J Francho

Pretty sure that's the one I will go with. I can do a really good A/B comparison with other lines like Avid and even other brands since I have more than a few similar. Saint Croix has always had something special with their MLXF rods.

Why not just a standard Ragetail Chunk?

I like it! There's a dude doing it for skating, so why not?

Mend-It is a must have if you are using expensive plastics. It's also fun if you want to create your own baits by glueing parts to it. I don't think you'll find much science to back up the UV hype.

I think there's two different concepts there, but only one has a fish at the end of the line. If you lock the butt of the rod to either your body, or elbow, it is indeed a Class III lever. I can see your point in other styles of handling the rod with a fish on the end.

I grew up in the sticks, but it's a strange situation. The ride to school was longer than a trip to downtown Rochester. If I lived a few feet over the district line, I'd have gone to a school that was less than 5 minutes away. I like rural settings, but I also like things to do in a city setting. This area of the state is good for that. You can be relatively isolated, but not too far from anything.

I wish something like a C-Rig would work up here - I'd actually use it for this. Unfortunately, the zebra mussels tear up any rig that puts the line in any kind of contact with the bottom. That is one of the reasons a slow, vertical drop shot presentation in tandem with electronics is so popular. Even so, do some scanning for bait with your electronics, and throw that C-rig around when you find some. I'm positive you'll find some biters.

So, you're not down for discussing how a rod is a Class III lever, and not a Class I, as is depicted in so many of these discussions?

Quick question, is this a deep-V style hull? Any deep-V style boats I've had almost required load guides to get the boat on perfect every time. If you could get a snap of the stern on the trailer, we can probably help some more.

Can you describe what you mean by "line memory" in a little more detail? My experience has been that fluorocarbon line retains very little memory of the spool it was coiled on, which is just the opposite of popular copolymer lines like P-Line CXX or Yo-Zuri Hybrid. I find it even more imperative to use line conditioner on those to mitigate the coils that are inevitable after just a few days of sitting. The coiling, or line memory, is one of the things most often complained about with old school mono and copolymer lines. Or are you saying fluorocarbon doesn't have enough memory? I can agree with that, especially with some of the stiffer fluoro lines.

Plight of the non boater is to carry the boater's keys, lol.

I have around a half dozen setups similar to yours and they all have either 6# Invisx or Tatsu on them. It works for me, and has for many years.

Sorry my opinion hurt you so bad.

Spit on them.

I don't always Carolina rig but when I do… actually, I don't Carolina rig. I typically go with fluoro for other deep, contact baits.

Pink. Say it, "Pink." It won't leave a mark.

Ned. I get sick of catching little perch quick.

Much like fishing a jig effectively, navigating a crankbait through cover is a art that isn't learned in a few casts. My tip to those that want to try to learn: slow it down, and imagine what that bait is running into, and what it's doing after. Not all baits act the same.

I'm still trying to figure what we're talking about, lol. The switch, the drag, not having a switch? Is the AR on or off? What does this mean?

I thought you took the fluke part serious. Ha!

What are you really asking? Turning AR on and off? AR does exactly that, you can't reel in reverse. Pic for attention.

Rage Craws. I remember a buddy seeing me rig one up for the first time, and he said I was really gonna like the action. I had no idea it would become such an essential bait for me. A lot of plastics have come and gone in my tackle box, but these remain.

We had the same limitation in NY until they opened the catch and release season. Unless you are pitching to fish on beds that you can see, I think you'll be fine to fish for other species. We often fished for other species like crappie using small jigs and UL gear. On the other end, we casted spoons, spinners, and stick baits for trout and salmon, using heavier tackle. You can always ask a local game enforcement official, too.

If I know I'm in for a full day, I'm more likely to put some distance on odometer since I have more time. It's hard to drop an hour paddling into a 4 hour trip, so that will figure in as well.