JWall14

Nope. I’ll let you know how it works. Plan to use it primarily on missed blowups once the fish reveal themselves cuz we will be fishing fast. Looks great from what I’ve seen.

Not sure where in the country you are but you will likely find soon that the fish start pulling out of the river. They will pull as far downstream as they can. If you are on with this “fall migration” it can be amazing!

What is the line capacity for that reel? Debating between an aldebaran and one of those for a wicked light Jerkbait combo.

With the current exchange rates it’s ridiculous how cheap some reels are compared to the US market. What are the standouts to you?

I was thinking along the same lines balancing wise. Stratic would be a great pairing to balance it and they are great workhorse reels. I could always put a certate I own on the croix and put a luvias on an enforcer orochi but that may lead to the same balance issues with the enforcer. I do already own a certate that will be on an enforcer orochi and love that reel. Definitely would be an amazing pairing but it is an extra $90ish so that’s the only negative.

Recently got a 7’3 M XF st croix victory. Very similar to the 872 loomis blanks. Looking for a setup I can beat to death and not worry about breaking. My other spinning combos are high end and I would like a cheaper but still nice combo to use for rivers and be able to beat up a little. Prefer a size 2500 reel in the $100-$200 price point. It’s flexible so convince me to spend a little more and I probably will! What would y’all get? *I do enjoy getting JDM reels at Asian fishing portal to save money and as of now am looking at a 2020 Daiwa Luvias for around $210. Any other cool JDM reels would definitely be interesting

Thanks I sure will! Planning to be there for 4 practice days with a GoPro to get some footage for the team. May be doing something special with those flukes which I’ll post about after…

Haven't posted on here in a long while. Figured I better owe up to what I ordered this past week. Got plenty of A-rig equipment to last for this fall and spring. Some spinnerbaits for my buddy. Topwaters and flukes for the College MLF event on Lake of the Ozarks in 2 weeks. Also got some swimbaits a month or so ago which take a toll on the tackle budget. Overall some great stuff and I am excited for some cold water fishing.

I am braid to leader on everything with the exception of one casting rod when I fished st Clair. Braid turns 5 combos into 10. I can fish any bait on any body of water in the country with only 5-6 rods. There are no downsides for me. It’s more sensitive and I can get stronger hooksets.

How is that reel?? Not sure if you have gotten a chance to use it but is it everything it’s said to be? Might have to grab one I “accidentally” ordered a new 7’3 M Victory and those Asian portal prices are wayyy too good to pass on ?.

First club tourney of the year. Air temps dropped from the 90s to 60s overnight which had the fish a little stunned. Shad were dying off like crazy so no need for the smallies to chase our baits. Still managed to get 2nd which I won’t complain about given how the day went. Lost a 4-5lber early on a plopper which would have won it easily. Can’t complain though, it’s better than school. Next one is an MLF event on the Ozarks. Should be a good one!

I drove 10hrs each way for a pair of BFLs and 5hrs each way for the Michigan BFLs.

I use a drop shot in stained water a good amount. It’ll get bit. I like larger worms 6” robo over smaller ones to be more noticeable, 6in for largies 4in for smallies. Prism shad is a favorite color along with anything green pumpkinish.

Often, a burn and pause retrieve when cranking can produce these into bites. Play around with it and different baits as well. Long casts in clear water help.

Thanks a ton! Definitely gives us a starting point in practice! Would you expect these fish going be be out deeper or shallower?

Hello! I have a big tournament here on October 1st. My friend and I are going in blind so any info is appreciated! I have good experience with clear water smallmouth but not this lake at all. Thanks! @A-Jay I know you mostly fish north of here but what can we expect late September early October? Any other insight is appreciated! Thanks!

I go 4.5 because I want to catch bigger fish ?‍♂️

I fished the BFLs on St clair this summer and last weekend. Obvious structure is going to be humps and the channel. Rock piles are numerous on the southern US side near the Detroit river mouth. If you look on a map there is a giant hump extending into the lake from Canada’s south shore. It’s a community hole but very good. All these can be good. Drop shots, Ned’s, jerkbaits, spy bait, swimbaits, etc. are all players. As stated above there is a lot of different types of grass around the lake. Try to see if you can build a pattern on that.

Last BFL of the year on the Detroit River! Had a blast even if I lost a few fish that would have put me in the top 10. A little disappointed but I know now that I have a pattern to run with next year and have fixed my mistakes that led to loosing these great fish. Did catch a PB that went 4.5 on my scale on the water which weighs light. Should have weighed again on land but forgot to.

Go back 4 months ago, tighten my drag, land half of the 12 fish I lost and get 1st or second in the Cherokee BFL. I really need to win one just to get this one out of my head.

I have made my fishing career fishing smallies in the rivers here. Up north the fox river can be decent if you find the right spots, but they aren’t very reliable. Honestly if your up that north wisco is the deal. Their rivers are superior in every way.

Thanks! I have no doubt whoever I’m with will have at least one jig tied on. Thinking about a big swimbait or glide as one option. We will have a fair amount to practice so should be able to try lots. Thanks!

6” freestyle means a 8/0 BEAST hook! You will want it later. Also throwing this on mono is not the best idea as the stretch will really impair your hookset ability. Braid to leader would be best and allow for great hooksets. ** sorry didn’t see harness version

How you like free rigging?? It would replace tubes for me but not sure if it’s worth going down that rabbit hole

New river can be tough. It’s big water tho so big ones can be found. Try different depths and current speeds to see what they like.