Finessegenics

Anglers choice is pretty decent too. I like their Killshot but the other baits are pretty lackluster. The only thing I heard about their baits was that the durability isn’t great. Their dropshot Drifter looks ok but after 1 fish it gets trashed. That’s what I’ve been told at least.

Got my new Sedona to replace the one I broke. Already regretting it and punching myself for not upgrading. It was on sale though, so no worries ?. Also, does anyone have experience with yo-zuri braid and fluorocarbon? Thoughts? I picked some up because of the reduced price. Just gonna use the fluoro as leader for. They feel good in the hands but I know that means nothing.

Glad to see XZone is getting some traction. They have a really good lineup and the action on those Swammers is insane!

Mister Twister 4” and 3”. That’s my preference but I don’t think the brand matters. Only colors I use for bass are pearl and black.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-BLADERUNER.html?from=basres If they made this on an arky head, it would be even better

Most other Canadians would consider it sacrilegious, but I prefer McDonalds coffee over Timmies ?...I wonder if McD's American blend is the same as the Canadian.

Right on, I'm in the east end and usually fish Riviere Des Prairies or the St Lawrence itself. Also like to hit up Lac St Louis sometimes. I'm still going to go out for the pike and walleye opener and hopefully the police give me no trouble. We should definitely get together once all this craziness is done. Anyways, If you get a hold of the rod let us know what you think!

Awesome! I don't run into many Canadians here let alone people from Montreal...welcome to the site and if you ever want to chat just message me!

It sounds nasty but one way to avoid putting scents onto your baits would be apply those fishing scents to your hand. I’ve done it a few times but I haven’t kept it up because it then gets all over your rods and reels too. Of course, you can always make a homemade garlic or coffee paste and use that as hand cream. The fish apparently like it, and it won’t be as smelly as spraying gulp juice onto your hands each time you go fishing.

No, not at all what I meant. What I meant to say was certain lures are traditionally thrown on baitcasters, like a flipping jig for example. Of course you can do that on a spinning rod too. I’m just asking if you only use spinning rods and reels?

Never owned an E6X but I've almost pulled the trigger on them just from holding them in store. They just feel good in the hand. However, I've also heard that for the price they are not worth it when compared to other brands in the same price range. For spinning, just over $200, I suggest the St Croix Avid X and the the regular Avid. Both are made from the same blank but the Avid X has micro guides and a split grip while the Avid has a full cork grip and regular sized guides. The reel seat and handle are extremely comfortable on the Avid X but if you're a braid to leader guy the micro guides could give you some trouble. If that's the case then consider the Avid. All the St Croix rods from the Premier up have a 15 year warranty (let's be real that is basically a lifetime warranty). I've also heard great things about the Shimano Zodias, it has great reviews. I'd want to try out the rod but they're hard to find around here.

On a spinning reel, I’d still stick with the braid but start using fluorocarbon leaders. Straight Fluoro is hard to manage on a spinning reel though if you really want it 8# or 6# would be ideal. Anything much heavier and you will have the same experience as you just did. There are line ratings on the reel for a reason, but they have more to do with diameter than the strength. That’s why braid works so well. 30lb power pro has about the same diameter as most 8lb monos. Try 30lb mono on a spinning reel and it would be a disaster. The same goes with heavy fluoro lines. I know it can be intimidating to start tying leaders when you’re new to fishing because now you have to worry about two potential bad knots. That’s the way it was for me at least. Learn your knots and use a fluoro or mono leader. The uni to uni is a good place to start. I personally like a long 10ft leader but even 2-3ft should work. Also, do you exclusively use spinning tackle? I am asking because I know a lot of new anglers here tend to only stick with spinning tackle even for techniques that are usually associated with casting gear.

The ones I want to suggest for the $200 range are slightly over $200. Under $150, the Mojo Bass are hard to beat. Most of the models are $140 but some are $150.

I bought a 200yd 8# spool for leaders on my spinning rods. Been using stren fluoro as a mainline on my baitcasters and its surprisingly good. I just cant seem to get into braid for my casting setups, the line always digs into itself.

I agree with you. I see the same when reading reviews about various lines on TW. It's mind boggling to me how every single line has so many negative reviews. Makes me wonder if people are just using them with improper equipment or tying bad knots. I just ordered some yo-zuri braid and fluoro which had reviews on both extremes so we'll see how that goes.

I only have one left, they're my dad and I's favorite poppers. That's the lure that really got me hooked on fishing, I remember catching my first smallie on it when I was 8 years old. Anyone know where I can buy some?

Tackleindustries.com makes 2pc musky rods which are perfect for throwing swimbaits. I don’t own any of their rods but I know some musky fisherman here are fond of them. They’re a little pricier than the okuma though.

That sounds like the problem. With the rising water and warming temperatures I do think they should be moving up in no time. Shallow water warms up the quickest so if you have a few consecutive sunny days, the late afternoon might be a good time to go fishing since the water will be at its warmest for that day.

none of this advice is specific to your situation but give these a read and I’m sure it’ll give you helpful insights. And if there’s one bait that can always get bit, it’s a ned rig. It doesn’t do great around grass though.

Not sure how big of a river you’re fishing or how strong the current was but for river fishing I find the winter and pre-spawn are quite similar. Similar in the sense that fish won’t be in the current so I’d say they are in the slowest moving part of the river. I’d also look in flooded creeks off the main river (if you can get your boat in there) since all the food is being pushed into them. I know that in muddy water smallmouth seem to use the shore as a point of reference and it’s crazy how shallow they can be caught sometimes.

As @scaleface already said, microfiber towels work really well. You can get a 10 pack for 5 dollars at Walmart. I think TW also carries their own “fishing towels” but they’re pricy. I like using them when I’m fishing for catfish and sturgeon since my hands get all nasty when I’m rigging live bait on the hook.

I’m sure the difference is minimal but if you’re running straight fluoro or mono I’d go with the 3000 since in theory, the larger diameter spool should reduce line twist. Fluoro and mono do seem to twist more on spinning reels. With braid the 2500 is fine since I also believe the extra capacity is a waste. Then again if you want the 3000, there would be no disadvantage with the braid. I know for Shimano’s the only difference between a 2500 and 3000 is just a larger spool (and maybe higher gear ratio, or IPT?). So the total weight of a 3000 might be a fraction more of what a 2500 is. I highly doubt it is even noticeable. edit: forget to mention for other brands there may be a significant difference in weight between a 2500 and 3000.

I screenshotted the wrong one from my phone! Thanks for pointing that out, I dont have the original papers so I've been looking online for reference. I have the HG but it is built the same way. Oscillating gear sits on the body. Either way, it seems like I'm better off getting a new reel at this point. Still undecided on which to get though...

The Mister Twister 4” is great, I find the 3” a little too small for a lot of 1/4oz jigheads. I also really like the powerboat pro grubs in 3”. They’re much fatter than the mr twister but same overall length. Can’t wait to use them on the walleyes in 2 weeks. pearl or white is my favorite color hands down. Black also works well in lakes with leeches in them, if not I’d go with a color matching your forage. Junebug or green pumpkin for sunfish. Smoke or pearl for shad. For walleye I like to use hot pink and chartreuse but I’ve been less successful on the smallies with those colors.

No, just plastic which is already molded for the gear to be put around. 9418 is the oscillating gear. I’m looking at the pflueger supreme 35x. A big Canadian outdoors chain has all reels 20% off. Larger spool and it the same weight as the Sedona so it should balance well..Or go with the nasci if the Sedona spool does indeed fit. Can anyone confirm that?