Mikeltee

In Indiana, if the sun is down, you have to have your red and green bow lights and a white light that can been seen from any direction as well as no wake. Your headband wont cut it. It needs to be seen from 360 degrees. Even if your state doesn't require this, common sense does. Someone coming behind you is not going to see you with your headband. Now most likely they will be in no wake mode, but still... why risk it. I have only been a rec boater, but when im behind the wheel, my head is on a swivel. I stand up so I can see everything even at 70mph. With 20 years on the water, I must admit that I am not the norm. Be careful out there brother

Shimano Stradic CI4 with Dobyns Champion 702-705 ftw. $400 package. I don't use spinning anymore since I got a finesse baitcasting setup. It throws a 3/8 just fine. Anything lighter is for a fly rod imo.

Lews tourny pro g. I got mine today off ebay for $120. Check sale thread for details. Just as good as my Tatula SV and better performance than my Shimano 200hg(not a fan).

I got a tatula elite ags finess casting rod. It's an excellent rod. Its light, sensitive, and very balanced. The finish is nothing to write home about but I'm spoiled by dobyns rods. I got the tat to see if I'm missing anything being loyal to Gary. Turns out I'm not... Ohh... it came with a sweet perfectly fitting diawa rod glove as well.

You can fish a ned rig with a stick. Throw it out and let it hit bottom, shake it a little for 15sec, lift rod tip, reel in slack or wrap line around your stick. Repeat. Your rod choice will determine the sensitivity. It's best to use the lightest rod you feel comfortable with hauling your PB with. I got a medium light ugly stick elite for $40 and it works fine for ned rigging. I recently upgraded to a tatula elite ags finesse rod and guess what? It catches the same fish the ugly stick did.

Thanks Joe. I like the fly swatter idea. That is much more productive that sitting in a corner in the garage. If I cant find a donor rod that is what I will do. Now that I look at the guides, I don't think they are worth salvaging and putting on my first rod build which one day shall come.

Hey guys, I apologize if this is not the right spot for this. I have a 7' St Croix MH Spinning rod that I shut the tailgate on. Its broken about 2 inches shy of the first guide closest to the butt end. Is there something I can buy to attach to make a 2 piece? From my research, the only option I saw was to take a piece of broken rod and insert into the inside of the rod I want to fix and use it as a splint. I think since its broken that would not effect the action too much. it was a clean break and the 2 pieces line up perfectly. The problem is that I don't have any rod pieces laying around. I know there's a lifetime warranty but its $75 and I don't think I paid but $150 for it. I replaced it anyways so I figure id just attempt to fix it and use it for my kids first good rod. Also, I would like to eventually build my own rod. Would I better off disassembling the rod to reuse the guides and reel holder? I don't know much about building rods, but unless the epoxy is in direct contact with the parts, it should be reusable right? Thanks

I got one of these too. Same deal and discount. It arrives Monday. It appears that they are discontinued for something new at iCast which is why they are giving them away.

Try some Len Thomson spoons. They are the best. I brought 5 to virgin waters in the Artic for a week and caught literally 100s every day of 42"+ Pike and Lakers on them. I brought home 3... 2 still in the box. My biggest was 50". Best week of fishing in my life. Not the cheapest though. I didn't even sharpen them once and ground the barb off as well to take it easier on the fish. 5 of Diamonds got the best action. I didnt know they can catch bass. I cant wait to break one out.

If you are fishing the neighborhood pond like I am with my 6yo you want something weedless. She absolutely hates taking salad off the line after every cast. Texas rig FTW! I deadstick a weighted worm on a bobber for her and she watches that while catching bluegill constantly on the ultralight.

Funny thing is that they thought you were rude for blocking the inlet to the cove and Danny Boy posted on his forum that he about gave you a piece of his mind.

No it's not right for them to be that close. I no longer have a boat and will get a fishing kayak as soon as my kids are old enough to tag along. You better believe I wont be paddling in any waters that have rec boats flying around. I don't care how good the fishing is ( isnt that good anyway in central Indiana) There are plenty of spots to go to that are no wake or cant have a boat on it. As for the fishing next to the party barges is concerned... well if you ain't catchin' you can at least enjoy the scenery. Our party coves were always filled with Rangers. Lol

As a party boat owner and partier for more than a decade I'll admit that I never gave consideration to people fishing. That is because I did not know it was inconsiderate. I never had kayaks near me and of course I would give caution to them, but the amount of wake my 30' pontoon and 18' runabouts put up, I never imagined that the wake would interfere especially given that I give all boats at least 100 yards clearance. The day I went out in my buddies wakeboard boat fully loaded is when I saw the power of wake. We would be 200 yards off shore and send 5' rollers up the stone walls. Then and there is when I realized how much of an ass I have been all these years to the bass boats hugging the shore and docks. Even a little wake sucks. It's not the partiers fault. They just don't know better which is why they wave back when they are guilty. A sign at the ramp and the docks leading to the slips would go a long way. Stick it right next to the .05 BAC limit on the water sign and it will get noticed.

I had a Tatula SV for a week. Spent an afternoon at the river in the rain a few days ago. The following day the Twing would only go back in place if I snapped the handle real hard. When it's not in place, the disengage bar would not reset. I wont buy another Twing. The parts are cheap plastic and wont survive in the long run. As the ol saying goes... a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I wish they made the SV without Twing as I would replace all my reels with it if that were the case. It's super easy to tune to each lure, it feels like a zillion bucks, and all parts aside from the Twing appear to be super stable. I took it back to Cabelas a few minutes ago and ordered a Lews.

Hey guys. I am in need of a frog rod. I am thinking Dobyn's Champion 736. The reason why I want 736 vs 735 is because I already have the 734 in the Fury Flavor. I have a Champ 704C and the fit, finish, and quality is well worth the cost to me. I also have a FR795 for swimbaits. I think I have a Dobyn's addiction. I tried another drug, the Tatula Elite AGS Finesse, and its a high quality rod and the fit is on point, but its no way near as perfectly finished as all my Dobyn's, and even a couple St Croix that their finish is no where near that of Dobyns either. I realize its a tool, but finish means a lot to me, especially paying over $100 for an item. Being a frog rod, I can probably do without the Champion series sensitivity factor, so my question would be should I stick with the Champ 736, go for the Fury 735C, or get something totally beyond the scope of Dobyn's quality for $250 (if such a thing exists)? I researched the Cashions, Tatula Elites, iRods, and a few others in that price range, but nothing is swaying me to get off the Dobyn's train. I am 6'3" so I can getaway with a 7'6" rod to walk a frog. This will also be a pitching rod until I can afford a rod for that technique on its own. I put this last because I really want the perfect frog rod. Good backbone and soft enough tip to walk the bait. I just stole a Lew's Tournament Pro G Speed Spool for $120 in the 8.1 flavor from the bay. I have a Curado 200HG on my 734 and I cant dial heavy lures in for squat with it. I can chuck a hollowbody frog on it all day though without a backlash. Should I put the Lews on the 734 and the Shimano on the 736? I am hoping it will be similar setup like the Tatula SV. That thing takes 2 casts to perfectly tune your bait from 1/4oz all the way to 1.5oz. The Tat combo actually replaced my high end spinning setup for finesse. She just collects dust in the garage now.