looking45

thanks for the tips, I don't plan on fishing it locked down. I'll play with it at the store the reel isn't big unless you have kids size hands. I have normal sized hands and I can palm it easily. It's about the same size as the Daiwa Tatula 100H.

Thanks, I will be finding to first hand later today

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check that out when I go to the store

I fish almost exclusively for spotted bass and they like bright colors. I didn't like any of the factory colors so I painted a couple in this pattern. It's caught a lot of fish

All fishermen should cover up. Even if you don't get skin cancer, the sun can do a lot of damage to your skin. And you're absolutely right, everyone should see their dermatologist at least once a year.

I'll use a rattle trap style lure instead of a crank bait. You can fish it any depth you want.

I'm 3/4 of the way to getting a couple of them. I'm going to go back to the shop and ask one of the guys to show me how to adjust it so I don't have to use my thumb when I cast. If I can do this with an 1/8 oz weight, I'll be walking out the door with two of them

That's why the local shop is selling so many of them. Great idea to put one on a rod and let the customers try it out. As I said, I wouldn't have been interested if I didn't have the chance to try one out. You just need to adjust the reel first, which is easily done with two knobs on the outside of the reel

Gloomis GLX 802 with a Daiwa Tatula 100H Type R

sorry, righty here

Anyone using the new Curado DC? I stopped by my local tackle shop and they had one on a rod for customers to check out. I took it outside to try it and I was impressed. You'd have to be trying to backlash it. I put a 1/32 ounce weight on it and it still cast good without backlashing. If I hadn't been able to cast it, I probably wouldn't think twice about getting one. Now I'm thinking if I need more than one. The stored said they're selling out as fast as they can get them. Anyone have any experience with them? Any downsides?

LurePartsOnline has a few charts in their catalog of hooks and blades. Have them send one to you and keep it for future reference

The ones I have, the tails are a light off yellow color and I just leave them alone. That's pretty close to the color of a tail anyway. Don't want to take the chance of the paint or topcoat ruining the tail

If i were fishing this lake from the bank, I would travel light and bring a couple bags of senkos, some hooks and some insert weights. Fish the senkos weightless or with the weight inserted in the head, depending on the structure/weeds you find. Good luck

The foot control not fitting into the recessed area was my concern too. I was thinking of having a plate made to use the holes of the recess, then mount the pedal onto the plate

Can you mention the brand of rod? It's odd that 2 rods in row would have the same defect. Looks like the quality control for this brand is somewhat lacking

If it will only cost you another $40 to get a GLX, that's a no brainer. I have used both and the GLX is a lot lighter and more sensitive than the IMX. Buy once, cry once

If you want to get a bait caster with the least chance of getting a backlash, get one of the new Shimano Curado DC's. Once you get it adjusted, you can cast it without your thumb on the spool. Of course, you will pay a price for this, they are $250

I've tried a few different brands and I wear Gillz now. Their material is lighter than the others and the shirts have vents on the sides, letting air in to circulate. I use their face masks too. https://gillz-gear.com

Are you sponsored by Shimano or Gloomis? IMX and GLX are Gloomis rods

Minn Kota refurbs are just as good as a new unit. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with them, maybe they were used as a demo at a sports show. You get the same warranty as a new unit. If you placed a refurb next to a new one, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The only sure way you can tell a refurb is by the serial number. Sometimes it takes a while to get a refurb as the popular models get taken real fast. If you have an authorized Minn Kota repairman near you, check with him. He gets a regular list of the refurbs when they become available. Don't hesitate to buy a refurb

In stock form it has two trebles hanging from it so it isn't very weedless. If you're fishing it over slightly submerged grass, take the two trebles off and just use one siwash hook on the back end. You'll be able to work it over the grass with not much problem. Your hook up ratio will go down slightly with only one hook.

If you want to try a topwater that Ive found to be more productive than the Whopper Plopper, try a Depps Buzz Jet. This bait makes more commotion then the Plopper. It seems like the Plopper is a hit or miss bait, some days they want it, some days they don't. They eat the Buzz Jet on a regular basis. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Deps_Buzzjet_Wakebait/descpage-DBJ.html

My experience with this is predominately with spotted bass. When I catch a washed out (white) spot and put it in the live well, it takes about 10 minutes for all the color to come back. This leads me to believe that when I caught the fish, it had just moved up from deeper water and it hadn't been in the area very long or it's color would have come back. Having the color come back after a short time in the live well supports my theory. When I catch several washed out fish, I move out to deeper water and I get more bites. I have caught spots in shallow and deep water that had all their color and this tells me they have been at that depth for a while. Again, just my thoughts and I have nothing to support my claims

All of the above, plus the new more powerful graphs use a lot more energy and a lot of guys are adding an additional battery or two so they don't drain the starting battery. If you're using lithium batteries, there's up to another $5,000. There's lot of guys out there who can afford these boats or they wouldn't be selling them. Here's my biggest gripe. A guy has a $100K boat and a $65K truck and he complains about gas being too expensive.