Team9nine

I always keep several reels spooled up with Toray. I like their Super Hard Upgrade (worm/jig/spoon) and Super Finesse (finesse spinning) the best. I always have some of their fluorocarbon on hand to spool. Also have their braid and mono. Not a big fan of the braid, but the mono (Polyamide Plus) is pretty good stuff. -T9

Haven't tested them all by any means, but of all the ones I have, Berkley Sensation has always come out as the mono with the least amount of stretch. -T9

See Weld's Largemouth link below, those were the studies I was referring to...and yes, one was largemouth specific, the other was on both smallmouth and largemouth...and no delayed mortality in either case. -T9

^^^ This, but studies have shown bass are a little tougher than some people give them credit for. The guideline about only as long as you can hold your breath is just that, a guideline. There are studies suggesting that even 10 minutes out of water won't harm them. I'd have to believe that shorter is always better though. -T9

Absolutely. Trolling is the "teacher". Certainly not near as common these days given the tournament mentality among most bassers, but definitely still effective. Best "tips" I could give for most would be to utilize the technique for its strengths, that being A.) mapping and interpretation, as well as, B.) determining proper depth and speed controls for the day. -T9

Back on the two originally proposed questions: Does Flourocarbon Matter As Much As Companies Say It Does? - NO - Does fluorocarbon really make that much of a difference in the amount of fish you catch? - In some instances where you take advantage of its strengths, yes. IMHO... -T9

Haven't tried any of the ones you mentioned, but I do have a couple Denali's (crankbait rods) that have been really great rods. Several different models well within your budget. Might be worth looking at if someone near you carries them.. -T9

With braid, I have 3# Power Pro micro line on most of my outfits. For fluorocarbon, my favorite is 5# TORAY finesse, though I've also been using 6# Stren 100% fluoro recently and have been pleasantly surprised by its performance. -T9

Never lost one myself, but I did once kick my buddies Loomis/Daiwa combo off the front deck into the lake. Couldn't retrieve it - a costly mistake for me I have pulled a couple combos from off the lake bottom over the years, but none have been anything worthwhile. -T9

The past several years, I've averaged between 1,500 - 2,500 bass per year. This year I promised myself I wouldn't track bass so that I could try some new stuff without worrying about catch rates and numbers. If I track, I feel like I'm always in a competition, and it alters the way I fish, as well as what I fish for. Just the way I am, I guess. Since I'm not tracking this year, it's allowed me to do more multi-species fishing than usual, so that has been fun, too. -T9

A couple more to look at: Westwood Run Province Pond White R. (smallies) Wilbur Wright F&W area (Blue R.) -T9

This is the first of two MLF Select competitons, this one having begun on Monday. Qualifying rounds each day, 6 anglers per day by group. It is believed several lakes are being fished. I believe the winner of each round (4 rounds of 6 anglers competing, top angler advances) will automatically earn a berth in one of the Cups. Finishers 2-4 from each round will move into a wild card event to compete for the final 2 Cup spots. Finishers 5-6 in each round will be eliminated. Preliminary rounds Mon-Thu., Wildcard rounds Fri.-Sat. -T9

As mentioned, you'll either want a Boga or a Chatillon for IGFA certifiable results. You can get a BogaGrip 30 pound IGFA Certified scale for $170, or a Chatillon IN-025 (25 lb x 4 oz) for between $65 - $80 and then pay to get it IGFA certified. Either would work, and both are considered top of the line scales when it comes to accuracy and line class/world records. I use and prefer the Chatillon myself. -T9

A-Jay: Some of it, MLF has given out to the public in past press releases and posts (other forums). The rest I know because I'm a close personal friend of one of the contestants. Obviously I can't give out exact (tiny) details as much of that is kept under (his) contract confidentiality, which I completely respect, but did want to give the general details of the basic arrangement for clarification (as I understand them). -T9

There is no qualification system to get in. It is a "made for television" tournament show. The anglers are all basically part owners in the final product, as is the cable TV company (Outdoor Channel). Basically a 50/50 split as I understand it. No entry fees and no tournament winning payouts. Instead, it is a revenue sharing arrangement with the Outdoor Channel. Consider them all stockholders if you will. Each of the 24 put up their own money to help initially fund and create the venture. As such, no one is ever "eliminated" unless they choose to sell out their ownership stake in the company. Nobody has yet. The newest anglers you heard about (MLF Select) is their first attempt at bringing in some "new blood" to the group and slowly expanding. These guys were by invite only, and all had to pay a "buy-in" fee to accept the invite. They will not be replacing any of the original 24, but instead will actually be competing against themselves in groups for a chance to be added to the permanent line-up of guys as I understand it. A few will get in, most won't. They wil have their own televised tourney shows, though, as part of the deal, while they compete to advance for that chance. This will all be in addition to the regular scheduled events of the founding 24 MLF guys. -T9

I agree with what has been stated above, that being the correct "casting" presentation for those depths is actually some form of vertical jigging. You could possibly get away with casting some heavy metal like a jigging spoon, blade bait or heavy jig, and then stripping line off the reel as the lure sinks to allow for some longer length of lure retrieval on a structure, but you'll sacrifice a lot of control to do so. As for trolling, that is likely wire line or downrigger territory for maximum efficiency. -T9

I think you'll be fine with 1/8-oz. +/- stuff. It is definitely lighter in action than the M as I have both. I also have a custom 6'6" ML built on the SC-III blank and it actually turned out to be even lighter still in action compared to the SC-II, which I didn't expect. Not sure how much it will help, but I charted all my spinning rod actions for comparison, and here's what just the 3 mentioned St. Croix's looked like. -T9

Yellow perch aren't nest builders like bass; they are more similar to broadcast spawners. Lay the eggs up around any dead vegetation or woody material. The eggs are very sticky and adhere to the shallow cover. Perch will then move out and hang in the general area for a little while, but don't guard. -T9

Eggs: I'd guess yellow perch - one of the earliest spawning fishes. -T9

Last year I used the 3# yellow PP microline for a majority of my finesse bass/crappie fishing and never had a single issue. It comes in 100, 150, and 300 yd spools. Absolutely loved the stuff, though I also carry outfits and spools with 5# and 8# PP. After you've used line this thin for a while, everything from 10/2 on up seems like anchor rope LOL -T9

^^^ What he said ^^^ Those would be right at the top of my list, and if you're talking clear natural lakes in Michigan, I'd almost guarantee the blade bait as the best immediately after iceout. -Brian

It's been touched upon, but basically find another angler who is (much) better than you and willing to help you out, 'mentor you' if you will (this applies to all levels of fishing experience). While some things have to be learned through experience or trial-and-error, having someone that can answer your questions and help you avoid making the same mistakes that most all anglers eventually encounter is the best way I know of. -Brian

^^^ What Catt said ^^^ Very easy to get by in the bassin' world without TS rods, it's just getting harder and harder to find any companies that don't list their rods that way, especially their mid and high end rods. Such is the market... -T9

My average last year was 30 bass per trip. Didn't track in 2012, but 2011 was 28 bass per trip, so pretty much the same numbers. A lot depends on your waters, your trip length and your goals (if any). Those are just averages, but my goal most every trip out is to catch 50 bass or more. I actually had one day last year where I broke 100, but that was only the 4th time that has ever happened over a period of many, many years. -T9

Original Team Daiwa TD1/2-Hi's Original One-knock P-70s Original Bomber Long A's from the 80s, the old plastic version used for waking BPS Stud Fry soft plastics that were discontinued about 10 years ago Lead tuning bill Bagley DBs from the 70s/80s There are likely more I'm forgetting... -T9