Turtle Angler

As others have said, open hook for me in sections of the creek/river without grass, otherwise weedless. My open hook of choice is Z-Man Ned Lockz HD Jig Head that I tend to pair with a Savage Gear Ned Craw since my shallow creeks have lots of rock and crawfish. For weedless, it's the Z-Man NedLockz Weedless Head paired with Savage Gear Ned Minnow that I can also swim through shallow vegetation. As you can see, I prefer Savage Gear ned baits over Z-Man, and I rarely use a bait over 3" in size (for example, the Z-Man Big TRD).

I know that fishing a giant (10+ inch) worm is a classic summertime technique in the south, but is it commonly used up north? The natural glacial lakes up north differ significantly in structure, water temperature, and current compared to the highland and lowland reservoirs of the south and west. So to my North Country guys, are you fishing a giant worm with success? If so, in what situation (water temp, time of year, water clarity, depth, etc)?

That’s good to know. I was looking at the Old Town Autopilot, so the Min Kota trolling motor should pair with it.

Any colors or sizes you especially like for that Panther Martin in-line spinner?

I'm doing some research for an upcoming fishing kayak purchase and would appreciate everyone's opinion on an appropriate fish finder for such a setup. I think I've settled on a 9" screen. Wish list includes a finder that is capable of side imaging, down imaging, Auto Charting, and compatibility with a trolling motor so I can fish along contour lines. A bonus would be compatibility with forward live imaging (though I don't plan to purchase that at this time) I think I've got it down to: - Garmin EchoMAP UHD2 93sv ($1,200) - Humminbird Helix 9 G4N ($1,600) - Lowrance Elite FS 9 ($1,000) All of these are considered "new" on Tackle Warehouse's website and thus there are no customer reviews, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these or older models, especially fishing out of a kayak. Thanks.

How do you fish the marabou jig in this situation?

Which techniques are you using to catch smallmouth in shallow rivers? I’m a bank angler (at least for smallmouth) and the smaller rivers near me in Wisconsin are only a a foot or two deep. Would love to hear what others use for such a situation.

Do you have a preferred screw-in keeper hook?

I’ve already fallen in love with this new bait, but their durability is a bit of an issue (to say the least). I’ve notice that it slides up the line after the very first fish and it’s only a matter of time until is tears. I’m probably getting 3ish fish until the nose of it rips. Flip it over, 3 more fish, then it’s toast. I’ve tried a ScrewLock hook and it didn’t seem to make a difference in durability, so I’ve gone back to an EWG. To extend the life of it, would you all recommend supergluing the bait to the hook? I’ve never done this before, so where would you apply the glue? What are your thoughts on Mend-It in this situation?

Now that it’s gotten frigidly cold here in MN, I thought I’d bring up this topic. A friend told me that the stretch of the Mississippi River immediately down stream from the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant gets pretty good (relatively speaking) once the rest of the river freezes over because the water stays open due to heat from the power plant. Has anyone tried fishing that stretch of water in the winter, and if so, with what kind of tackle did you have success?

Thanks. Do you think handles from ALL Shimano spinning reels are interchangable, or only from other 19 Vanquish? Also, is there a well-known place to buy Shimano parts? A quick google search make sit seem like buying a Vanquish handle will cost $100, which seems ridiculous.

Does anyone know how to get a 2500 size handle on a 3000 size reel for the Vanquish? I don't feel like I'd like the thicker T-style handle of the 3000 series, but I don't want to give up the 5 kg extra drag that comes on the 3000.

Can you tell me more about noppin.com? I went to the site and tried to search for stuff but it’s nearly all in Japanese. How do you navigate it?

"Invoice" as in your purchase confirmation email?

Anyone know if Shimano and St. Croix are or are not part of the Tackle Warehouse Black Friday sale? I'm not getting the 20% discount on their stuff but it's working for Dobyns (see below). Anyone else experiencing this? Thanks

Thanks so much. You’d think the manufacturer websites would have this info easily available…

Thanks @bulldog1935. I have a couple of questions: Which JDM website do you trust enough to buy from? What do the “C” before the 3000 and “MHG” after stand for? It’s not obvious on the Shimano website. I assume the HG has to do with gear ratio, but the rest has me stumped.

Also, has anyone used the Shimano Twin Power FD Spinning before?

I’m looking to buy a Dobyns Champion Extreme 742 spinning rod and am wondering if anyone has suggestions on what reel to pair it with? Going to use for Neds, wacky, Neko, tubes, mostly lakes, some river. I currently have a Champion XP 703 paired with a Vanford 3000 (which I love). I want to upgrade the rod slightly when purchasing this 2-power/ML rig for increased sensitivity since it will mostly be fished slow along the bottom. I’ve noticed there are very few spinning reel options between $250 and the high end ($500+) stuff. My inclination is to stick with what I know and get another Vanford, but would love to hear other people’s opinions. Thanks

I use it, but trying to take this rig to the next level. Do you use the Decoy Versatile Keeper Peg as well? Ever fished it with a magnum fluke?

I’m using the Owner CPS Centering pin as well, just was wondering if taking it to the next level and making it weedless is possible.

I’ve quickly fallen in love with fishing a nose-hooked fluke this spring (yes, it’s still spring in the Upper Midwest). I’ve gotten away with it since the grass in my lake still choked anything out yet. But I’m realizing that said cover will grow over the next month, preventing me from throwing an exposed hook in those areas. I currently use a 1/0 Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse Hook for a Zoom Super Fluke or Super Fluke Jr. It got me thinking, “why not use the weedless version of that hook to throw into cover?” Has anyone tried this? How did it work? Any problems with hookup ratios? Also, has anyone nose-hooked a magnum fluke? What size Gama Wide Gap finesse hook would you use? Thanks The title is supposed to say “Weedless” ?‍♂️

Is anyone aware if any of the better hook-makers (Gamakatsu, Owner, Mustad, etc) make "starter packs" for EWG hooks (or any other types of hooks for that matter)? Ex. a pack that has 5-10 hooks at all sizes from 1/0 up to 5/0 or 6/0? Thanks

Ok, so all four of the sites you mentioned are out of the right-handed Scorpion 150 HG. Any other reputable sites out there? (I just don't want to get scammed with a counterfeit product)

After reading the TT review, I think I’m set in getting a Scorpion DC. It seems like a Curado with MGL, a better breaking system, and an extra ball bearing, right?