redmeansdistortion

I have all budget rods, some of them over 20 years old and no problems at all. I have fished higher end rods and do think they're really nice, but I can't justify that kind of money on them. I have other hobbies that are money pits too so I gotta spread the funds around a bit.

I bet if you hooked into a big steelhead, the fight would spoil you. I know I was. That's why I travel and seek out the chrome bullets and their cousins the Atlantic, Coho, and king salmon. They're about as sporty as you can get in a North American freshwater fish. Explosive drag frying runs, going airborne, trying to control the fish so it doesn't run into logjams, it's a heck of an experience. When you think the fish is done and you're about to net it, it snaps back into action and the fight is on once again. It makes largemouth bass feel......tame, very tame. Almost to the point it's boring to me. Heck, I took a nearly 20 year hiatus from bass fishing in general and just got back into it last year. During that time, smallmouth were nothing more than by catch as they liked to hit on the spoons, Wiggle Warts, and Hot n Tots I throw for steelies. Steelhead and salmon spoiled the heck out of me. I could never willingly live in a state with no salmon or steelhead fishery.

I don't have a boat, mostly fish from the bank or in waders. I'll take you up on the offer next time I make the trek down I94 . How much is a non-resident MN license? Do they offer 1,2, or 3 day licenses?

True lol. I have family in the Twin Cities area. I want to fish every time I go see them, but they aren't fishermen and I don't even know where to start out there

The winters really aren't too bad up here as long as you prepare yourself. Dress in layers, invest in winter tires, and turn off any outside spigots. Other than that, not bad at all. We usually get a decent snow storm once per month from December through March, and most times it's about half a foot +/- an inch or two. From what I've seen these last few winters, those on the northeastern seaboard have gotten much worse snow storms than we have in SE MI. Now if you were to go to the UP, Lord help ya lol.

I catch tons of smallmouth while steelhead fishing. While this is a steelhead drift rig, I'm going to assume it's deadly for smallies too since I hook into them often. I use a 3/16 oz to 3/8oz oz slinky weight (depending on current speed) on the main line and a #8 snelled octopus hook on the leader with a 3" pink trout worm. I throw it out there and let the current carry it down stream until I get a hit.

Come up to MI. Ohio stinks :D. In all seriousness though, this is the freshwater fishing capital of the US. We have world class smallmouth, musky, salmon, steelhead, trout, and walleye fishing here. The only thing the South has on Michigan is bigger largemouth bass and catfish, but largies aren't much fun to catch anyway (my opinion) because they're lazy and don't fight near as good as a smallie. We have many fish here that peel line to the point you'll burn your thumb. Ok, I exaggerated a bit there, but it's kind of true. I never met a bass that peeled off 50yd of line, but I have caught plenty of steelhead in the 10lb to 15lb range that did.

You'll be fine. Most trout rods are moderate action for two reasons. 1. trout have softer mouths than some other species and it's easy to yank a hook out of their mouth with a fast action rod, and 2. trout tend to be line shy and a moderate action is a better choice for lighter line. In this case, the rod does more of the work whereas with a faster action rod, the line does the work. I fish brook trout any chance I get and for those I like to use a 5'6" UL moderate with 2lb or 4lb test.

Mine was a 5600 C3 with the thumb bar. I got it as a high school graduation gift 20 years ago from my uncle. I don't use it for bass much these days and have since moved to smaller Abus for that like the 1000, 3000, and 4000 sized reels. Where it does see use is fishing pike, steelhead, and salmon. This reel has brought in a countless amount of salmonids the last couple of decades and is usually in tow with me when wading and walking the river banks from August until May.

I use a 40" x 3" piece of PVC. It holds 2-piece rods 6'6" and under. One end is capped and the other has a coupling with a screw on cap. I can carry 3 rods in it no problem. It cost me about $8 to build, far cheaper than off the shelf rod tubes, but not nearly as pretty. I hit mine with a coating of army green from a rattle can. My fishing backpack has a rod tube holder and it works well hiking the back country.

Use a Kokanee rod, they are perfect for your purposes. I fish an 8' UL koke rod with a Black Max 1600 for brook trout and it'll throw even 1/16th beetle spins no problem.

Well that's no fun, might as well fish panfish lol. Personally, I love a good run, especially with a fish that peels off tons of line.

What about a Shimano Calcutta? While they are round, they're much easier to palm than an Ambassadeur since they sit a good amount lower on the reel seat. They're also a tougher reel in general due to their 1 piece aluminum frame. I dunno what your budget is, but it's a reel you will only have to buy once. They typically go for $200 to $250.

The Supreme XT gets really good distance. I've thrown baits as light as 1/8oz a good distance without issue. Not super far, but when bass fishing I'm usually not throwing past 30yd anyway.

Hmmmmm, this is a toughy as I pretty much only use Ambassadeurs but I do have some limited experience with low profiles. I do own a Supreme XT and President XT, purchased a couple years back. They're good reels and definitely feel more refined than an Ambassadeur, but I still reach for my old trusty round guys most of the time. They've been dragged through the mud and bounced around the beds of trucks. They all still work perfectly and I see no need to have to use anything else. If anything, your Ambassadeurs would benefit the most from a good clean, lube, and Carbontex drag upgrade. It would be cheap, the reels would be exponentially more smooth than they are now, and you'd have a beefier drag. I can whip my Ambassadeurs like a spinning reel with no backlash. I tried that with my Pfluegers, and while I didn't get any nasty backlashes, the line on the spool still wasn't happy.

What's this ice out everybody is talking about? I've been in waders fighting chrome torpedoes the last week

Yep. Plus if it's windy and mild, the ice leaves quick.

I use an Allen Fall River chest pack. Large enough to hold a double sided medium Plano 3400 plus a small box of terminal tackle. I fish in waders or from the bank the vast majority of the time, so I pack light since I'm always on the move. Typically, I will only carry baits for the fish I'm targeting and nothing more. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MK16SLW/

Same here. When I first learned to use a baitcaster, there weren't many left hand crank models available and spinning reels with switchable cranks were just starting to get heavy on the market.

If you're going solo, consider a hammock. Far easier to take down and put up, comfy, and it keeps you off of the cold ground. Spray a layer of tent dry on there followed by a coating of permethrin. It'll keep you dry and the bugs away. My wife and I as well as the people we usually hike the back country with put away the tents long ago. We have done winter hikes in hammocks no problem. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Winner-Outfitters-Double-Camping-Hammock/dp/B01GCKATD4/

LOL. I hear you loud and clear. I have to take my dog in my yard on a leash now to do his business. Last fall he figured out how to jump the fence chasing rabbits and squirrels.

Since I have to pick, I like my Pro Max 3600 for steelhead, my 4500CS Rocket for bass, and my 6500CS Rocket for pike and musky.

Our wives must be related. Any time I get a new setup going, "Why do you need so many fishing poles? You only need one."

Pay attention to the ad, chances are it'll be taken down. I've seen plenty of ads for great deals on highly desirable reels from zero or minimal feedback sellers, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. I almost bought a brand new Abu 6500CS Chrome Rocket last year for $100. That reel new typically goes for $200+. After watching it for a day, the ad was taken down. It didn't show up in the sold listings or anything, gone like a poot in the wind. Something else to look at is the username. The crooks like to pick usernames that are a bunch of random letters and numbers instead of something that took a degree of creativity to come up with. Just my observations.

Thanks! I'm taking my wife with me, going to show her how to fish a Spook and Husky Jerk. My luck is she will out fish me just like our last outing when I showed her how to fish a plastic worm