Guys I'm in the North East. Really not a hard winter yet. Been a real joke of a winter so far to be quite honest. But none the less I still suffer from Bass depression. I guess it should be lack there of Bass depression.

 

I'm pretty much a St. Croix fanboy (for years). The 6'3" ML / X-Fast Spin has been on my hit list to pick up this season. I'm all around this length with Medium Lite and Medium Avids. Will be used with soft plastics like the others. No doubt will be up there as a favorite with the others.

 

My two grandsons have been getting out with me more and more. The oldest has been fishing some of my Avids and Premieres. He does know the feel of a good rod. This will be a good length for him also. Late in the season he was fishing my 6'8" and 6'9" rods mostly.

 

Saturday I'm gonna go order it. Will solve the depression issue short term. They will most likely want to go with me. One likes throwing plastics, the other likes crankbaits. They'll find something they want to try. This is a good thing. The fish have more to look at. I really can't get much fishing in when they are with me. Running more of a guide service. In the fall I laid the law down with them that this coming season Pop is fishing also. Can't baby and pamper them forever. Live and learn time.

 

Next round of depression in a few weeks, next month I'll cure with the new reel. Sort of leaning toward the Stradic. Have to see what feels right. Sorry for being so long winded. Trying to get over depression.

Just think another few months and you'll be out in the warm sun with Grandson's. I cured my winter blues by getting the new Stradic FL. Now I just stare out the window waiting

9 hours ago, LCG said:

Just think another few months and you'll be out in the warm sun with Grandson's. I cured my winter blues by getting the new Stradic FL. Now I just stare out the window waiting

Thanks a lot man. I hope I didn’t come off batcrap crazy. Have not seek any professional help yet about it. 
 

Ordering it tomorrow morning. It may be there at shop now. But don’t think so last time I was in they didn’t have all stuff for this year out. 
 

I blew my chance on the Stradic you have. They are out at TW. I want to compare a couple before I go and get the Ci4. I’m a Shimano fanatic but Shimano isn’t cutting me any breaks or throwing freebies my way. I want to find the Lew’s Custom Pro Speed Spin and see and feel it. Actually put it on the rod. I will do that with any reel. 
 

Getting that rod will be no mistake. Fills a spot I have all the way around that length. Don’t have a St. Croix Spinning Rod that I don’t like. That rod, some GY Cut-tail worms.......before the sun rises completely........Heaven.

Great story, our first grandson will be 2 in June and I look forward to the fishing trips when he’s ready. Curious how old your grandsons were when you started taking them. 

 

Like you I'm a big fan of St. Croix, I started bass fishing our local ponds in 2015 and my first rod was a 2 piece St. Croix Eyecon and I still enjoy that rod however I have moved on to the Avid X series and plan on getting a couple Legend Tournaments this year. Also own one MoJo Bass but not sure how I feel about that rod, guess I haven’t used it enough. 

 

I love my Ci4 reels, mine are the previous version and I hear the latest version is even better. Guess now a days most everything is comparable but I’m like you, once I get something I like I stick with it.

 

Good luck and have a great time out there as I’m jealous of your time with the grandsons, guess I’ll have to be patient for my time. 

9 hours ago, Midwest Fisherman said:

Great story, our first grandson will be 2 in June and I look forward to the fishing trips when he’s ready. Curious how old your grandsons were when you started taking them. 

 

Like you I'm a big fan of St. Croix, I started bass fishing our local ponds in 2015 and my first rod was a 2 piece St. Croix Eyecon and I still enjoy that rod however I have moved on to the Avid X series and plan on getting a couple Legend Tournaments this year. Also own one MoJo Bass but not sure how I feel about that rod, guess I haven’t used it enough. 

 

I love my Ci4 reels, mine are the previous version and I hear the latest version is even better. Guess now a days most everything is comparable but I’m like you, once I get something I like I stick with it.

 

Good luck and have a great time out there as I’m jealous of your time with the grandsons, guess I’ll have to be patient for my time. 

My oldest is 13 yrs. old and the younger is 10. Most times they are a package deal but sometimes one or the other has something to do and I have one. I like how that goes also. They know the routine. If it's a Sunday morning trip they get picked up Saturday afternoon, I have the boat hooked up and ready to go, they do dinner with my wife and I, where ever they have in mind and they usually don't go to bed real real late because they have no problem getting up at about 4:30 am. They know we're getting to the lake while it's still dark.

 

This year they got more interested in fishing with lures. They still like using live bait also. Which is perfectly fine, I'm not going to push them one way or another they are still young and to be honest I don't care if a guy uses live bait until the day he dies. They catch a good mix if Bluegill/Pumpkin-seed, Bass, Crappies and perch. They both lost a few nice bass this year on plastics. It killed me to see that happen. They were like oh well he was nice. It killed me. They/we did everything right. It happens. All I know is they are believers as to what is there and what we should be fishing for.

 

I get very little fishing in with them but that's ok. The guide role is ok. What I try to do sometimes is to try to get one hooked up on my line than make like i want to tell the one kid something and pass my rod off to the other. I'll never admit that to them. It's all good.

 

You could probably start taking the now. It's all exposure but they take a while to develop a mind set for them to put in any length of time. That's why I don't care about my fish time while out. I can always go. I'm more about keeping them exposed to fishing. Someone has to take my stuff when I'm gone from this earth. They certainly will not have to buy anything.

I have a 9yr old and he loves going to one particular spot. It's time we'll spent even if I don't fish, last time he brought a friend which was great to see. 

That’s great to hear, we have one pond that’s loaded with bluegill I want to take him to this summer, he’s active and catches on very quick so we may have some fun this summer 

I'll can only suggest with those kids that sometime you take them out with some crickets. I'm not a cricket fisherman, I know nothing about them.

8 hours ago, Midwest Fisherman said:

That’s great to hear, we have one pond that’s loaded with bluegill I want to take him to this summer, he’s active and catches on very quick so we may have some fun this summer 

 

10 hours ago, LCG said:

I have a 9yr old and he loves going to one particular spot. It's time we'll spent even if I don't fish, last time he brought a friend which was great to see. 

I didn't grow up that way or was really never exposed to them growing up. Bait shops didn't carry them. I'm a Yank what did I know. I thought about it for the whole week that I was gonna get them some crickets to try. Picked up a couple of cricket cages, I can get sm., med., and large crickets from a local pet store. Took them to go get them. I get them the larger version and use long shank cricket hooks. They'll fish them with and w/o bobbers. On the couple of occassions they used them, they tore up some Panfish and runt bass.