Finessegenics

Daiwa Aird X (54.99) Shimano Convergence (59.99) Fenwick Eagle (59.99-69.99) Lots of solid options in this price range which I didn't mention. Don't think you can go wrong.

Still own quite a few but I don't use them as much as I used to. I usually put on a small craw style bait and fish them by crawling the bottom. So I'm only using my reel to move the bait and creeping it along. I use the rod when I feel the bait coming into contact with a big obstacle, so I can pop it over. The head does well in rock as it does not get wedged between them. These days, I prefer a swinghead. More action from the plastic and fish are less likely to throw it.

More of a factor on why I avoid eating old/big fish than the taste. I do eat meat/fish from the grocery store which probably isn't the best either so maybe that makes me a hypocrite, but still.

Lake Champlain in the early summer ✌

x3. And sometimes a berkley half head.

WOW! Some of the colors on those smallmouth are awesome. And those are some tank channel cats. You had a good season ?

Grabbed the wrong quote. All is good, sorry about that

Exactly. The more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know. BassResource has humbled me many times and has made me take a simpler approach to fishing, which has saved me a lot of time and money!

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/St_Croix_Triumph_Spinning_Rods/descpage-MBTSR.html

Don’t know if you owned the old version but how does the new one compare? Both are SCII so is it that much of a difference?

Reel seat and handle look great on that!

Mojo Bass 7’1 M/F is good for those techniques. I’d take a look at the same model in the Victory lineup but I can’t vouch for them as I don’t own one. Just love my st croix’s!

Fair point!

I don’t understand why they’re so overlooked for largemouth fishing. A lot of guys throw them weightless or on a light Texas rig around docks, shallow submerged weeds. I do that too, and it works great. What I hear less is people targeting deep, structure largemouth with a tube jig. I feel like rigged with an internal jighead, it can make a great hard bottom/structure bait. I don’t have that kind of largemouth fishing around me, so I haven’t given it a shot. I’m thinking ledge fishing on the Tennessee river and stuff like that. A tube jig imitates so many things well. It looks like a scuttling crayfish, a goby and a dying baitfish. Just match the colors to your liking ??

Time and place for everything, you may just not have come across a moment where those were the ticket. At the same time, I say don't feel forced to learn anything.

Yea, it’s a complicated affair. When the water is too low it’s a huge problem, like it was this year. Freighters can’t load as much, less water going through dams, so less power and obstacles that were all safely underwater in years past become a hazard for boaters. On the flip side, when the water levels are too high, there is really bad flooding, especially on the north shore of the west of the island. It’s a scare every year for waterfront property owners. In the port and east end, it’s less of a concern. The province released new “flood zone” maps that included areas that don’t historically flood and it was a huge fiasco because the property values of homes in those areas went down and laws about re-building which I don’t understand myself. They removed some areas after a lot of backlash.

I’m not glad but I’m praying for the same thing! Last winter and spring was mild for us, not very cold and an insanely small amount of snow or rain. That led to really low water levels and some not so great fishing. We still haven’t gotten our first snow, it usually happens the first week of December.

What I heard about the victory rods is that the M’s in that lineup are not as stiff and powerful as other St Croix M’s. St Croix has a reputation for having stiffer rods. People say the M’s feel like MH and MH feels like a MH+. True or not? No clue but I own 6 Croixs and they all feel appropriately powered to me but it is what I am used to. I can’t speak for the victory because I don’t own one but the 6’10 ML/XF mojo is my choice for Ned rigs. I throw a 1/16 head with a trd, so total weight is probably 1/8 oz. it loads up awesome and I can get the distance I need. No way I can do that on my M croix rods but like I said, I don’t own any of the victorys.

Ok, same as here. I'm in Montreal. Except it runs from 3rd weekend of June until March 31st of the next year, since you can catch them through the ice. If the season opened earlier there, I would've said fishing in May could probably produce the best chances at catching a 5+. With your season, the time around thanksgiving is actually ideal at catching a 5+.

I’ve never been to any of them but those are some top class fisheries! I figure with enough time you’ll run into one on those lakes. And since you’ve got Simcoe on your list, your best bet will probably be there. When does bass season open there?

Another vote for the Curado, any generation. I like the K’s

I've been getting better and better at resisting the bait monkey as of lately. 2021 was by far the year I bought the least amount of tackle. I have no urge to even go out and get anything, besides replenishing my spinnerbait box. It seems like the longer I fish, the less I want. Can anyone else relate?

Can you provide a link? I'm tired of using o-rings and I'm thinking I might make the switch next year. Thanks

I don’t have anything low-key or different to suggest but I finished my season on a great spinnerbait bite so I’ll suggest my favorite. My favorite was 3/4 oz Screamin Eagle in Aurora. I also want to give a shout out to the Cotton Cordell Red Fin! That thing has long been forgotten but I got a few fish on it and I plan to throw it a lot next year. I’m thinking of throwing the 7” in the early season for some big pike.

I had a 6’6 M/F HMX and 7’2 M/F elite walleye rod. Both were okay, but not what I was looking for so I moved on from them. I found the HMX to be really good for the price point but for a M/F rod it felt almost like a MH/F . I moved on from them not because they weren’t good, but they just weren’t to my taste. I feel in general, less and less people are talking about Fenwick’s, even compared to 3-4 years ago. Not sure what’s going on but it may just be me