drscholl14

My wife doesn't fish often and sometimes gets a little annoyed at how much I fish (1-2 a week), especially with a kid under 2 in the house, but I enjoy it when she comes with me.

I've got two of the 3000s. Love em. It is the slower gear ratio but I've had no problems keeping them hooked or catching up to a fish that swims towards me while fighting it.

Strike King KVD Jerk and it's deep version as well. Caught many Spring and Fall bass and think it has some of the most erratic action on the market.

Nothing special, stocked back up on VMC neko hooks, nail weights and got some Daiwa Fat Neko worms and Yum Genies to try out.

Still is the big story. On another board that's pretty much based out of MN there was a thread that had the estimated numbers of smallmouth in Mille Lacs that recently came out and the walleye guys were up in arms saying there's no way there's only 67,000 smallmouth in the lake. There's literally millions they said. We all know that smallmouth are a main predator of walleye...... Welcome to living in the walleye state......No other fish matters.

Green Pumpkin and Black/Blue flake for me. Probably actually lean towards Black/Blue Flake

This. It had gotten really bad before the merger here in MN. Bare shelves, no rod selection if you wanted anything other than St Croix, GLoomis or Fenwick. Same with reels.

TUBES!!!!! Or jerkbaits. I fish the Mississippi quite a bit and tubes are really hard to beat. Make sure you always have bottom contact and toss them behind current breaks, eddys, and current seams and you will find fish.

Neko Rig in deep (20-30 fow) hands down.

Daiwa for me. Used both, liked both, but the Daiwa's just feel smoother to me.

Not good. Almost had that happen last two weeks ago during a tournament. Darn near jumped out of the boat to get it!

I don't know if he's the best but I really like Jason Mitchell. Great guy also. I would agree that Al Lindner would probably be 1 or 2.

I don't know your area at all but after we get a good rain I tend to find a lot of fish up in shallow structure because the rain washes a lot of nutrients and forage into the lakes. So I'd probably go with #2 and throw T-rigged creature baits up shallow and if that doesn't produce move out to the standing timber and throw cranks or something else that moves a lot of water through the timber. I'm no expert though.

If you have time and can find them say hi to the Line Cutterz guys! Good friends of mine and great guys! Was going to go with them but the wife had a conference this week as well. ?

I have never thought that the hook direction really mattered. I always hooked them perpendicular to the work. Now I threw the wacky rig away for the Neko rig. Then you hook it parallel with the worm. I use an o ring. Caught about 12 fish last time out on a single senko before it was to the point I needed to change it. Doesn't take much effort to put it on either.