JackstrawIII

Without knowing the exact bait, we're guessing, but here's a great setup that works awesome for baits like you described and can also work for single hook baits in a pinch. Hard to know his budget too, but this is a med priced setup that would work great: - Dobyns Sierra 703c. The 703 is rated as MH/F, but that's nonsense. In real life, it's a stout medium power with a mod-fast action. - Shimano Curado 200 in the 6-7x range, based on what he likes. - 15lb YoZuri Hybrid line. This line is very inexpensive, but works super well. This will work well and be very manageable.

As someone who has been dealing with health issues related to tick borne diseases for the last 8 years... it's good that you're checking yourself regularly. If you can get them off quickly, the likelihood of infection reduces dramatically. Here's what I do to prevent further tick-related issues: 1. Permethrin. It's not a bug spray. It's a chemical you soak your clothes in and then let them dry. It works for a certain period of time once it dries, and it actually works well. I used to live in the woods and ticks were a major problem. Permethrin was the only thing that would keep them off. Soak the clothes in it, and then use traditional bug spray around ankles, waist, hands, and neck, for added protection. 2. Avoid dense vegetation, leaves, and long grass. Ticks aren't very mobile and they rely on proximity to spread from vegetation to their intended victims. Most often you'll pick them up when brushing against plants, but I've also seen them drop from overhead branches. Yuck. Moral of the story: stay in shortly mown grass as much as possible. We own several acres of woods, but I don't let my kids go into it except in deep winter. Unfortunately, the risk is just too high. 3. Check yourself every time you're near any plants that are over ankle high. Check everywhere, as the OP's post can attest to! 4. The only time ticks aren't active is under substantial snow cover. Cold weather won't protect you. If there's not a blanket of snow on the ground, the ticks are active. At least in NY. Stay safe out there folks.

That would be a costly mistake indeed.

I actually really like having a leader on my line and the FG knot makes the line/line connection so strong, small, and smooth that there really are no downsides. Leader gives you: - a tiny bit of stretch (which I think helps with hookup and landing percentage) - less tangled treble hooked baits on windy days - a breaking point if you're snagged - less likelihood of the line biting into wood - less of a (potential) visual deterrent in clear water Etc. There are definite benefits beyond just the last one.

Rockies are the most aggressive little fish. They make me laugh by attacking lures as big as they are. And they happen to be delicious. I'm grateful for them.

St Croix 7' M/F in either the Triumph or Premier line. Fished those kinds of baits for years on these rods before moving to baitcasters, and still use those rods for various things regularly. Ps. What part of the canal (Erie Canal, for non NY-ers) do you fish? I fish it over by Clyde, NY, but mostly for walleye and catfish.

Not all "topwaters" are the same. 12lb hybrid line (YoZuri is my fav) would work great for jerkbaits and treble hooked topwaters like spooks, poppers, ploppers, etc. Frogs and toads are a different story, requiring braid in most cases.

My wife and I went out fishing yesterday morning on a small local lake that we both enjoy. I fish it probably 5-10x per year and have a handful of "secret spots" where I can normally get bit. Well, as I was parking the trailer yesterday, an older gentlemen approached my wife (who was waiting at the launch) and struck up a conversation with her in which he noted that "on days like today, you need to fish the northern end of the lake". Well, in my 20x fishing this lake, I've tried the north a few times and have never caught anything in that part of the lake. So, we started in my normal spots and fished for about 2 hours with very limited success. I finally said, "ah screw it, let's try what the old guy said." As you've probably guessed, he was 100% correct and we both caught a handful of very nice fish in quick succession. Dock talk is fairly common in my area. I've found that if you're polite (or if you are an attractive young lady like my wife) people are generally willing to shoot the breeze and are inclined share some insights to help you be successful. However, I've also noticed that I generally ignore their advice and just do what I've always done. What about you? Do you actively seek guidance from other locals? When you receive it, do you follow their advice or stick to your own plan?

I will also be doing a mixed ocean/stream fishing trip to Alaska this summer at the invitation of a friend. Very much looking forward to it. Good luck with yours!

That's about right for me too... which is interesting since I'm also in NY, though a different part of the state.

Popular things I don't like: - crankbaits of any kind. Not talked about enough: - YoZuri hybrid line. - Keitech Noisy Flapper.

Well, I tried 15lb test and got bites... and at least one good solid hook set on the far side of a cast. So far it seems like this might be the "easy button" answer. Thanks!

And they're delicious, btw.

Yeah. This happens sometimes. Other times I'll hear it start "chugging" at startup. That different sound is a big indicator that the battery is ready to be replaced.

Try the Gamakatsu Cover Neko. You're welcome. Caught this baddy with one earlier today.

Junebug always plays. Watermelon is another good choice around vegetation.

I just typed this into YouTube and all I got were WWE videos hahaha

A few years ago, I saw someone on the forum post some great advice. Start by trying to figure out if the fish are feeding "up" or "down". Meaning, start by throwing baits that are either near the bottom or near the surface and see which gets more action. Once you have that figured out, you can start experimenting with baits... but I'm convinced that the particular bait doesn't matter much. I could give a million anecdotal examples, but I believe that presentation (location and speed) of the bait is more important the bait itself. If you put a bait with the right action (flashing, thumping, twitching, hopping, dragging, etc) in the right place, it doesn't matter if it's a craw or a gill... it'll get bit. This is also why I tend to favor baits that are more ambiguous in design, meaning they could resemble "anything". Creature baits, worms, bugs, etc. in some combination of brown, green, and purple can imitate any of the forage that northern fish (I'm NY, you're MN) want to eat. Take the Rage Bug for example. If the fish wants to eat a craw, the Rage Bug looks like a craw. If the fish wants to eat a bluegill, the Rage Bug looks like a bluegill. Ps. The only exception is minnow-style baits like flukes, paddletails, and such. In these baits I tend to favor light colors because the young (3-4") of pretty much every forage fish is silvery-white with some sort of slightly darker markings. That's my advice, take it for what it's worth.

That's about right for me too. And as a dad of young kids, I understand that long trips away can be tough, but it does get easier. My youngest is 6 now and I'm able to get away for a solid 4 hour outing once a week in the boat, plus a few shorter trips before work beating the banks and such. Grateful!

I have a couple DC models... and yes, they make the "weeeeeeeeee" sound. Try throwing a heavier bait. Also turn the brakes down a bit. The "weeeeee" sound comes from the digital brakes engaging. In my experience, they'll only engage at a certain spool speed.

Their rod lineup is super confusing. I emailed the company asking for their recommendations on two rods I'm looking for, but haven't heard back. The rod descriptions all quote essentially the same rather exhaustive list of techniques that they're suited for... Does anyone know their lineup well enough to answer my questions? They seem like good rods, but I want to make sure I'm getting exactly what I'm looking for. Here's the email I sent: Rod 1 - toad style baits on braid. I want 7'-7'3 in length and I need a rod that is strong enough for heavy cover use, but will also load properly with a fairly lightweight toad bait. I have a hard time throwing baits with a lot of the standard "frog" rods out there. Also, I like a powerful rod, but with a slower than normal action. Would this be your FSC MBR 748-1C? Is it a full graphite rod, or is there glass in it? Rod 2 - paddletail swimbaits on stout EWG hooks, also with braid. I want around 7' long and something similar to the first rod in that it needs to be powerful, but have a somewhat moderate tip so the fish can fully "take" the bait. The difference is that sensitivity is more important and it doesn't need to be quite as powerful because I will fish lighter cover with this setup. Would you recommend your FSC HYBRID 706-1C, or is that not suited for this type of single-hook use? I'm concerned about the glass tip losing some sensitivity? Would the FSC CBG 714-1 be better?

Which one do you use to throw toads? I'm looking for a new toad rod and struggling to find something that loads properly on the cast, while also being stout enough to manhandle fish out of cover.

Plain old texas rig. 3/0 ringed VMC hook with a 3/16oz bullet weight unpegged. Junebug with red flake. A big thunderstorm had just rolled through and the water was fairly turbid with low visibility and the darker color lures dominated that day.

This works for me on the rough days on Lake Ontario.

After reading this thread on Thursday, I dug a pack of these out of storage and used them Friday morning... and caught a bunch of really nice fish on them. Thanks for the tip you guys!! UV Speedworm for the win.