MN Fisher

My current home and financial situation precludes any vacations currently...or in the foreseeable future.

I've been on one international vacation - my honeymoon 30 years ago. Week long Carnival cruise down the Pacific coast of Mexico...one day stops in Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

Most crankbaits are designed to dive, too fast a retrieve and you'll not reach the depths where they are designed to reach. In the case of lipless, too fast a retrieve and it'll more likely skitter across the surface instead of going down in the water-column where the fish are. Same issue, with a faster reel, getting the baits down is more difficult - especially soft plastics which are lighter. In in the case of T-Rigs, you WANT the bait on the bottom, not traveling through the water above it. Properly cast, there's not much slack to reel in - maybe a couple yards, which my 7-ratio reel will pick up in 3-4 handle turns even with a long cast. Far as getting the lure back quickly - sometimes a slow-rolling spinnerbait will attract the bass' attention better than a fast moving one, and it's easier to slow down a 7-ratio than an 8. That's why it's good to ask questions - remember...'the only stupid question is the one that's not asked'.

Less strain on your wrist and arm...lighter the reel, the more casts you can make without tiring as much. I use my 8-ratio for flip/pitch/punch/frogs...techniques where you're purposefully casting into the slop. Speed needed to haul the fish out before it tangles the line in the weeds. All the techniques you described except lipless, I use a 7-ratio for. Lipless cranks go on my crankbait rig which is a 6-ratio.

I'm liking a 7' for my cranking. Fuego CT-H 6.3:1 on a Dobyns Fury 705CB.

I check FFO occasionally...a couple months ago I wish I had the cash as they had a Patriarch for $105...non re-furb. I did get my second Trion from there - for $19

Good deal there - I got my Supreme 7.1 for $62 on Amazon. Just got to keep an eye out.

If you're heading into $100+ territory - Fuego CT or Pflueger Supreme. I have two Fuegos, and a Supreme on a MH/F Aird-X...which is my prime spinner/chatter/buzz/jig rig.

KVD. I use only mono or YZH on my spinning reels - with KVD I've had no issues, even with the 10#YZH I have on a 3000 size reel.

Ya, the 705CB is better for cranking..that's the Fury I have for my cranking rig. You'd want the 703C or even the 704C.

Personally - I'd go Pflueger President and Aird-X. I have this combo and it's been very good to me.

I use a 6.3:1 for cranking - the Fuego/Fury rig I referenced earlier. 8.1:1 for pitch/flip/punch/frogs - another Fuego but on an Aird-X H/F. 7.3:1 for jerkbaits, wacky, light T-Rigs (1/4oz and less) - Pflueger President on a M/F Aird-X. Everything else I revert to 7.1:1 - Pflueger Supreme on an MH/F Aird-X - or 7.3:1 - Pflueger President XT on a MH/F Laguna. I want the fast reel to haul the fish out of the slop when tossing lures into (flip/pitch/punch) or atop (frogs) 6-ratio is the best I've found for cranks to keep them 'in the zone'. Everything else works fine for me on a 7-ratio.

I'm fishing from a canoe - so take this into account Both rods I use for jerkbaits are 6'6" Medium/Fast - one spinning, one casting.

Probably, except (maybe) markets that don't have a F&S in them. All we got here is DSG - closest F&S store in my area is apparel only. Closest full F&S is over 5 hours away by car.

I hear that. Back when I hunted (before losing my sighting eye), guy I went out with had to have the newest and best 12 gauge semi-auto on the market - plopped $2000 on a Benelli Supersport (this was a few years ago). I out-shot him, collecting my limit of ruffed grouse while he got one. My shotgun is a 1959 Stevens 775a that I got used in 1975 for $50.

Bit over the $200 mark - Diawa Fuego CT-HS (7.3:1) on a Dobyns Fury 704C I've got two Fuegos and they're solid reels. One of those is on a Fury and I couldn't be happier with the combo.

I can vouch for the Aird-X casting rods. Have a M/F, a MH/F and a H/F - my MH/F Aird-X is my 'multi purpose' rig. Spinners, chatters, buzz, jigs, T-Rigs...do it all on that rod.

Same rod, but only 50# braid. It's also my flip/pitch rod. With the Fuego CT-XS I have on it, I have no problem casting 1/4oz frogs a good distance.

Sounds from the old home-stead. Graduated BHS in 78, attended BSU 78-80 before going into the Air Force.

Long as they don't name one 'Betelgeuse' (say that three times fast - wink)

Dude - what station? Maybe I can get it online...

I think I know what it is - take the word as a single, remove the RO and what do you have...something ABP does.

One of my old haunts - fished Winnie many times when I was growing up in Worcester back in the 60s and early 70s.

I'm also using the VMC spin-shots, 1/0 for slim body baits, 3/0 wide gap for fatter plastics. Cylinder weights in 1/8 and 1/4.

There's various methods depending on the species of fish, but mainly it's gasses from the bloodstream 'leaking' into the bladder - young fish of some species DO get it from intestinal gases...but that feature disappears when they get older and they revert to the blood-gas extraction method