5by3

I do it without ffs and have had some decent luck. Not a lot of big fish, but have caught a handful of 3-4 lbers.

Could try the new slx xt 150. I have large hands and just picked up one of these and it feels great! Got mine on sale for $100.

For my fellow northern anglers, what are your favorite jerkbait colors for smallmouth? Do you prefer bright or natural colors? Looking to purchase some new colors of MB 110s but can only afford a few at $25 a pop. Thanks in advance!

I use the yakattack kayak crate for my kayak and carry two 3600 deep plano boxes. One has my all of my various plastics that I would use in a typical day. The other has terminal tackle, some jigs, and hard baits. I do not carry all of my tackle with me on trips otherwise it would be impossible to lug back and forth from kayak to boat.

Expride 7’2 medium light spinning

Depends what you’re doing with it. If you’re dragging in open water, I like a 7’6. If I’m pitching docks, bushes, or scattered grass I like a 7’2 or 7’3.

The difference in my opinion is watching 10 guys all throw the jighead minnow vs. watching 10 guys all throwing different baits, some power fishing while others are finesse fishing. FFS takes the variety away for most anglers and many of them have stated they feel like they “have to do it” to stay competitive and keep up.

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I’ll have to give one a try!

I have several older casting reels that will need to be replaced next year. I prefer the feel of Shimanos over other brands and mostly own the curado and citica offerings. How does the SLX XT stack up against these? Would be purchasing 6-8 reels at once and would like to get the best bang for my buck. Thanks in advance!

What are your favorite summertime weedless swimbaits? Looking for something in the 6” range and will probably rig on beast hook.

No, these baits suck 😁

Anyone throw the magdraft with success during the summer months? I throw it a lot until the water temps hit around 60 but my luck seems to go down after that.

The chicken gets some big bites!

Use them on a jig head for mid-strolling

Looks like they’ve redesigned the bait and changed to a new hook from what it used to be. Did not like the old hook - it was pretty light. This one looks better in the picture. Will have to give these another try!

I’d prefer a weed guard in line with what most football jigs have on them. Basically what I’m looking for is a downsized version of a traditional football jig which would hold up to 15-17 lb test and a medium heavy rod.

Looking for some finesse football jigs that come in 1/2 oz and have a stout 2/0 or so hook on them. Have tried the keitech ones and really like them, but the hook is pretty light wire. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Berkley swamp lord is my new favorite. They’re really soft, my hookup ratio went through the roof.

I don’t plan my trips around the pressure but do follow it closely every time I fish. A “normal” pressure is 29.96. my best fishing usually comes before a front when the pressure starts to fall, but I’ve also found that extremely low pressure for my area (29.50) can be just as tough as high pressure (30.30). It doesn’t mean they won’t bite, but I take this into account with the baits I choose.

I have a Cara Amistad and expert finesse jig on the way! I’ve really come to enjoy falcon rods after picking up a swim jig rod recently.

I just usually a punch rig. Comes through much cleaner than a jig and catches the same size fish.

Not if your rod is softer in action. There needs to be some “give” somewhere in your setup.

Who owns this rod and what do you use it for? Looking to pick up a pitching stick for light/moderate cover (docks, trees, scattered grass, bushes). Usually fish a 3/8 oz plus plastic, but may go as heavy as 1/2 oz. Is this going to be too much rod? Is there a better option in the Cara lineup?

As a 6th sense guy, Milliken hasn’t thrown it yet in any of his tournaments so that tells me all I need to know.

I just went to the local tackle shop to check out the rod… walked out the door with it 😁. Does seem like it would be a good swim jig/buzzbait rod with braid, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Can’t wait to try it.