T-Billy

Ark 7'4" Mag Heavy Invoker Po has quickly become my favorite all around heavy cover rod. The Ark 7'6" HF "King Cobra" in the Tharp Series, or same model in the Invoker Pro series are a close second. I find that 7'4" Mag H easy to be very accurate with. Rated 3/8-2, it's got tons of power with a very resposive tip. Lew's Pro SP reel, spooled with 40# 832.

I'd avoid the kk zephyr for your purposes. The spool/frame gap is too large. Anything under 8# mono finds it's way in there on my reel. That said, it's a great performing reel for the price with 8# XT. I'd advise to buy a decent reel from a reputable manufacturer and skimp on the rod if you need to. I prefer mono for BFS so top of the line guides are not a must. The ifishband hyper micro has been a solid performer for me at $124.99.

Lew's LFS. The stuff you're looking to throw is right in it's wheelhouse and it's a durable well built reel with a solid reputation.

Our buddy @TnRiver46 this morning!!!

Yumbrella, regular or the finesse version will both work fine. They're inexpensive and pretty well built. Your froggin setup will work fine for ya, at least to get you started. If you decide you like it and end up throwing one a lot, a longer, heavier action rod will make it easier on ya.

LOL!!! I'm not sure dragging him into this was a good idea on my part. Could be a live skunk in my mailbox one day soon. I'll have the wife get the mail for awhile just to be safe.

Boy, this was a much needed thread on a -30 sideways snowin day!!! Thanks @12poundbass!!! You're alright. I don't care what @TnRiver46 says about ya!!! ?

I've used several and found my favorite out of my lineup is the 7'10" Shimano SLX H MF. My Ark, Tharp Series, Guntersville Special 7'11" flippin stick is a close second. Both have tons of backbone as far as bass rods go, with pretty limber tips. Most any aluminum frame casting reel will work fine. The A-Rig isn't a high resitance bait on the retrieve. Similar to a spinnerbait in that regard. I prefer a 7 speed reel for it personally. 50# braid is all I throw 'em on. You're pulling a dang chandelier through the water. Nobody's gonna convince me mono or fluoro makes a difference in getting bit. Braid lets me straighten out hooks and get my rig back when I snag, and they snag anything that get's within 10' of them it seems. I run three 1/8oz jig heads in 15' of water or less. Dummies on screw locks on the top two arms. The dummies are not a disadvantage. I've only had ONE hit on them ever, and that's two less hooks to snag up. I'd run three hooks on my rigs even if we were allowed five in OH.

That was a fun episode. Two great friends put'n it on 'em. You're gonna need a bigger hat if this keeps up!!! LOL.

Oh yeah. I can't keep 'em off the TRD bug in the early spring. I have a video of me fighting a muskie that has a smallmouth I'd hooked on a ned T-Boned in it's mouth. It ended up breaking/cutting me off, but I fought it for several minutes first. It wasn't gonna let go of that smallie for anything. He's trying hard to convert me!!! The muskie are a fun diversion when the water's cold, as are those yummy saugeye and crappie, but I'm a bass fisherman at heart.

It ain't always that way. This fall was epic. The A-Rig was the difference maker. They love that thing. I turned my new musky guide friend onto it, and shared how I fish it, and in return he shared lots of info with me on different aspects of muskie fishing. Our newly formed friendship has been mutually beneficial. He averaged four fish per trip through Nov and Dec. I averaged three per trip in the same time period. COME ON MARCH!!!

I've had them do that when rolling a spinnerbait just below the surface. Makes ya pucker!!!

Easy to tell the difference. The 6# brown bass actually weigh 6# on the A-Jay show!!! No guesstimating involved.

Nope. Just makes me crave more of it. That rig is addictive. Everything hits it hard. Bass, eyes, muskie... I've never had a subtle bite on it from any species, but man, when a 40"+ muskie T-bones it going full tilt...... POW!!! Crazy fun!!!

It was near 40 degrees at midnight. It was -5 with wind chills around -30 by 7am. Might take more than a few days for the fish to start biting here in OH!!! Keep the vids/reports coming. It'll be March before I get to wet a line again. On the upside, once the ice lid comes off, I should be able to pick up right where I left off with the A-Rig and the Esox.

If you have wifi you can stream Frndly TV for like $12 per month. Family friendly programming that includes Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, and World Wide Fishing Network. It's about the only programming worth watching these days IMO.

I've only ordered JDM a few times, and so far no issues. Gonna pick up a couple more JDM Zillions soon. Stuff comes from Japan much faster than from California. Go figure.

Merry Christmas!!!

Those fresh jumbo perch are tough to beat.

Drinkin is for people who can't catch fish in the dark. ?

8-10 on the deck most days.

I married a girl who loves to fish.

Welcome aboard.