MN Fisher

Quick search at TW turned up this one - from all the recommendations here, the brand is top-notch. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Dobyns_Fury_Casting_Rods/descpage-DFC.html You'd be looking at the Medium Heavy, 6'6" There are a few others in that price range, but none I recognize

It'd help to know what you're willing to spend...

That's most of it - another part is that I seem to feel hits more often with the ML than the M when fishing lighter lures. My Trion rig (M/F) is relegated to heavier lures - smaller crank/jerk (to 3/8 oz), T-rigs to 3/8 oz, etc. Larger than that, I switch to my BC.

My ML Spinning rig (Avocet) is my finesse rig. Ned, wacky, light-weight T-Rig (1/8, 1/16), etc

For the first two months of our winter - hardly any snow and fairly decent temps. Now we're getting buried. Two storms last week, and more coming. From the NWS: Monday Night Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 21. East wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Long as it's well maintained, even a 'cheap' reel will last a long time. My Cardinal is 40 years old and still going strong. It might not be as smooth as a $200 Revo STX, but it still gets the job done. My Avocet and my Trion (both under $50 reels) served me well last season and are still as smooth as new. Decent branding, regular maintenance and not asking the reel to do something it's not equipped to handle - like asking my Avocet to cast/retrieve 3/4oz spinners/chatters - will let you enjoy it for a long time.

Remember that most of the parents of young kids now-days are in their mid-20s to early 30s. As the Internet is over 20 years old, they grew up with it. Being outdoors, watching a bobber isn't near as 'interesting' as playing games, chatting with friends in chat-rooms, searching for new information. Cost wise, it's a non-issue really. A starting spin-cast combo can be had for less than $20, worms dug up in the back yard, most everyone is close to at least a pond with sunnies or perch. It doesn't take hundreds of dollars for an afternoon outing. My neighbor hood has a number of children - 6 houses close with from 2 to 3 kids in each, all under 11 years old. Three of those households are 'outdoorsy', and the kids love going out on the boat with dad to do some fishing. The other three are 'internet babysat', and besides playing with the other kids here in the neighborhood, they spend their time on their smart-phones...ya, pre-teens with their own phones...sheesh. I think it's just a VERY vocal minority, forcing their views on the majority. I'm all for treating farm animals humanely before slaughter - I'm NOT for banning meat products all together like some of the crazies.

Favorite crankbaits in order 1) Rattlin' Rap 2) Jointed Shallow Shad Rap 3) DT-6 4) Shad Rap 5) DT-4 All these have produced for me, so Rapala is my go-to for crankbaits.

Been there - done that. SCUBA certified, Underwater Search and Recovery...found him after the crayfish found him. (ugg)

Hour plus away - if the traffic is decent. Can't even remember the last time I 'popped into' Cabelas - time constraints...

Ya, we got 3.6 million in our metro - and they send people from other parts of the country to see how NOT to manage traffic...it's a mess.

Gods, I wish we had one up here. Only stores even close to me are DSG - and their fishing dept shrinks every year - and Cabelas - and that's 45 minutes away if there's no traffic on the freeway...which is rare. Closest BPS? 4 hours.

Can't emphasize this enough. The lighter weights of Ned-jigs have light-wire hooks. Keep that drag as light as you can while still being able to reel in the fish.

I'm a canoe fisherman, but it's pretty much the same. Logan is right in that it teaches you how to read the locale you're at closer, and try a wider variety of techniques. This serves you in the long run as you eventually are able to effortlessly switch from one style of fishing to another based on your situation.

I don't know the rod itself, but pretty much any good ML/F or ML/XF is good for finesse fishing. I use nothing but 1/10oz with my Ned-rigs. Haven't had a reason to try different weights.

That's what I'm talking about, man.

A properly adjusted BC with lighter line - 10#-12# braid, mono or FC - will cast light lures. Is it as easy as casting light lures with a spinning reel? No. Is it doable with some practice? Yes. You're not going to get the distance you can with a spinner, but you can do it. Now me... I love spinning reels, been using them since I was little. My finesse rig and my light jerk/crank/T-rig setups are spinners...but go with what you're comfortable with.

For finesse fishing, I use 8# mono on my Avocet rig. I wouldn't go much above that, 10# max. The MH rig, 30# braid sounds about right. I'm going a little lighter since my #2 baitcaster is on a medium/fast. The Heavy rig I'd go at least 50# - what I'm putting on my Fuego. Some will 65# - up to you. Color is personal choice on the braid - I'm using Power Pro Green on both my BCs.

Ya, Michigan discounts inflatables as allowable PFDs - so you need a regular vest there. "Vessels less than 16 feet (including canoes and kayaks) must be equipped with one Type I, II, III or IV PFD for each person on board. All vessels less than 16 feet and used on the Great Lakes or connecting waterways are required to carry one approved Type I, II or III device for each person on board. Vessels 16 feet and longer, in addition to the Type I, II or III for each person on board must carry one type IV. (Canoes and kayaks over 16 feet are exempt from the Type IV requirement.)" https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79144_80298-37313--,00.html

I'd only make a couple changes and observations to this. 1. Doesn't HAVE to be an XF, an F would work fine here too 2. Smaller crank/jerk baits (under 3/8 oz) also would work here 3. This would be your main crank/jerk/spinner/buzz/chatter rod 4. This would also work for flipping/pitching/punching. A 7:1 is fine for #3, but for flip/pitch/punch you want a faster reel...8:1

Ummm - I just looked at Illinois law and it says nothing about types - just that it has to be USCG approved. "All vessels must have at least one U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)–approved wearable personal flotation device (PFD), sometimes called life jacket, for each person on board or being towed. All vessels 16 feet or longer, except canoes and kayaks, also must carry one USCG–approved throwable PFD." https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/boating/documents/boatdigest.pdf So if someone told you that Type V's are not allowed - ask them where they got that information.

Half a dozen people catching bedded males for eating isn't as devastating to the nests as 2-3 dozen tournament people catching off the beds. Far as the females, I pointed that out earlier - once they've dropped their eggs, they head out for feeding while the males guard the nests. Searching for females isn't going to affect the beds at all once they've spawned as they have nothing more to do with the hatch.

Simple answer to this is that the state(s) where the tournaments are held denies tournament licenses during spawning season. The State DNR/Dept of Fish and Game/whatever would have that information, so it's simple to plan.

You sicced the Bait Monkey on him? Shame on you. He should be here to enjoy it in it's fullest.