zdunham

Depends how much you are trying to spend. Kistler Rods has a nice selection at varying price points. Check out the Kistler Argon 6'9" M Finesse rod. $160 new.

Kistler KLX Mark Rose Offshore!

I've met Skeet before and he is a really cool guy. His image is all about marketing (as all of them are) and that's why he makes far more money than you! As for the rods, I am not a fan. I had quite a few different ones. The swimbait rod isn't bad and neither are the crank rods, but I'd rather spend a tad more and get something better.

Check out the Kistler Mark Rose Offshore rods. They have 2 different 7'11" models depending on the size of crankbait you are using. I would pair it with a Lews BB1 in a low gear ratio.

Yeah neither of those two scenarios are a good thing. I'm going to go with the outside influence being the reason, since research has shown in other places that pollution and destruction of habitat will do far more harm than catch-livewell-release tournaments.

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/potomac-river-elite-series-event-be-held-under-maryland-dnr-s-new-option-2 “Complying with the criteria in Option 2 should not prove difficult for us. Most of these requirements were taken directly from the B.A.S.S. publication, Keeping Bass Alive, and are standard operating procedures at all B.A.S.S. tournaments.” So basically, follow the same fish care practices they do everywhere else. What was the point of this whole thing again? Gotta love it. I'm actually laughing. What a waste of time. Glad nothing changed after all.

It takes some of the skill out of the game. You can catch 5 big ones and only come in with 1 fish. Who can get lucky and catch one lunker and then catch 4 little ones? Defeats the entire purpose of bass tournaments. Not to mention, viewers don't want to see that.

You are dead on. There are other fisheries that are pounded even more than the Potomac that still produce consistently because they have the habitat. Tournaments may have some effect but the effect is negligible compared with the effects of pollution or whatever else may be killing off the habitat these fish live in. Obviously there are bass fishermen who are bad for the sport and who trash places they go and don't take care of fish, but from what I have seen fishing tournaments in many different states, most bass tournament anglers do care about the fish and do clean up after themselves and sometimes after others. Personally I hope the Elite Series stops going to places with archaic rules that aren't based on any sort of data or science at all.

I mean, there is some obvious stuff to fish like laydowns and whatnot, but if you really want to find them in the summer you need some good electronics. I don't have that much stuff marked there.

Beltzville has a lot of big fish in it, it just can be insanely hard to catch them. I didn't mention that because it's almost an hour and a half from the Pack.

Promised Land is electric only (You wouldn't want to motor there anyways as there are trees all over) . You already know you can motor on Fairview I see. Prompton is a 10 hp limit. Most of the lakes are electric only. I haven't been to every lake around because there are so many little ones, lol. Honestly Wallenpaupack is the best lake you'll be able to motor on. Fairview isn't really that big even though you can use your outboard. You could always go to Hopatcong in NJ but if you do that on the weekend you won't be able to move because of the crowds. Maybe someone else has more input here!

There are a ton of lakes up there to fish. How far are you looking to drive? Wallenpaupack is a great place once you figure it out. Promised Land isn't too far south of there. You can catch hundreds there but 99% of them will be 11-13 inches. Fairview isn't too far south of Wallenpaupack either and has some pretty good fish in it. If you want to drive further north you have Prompton, White Oaks, and others.

I don't think that "political" comment was in any way divisive or problem-starting. It's pretty obvious to any angler that it is the truth if you look at the numbers. The biggest issues for the Susquehanna/Chesapeake come from my home state of Pennsylvania, though. They have done little to nothing to fix the pollution problems in the Susquehanna River. Catch, livewell, and then release tournaments have little to nothing to do with any fish decline in the bay. Also, it isn't just smallmouth and largemouth populations that have declined, it is many other species that aren't involved in tournament fishing. Sounds to me like they are just tired of tons of big tournaments and instead of fixing the problem they found a scapegoat. The northern states have archaic ideas when it comes to fish management (including my home state).

I use the Kistler Magnesium 2 7'0" M Spinning rod for most tube applications. I might consider the same model in ML for 1/8 oz. As for reels, I just trust Lews. Lol. It is that simple for me.

If you wanted to go up to $220, I would recommend the Kistler Magnesium 2 HMH 7'6" rod for flipping/pitching. Also, like another member said, check out the flea market and you might find a new or close to new rod for a reasonable price.