Junger

No kayak, I was walking around, blue adidas 3-stripe pants and a backpack. Were you there today? I wish I had a kayak for that lake...there are so many good nooks that I can't cast to because of the brush. It gets even worse as the brush starts to grow, by late May, there will be only a handful of spots to bank fish from.

Welcome to the MoCo area. You can do a lot of damage in that Sun Dolphin in the local ponds! Which bodies of water have you hit so far? I got out to Whetstone today for a few hours, then the sun came out and it got windy and the bite shut down. 3 LMB (3lber, 2.5lber, and 6"!) all on a war eagle finesse spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with a GY chartreuse single tail grub.

In-line spinners, fat albert grubs on a jighead, or underspin, finesse spinnerbait/chatterbaits...basically, I think anything with a straight and simple retrieve works well for kids.

Depends what your disposable income is. High end for me would be anything over $500, which is coincidentally the threshhold where I talk to my wife about any purchases beforehand. A reel for $250 here, a rod for $250 there, she doesn't care, so that's my strike zone. If you're talking about how manufacturers market, what you listed seems about right, except high end stuff is like $400+ imo.

Do you fish from the shore, or on a boat? I do both, and enjoy both, but being on a boat lets me bring more rods obviously, and I bring dedicated rods so I don't have to retie lures. For example in one area where there's wood laydowns, I'll get a spinnerbait. Then I might try a chatterbait, but I'll already have it tied onto another rod. So I basically take 5-6 rods on the boat. For shore fishing, I only take 1 all around rod that can handle 3-4 techniques.

10% off, here's last years Tax Stimulus flyer: If anyone needs an 8' crankbait rod, Amazon has one single Zillion ZIL801MHRB-G for $120.82 shipped. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016P41KLM/?coliid=IFWVI571FV0RQ&colid=2AWWTHYPGBUX6&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Stating a budget would help give people an idea of to recommend.

It's a nice reel, the DC whine gets addictive. You'll enjoy it!

I recently picked up a Tatula Elite AGS 7' M/MH XF (TAEL701MMHXB-AGS)paired with a Zillion SV TW, and it is quickly becoming my favorite all around rod. I've been throwing everything from 1/2oz jigs to 1/16oz TRDs to 3/8oz chatterbaits to senkos (weightless, wacky, T-rigged). It's rated 1/8oz to 1oz, and really does have that range with the SV reel. I have a MB Orochi XX EMTF G1, and GLX 844C MBR, and the sensitivity is very much on par with those two.

Agreed with that. The size 0 wire is pretty thin, and unless the lure eye wire is about the same thickness, there will be bending on the mustad. Basically, it is probably better to match the thickness of the mustad wire to the lure eye wire than the size of the mustad itself if you are going to do a lot of lure changes.

https://mustad-fishing.com/ Ships from FL. The size 0 should fit the KVD 1.5, I use the size 0 on my popper rod.

Yep, been there too. When I bank fish, I take 2 phantom swings before actual launching to make sure I have the clearance I want.

I think Magforce Z is very user friendly. For frogging, I'd set it my braking differently than flipping a jig. I bomb cast frogs with very little spool tension, and use the magnetic brakes to do their thing. For pitching/flipping a jig, I want that lure to hit the water, and drop straight down as much as possible. Since the spool isn't rotating fast, I rely more on the spool tension, but just enough to minimum a pendulum effect because of the tension, that's where the external Magforce dial and tension knob are easier to adjust. With the Curado, I find myself thumbing the spool when a lure hits the water, then taking out and feeding line when pitching a jig.

I'd go Tatula if you're using it for both frogging and flipping. External brake dial is easier to dial in for those applications. I like the Curado K body way better though.

Size 1 is probably the best all around fastach clip. I rarely use the size 2's. Like txchaser said, size 0 for the finessy stuff like 1/16 oz ball head jigs or something.

Carolina rig.

Amazon has the Tatula 7' ML/R (new version) for $72.24. Two left in stock. https://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-Tatula-Shallow-Jerkbait-Topwater/dp/B07GXYZR2X?th=1

$3.00 off Ebay using the code: PERFECT3 Min $3.01 purchase. Got a Spro BBZ-1 Rat 40 for $18.79 shipped.

In my experience after a big rain like yesterday, the canal stays much cleaner than the main river which looks like chocolate milk.

Do you have open banks? The EMTF is long. I have the G1 Orochi EMTF and love it, but I can't fish it in a lot of places because it's 7'5". I mainly use it when I'm on a boat. The G2 EMTF is more parabolic, it may be better for moving baits. Consider the Tatula Elite 7' AGS M/MH Ehrler, it can cast a senko a mile. I also have been throwing 1/16oz + TRD's on it a good distance too. SV reel with super light brakes though.

Maybe you can write up a mini review once you've had time with it on the water.

The Ned Bomb floats up right. I never used a Bomb Shot, but I don't think it was designed to float.

$699!!!! I think I'd rather get a new trolling motor...

BC: cast left, reel right Spinning: cast right, reel left

You can install an iPad holder on the bow if your Garmin is on the console, instead of having 2 separate fishfinders.