. Not saying you should or shouldn’t carry. But I think in a conflict like you experienced, it probably best to just walk away.

That’s a shame that happened, bummer! Im not sure how I feel about the new ones yet, I’ve only held them in the store and they feel really light, good balance like the victory. On paper the new Bass X is lighter than the old, at least in 7’1” mh casting. I held 6’6” mh, 7’1”mh f, 7’4” mh mf, and 7’4” h fast in casting. I also picked up the 7’ medium spinning, loved the handle. I have experience with most of these models in the old version. The new ones all seemed lighter but they also all seem to have softer tips. Im not crazy about how they look, but whatever. I’m questioning the quality of the guides on them. I like the handle, I like the cork butt cap, won’t catch your shirt as easy. Love the foam forgrip. I am not a fan of this trend to put the hook keeper behind the handle. Not all models I picked up had this, but the 7’1” mh fast did. Id really have to think on it. I really like the old series, they are just really solid on proven blanks. I can let you know soon.

I tend to look up to people older than me, they have so much wisdom, experience…stories! My dad and I are best buds, he got me into fishing at a young age and I’m forever grateful. We are a lot alike and a bit different, and we bump heads more often than I’d like. As he ages, I can tell he has become more cynical, and more forgetful, haha! I guess, who can blame a person for becoming that way in time, I’m sure we all will. I’m tying to become more patient and understanding of his ways. Tom, Everything I read from you on here I take to heart, and really listen. Thank you for all that you share will us.

I use a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7’4” Heavy fast , a Shimano Curado 200K 8.5:1, and 50lb power pro braid. I like the spro and booyah popping frogs, but the scum frog trophy in white or chartreuse are my all time favorites. I throw a frog way too much, but when that bite is happening, there’s nothing better.

I would fill one box with some terminal tackle, a few weights, hooks, a couple jigs, a hook file, a couple extra treble hooks. The other box would have two Spinnerbaits, two buzzbaits, two rat l traps, a pop r, a spook, a frog or two. I would pack a bag of beaver baits in black/blue, 5” senkos in green pumpkin. 7” ribbon tail worms in red shad, 5” kalins grubs in smoke, and a bag of super flukes in white. Not super minimalist but I think the entire water column can be fished effectively with just enough to choose from. This is about what my kayak bag looks like.

I frog a lot with my 7’1” MH St. Croix BASS X, especially more sparse cover situations. I can understand the space issue. I have no experience with the Tatula rods. If you aren’t fishing matted cover a medium heavy will be fine, and will be more comfortable to throw all day.

I own the Curado K 200, and have owned the other two reels also , in right hand. Not sure if you can get your hands on an SLX mgl but that thing is awesome for smaller baits, and works equally as well for larger baits. It’s my favorite reel. The SLX and tatula 100 are both very nice, very small reels. But in my opinion the Tatula 100 has a better breaking system that just performs well with smaller lures commonly used on smallmouth. The Curado is a near perfect reel, especially for heavier lures. I love it for frogs, it’s just a beast and very smooth. It has its place in a smallmouth Arsenal but it’s a bit dicey to cast with small lures.