bayvalle

I have a place in OH, TN and MD and the fishing is different in all those areas. This site needs a Midwest Fishing forum. OH, IN, MI, IL KY is not close to NY, NJ, MD, CT etc. so having the site combined on the Northeast Fishing Forum doesn't work well for sharing information. I see guys postin "Where are the Illinois guys" or "Any MI fisherman" and that's because the Northeast Fishing forum is dominated by the NE states. Just a suggestion. Thx

Same Tn lakes for me. I have a place on Norris but it's up for sale so I can be closer to my grandkids. Love TN

So True. Paying more is a diminishing return.

My buddy has plenty of high end gear but at Lake Sinclair he likes to pull out a cheap fiberglass slow action rod for the smallies. We all want one when we see that rod double over. He even pulled in a 40" muskie on that thing.

Is there a permit required to park the trailer at the S River Rd ramp?

I live in SW Ohio as well and our best chance for a monster LM are ponds or a drive up to Lake Erie.

Agree. I have both...no comparison. Although both the Ugly stick and St Croix have a purpose.

I use braid then add a fluoro leader when I want the attributes of fluoro.

Good point. The rod selection really depends on the size of the fish and the density of the cover in the lakes you fish . Rod setups will be a completely different fishing Lake Sinclair and Chickamauga Lake. Lakes with heavy laydowns, dense mats and big bass will require a stronger outfit. Using a heavy outfit in the SW Ohio reservoirs is overkill and takes away from the experience. Heck in the Chesapeake Bay we pull 40" Stripers with ML rods becasuse there is no cover. RoadWarriors suggestion for a three rod setup covers a lot of bases but everyone has to adapt their individual needs based on their preferred lakes. I'm in the camp with Road Warrior in that I like to keep it simple.

I picked up a couple of KastKing Royal legends a couple of Piscifun Torrent reels just to review them. Initial impression on both reels, they are very impressive for the price point. Much too early to speak to the longevity of the reels but my opinion has always been maintenance is key to longevity. In comparison at this point I notice the kastking casts further and the piscifun has less backlash when throwing into the wind. Piscifun has an easy oiling port which I find convenient. I do like the clicking spool tensioner knob on the Piscifun. The KastKing has more bearings and the Piscifun has sealed bearings so as of now I'm using the kastking on freshwater lakes and the Piscifun in the Chesapeake Bay.

Berkley Lightning rod is a great value. The reel seat is just ok but the blank is very good at that price point. I have some Ugly stix that I use for fishing Striper top water frenzy or lend to friends when they come along. The Ugly stick is very durable but are heavier and less sensitive.

Baitcast pros vs spinning ...more accuracy, lighter weight (less fatigue), faster casting, easier to adjust the depth when jigging, stronger drag, better for heavier line, less line twist. Spinning pros vs Baitcast... Better for smaller diameter line (flouro under 10lbs, braid under 15 lbs), better in wind, easier to learn, less backlash issues ( settings, practice and improved reels minimize this in baitcasters), cheaper, easier maintenance. Baitcasters are my preference unless I'm fishing light rigs or needing to cast into the wind on windy days I am right handed and prefer left handed retrieve. This allows me to make faster casts since I don't have to switch hands to retrieve. Plus if I get a bite as soon as the bait hits the water I'm not caught switching hands.

For inexpensive braid I've had better luck with Goture 500M Braided Fishing Line 8 STRANDS Super Strong Saltwater Fishing Line than with Kastking. Goture will fade as will all of them but it is not messy. I've pulled 38" striper on 10lb braid with this. I get it on Ebay.

You're overthinking this. Doesn't have to be an exact science just judge by how far it fills the spool on the reel. Personally I prefer a very little backing (old mono) and use braid to fill the reel, when the braid gets older reverse it on the reel. I can get many years this way.

Enjoy. I have a couple of Dobyns Fury's and a St Croix Mojo Bass which I enjoy but I also enjoy my Berkeley Lightning rod. Berkeley makes a great rod for that price range. I would agree that the new technology makes current reels much easier to use. Piscifun makes a great inexpensive starter baitcast reel ($35), once it's tuned it doesn't backlash. They usually need a little oil out of the box.

The BP acquisition of Cabela's is not good for consumers. I had heard early that the lifetime warranty is done. In addition it appears pricing has increased at both stores, less options, reduced customer service. I anticipate future store closing especially since Cabelas went on a building spree in an attempt to thwart the takeover. Ten years ago in my area of Ohio we had a Dk's and a Bass Pro within a 40 minute drive. Now we have a Bass Pro, two Cabela's stores, a Field and Stream, at least three Dk's stores plus some local shops in that same 40 minute drive. The market is saturated with box stores while at the same time online fishing store are beating them on pricing. When I asked a salesman at BP why the store seems so empty he told me it's because customers are now are only coming in to check out gear and then purchasing online. BP may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Interesting. Don't think I would buy one but I may try fishing on my wife's jet ski since she already has one. I like fishing off my boat (50 years) but I gotta say since I started Yak fishing last year it's rejuvenated my excitement for fishing. I actually fish my Yak twice as much as my boat during summer just because it's still fun when fishing is slow, I get a little exercise and it's easy to get out by myself (read retired). The PWC is another option and anything that gets a fisherman on the water is good but for me the downside would be holding position to fish structure. My guess is the best use for PWC fishing would be in open water where we predominantly drift fish (Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay, etc..). Also a bass fisherman can pick up a decent boat already rigged for the 15 grand price tag that these are going for.

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No problem with trying to fix guides. They're easy to replace. Don't throw away your rod it has many uses. Like I said I've replaced guides using guides from broken rods, if you don't want to bother with guides at least your rod blank is good and can be used to repair broken rods in the future.

Can you get a hold of any broken rods that you can take the guides from? I find guys throwing away broken rods all the time.

Depends on how heavy the cover is in your area. When I fish SW Ohio I never need more than a St Croix M but in Chicamauga TN a MH is the minimum.

Anybody using a ML Baitcasting rod for ned and neko rigs? If so what length?

Rod length for me depends on the situation. When fishing out of the center console on with a T Top in open water I prefer the 6' rod. It keeps me from tying up with my other rods in the rocket launchers or my fellow fisherman rods when casting. When fishing off the bass boat I use the 7' rod since there are no obstructions to casting plus it allows for pitching and flipping. On the Kayak I prefer the 6'6" rod as a compromise for casting distance and ease of handling when making line adjustments and lure changes. As far as hook set I really don't see much difference from rod length but there is definitely better accuracy with a shorter rod and more distance with a longer rod. Having said that casting distance is affected even more by rod action than length.

Can you explain why you recommend more power for fluoro?

Is the Sierra significantly better than the Fury?