Dave T.

Thanks Capt. Bob, Yea, I'm sure the rod will be fine. Being that Dwight has the exact one I want, and he uses it for smallies, I was looking for his input. I already have a 6'6" ML Tournament spin (previous version). I also have a Custom 6'9" MLXF Extreme spin (my fav ), and a 7' MF LE spin. I also have a Legend Ultra and an Imperial fly rod. I've never been disappointed in any of my Croix's. As far as balance goes, I've never really checked that close. I use several different reels of varying weights on the spinning rods. So, it might be difficult to perfectly balance an outfit. Plus, with a 3/8 oz or 1/2 lure hanging 12" off the end of a rod, I'm not sure how much the balancing helps. However, there could be more to it than I think?

Thanks guys. I noticed that Dwight mentioned that the rod was a little bit tip heavy, and the new reel seat was a bit uncomfortable at first. What's your take on these points? Not that being a little tip heavy bothers me much. I find that most off the shelf rods are a bit tip heavy, but it's really not noticeable when fishing, but I'm curious on just how tip heavy these rods are. Thanks again.

Some of this depends on the type of braid. Some braid just seems to slip no matter what the knot. We use a double improved clinch knot on everything. That's two passes through the hook eye, 6 turns of the line, pass the line back through the two loops by the eye, and then pass the line up through the loop created on the pass back through the two loops. When tied properly, we rarely have a break off at the knot. However, I admit, we are not fishing Carolina Rigs with big sinkers.

Dwight, I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering if you can update your experience with this rod. I'm thinking of adding one to my collection. Thanks

Yep! My son and I are jerk-bait fishing fanatics. Not only have we found the obvious... that different types of lines (mono, fluoro, and braid) have an affect on the suspending properties, but even extreme differences in water temp can have an affect. A combination of extreme water temps and type of line can have a significant impact on a suspending lures ability to suspend.

RW, I'm sure you have the X-Rap confused with another lure. The X-Rap is a "suspending" lure. My son loves them, and fishes them in the river all the time. They do suspend petty nicely. I don't care for them as much because of how quickly the lips break. Hit a couple of rocks, and they are done. Cheaper in the long run for me to buy Pointers.

What action is the rod? Medium light, Medium, Medium Heavy? What is the weight of the lure you are trying to cast?

You started a good thread. We agree on some things, and disagree on others... I'll leave it at that.

silvercliff, Well, you have me beat... but only by 5 years. I also started Fly Fishing around 12 years old. Anyhow, way back, my affiliation with Trout Unlimited allowed me to meet, become friends with, and learn from the likes of Vince Marinaro, Charlie Fox, Barry Beck, Ed Koch, Ed Shenk, and several others. Were these guys purists? For the most part yes. Were they snobs? For the most part no. Mainly, they were guys just dedicated to the sport... just like a lot of guys are dedicated to bass fishing. In the end, most of them (notice I'm saying "most" a lot there were a couple of "snobs") were just regular guys like you and me. Some folks call me a gentleman... some folks don't. When it comes down to brass tacks, guys that are genuinely dedicated to "something", tend to do good things for whatever they are dedicated too.

You have to establish the type of forage the smallies in that lake focus on... at least during the time period you are fishing it. Is it mostly some specific minnow, bluegills, perch, or crayfish? Pick the colors accordingly. Anyhow, if it were me, and I were going to that lake without knowing it, and could only take two (yes two - gotta have at least two), I would take a Pointer 78 (SP, DD, or XD - depending on how deep I wanted to fish) in Bloody Chartreuse Shad and Aurora Ghost Craw if it is as rocky as you say. I bet I would catch my share.

Of the three mentioned, Dicks is about 10 minutes from work, so of the three, I check there first. However, overall, I check a local Mom & Pop shop first that we have close by. I can usually get a good deal there, and I feel good about it, but the selection is limited. Second choice is TW. The free shipping and no tax makes their "final" price very competitive. However, selections is somewhat limited. Next is Gander Mountain... about 30 minutes from my work. Next is Cabela's (online) for mainly clothes, and I usually wait for a sale to offset the shipping and tax. Their closest store is about 2 hours away. I only get there about once a year. Next are several other online stores that offer some sort of free shipping and no tax. BPS (online) is last, usually because I've found what I want in one of the above, and they have the same shipping and tax charges, and their store is over 2 hours away. Obviously, the Big Boys do have to pay for the multi million dollar stores, enormous stock, commercials, sponsorships, (like this site) advertising, TV shows and what have not. So, I do try and do some business with them... they do do a lot for the sport.

It was I who didn't read them all. Never saw your "Complainers" post. However, like that say... great minds think alike.

and people who don't read all the posts in a thread before they post.

The XCalibur xt3 Twitch bait is pretty decent, and a few dollars less that a Pointer. However, they are tough to find. Lurenet is about the only place that handles all of them.

Complainers.

Where to find smallies in summer has a lot to do with the size of the water and weather conditions. In a small lake, smallies can be found feeding in the shallows during low light hours, and then deeper as the sun starts getting high. If it's a cloudy day, they can be almost anywhere. In a big lake, smallies are not going to travel miles to get to shallow water. But they may find a "hump" of some sort that is shallower and move to that hump to forage. Obviously, a good Fishfinder, and knowing how to use it is extremely helpful in finding structure. Whatever the case, you HAVE to pattern them for the most part. Again, if you have any reasonable rock structures, you WILL find some smallies... sometimes lots of them. Crayfish and other smallie food love rocks... and Smallies LOVE crayfish. If you can find a rocky point that has a shallow shelf on top, and quick access to deeper water, you WILL find smallies there.

Yea, I read around quite a bit on the Super Slick, and most people seem to like it... a few don't. At least not as much as some other braids. All in all, it sounds like a good line, but not necessarily better than the 832 that I happen to like (particularly the Ghost), and 832 is readily available around my area. When I start running low on the 832, I'll probably pick up some Super Slick (also readily available here) and come to my own conclusions.

I'll let you guys give this PP Super Slick a good work out... then I might try it. I tried another "super slick" line... the Diawa Samurai braid and didn't care much for it. Yes, it was smooth, and casting distance was excellent. However, I didn't like it's knot strength and abrasion resistance. Maybe this new PP line won't have those issues.

I'm in that upper 5% too. Several 5lb + large mouths. Now I'm shooting for that 5lb + small mouth. A bit more difficult task where I fish... but reachable.

Thanks man.

I have a 7' MF St. Croix LE and a 6'6" MLF St. Croix LTB (1/8 oz to 3/8 oz) It sounds like the IMX is very similar to the MLF St. Croix rods, as my LTB is obviously softer in the tip than my LE. Even thought they are fairly close in rating, they are pretty different rods. The MF is a much stouter rod... pretty hard to compare them other than that. However, they are both are excellent when used within their weight ranges... I'm betting the IMX will be the same way.

Can someone PM the link the article? I would like to read it and check the other site out. I may end up liking that site too.

I'll have to defer to 00 mod and others on the IMX. However, I have fished the Avid, and it is a fine rod for the money... and then some.

If you are fishing the same lake, and there is a good population of smallies, surely you have caught some smallies already? If you haven't, then the population can't be as strong as your DNR suggests? Anyhow, if you want to target the smallies a bit more specifically, work the rock structures a little more. Isolated big boulders are usually a smallie magnet. Still, you should be finding them in some of the same areas as the LM bass. As far as lures go, the guys have already given you some great info. I like to downsize a bit for smallies, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I've caught smallies on lures that were bigger than the smallie. They are pretty much "fearless", and very aggressive most of the time.

I wouldn't worry about it to much if you can't contact a builder in person. Any great builder can work with you via email. I know Matt was awesome to work with, and I'm sure DVT is equally good. DVT should really consider getting some pics of his work posted up on his site. It would be a big help to his business. I know Matt has "pages" of his builds on photobucket, and his pics are one of the reasons I went with him... liked his style.