MN Fisher

I do drop-shotting on spinning gear, so here's my suggestion, If it's just a rod, Diawa Tatula XT...$99.99 at Tackle Warehouse Rod and reel, Pflueger President 30 on a Diawa Aird-X rod...$114.98 total at TW.

I've got 1 Columbia and 3 HUK long-sleeve t-shirts. Swap off each trip out. I don't notice any real difference between them. They all keep me from getting sunburned and they're all comfortable.

I did the same thing. Grabbed a 'cheap' reel and put it on my old Ambassadeur 6' M/M rod. See how I like a M/M for crank and jerkbaits before buying a better quality setup next Yule.

Well, for spinning - I'd go with the rod @Jungerrecommended, but replace the reel with a Pflueger President 35 - $59.95 at Amazon For Baitcasting - again the Diawa Aird-X MH/F rod with a Pflueger President BC. I've got mostly Aird-X rods and they're very responsive. I've also got a President BC and a President Spinner and I like them both.

Are you talking just the rod, or rod and reel? Also - spinning or baitcasting?

I dig out a cig and light it between casts. Far as the doobie...tried it back in college 40 years ago and all it did was give me a headache - never tried it again---or anything harder.

Another option is a cutting wheel on your hand drill. This is what I used to cut 1/4-20 bolts flush after installing them to mount my rod rack on my canoe. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Forney-3-in-x-1-32-in-x-1-4-in-Shank-Mandrel-Cut-Off-Wheel-Kit-5-Piece-71798/206428562

Always the main question that needs asking back - what's your budget?

FC - I'm a Yo-Zuri Hybrid fan...I know it's not pure flouro, but hey, it casts fine on my spinning reels. Braid - Original Power Pro.

Sure that's not part of the service? Here, Lunds/Byerlys have people specifically hired to haul and load your groceries for you...it's part of their standard service. The local Jubilee Foods puts your bags in bins, they go on a roller, and you drive up to the rollers outside and someone loads from the bins to your vehicle...also part of their standard service.

^ This x1000

Bass Pro Shops sells 11 Cabela’s stores for $324.3 million June 7, 2019 Site Staff San Francisco — A joint venture led by Sansome Pacific, a real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, has acquired 11 locations of outdoor sports retailer Cabela’s for $324.3 million. The transaction was structured as a sale-leaseback with the seller, Bass Pro Shops, which owns the Cabela’s brand. The specific locations of the 11 stores were not disclosed. Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s in 2017 in a blockbuster, $5.5 billion deal. The merger brought together three of the nation’s top outdoor sporting brands: Cabela’s, which specializes in hunting; Bass Pro Shops, which specializes in fishing; and White River Marine Group, a Bass Pro Shops company that specializes in boating. At the time of sale, the combined portfolio of the three brands totaled 184 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1998, Sansome Pacific has developed or acquired over 940 properties in 37 states. https://www.outdoornews.com/2019/06/07/bass-pro-shops-sells-11-cabelas-stores-for-324-3-million/

My latest catches were with my 6'6" Aird-X...I don't like high sticking either, but pulling my left arm back allowed me to net-land both from my canoe with a net that has a 9" handle. Stop in a store, check out the nets and see what you can work with in 'on site' testing...that's what I did.

Ya...I got a.....DSG about 20 minutes away and it's fishing section is so-so. Cabelas is 45 minutes away in good traffic. BPS is 4 hours away. I don't do 'Wally-World...ever. Fleet-Farm has a decent selection and it's only 25 minutes away. That's it. Which is why I mainly do TW, FishUSA and TD via online-order.

Ya...I don't trust inflatables. Which is why I wear a 'standard' PFD...as shown in my profile pic. Ya, it's a little uncomfortable and in the heat I get a bit warm....but I'd rather be alive if something happens.

Rogue wave, trip over one of your rods on the deck, so many ways of getting tossed overboard... again, if I'm in a boat, I'm wearing my PFD. Only exceptions I've done in the 50+ years I've been boating is when I was on one of those 50' party cruisers on Minnetonka...or the 40k-Ton cruise ship my wife and I spent our honeymoon on.

It's the same here, but I have to ask...if you hit your head during your 'exit' from the boat and are knocked out - what then? Sorry - no matter what the reasoning...not worn = not effective.

Kayak, canoe or boat - if you're not wearing your PFD it's value is ZERO no matter how much you spent on it. And sorry @Bluebasser86 - I don't consider 'within reach' to be valid. Accidents happen and how are you going to grab it in a panic if something untoward happens?

It depends on a variety of factors. Food, location, predation. Plentiful forage will allow the fingerlings to grow at their maximum potential. Southern bass grow faster than northern bass...growth slows appreciably in colder water. If they're constantly having to 'run for their lives' from larger fish - even bass...yes, cannibalism exists in the fish world - they'll have less time to eat, slowing growth.

I've got 20#PP on my President, made sure it was snug when spooling it up, and don't have the dig-in issue with it. Make sure the line is snug when spooling it up, re-tension it every so often to make sure it's snug on the reel. Also make sure to fix even the most minor of backlashes.

Well, FishUSA doesn't have the Ned Bug listed yet...but the rest of the Rage line are at 5.49/pack.

I didn't hear about this, but my response to those 'eedjits' who blamed the smallies is...

Walleye are 'king' in Minnesota. in 2017, millions a year are stocked in any lake that could support them while less than 100 bass are stocked each year. Interesting info in a report I saw...only 270 of the 2000+ lakes in MN that are considered 'walleye lakes' have a 'sustainable' walleye population - meaning that the natural breeding in the lake is higher than the catch rate. So to keep the state fish available for the 'locals' and visitors, the walleye stocking program is immense. "What's the point? The DNR often stocks lakes to repair ecosystems after winter kill or over fishing, but Vanderbosch said the bulk of his job involves creating walleye fisheries where they don't naturally exist. Thanks to stocking, most Minnesotans live less than half an hour from a good walleye lake. In all, there are 1,400 walleye-rich lakes in the state, only 270 of which are naturally self-sustaining. The DNR stocks the rest so people can enjoy hauling walleye into their boats." https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/05/22/what-is-fish-stocking

It's all about getting the tension and brakes set properly. I use my Fuego-Aird-X H/F spooled with 50# briad to toss hollow frogs all the time.