casts_by_fly

I have that one too. Those are on my main three rods. The zillion is also great, though a very different reel.

we have clear water basically all year here too with a couple exceptions. By clear, I’m talking 4-10’ typically. Sometimes more, rarely less (the exceptions aside). A spook (sexy dawg) colored to match the light conditions and a black buzzbait are my two top producers. Ploppers also do well at times (black typically). If I’m fishing a spook or plopper, I find it’s hard to fish it too fast. For a buzzbait, it’s hard to fish it too slow.

as I walked from my kitchen where I read this to my office to check the reel, I thought there is no way. I’ve fished that reel dozens of times now and handled it much more. I’ve never noticed any red flake in it. Then I held it just right under the light and I’ll be a son of a gun. It has super fine red flake in the paint. It doesn’t lend a red cast to the reel really and I’ve never noticed it to it’s incredibly subtle. I fish it on a hudson expert which is black with black/silver/red color pattern and never noticed it. Now seeing it it’s cool, but I’ll probably forget next time I go fishing with it.

I have both, though limited time with the met. For all intents and purposes, they look like the same reel from a distance and feel the same on the rod before you start reeling. The profile is practically identical to me. Both of mine are mgl with the latest mgl spools I believe. They cast the same for me. On reeling, they are incredibly similar, though the met seems just a little bit tighter or smoother. It’s a minute difference and if you didn’t handle them side by side on the same rod (or incredibly similar rods) you’d never know. I think they are within a half ounce of each other overall so a wash there. there is no bad choice between them.

Love it! I guess bait is bait no matter the fish. Last year it was walleye for me as the oddball. Two on a plopper and one on a spinnerbait- different days and different lakes.

Not if people are separating brakes from tension. That's what I read it as at first. Sounds like I misread the original post and it was no brakes and no tension, not just no brakes (as I read it). Funny enough, I was surf casting this summer just as you note- no brakes, no tension, just total freespool. The first cast was interesting but I got the hang of it after a couple. This was throwing 4 and bait, so not anything exceptional. It was my buddy's rod (that I had built for his uncle almost 20 years ago).

It can be done. That’s almost how my dad sets up his reels. He also sets his tension so that the lure falls pretty slow and the spool stops as it hits the ground. His brakes are set on ‘negligible’ or a 1 out of 10. That’s how I learned to cast and I can do it (it’s strictly thumb at that). I’ve since swapped to the opposite arrangement (negligible tension and plenty of brakes).

I don't know Tatulas so can't compare first hand. From the specs, that's on the bigger end of MH and I can see why it would be perfect for the bigger jigs you're using on it. You're saying same use but slightly lighter action. Lighter is power and slower is action. If you want a little less power in the rod (while keeping the really quick tip) then a Medium XF would be the next move. If you want the same power but want the rod to flex a bit further down when you cast then a MH Fast would be the move. The falcon would be in the latter camp- MH, great for that 1/4-3/8 jig plus trailer, quick tip but not an XF, lighter power than a lot of jig rods for managing finer hooks and lighter line. I use mine a lot for 1/4-3/8 swim jigs like the strike king tour grade which are fine wire and thin weed guards. There is also the tatula 6'10" MH F that is probably the right answer. If you like the bigger MHXF for the top end, a little shorter MHF from the same maker is probably going to feel good.

When you want a break from Ohio, pop over to NJ. You'll feel right at home. Golf is popular here.

Not sure how good your friends are, but if you're in the premier smallie places you mentioned (or st lawrence, menderchuck, etc) then a 5+ smallie is a very real thing and a 6+ isn't out of the equation. If you are that far north, a 6 lb largemouth is possible but they start thinning out a lot. Further south the equation might change The lake will make the difference.

I would call the finesse jig pretty close to a true fast action (and it is labeled as such). The difference is that is is much lighter on power than you'd expect any rod with the word 'jig' in the name to be, much as rangerjockey as described. If you put it on a board and measure the action with something like the common cents methodology, its going to have a pretty similar action to the head turner. A very small amount of weight/force and the tip is flexing, but about 30% of the way down the rod the action tightens up a lot (I don't want to say 'locks up' but definitely tightens up). With the head turner, there is a lot more power in the bottom half of the blank and you know that power is there. When the tip tightens up on the HT, there is a lot of power right there and not much more of the rod bends unless you're into a good fish. With the finesse jig, you transition quickly from the top 30% for casting purposes into the mid 50% for hook setting and fighting a fish. A 2lb fish will put a good bend in the rod, much further down than they will on the HT. Finesse jig aside and specific to your question, I don't prefer a MH for jigs (vibrating jigs aside) and have been steadily upping the power on my jig rods also. For anyone considering the finesse jig, I look at it based on the line I'm throwing on it. This is a rod that will top out at 14 lb test to me and even that's heavy. Sure, you can use whatever line you want, but sometimes you just get a feel for something that feels right. This rod is a 10-14 lb line rod and fits lures that are happy with that line. Lighter wire jigs like the sniper or a strike king bitsy bug on 12 lb mono around docks and light cover is a great use. I love mine for throwing 1/2 oz dawgs and with the Abu MGX I have on it the whole rig is about 7.5 oz. In the spring I'll even fish a 1/2 oz chatterbait on it depending on the day and lake. I can completely understand the original use of the rod- light jigs on lighter line bounced down rock banks. If you fish a small paddle tail that way then this is a great rod for you (a 1/4 ball head and 3.8 keitech SIF fishes great on this rod).

this. I love my expert finesse jig rod. Great for lighter swim jigs and finesse jigs. Also great for a lot of other stuff.

falcon head turner would be a good option. 6’10”. The handle isn’t as long as some. I use mine for lots of things and all from a kayak. Single hook blade baits primarily, lighter cover jigs or worm pitching, or just a general rod to throw something on. Light cover frogs and bigger other topwaters are good. It’s rated 1/4-3/4 and throws a 1/2 oz chatterbait with a zako (total weight about 7/8) just fine. A 3/8 jig and trailer is my normal light jig on it. I have the expert version but I bet the cara is also excellent.

We have a bunch here in NJ. We don’t have many big lakes in the first place. Some of the electric only are private lakes with lots of lake houses which allow public access. Some are state parks. One is a back up water supply. On top of the electric only waters we have a few more that are 9.9 hp limited. Of all the lakes we have, there are only 4 that are unlimited hp and one is split between ny and nj.

Pike on the local lake. They spawn right at ice out or a little before and the state nets them right along shore for breeders. They net plenty of 40” fish each year so it’s worth a trip or two. It’s also the same lake I caught a 4-03 smallmouth last year in 40 degree water so if the pike aren’t cooperating I’m bass fishing.

Pullover for me. I wear one almost daily from October through April. For fishing I have one my wife got as work swag that has the built in neck gaiter/turtle neck which is great when it’s windy or rainy. Otherwise it’s have a bunch of under armors that I got as gifts that I use. when it gets too warm for a hoodie I swap to a long sleeve hooded T-shirt with a neck gaiter from academy that someone here suggested earlier in the year. Nothing worse than a chill down the back of your neck.

loose surface grass that’s just a bit too much for a buzzbait but not yet matted. Same for lily pad fields with plenty of gaps. Go for it.

If you keep your rope laid out flat on the deck it should be fine. Only issue is if the rope sinks and hits the trailer, but if your have your stuff together and don’t dawdle then it’s also fine.

Welcome back. I moved here in 2019 and while I'm still learning the area, I have a pretty good handle of anything north of 78 now. I'm in western Morris county. When you get your kayak drop a line.

I'm also fishing the jersey lakes and you're right that we don't get a lot of stained water. It takes a lot of of rain to dirty up most of the places here up north. My usuals in vibrating jigs are natural colors. Start with green pumpkin and add something. Sometimes its a flash of orange, blue, or purple. I carry green pumpkin over white and over chartreuse (dirty shad and mud shad in Siebert's tremors). If its a lake with shad or herring (we do have both here) then I like the mud shad variant. That said, if they are going to eat a green pumpkin tremor, then they will eat a mud shad tremor. The specific accent isn't the be all end all since all of the lakes around have bluegills, red ears, pumpkinseeds, and sunfish and all of them are always on the menu. If I'm fishing Hopatcong or the open waters where the fish are keying on herring then I'll swap to a white type pattern (green back shad was my top 2021 producer). Mostly I stick to green pumpkin variants. Also, before I paid $15 for a jackhammer I'd pick up three Tremors from Siebert.

once you find the leak, if you need to install a drain plug here is your option: https://www.yakgear.com/product/universal-drain-plug-kit/?gclid=CjwKCAiA76-dBhByEiwAA0_s9UtC5uI6fqBeDssjNxigPFUVqjz10j-EzSsARiz0WlYiG02AxBQgdRoCQV4QAvD_BwE

this was one I was thinking about. It’s 11 hours which is a long drive but plenty doable.

I carry a box of them (moss bosses) starting in June or so.

Thanks guys. For some more info, I’m not locked into a date in March. Ice out here is usually end of March so nothing will be fishing up here throughout the month. I’d rather not go as far as Florida if something 10 hours closer is there by the end of the month. Atlanta is 14 hours from me and a long one day drive. I’d like to keep it under that if I can. I don’t purposefully sight fish beds, hence prespawn when fish are staging and piling on the feed bag. and I’m another 2 hours north of Trenton so that’s a long way. I’ve done most of that route going to Atlanta though (just did at thanksgiving).

hi gents, Thinking ahead to spring since minus 8 has locked us up pretty good. If I wanted to fish prespawn fish (55-65 degrees or so) in March, how far south do I need to go down I95? North Florida? South Carolina? I’d love to do a trip with the kayak for a long weekend. thanks rick