Vilas15

That's 185,000 acres. I dont fish anything over 1000, and plenty of people on here are talking about small ponds. Thats the difference. I personally think location is #1 most important over bait, color, conditions and other factors. Can't catch them where they aren't.

My photos are mostly just wooded shoreline backgrounds. If you can recognize where I'm at it's because you already fish there and know it well. I know a spot where somebody caught a 50" musky because I could recognize the specific birch trees and rock in the background. But I already knew it was a good spot and fished there before. My buddies only fish with each other so there's no problem hitting the best spots when we go out together.

Im very happy with how it turned out. Had to wait a tiny bit over a year for it. My fish was pretty dark but theres still nice visible stripes. My photo has bad lighting and a close up would show the scales. My only complaint would be the mounting piece between fish and driftwood is a little thicker than I'd like. But its above the bar and nobody will see it.

I'll have my smallmouth replica on Friday after picking it up from Joe Fittante in Antigo, WI. Search that name on this site and you'll see the example that convinced me to go there. My other choice would have been LAX which does great walleye and muskies.

1. Bring two rods. 2. Narrow the range of bait weights you're willing to use. 3. Accept you'll be under or overpowered at one end of the spectrum. 4. Pick something in the middle and be unhappy at both ends. There's your options as I see it. The odds you can find a goldilocks rod to cover both 1/4 oz and 3/4 oz is very unlikely. The heaver bait is 3 times heavier than the lightest.

Trailer mounted boat buckles

All reasons not to spend the extra money on swimbait heads. None of those make a difference in my opinion. I get in the rocks sometimes and they end up partially lead color anyways. A nice hook and keeper is worth paying for. I use cabelas mean eye jigs. Yes they have eyes but i dont care. I like the hook and keeper. Less than $1 a piece.

Eyecon was updated along with BassX and panfish. They were just clearing out old models. https://stcroixrods.com/blogs/news/new-for-2022-products Also avid spinning rods are still available on their website whole the casting model is not. Theres also the avid inshore still available.

I'll be interest to see if they do the same with the spinning Avids. I wouldnt be surprised if they kept the spinning version since they are very popular with the walleye crowd and probably sold way less of the casting version comparatively.

I have 7 st croixs. One for panfish/trout, 4 for bass and walleye, 2 for musky. I get them at the factory for the most part and they make any power and action i could possibly need. Havent been disappointed yet so no reason to change. Also have 2 of their ice rods along with some other cheapo ice combos.

Disagree. You're still out a few hundred bucks you could have spent on anything else. Boss didnt say spend this on bass fishing gear or else I won't give it to you. Good on OP for doing his due diligence. At least with real expensive gear you can typically sell it for not much less than you paid. That's the real benefit if he doesn't like the new stuff.

Minnesota record muskie was caught in the last month by some guys that i heard wont even make a cast some days. Driving around watching the screen all day. Im not a fan of the way some of the tech is going but thats another thread. Monster fish!

Rivers have been flooding for thousands of years but we've altered the landscape more in the last 100 than what happened naturally in the last 10,000. Yes nature has ebbs and flows but my first instinct in most cases is how did we manage to **** things up this time.

The angle between rod and line should always be 90⁰ to maximize rod bend (keeps pressure on the line) and minimize potential for breakage (loads the rod how it's designed and evenly distributes force along the length). If you hook a fish on a topwater out away from the boat point the rod up vertically, or to either side perpendicular to the line. When a fish is either hooked down deep below you keep the rod pointed straight away from you at the horizon since the line is going straight down. While fighting a fish adjust between those two positions as you get it closer to the boat. High sticking is pointing the rod vertical while the fish is at the boat making a very small angle between line and rod. It forces the tip into a very tight curvature that can break it.

No person on the internet without any skin in the game is going to tell you to spend less money. If you can afford it comfortably it's probably worth it. Love the 1875 layout with pedestal seats. Looks perfect for my fishing if I weren't in the market for a glass fish n ski in the next few years.

I would argue that largemouth need to be removed from some of the lakes around me. Based on what ive read more lakes are seeing bass populations grow and walleye are shrinking (Minocqua chain). And thats with extensive walleye stocking. There are some lakes with 18" minimums on bass during a limited time where theres trophy potential and i like that. The DNR seems to do a good job of managing each of the thousands of lakes for what species it can support best. Where i fish largemouth are probably #5 or #6 on the list of desired/targeted species which matches my own interests. Regarding recipes: ive had smallmouth fried in shore lunch batter and it was great. Remember smallmouth and largemouth are both black bass in the sunfish family related to bluegills!

Love it. 15 lb on spinning rods. 30 on BC. 80 on musky reels.

Reata is a "deep V" multispecies boat for sure. There are some fish n ski's that are more bass boat style. OP needs something like a Nitro Z19 sport.

Looks fine to me. Like you said i dont think it matters for a single axle unless you really mess it up.

Keitech Easy Shiner

Very nice. I'm sure you're thinking through some changes/upgrades already. Keep the center of gravity low! I was going to recommend a transom mount trolling motor before I looked up what an Endura c2-30 was.

Dang 200 acres that must be a pretty big private lake if you're tagging fish on your own ?

That line should be fine. Leader is not a bad idea either. In my experience they love white, or flash. White spinnerbait is a great pick. They'll be in/near the weeds. If the weeds come up to within a few feet of the surface and you can fish over the top thats a great spot.

Maybe try some Yak Trax or ice fishing style cleats? https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/yaktrax-walk-traction-device-15ykxuyktrxwlkrblfbo/15ykxuyktrxwlkrblfbo?sku=10564049&camp=CSE:DSG_92700040942565932_pla_aud-878140244091:pla-505109658950&segment=&gclid=CjwKCAjw3MSHBhB3EiwAxcaEuz5TufcIidRGqoUXlZwo-j-V0gh-acNU-CW46_ARLvIXk_bMVP_2HxoCPz8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Felt bottoms for wading will just pick up all the nastiness and carry it into your boat or truck. Plus most fly fishermen dont use them since they can spread invasive species (small new zealand mudsnails around here) so theyre banned in some locales.

Caught my first musky on the perch pattern.