J.Vincent

Abu Garcia Veritas $100 and Abu Garcia Revo X $100 put the remaining $100 in the bank. Or Shimano Curado K $159 and St Croix Mojo $130 should put you at your budget. Both of these options are very good !

Fish tighter and more methodical; And be prepared to read the situation and leave inactive areas when your gut instinct tells you !

Simple ....an Abu Garcia Veritas 6ft 6in Medium Heavy Moderate Fast, it's the most versatile BaitCasting Rod you will find in the Veritas lineup. If you want a longer Rod, then the 7ft 1in Medium Heavy Moderate Fast Veritas. Both Rods will do well with Sammy style Topwaters, SquareBills and even most Plastic Worms. I've even thrown Hollow Frogs in tight quarters on that Rod with braid. It's very sensitive and yet forgiving for a graphite Rod .

I generally rig them weightless with 5/0 EWG hooks.

I've caught more Smallmouth drifting with 1/4 oz Green Pumpkin Tubes, than any other lure in my repertoire.

I say yes there are plenty of anglers (weekend and pro) who utilize finesse tactics. As to what finesse is.....I employ the term whenever I'm using 4,6,8 lb monofilament or fluorocarbon line with lures weighing less then 1/4oz. I'm not sure if this is what the original term referred to? But that's finesse fishing in my book, and here in Michigan its still very much the favored option amongst Smallmouth anglers. In fact every bass tournament angler, during Lake Erie, St Clair and Detroit River events, will have a minimum of two or three spinning rods rigged on deck for light line presentations. It's sort of a popular and proven approach in these waters !

I'm cheering for Washington; but I'd be surprised if Vegas doesn't win the Cup.

Walmart will have every basic lure you need, Dicks Sporting Goods or Academy will have a better selection and Tackle Warehouse the best selection. As for lures to put in a starter kit. Texas rigged plastics, and 1/2oz tandem spinnerbaits is a good place to start. Good Luck !

If you want some flash or sparkle, the Swimmin Craw in color1099 by Big Bite Baits should work nicely. You Can always add more blue with Garlic Scented Blue Markers

I probably fish with live bait, once a year; and I use a Hall Circle Hook with metal Weedless spring guard, rigged under the gill plate and then out through one of the nostrils. It works well.

A friend of mine has a backyard pond (maybe the size of half a football field) and it's loaded with very aggressive albino catfish, small bluegilll, and bass that don't grow over 12 inches. I think the big catfish are eating everything because the Catfish are up to 14lbs. Not sure if this is common but could it be possible ?

I really like the Veritas 6'6 Medium Fast or Veritas 6'9 Medium Light Fast....At $100 per rod and a 3 year warranty they offer very good to excellent performance at a bargain price point.

I've heard this before somewhere, but never explained this well ! But now this has me thinking, and this is a two part question. 1) I have quite a few 6.6 Revo X Reels which are specd at 29 IPT, , they hold 145yards of 12lb test. Could I just underfill the spool at 100 yards and achieve an even slower IPT ? 2) and How would an underfilled spool affect the casting performance ? I know it will greatly affect a spinning Reel but what about a Baitcaster ?

What part of the country? And what type of creek are we talking about ?

Sure, XL mono will work and previously I mentioned I don't use XL, but it is still a good line. But its not necessarily considered a line anglers would use for Heavy cover situations. If you like the Berkeley brand and are sticking to a budget , I would consider a $7.99 spool of XT in 14, 17, or 20lb test, its far more abrasion resistant. Otherwise, a spool of Pline CXXX would run about $12.99 or Cajun Line Gator Green would cost about $8.99 a spool. All of those would be better options if using a Monofilament line...but again 12lb XL will work but I would consider a heavier pound test with some abrasion resistance qualities. Good luck !

I would first try parallelling the defined edge of the submerged vegetation, with a 3/8 oz SwimJig and 3.5 inch Paddle Tail Trailer. Next I would present a weightless Senko into the outer edge and openings. Third I would target the heart of the cover with a Heavy Flipping jig or Texas rigged Creature Bait. If none of those methods produced, I would stick with a hollow body frog or hollow body sunfish, and based on how you said those fish were striking , I recommend slowing down your frog presentation with long pauses in the openings. If that don't work, take a nap and enjoy the weather !

Thank you for everyone's input, and I was really trying to get away from using my Canon Vixia HD camcorder and Smartphone....but keeping the Canon and supplementing my footage with a 1080P Action Camera sounds like the best solution. As to what action camera, I'm still on the fence with this decision. Hi bluebasser86...what kind of battery life do you get from the Garmin Virb elite ? And can it directly connect an external microphone without using an added module?

I'm in the market for an action camera ; and want the convenience of having a dedicated Waterproof device to make photos or videos of my travels, fishing trips, nature hikes and bike rides . The smartphone is simple enough but I want something more advanced and weatherproof. I'm leaning towards a GoPro Hero 4 Refurbished or a GoPro Hero 5. Unless there is something better at the $250 price point or less. So what do others have here and what do others like ?

I agree : )

all golf balls look alike....so I doubt this goes anywhere....but there are some very obvious similarities in the design elements which I understand could make a manufacturer upset, especially if their sales are down

Medium/Moderate Fast or Medium/Fast Spinning outfit.....8lb Monofilament tied to a small barrel swivel and a one foot 8lb monofilament leader to a Blue Fox Super Vibrax Mid Depth In Line Spinner Size 3 in Gold with Gold Blade or Silver with Silver Blade. This approach will get plenty of baitfish following on the barrel swivel , and I think this actually adds to the attraction of the presentation, along with eliminating line twist. If the smallmouth are in the mood to chase bait, this is effective and very good when fished over the top of large submerged boulders. When that inline rolls over the back side of a boulder, be ready.

Thats a good question; and part of the reason the tackle industry is worth billions. But this is a regional and seasonal sport; where what is best in one region or season may not be the best in another. Personally if I could only fish one lure and wanted something which gave me the BEST chance of catching fish in the widest variety of situations. I would pick a 1/2oz Black/Blue Arkie Jig with Plastic craw trailer...it's not a confidence bait for me, but I've caught bass in every season with it , including winter.

We've got an abundance of quarries and ponds near Rockwood Michigan....one particularly is overflowing with bluegill and crawfish. Before the water was opened to the public, we would consistently catch 4 and 5lb Largemouth on every trip. The city bought the site (which I think was an abandoned quarry project) took down the barbed wire fence and built a paved recreational walkway around it, and now it's heavily pressured and legally and illegally harvested. I haven't caught a 5lb bass there in 10 years. But I know the system can still support these bigger fish, based on its forage. So Im thinking sometimes fishing pressure factors more heavily into the equation on these smaller ecosystems.

I fished an ABA National Championship on Pickwick and made the mistake of focusing too intently on Smallmouth, but it Looks like you guys are on the right mix of fish !

We need one solid week of 60 degree air temps, to get back on track. But right now it looks like cooler temperatures, will most likely slow the transition into the pre-spawn phase