WaskaCrank12

Thank you @RichF and @12poundbass for the info. I ordered the Pilot II Jacket and Bibs from Midway......living in MN for close to 20 years I have purchased and wear legit cold weather gear......yet my rain gear for warmer temps has seen better days (it still functions and will be donated).....although not perfect/the most high end rain gear....I believe the Frogg Toggs Pilot II gear is an excellent deal from Midway ($189 for both the jacket and the bibs) so I pulled the trigger on it

I have purchased a couple of 110's, 110 Jr + 1 this winter and I look forward to trying them this year. I have purchased Matt Shad, Gillkko, Stealth Wakasagi (110's) and GLX Northern Secret, GG Perch (110 Jr. +1) -- I may look to purchase a GP Pro Perch or GP Ayu based on @A-Jay placing them at the top of his list (is GP Pro Perch a special run color/style or is it generally available ? what does the GP stand for ?) Thank you !

Well.....winters vacation is over and it has decided to come roaring back in.....we had about 4 inches of snow Thursday and temps have dropped hard.....now they are calling for 18 to 21 inches of snow with 35 to 45 mph winds from Sunday thru Wednesday.....thankfully I did not de-winterize the boat yet.....I don't think the lakes will fully re-freeze (some of the smaller lakes are now skimmed over again with ice) but it will certainly delay things (docks being put in, lots being cleared, ect...).....blah

Unfortunately the weather here is reverting to "normal" (after quite a mild winter to this point) - today it's plus 10 degrees (I have learned that here in MN it's best to put a plus/minus with a temp as most places in the country if you say it's 30 people assume it's plus 30 but here it just may be minus 30) - looks as though over the next 10 days it will be around 32 during the day and teens at night with 3 or 4 days calling for some snow - the two local lakes had been declared "ice free" and I was getting ready to de-winterize the boat - yet those plans are now on hold.......

I recently purchased a Piscifun Carbon X II 1000 to use for some crappie/pan fishing as it looks like the lakes here will be free of ice well before the May 11th bass season opens...I am happy to hear you have had good experiences with them since this the first Piscifun I have purchased

Would it make a difference if the title of the thread was changed to - Latest Purchase Thread ? Certainly want to respect the Mods/Admins - yet it seems draconian/rigid thinking/slave to semantics to say people cannot post their latest purchase of rods/reels in this thread -- which is a Latest Purchase thread after all

@gimruis @NorthernBasser it is interesting that some companies regularly do not participate in sales....even more interesting is that @NorthernBasser doesn't know why !!....oddly enough 13Fishing was excluded from the Kittery Trading Post sale....I did take advantage and ordered a few Megabass lures from the KTP sale

Always good to ask questions --- especially here -- the Bass Resource community is filled with wisdom/knowledge. Not sure where you are at (northern or southern climate) and what you might encounter weather wise (ie, snow, rain). Perhaps someone in your area has extra space (ie, in their yard, in a no longer used barn/garage, near a cabin they only use a few times a year ?). Some people may shy away from doing this based on potential liability. If you have "Fair Grounds" in your area perhaps they may offer storage at a reduced rate during their off-season. I have no doubt others will add in their thoughts to help you find a solution.

I have 6 - 3700 size boxes and 8 - 3600 size boxes --- for hard baits and 8 - 8inch by 12inch bins for plastics ---- those serve as my limiters -- won't buy more baits unless there is space in a box/bin. Same with rods/reels --- I have a rack that holds 8 rods/reels --- and that serves as my limiter --- if I want to purchase another rod/reel then I have to sell/donate to make room for it. (I just gave my nephews two rods/reels because this winter I purchased 2 new rods/reels) Self-imposed limiters. Because --- if I didn't do that --- I just might be on my way towards having to build a small warehouse or a mega-sized one like @NorthernBasser has (I believe he is working on an Amazon sized addition )

@Shadow1 - thank you for the info. about the Helgripedes from River Rock Customs - I ended up purchasing a pack of Dark Special and a pack of Light Special (3.5 size) and will give them a go this spring/summer

Thank you to everyone who responded to my questions -- as usual here at Bass Resource, good info. ! It seems there are pros/cons to the different material rod covers so I am going to take a hybrid approach - I ordered 2 more mesh rod socks, 2 neoprene rod socks, 1 pack of 4 bait covers and a neighbor is giving me a few of his extra neoprene reel covers (he had a number of them in a box that he had used and then bought newer ones, they are in perfectly useable condition for me). I figured I would do this before going to an @A-Jay level of color coding I currently have 8 rods/reels...yet over time I will probably expand that number and would look to color code them (I really like that idea)

Well done -- the world needs more people like you !! There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching out and lifting someone up. JH

Several of the rods I have purchased have come with a "mesh" rod cover/sock. I have recently seen that several companies make neoprene covers/socks. I am considering purchasing additional covers/socks for my rods that currently do not have them yet I wanted to ask this community the following questions first: Do you use rod socks/covers ? What style do you use (neoprene/mesh) ? What are the pros/cons to each style (neoprene/mesh) ? If you use them are there any specific covers/socks that you recommend ? Thank you !

I have Dirty Jigs and Siebert's Outdoor jigs - that's it. Both are well made. Perhaps get a few of each, you can't go wrong with either of them.

If I ice fish at all I will go a few times a year with friends who own ice fishing houses -- this year they never brought their houses out on to the ice, so I never went at all. The two lakes closest to me, which generally have hundreds of ice fishing houses on them, had very few this year and at no time were there the usual big ice houses on those lakes. Most ppl this year had small or portable shelters and maybe brought a 4 wheeler out (one went right thru the ice) but most walked out with a sled in tow. As @gimruis said this seems mostly an open water crowd. I am looking forward to potentially getting out earlier than usual in the spring and doing some crappie fishing (which I have never done).

I will be going to the local tackle shop this weekend to purchase my 24/25 fishing license. Last year I bought an Individual License. This year I beleive I will purchase a Conservation Individual License as last year any fish I caught I released -- and most likely will do the same this year -- or if I do wish to keep any I would just make sure I was meeting the regulation of only keeping half the limit. What type of fishing license do most of you purchase ? Do any of you purchase a combo fishing/hunting license ?

You could potentially put a plastic deflector on the heat vent (assuming forced hot air) that could channel the hot air away from the rods (yet still into the room)...this could avoid the heated air from blowing directly onto the rods/reels...I use a few of these deflectors and they work well

Hello @Eric 26 I am happy to hear you have had a positive experience with the Piscifun reels ! This is the first one I have purchased - I look forward to the opportunity to use it, hopefully in April. As for the size difference between the Carbon X ll 1000 and the Miravel C2000S - I held them in my hands and looked at them and the Miravel is slightly larger all around and about an ounce heavier (5.5 oz to 6.3oz). There may be a larger size/weight differential if you are looking to purchase a 2500 version of the Miravel - it might be closer to your 2000 size Carbon X ??? Part of my purchasing decision/choosing these reels was that I wanted the versatility to use them on two different rods (Okuma Celilo 762 UL and St. Croix Mojo Bass 6'10" ML/XF). I put each of these reels on those rods (just in the garage, no line or lures on them) and beleive there will be no issues using either reel on either one of those rods, but only time on the water this summer will let me know if I am correct or not.

Thank you to @MN Fisher @bulldog1935 @Eric 26 and everyone else who gave suggestions I ended up ordering the Shimano Miravel C2000S thru Japan Lure Shop -- even with shipping it was close to $15 less than other sites at the time I ordered it (and they sent along a Jackall lure as a gift). I also purchased a Piscifun Carbon X ll - 1000 reel. I was able to get a deep discount on it and it weights in at 5.5oz. My thought is that I will pair the Piscifun with the new Okuma Celilo 762 UL rod I purchased -- and pair the Miravel C2000S with the St. Croix Mojo Bass (6'10" ML/XF) rod I have -- and look to use both for some crappie/panfishing if the lakes are ice free in April (bass fishing here in MN does not start until May 11th this year).

Good video and info. - thank you. Several lakes near me have had the look of the wind/wave blown dock you showed and said "absolutley, completely unuseable" as the dock was waving up and down. An easy decision for me not to go out in that -- yet a tricky proposition when you have been out already (the day started calm) and come back to a dock/launch being lashed by the wind/waves. A few times last season I had that happen and made the choice to go to another dock/launch area on the lake that was not being rocked around as hard -- yet that required an 8 mile plus walk to get back to the truck/trailer. Got some exercise and no damage to myself or the boat - making it worthwhile.

The truck is Redzo -- the boat is PeggySue2 (my mother - Peggy, my sister - Sue -- both deceased, both loved being on/in the water -- so when I am on the water they are always with me) The boat is a 1992 LUND Tyee 2 (thus the 2 in PeggySue2)

Thank you for the feedback. I have not ever used a light/ultralight rod and lures that are super light (1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8). The Miravel appears to be a good reel to pair with a light/ultra light rod/super light lures. I will keep my eye on Digitaka and the exchange rate.

Hello - I am looking to potentially purchase a Shimano Miravel reel for finesse fishing (and potentially some Crappie fishing if the ice out here in MN ends up being earlier than usual and prior to bass season). I have looked on Digitaka and the price at this point for the Miravel is about $97. There are three sizes at this price (1000, C2000S, C2000SHG) and I am looking for feedback on which of theses three models would best serve me for finesse/light baits/lure applications. At this point it most likely would be paried with a St. Croix Mojo Bass (6'10"ML/XF) although I am considering purchasing a rod that can toss lighter lures/baits (1/32-1/4) such as the Okuma Celilo 662 UL or EverGreen Combat Stick Gizmo Special (now $112 at TW). Thank you in advance for your time and expertise.

This is one of the "twitch baits" that has been mentioned on the pods/YouTube. Is this the type of bait you were wondering about @Justin Collier ?

Hello @MN Fisher @Fishin Dad @gimruis It is looking more and more like an early ice out here in MN. MN Fisher and gimruis gave me some good info. on potential lure/baits. Now I have some questions about rods/reels for Crappie fishing. (I know this is a bass forum - but my hope is this is relevent to this being a MN Thread) It appears that small (1/8oz -- 3/32 -- 1/16) baits would work the best -- as of now I have the following rods/reels that might work (but I am looking for your feedback). -St. Croix Mojo Bass - 6'10" ML-XF - rated for 1/8 to 1/2oz lures/baits -Shimano FX5 - 6' - M-F - rated for 1/8 to 1/2oz lures/baits (I got this rod at a yard sale) For reels I have - -2500HG Stradic/2500 NASCI/3000 Sedona/2500RevoX and on the Shimano rod an R2000 Are any of these appropriate for fishing Crappie ? If I were to seek out a Crappie rod/reel do you have suggestions for me ? (since I would just be entering into the Crappie world I am ok getting mid/lower end gear to start with) Thank you in advance for your time and expertise.