Goby

For bottom contact, it's a very tip heavy rod that just doesn't have the performance as other even much cheaper rods... I think why it gets praised is, it's a taper that does a lot of things pretty well, so for the dealers that want to find ways to "sell" something, they try and throw as much stuff in there they can to make it logical for you to buy it... That's my thoughts anyway because ever since I bought my first one, I initially fished it with a Ned rig and a tube, then drop-shotting, which full disclosure, I hate drop-shot fishing, but I really did not like the rod for that sort of stuff, at all. Absolutely love it for the other stuff I mentioned though, why I bought a second one. It did take a bit for me to like the grip, but after some use it grew on me and I like the grip just fine nowadays. Lot of personal preference in this stuff, but my P5 FMJ is an awesome bottom contact rod, would LOVE to see MegaBass do a slightly less powerful version of that rod in a spinning rod format, would be amazing I am sure... Good luck!

My future son in law just got stationed at Travis Air Force base, I used to live up in Humboldt, but never did any Bass fishing out there, going out there in March to show my Wife my old stomping grounds and wanted to book a guide for a day, been researching stuff, this thread helped, seems like Clear Lake would be the ticket. I have drove past Whiskeytown, etc... many times, never fished any of that stuff. I was once standing at the mouth of the Pit River on Shasta Lake, mid-day, full sun and something absolutely giant ate something off the surface near me. It was like someone tossed a bowling ball in the water. I had a 5wt fly rod and Trout flies with me, wished I had a Frog or something! Depending on dates, some dates were way cheaper to fly into San Francisco and some were way cheaper to fly into Sacramento. So make sure you check both... The difference was hundreds of dollars in pricing...

So one thing that stands out to me... I own two Windbusters, love them for smaller jerkbaits, smaller topwaters or throwing smaller Keitechs with lighter weight jig heads, etc... I don't really fish small crankbaits, all my crankbait fishing is done with a P5 Javelin, but if I did want to throw a small crank, the Windbuster would be great for it. This is a really really great rod for cold water jerkbait fishing, not too aggressive, really allows you to finesse the action of these baits on lighter line and lighter hooks... To me, it is one of the worst rods you could ever buy for bottom contact, anything. I truly don't understand how or why anyone would ever suggest this model for such things. Food for thought. P.S. For spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, big topwaters, etc... P5 Daemos is King, would not be my choice for crankbaits though... If you wanted to do all those things and crankbaits, I would look at the X10 Bandersnatch by MegaBass if I was you... Cheaper than the P5 series too. Be careful with MegaBass rods, they are addicting. LOL

Many years ago I switched to Smith and never looked back, even before the buyout Costa floundered pretty bad on quality in my opinion, seemed like it went in waves, as did the quality of their service, up and down, hot and cold... I have tried a lot of glasses over the years, how they fit your face is very important to the overall experience so your mileage may vary, but Smith's glass lenses are the best I have found and if you wanted to just have one pair of shades, their polarchromic lenses are the way to go... Only had one dealing with their customer service over the years when a lens began to delaminate seemingly, they replaced the glasses no questions asked, even though they were out of warranty period... Can't ask for much more than that... The old "beater" pair of Smith's I keep in my truck are over 10 years old and still look great. Keep the nice new ones in the boat... I vastly prefer glass over plastic lenses, tiny bit heavier, but clearer and more durable... I have taken big metal trolling "Dodgers" to the face netting Salmon on Lake Michigan when clients pulled too hard last minute and pulled the hooks out of fish, didn't phase the lenses despite taking a direct blow. Plastic would have scratched for sure...

I remove the split ring and just use a small egg snap made by VMC size 0. Makes changing baits way easier, I have been meaning to put both on a scale and see the actual difference in weight, but if there is any difference in action, can't be much.

I second this. Thank you! I picked up some BKK treble hooks recently, I haven't used them yet as it's Winter here in Michigan, but they seem like really great replacement hooks for my jerkbaits, planned on trying some of their worm hooks this year too.

Enjoyed the responses, not sure what instigated such a long drawn out post first thing this morning, but I guess seeing the link to the kid that started his own bait shop just really made my day. If you are going to choose just one place to socialize, this genuinely seems like a great place to do so. Wish you all a great evening!

I think you will be much happier that way, like I said, it's really a very nice line, they just label it a bit misleading. Best of luck!

That 6 pound Yo Zuri is like 10 pound test.... It's really good stuff, but it's comparable to say 10 pound FC Sniper in strength/diameter. I would highly suggest going lighter or with something else, it's very thick stuff, much stronger than it's rating because they take 10 pound line and label it as 6 pound to make one think you are fishing really strong 6 pound... Lot of companies do it... These companies use line ratings as a form of marketing, you really need to go by diameter, not pound test. That aspect of the industry is kind of a mess, but for Panfish, truly think you will want to go lighter...

These are by far the best I have found as well.

I definitely agree with this, I would just add that over time, the manner in which folks have interacted with social media has most definitely changed. Not all bad though. It also doesn't really take into account a large number of users on said platforms are now, fake. Yes, you can choose to be altered by that or not, but it most definitely makes it straight up weird to me anyway. The fighting, etc... you can most definitely just browse right past that, but the fake part is just really out there to me and makes me have more value in something like a site like this that is actually managed. I guess that was the real meaning of my post, amongst the rambling lol If we are going to use the mirror as an analogy, modern social media would be more like a fun house mirror lol

I definitely agree it has become quite toxic. It definitely didn't used to be nearly as misleading, this whole AI stuff has really really increased that, I read that many entities are intentionally spreading as much false information as possible in an effort to slow the development of competing companies AI systems. So now we have gone way beyond just the political BS to everyday normal stuff that is being misrepresented. Kinda scary or concerning at the least...

I will admit, I am a fan of my smart TV, I had never owned a TV in over a decade until the possibility of lockdowns came about when Covid began, we bought one of the last TV's the local appliance store had, I don't watch a lot of TV, but there are a few shows my Wife and I enjoy... I like YouTube a lot as well, some great stuff on there we would never know or see if it wasn't for some very dedicated content creators. If you ever need to fix your vehicle, there is almost certainly a video on how to replace that part or whatever, not everything about video or technology is bad for sure. While I don't love seeing smaller lakes named on videos, etc... all in all, I think there is a lot of good fishing content on there as well, just don't want to see it completely replace written articles is all. We took our nieces to Disney a few weeks back and we rented a Chevy Suburban to take everyone down there in. I got about a mile down the road and the thing started trying to drive itself, had me all kinds of confused and almost wrecked it LOL Way way too much technology for me... Not to mention those giant screens on the dash so many cars have nowadays really kill your ability to see well at night... I did like the cruise control that automatically controls the distance you are from the car ahead of you, that was nice...

4 pound Sunline Super Natural for mono... 4 pound Seaguar Invizx for fluoro... 6 pound Sufix 832 with a 4 pound fluoro leader for braid... The only time I use braid is when I am fishing really really deep for Perch or maybe Gills, otherwise very much prefer mono for most things Panfish... I also use 6 pound mono for mainline when bobber fishing with a 4 pound fluoro leader... Typically mono has better knot strength than fluoro, typically making it stronger in real World use than fluoro... There are a plethora of fancy lab tests that have shown this, there are always grey areas though.

Good Morning! Most mornings I have a routine, browse the internet while I drink my cup of coffee and get ready for the day, I am one of those that is up at 4AM most days, whether I like it or not so typically have some time to kill before I need to get busy with any real work. I try to stay away from mainstream news as that's simply a great way to ruin your day, before it even begins. There are few moments in time where my head isn't to some degree focused on fishing, so naturally it's sites like these where I typically wind up... If you haven't seen the article with the link to the YouTube video about the young man starting his lemonade stand to save up money to open his own bait shop, it's a must see, sure to brighten your day! This morning I was reading an article here on the site about this being the 30 year anniversary of the website, it also mentioned the fact this site is and has been one of the pioneers of digital media in the Bass angling world, which first and foremost is awesome, congratulations on that for sure. This got me to thinking though, many of you are old enough to remember when we didn't have such things like cell phones, a functioning internet, fishing forums, social media, etc... My first encounter with what I guess one would consider social media was the old AOL chat rooms, there used to be one or two that were supposed to be focused on fishing, but in reality it was mostly the same group of folks that liked to fish, just on there shooting the bull in a Friendly manner. I don't think I ever once saw arguing or anything of the sort. Then came the forums, seemingly there was a huge boom of anglers using the internet to learn about fishing, show off their catches and in time, the feuding began. Some forums had a lot less than others and many, all in all were a pleasant experience. Then came Facebook, Instagram, etc... and it really seemed to take away from most forums, many have shut down that once existed and pretty much all of them have less use than they did in their haydays. The only one I ever visit anymore is this one, and I honestly have been spending more time on here as of late than likely ever before. Nonetheless, these forums played a huge role in shortening the learning curve for anglers, when I was a kid, I remember going to the movie rental store and renting every fishing VHS they had, I would sit for hours watching the likes of Al Linder, etc... and would literally take notes, more detailed notes than I ever did for any school projects, LOL Nowadays, the amount of information out there is staggering, far exceeding what I had available as a kid, but has that been a good thing for angling? One could argue that it has added to the toxicity of our need for instant gratification in modern society. That being said, the constant need to outdo your fellow anglers by posting more and better photos on platforms like Instagram has most definitely done far more harm than any amount of information would ever do. We have lost a lot of the mystery that angling once had and if you so choose, you can really hurt your ability to explore new waters as nowadays, you can probably find a detailed video on how to fish your favorite lake on YouTube, complete with aerial images, etc... Seemingly we explore with our fingertips more so than actually going out and adventuring like was once common practice, at our roots, anglers are but explorers with a fishing pole in hand, are we not? Is this what is missing in modern angling that is leading to less and less people doing it? There are a number of Facebook groups that exist that have largely turned into nothing more than a glorified excuse to argue with others, the last time I went to one of the groups I am a member of, it was comment after comment, guys fighting over eating Bass and folks that do so, etc... Just so much raw anger, which you see that more and more in modern society. You also have to take into account, many of those accounts we now know might not even be humans, it's insane to think about how much time human beings waste every single day, arguing with bots or some person sitting in a far away land with no other goal than to make folks mad and cause chaos. As if that wasn't enough, we now have AI, which has created a scenario where we don't even know if what we are seeing anymore on social media is real. Crazy stuff!!! All things considered, what social media has become has really lost its luster for me and I suspect others are of the same ideology. I might be a Dinosaur in this thought process, but to me there is something much more special about the written word than a video on YouTube, it's sad to think that 20 years from now, we may not even write any longer, ever. My Stepdaughter was never even taught cursive in school, most printed angling publications nowadays are more advertising than content, the last few years, it has even seemed like writing may be a thing of the past. To the point, have we come full circle where social media is on its way out? Maybe well managed forums like these will be the new norm once again, or do you think folks will sputter out and become so self-involved that in time, the only form of anglers helping anglers will be where they stand to make a buck with a YouTube channel or something along those lines? While I don't foresee printed magazines ever coming back to where they once were, I do hope a hybrid system like a site of this nature is going to become much more coveted, especially as AI and angry people continue to destroy the legitimacy of most social media. They once said in a song that video killed the radio star, they forgot the part where it went on to kill everything else too, LOL Anyways, just some random thoughts on this fine morning. Thoughts? Sincerely, The artist formerly known as Goby... "New site software allows you to change your username. "

Schultz Outfiiters would be a GREAT place to start that journey. They are in Ypsilanti, not far from you. There should be areas on the Huron you can fish on foot, they would definitely be able to help you in that regard... They have a fly shop and tackle shop, guide service, etc...

I got out on 1/1/26 and picked up some taco meat for Pineapple Fish Taco's... Is it Spring yet?

I was once told by a seemingly knowledgeable reel repair guy, that swapping out the oil on the existing bearings on any decent reels was more of an upgrade than ceramics. Been some years, but I believe that is how he put it. This was in regards to my Abu Garcia 5501 reels, which were my workhorse steelhead reels for a long long time, but the way he stated it, included most models of reels. I can say, the ceramic bearing upgrades I did, didn't really make a difference, were great reels either way... I fish a lot of Bantam's, never found a desire or need to make them "better".

Very nice! Dark mode is much easier on the eyes!

I think if you drop the "all inclusive" requirement and just look into renting a house via VRBO on or near the water you hire a guide on, would be a win. That basically opens it up to whenever and wherever you want for whatever you want to fish for. There are exceptions, but independent guides are typically of a bit higher quality than those employed by lodges, especially stateside... This would allow you to pick your guide in advance, etc... could talk with him about what you really want to do and he can suggest a time from there, for example, if you wanted to mostly fish topwater, they may say "this month and that month are the best" and you plan accordingly sorta thing... If it was me, I would want to fish one of the larger rivers in the Appalachians for Smallies if I was going to spend the money to hire a guide. There are some that guide out of drift boats, some that guide out of jet drive flat bottoms too. You can catch some big fish and fishing in the mountains is gorgeous. To me it's more "relaxing" than many lakes, especially if those lakes have much for recreational traffic... You could easily access such places in a days drive from Jersey...

It has some bulk in the upper chest and the hood is thicker than most hoods with insulation, but where it matters in the torso/waist and outer arms, it uses a different insulation that is way less bulky and isn't quite as warm, but still plenty warm and gives you all kinds of freedom for mobility. While I have worn my big thick ice fishing parka over the top of this, it's not something I would want to do all the time. To me it's more designed around using without anything over it or with a non-insulated rain jacket over it at the most. It is extremely warm, I typically wear a lightweight thermal layer and then a heavier layer of fleece under it and that's all I need, even in the dead of Winter. I only wear a rain jacket if it's raining, or if I am making a long run and want an extra wind blocker, but it blocks the wind on its own for the most part. It just works flawlessly with bibs "both insulated and uninsulated" or waders which most of us are wearing when it's cold. I have zero affiliation to Simms, to my knowledge nobody else makes anything like it.

This would largely depend on the average size of your fish, but for me, the ultimate do it all fly rod for river Smallies is a 7wt. I never go lighter than a 7wt for Smallies personally... So think you made the right call there... I would highly recommend this line for your floating line... It's the OG version of the Titan Taper and only exists within the Mastery series, which was/is by far the best one, the Titan "LONG" blows and the only reason it exists is lazy guides wanted a longer bellied line to roll cast flies off snags so they didn't have to row as much... You can fish topwater and sub-surface flies on this line, heck you can even add a short sink tip off the front of it and have a dual use line... https://scientificanglers.com/product/mastery-titan/ I would then add a sinking line if you get another reel or spool down the road, depending on your waters, a full intermediate may be best or maybe something even faster, that depends a lot on your waters and if you are wading or fishing from a boat. Wading you want a floating running line at the least... I would stick with SA for your line choices, they have the best lines "especially for Bass" that will last the longest... You don't need a fancy reel for Bass, but $200 will definitely get you something that would last forever on the used or new market. Trident Fly Fishing and a few other fly shops have used gear selections online, often times you can find virtually new stuff that guys traded in for a fair price... The Lamson 3 pack you mentioned would be a great idea as well... Just ad, some poppers and some baitfishy and crayfishy streamers and have fun... Don't be afraid to fish larger stuff, but also don't be afraid to fish small stuff if the water gets very low/clear... Often times less is more when it comes to working a topwater too, not uncommon for them to just want them dead drifted... Below are some of my primary flies I fish for Smallies, I fish a lot of deer hair divers and a lot of craft fur streamers... You really don't need much else... There are more "good" Bass flies available today that you can buy from fly shops than there were say 20 years ago, lot of options if you never get into tying. Do not get into tying to save money, you won't. Tying is for fun or creating stuff you can't buy... Especially for river smallies, I vastly prefer flies that look a fair bit like several things than I do ones that look identical to one certain thing...

This article misses out on mentioning what is likely the single greatest piece of cold weather gear I have ever come across. I absolutely love this thing, wish they had created it a couple decades before they did, would have made many Winters much much more pleasant... You can wear it under waders, bibs or even under a rain coat. If you flip that extra insulated hood up on even the coldest days, instantly warms you. There is nothing else like it, made by anyone. Not cheap, but the first time you wear it while actually fishing and notice how much less it restricts you and how warm it keeps you, worth every penny. https://www.simmsfishing.com/products/mens-exstream-pull-over-hoody?variant=41505342881982

Okuma and TFO both have carbon wrapped guides on some rod models, never seen one in person though. I believe what they use is a bit different than this mesh, what TFO uses is definitely different, not sure about Okuma. It seems like it would be a bit more tricky to get this mesh to look good, compared to nicely wrapped thread...

I have spent a lot of time in extremely remote places, to include reservations, etc... out West where meth and such were just everywhere and I mean, everywhere. Many of these sorts of locations have zero cell signal, etc... so if you ever had all your wheels stolen for example, you would be screwed, might even wind up murdered, it's sketchy... There is no such thing as law enforcement in much of these places, tweakers know this and act much much bolder... They happen to also be some of the most wild and scenic places you will find... Fortunately, never had my stuff messed with "knock on wood", but there was a guy I used to fish the same waters as that had the best theft deterrent system I ever seen out there. He had a sleeper cap on the bed of his truck, couldn't see inside at all, but he seemingly would leave a porno on some sort of device inside the cap and left it on pretty loud, so all you would hear is people screwin if you were within 50' of the truck. Obviously the intent was to make thieves have no idea if someone was really in there, or not. I never saw the man in person, but I saw his rig probably 30 times one Summer as we would park at the same access points on rivers and was the only other human I ever encountered that Summer fishing these places. Took me a few times myself before I figured out what was actually going on LOL Always thought it was pretty genius, obviously if you parked somewhere less rural, may want to swap out the porn for something like a movie so kids didn't hear or whatever, but these places were as far away from civilization as one can be in the lower 48 so he must have figured the porn was a better option... Truly sad what that drug does to people...