Reel

For a versatile outfit that can be used both for panfish and bass I would go the medium route: in Shimano, something like a Nasci or Miravel 2500 reel and a Sellus seven footer rod in medium action. Those a new products so you'll be set for a while ... until you get the urge again.

If the area is large I will power fish. If it is small I'll use a finesse approach .

It depends. Some baits are better use when the boat doesn't move and for other baits, moving is part of the technique. For exemple: When I'm using a ned rig, I don't want the boat to move to much. The head is light and I don't want it to drift. When using a heavy tube ( 1/2 oz) I often drift, draging it and that's a technique onto itself. But I mostly fish rivers with current. I've got spot lock and a Talon anchoring system for shallow water.

The reality of it is that I just get bored throwing the same thing over and over again even if it's working. I like change ! It keeps me motivated. I'm always looking for that magic bait or making changes to a bait so that it is better. Also, there is a place and a time for each type of lure. When something is used regularly, you hit that wall where it's not the time and not the place. Then you loose confidence.

Take a look at the new 2026 Shimano Sellus rods. They are a great buy for the buck.

I see a buzzbait with a wire holding the blade in place in Glenn's article. Is there any advantage to this kind of lure besides the holding feature ?

Last season, I lost an Expride rod with a Vanford reel. I was fishing a ned rig and came up to a spot where I saw a wolfpack of smallmouth. Put the rod down to grab another one with a jerkbait, but did not see that the lure on the first rod was dangling in the water about a foot deep. A few minutes later, when I turned around, rod and reel were gone.

Glenn's answer is right on. I live way north and we can't fish pre spawn because the season is closed. But I fish for crappie. One Spring day you're only catching crappies, then all of a sudden the next day the bass show up in the same spot. Most of the time these spots are deep water ( 20 feet) close to shallow water ( 3 feet).

Princecraft offers deckboats that are similar.

Did he use it on baitcasting tackle or spinning tackle ?

I take the reels off the rods during winter but I number them so I can put them back on the same rod for balance and feel.

What I like is secondary action. Something that moves when standing still.

Yes, a reading should be made a couple of hours after the charger was disconnected. Still, both batteries should give about the same reading. If one is much lower, that is something that should be investigated.

12,86 means it's finished.

I do the opposite. I fish mostly hard lures with my BFS equipment. I like the Shimano BT bait, the spybaits from Jackall and the Karashi also.

I fish very clear water and see at least half of the strikes from largemouth bass. Most of the time they bite twice: once to take the plastic lure or a part of it into their mouth and then a second time to suck it in further. When it's there, they will usually move with it a certain distance, then stop to swallow it completely. It's probably during that second phase that texture and taste is important.

Nothing there that I haven't caught a bass on except the Krej ... but I use a similar lure ( Riser) from Jackall. So they are all keepers.

I use small thin wire splits rings that I buy in bulk from a lure parts company. They don't have to be strong because they just hold a blade, not a fish like a treble hook. I want the lightest possible so the blade spins freely. Split rings are also available at tackle shops. You can loose blades if the gap between the end of the wire is too big. I fill that gap with UV cement when using a small split ring. When you use a bigger, thicker split ring, it's better to put the blade on first then the swivel. Then the swivel can sit in the gap.

Get those chartreuse curly tails out of storage right now !!!!!

I also tie my own. I've been doing so for more than 20 years. I buy from Tackle Parts On Line. I've tried different colors, different sizes and different heads and I'm down to 1/2oz, green pumkin or black and blue. I like a head that stands up. For me, (in clear very clear water) that's important. I don't want a jig that falls flat on it's side. I use to use wire, not anymore. My jigs don't last long enough for it to matter. After using one for a couple of weeks, a pike gets it. I use trailers to add color. Much easier and more effective. I spray the rubber bands with silicone (Jig-A-Loo, what else..) so they last longer and are easier to slip in. I like mat silicone strands.

Where I fish (a river), smallmouth and largemouth can be really close to each other in shallow water. Catch a smallmouth, move 10 feet closer to shore and catch a largemouth. But the water stays cool all season. I think the opposite is more likely. I think smallmouth hold their ground and largemouth take over when they (the smallmouth) leave a spot because of seasonnal mouvements.

I only use 5.5:1 ratio for really deep diving crankbait. For square bills and medium divers, I use a 7 :1 ratio reel that can serve other purposes.

I had the same motor. Sometimes the upper tank would develop a small crack around the neck area with age and that would happen. I had to change the tank.

Coresolid reels use a metal rotor with more inertia to get a more fluid cast and retrieve motion when you want to retrieve something in a continuous mouvement. I use them for small crankbaits, flukes, senkos. MGL reels have a rotor made of composite that is lighter. Not so much inertia so most of the time you close the bail by hand. These are perfect for lures brought back on the bottom with multiple stops: Ned rigs, tubes, shakey worms.

Yes, I remember now. The ones I have are Excalibur, that is a Pradco brand or at least was.