Mikey99gofish

Nothing wrong with putting on braid and then a fluro leader. For senkos I like 15 pound hi viz Power Pro and 8lb leader. I like the Alberto knot to connect the two. But usually when I go out, I bring about 5-7 rods. It depends on your situation and style. Less is more for some people. For me, if I am on my boat or kayak, it's nice to have everything I need in arms reach. When I go wading or shore fishing, it's usually 2 rods max

I actually ended up using the gift card for a Vanford 2500 and then grabbed a Whipsnake from TW!! Should be showing up today...

For sure. I'm a finesse newby so we'll see how it goes. Going to put 15lb hi-viz Power Pro on it with an 8lb fluoro leader

Thanks for all the input. I ended up using the BassPro card for a Vanford 2500 and I splurged for a Megabass Orochi XX 6'11 ML Whipsnake. It's getting delivered in a couple day so we shall see!!

Thanks for the input. I'd want to keep the Tatula rigged for drop shotting and have the new setup for other techniques to try out--ned, smaller jigs, etc. I'd probably put a Vanford 2500 on it, as that reel has been my favorite so far. I have hi-vis 15lb Power Pro on the drop shot rig and that has been working well. Definitely a lot of rods out there to choose from!!

Looking for some input! I have $250 in BassPro gift cards that have been building up and am looking for a finesse rod. I've been throwing big swimbaits for the last 13 years or so and I've shifted to more conventional over the past couple years since getting into kayak tournaments and exploring new waters in my NuCanoe. This is my second year getting into finesse. Last year I bought a Tatula ML and Vanford 2500 for drop shotting. I also bought a Lew's Carbon Fire 6'9" for $40 on sale at Dick's and put a Stradic 2500 on it for slinging weightless senkos. It's actually a pretty amazing rod for what it is. Looking to add the next finesse rod for throwing a ned rig and other finesse applications. It's super tough to just blindly pick a rod. I'd be willing to spend up to $300+ if it's worth it. I've been looking at the Douglas XMatrix 6'10 ML but would love to hear some feedback from some finesse fishermen with more experience. Any help is greatly welcomed

Was just watching the Tactical Bassin video on jigging in the Summer and it's intriguing for sure. Pretty much taking a pitching jig, using a craw with claws that have some action to them, and "hop HOP"ing it along the bottom. Also big sweeps of the rod and jig drops. What techniques are you using, how deep and what sort of bottom?

I've had a good chunk of time the last few weeks to fish in the Plymouth area. Probably went out about 10 times this month at various ponds. Wacky senko has been good for a fish or two each trip, and got a couple on swimbaits- Pat's perch etc. Night bite has been totally dead for me--wake baits, crawlers, crankdowns etc. My best fish over the past few weeks is 3lbs, haha. Granted, I've been trying lots of new ponds too, but the funk has extended to my tried-and-trues as well. Hopefully the bite will turn on soon, especially at night

Up until this season my outings had always been about 2-4 hours. Now that I have a dedicated, hardcore fishing kayak, I have been going long days, from sunrise until sometimes dinner. It's crazy how the mindset changes- I love having the time to pick apart the water I'm fishing and try different techniques. Try around the banks, try locating offshore fish on the finder and dropshotting etc, try crankbaits, hitting lillypads, etc. I'm able to stand in my kayak so my back is good to go. With this change in trip time I've had to think about other things differently- wearing the right clothing, bringing backup clothes and rain gear, bringing PLENTY of food, drink and CAFFEINE, and most worrysome, figuring out if I wil l have a solid waste removal issue. Luckily that hasn't happened yet, but I often wonder how other folks deal with that!!

Don't you need a Plymouth resident beach sticker to park at Hedges?

I'm in the market for one as well, any suggestions are appreciated

MY PB at 7-1 came at night on a large size Nezuma rat. I'm in MA

Couldn't you just use two 3/4 weights strung up one behind the other, in a pinch!!

Lots of ice over the weekend and guys icefishing. Not so much into it myself but I'm sure it's a lot of fun if you have a buddy with all the gear!! Cabin fever here in MA is brutal

Awesome thread, I'm in MA and gearing up for the Spring bite. I find it interesting that bright red and orange work so well in the early Spring, yet those colors *don't really* resemble crayfish around here. But they do slay early on. Another interesting thing to note is that there are like a dozen different species of crayfish in our part of the country, maybe more. That to me explains a lot. Definitely seems more like a shotgun blast than a rifle approach, but it is fun to obsess over and try to match the hatch!!!

I picked up an Omen Black 7'1 M from Dick's the other day for jerk baits. Rod feels super light and really nice paired up with my Tatula 2500. Will be even nicer when I can actually try it out haha.

6'5" here so I know how you feel! Thanks for the suggestion. Definitely chatterbaits in the 1/2oz and above range I'd think I'll have to see if I can find a good hand model hahaha. Need to experiment for sure, once this ice melts

A few years ago I bought a 13 Rods Envy Black 7'6" medium-heavy (ebc76mh). It was sort of an impulse buy for throwing frogs. It is rated 3/8-1 1/4 oz and it *works* for frogging, but I have since found a rod I like much better for that application. It will throw a frog a long ways, but it's tough to walk a frog with the longer rod. I did some research and found that Stetson Blaylock designed the rod to use for throwing flutter spoons offshore as well as big spinner baits. Just wondering what sort of application others might use this rod for? It's pretty stiff up until the last foot or foot and a half. Pitching jigs? The rod is super nice but has been sitting on my rack for a couple years, would be great to hear some ideas!!

From what I understand, that is the same size as the 2000?

I’m having this same conundrum myself, 2000 or 2500. This will be my first finesse setup, planning to go braid. Tough to decide when you can’t compare both reels side by side. Leaning towards 2000 but a little afraid it will feel too small. Oh and then there’s the choice of a rod, but that will be coming next?