kickerfish1

Nice fish Mike!

They make a decent Texas rigged bait and swimjig trailer in addition to the ways mentioned above.

I have yet to find a Rage product I didn't care for. This new bait should be a favorite for me as I am a huge fan of baits like the SK Rodent and the RI Beaver. I would love to see a Rage tail Soft swim bait in a 4 inch size with a paddle tail and a few finesse options for light line applications like a drop shot or split shot rig but I am sure they are on the way or have at least been discussed.

What would we prefer for what? A Texas rig, a jig trailer, a weightless bait? I would use them for different things. They really aren't in the same category / rigging as each other.

I have a DX 703. It is a great rod for fishing alot of baits. I like to cap mine at no more than a 1/2 oz. That 3/8 oz is mark is the sweetspot for me. Lots of baits fish well on it like jigs, senkos, caffeine shads, flukes, spinnerbaits, topwater, some cranks, bigger jerkbaits. It is a very versatile rod like its 743 brother. If you keep your 703 savy use it for your reaction baits and move the DX 703 for all your contact and feel baits.

On tackle tour they had a discussion about the most sensitive rods you have fished. There was pages of responses. Outside of custom rods built on some of the best blanks there was an overwhelming amount of NRX responses. I own an NRX and do believe it to be an extremely sensitive rod. I also find that the casting distance is incredible with the right reel. I haven't fished many St. Croix rods to be able to compare the two so I wont be able to say which is better. Since it sounds like money isn't a huge factor and performance is of high importance, you could always have a custom built to your liking. If you do buy an NRX a Rep sample is a good choice as they often are under $400 for essentially a new rod.

I would get which ever legnth and model of rod you like the best of find the best deal on. I fish a few 6'9 rods and a few 7'2 rods and a 7 footer. All work well for me though I am not vertically fishing all that often.And i have fished the 6'8 new crucial series dropshot rod that a friend has. I fished it side by side to my 7'2 gen 1 cumara. I prefer the 7'2 rod over it. The crucial is a fine rod line and given the warranty and price it is a solid buy. The 6'9 ML fenwick elite tech smallmouth series rod is another fine option for a little less cash. I would say very comparable performance to the crucial line IMO.

It really depends on if you are casting the drop shot rig or simply just releasing line and fishing vertically over fish marked on your graph. Some will prefer a longer rod for more casting distance and such while actually casting these rigs while others prefer a shorter rod for vertically fishing.

There rarely is ever any benefit of buying knock offs outside of durability. The action isn't there and neither is the scent. There are always cheaper versions and impostors of baits like senkos but to me they just don't perform the same. After fishing various knock offs a popular baits with less than average results I stopped. Shelling out a few more bucks for baits that produce more and better fish will always win out over durability and cost. Keitechs are a top five plastic producer for me and a bait I have lots of confidence in for both quality and numbers of fish.

This question is like asking if there is a such a thing as a chick too hot. Being able to tell the difference between a fish and snag, stump, rock, vegetation, etc... is part angler and part equipment. Wether I am fishing my fenwick elite tech rod or my nrx distinguishing a fish from something else is the same, it is the level of amplication that changes.

Siebert brush jig or Northstar alien head style jigs.

Really it depends upon how much you use them and how concerned you are about maximum or optimal performance. I have a few reels that may get fished only five or less times a year and they may get professionally serviced every two years. The reels that see normal to heavy use get professionally serviced once a year. If a reel has a problem that I cannot fix I will send it in as well. If you are capable of servicing a reel and have the means and supplies to do so it wouldn't hurt to flush and re-lube the bearings on a new reel right away and service the reel a time or two throughout the year. Always have the schematic with you and take pictures as well. Otherwise send it to a place like DVT ... plus he offers members a 10% discount.

Angler preference has had the most impact. Folks now are preffering the added legnth more often than not. Really outside of jerkbaits, topwater, or travel / storage purposes a longer rod is more appealing for casting distance, hook sets, and fishing deeper water. I realized the same thing just a few weeks ago as I suddenly was in the market for a shorter to use for fishing a few smaller private waters with a friend where a rod under 7 foot is needed for travel purposes in his truck. All my rod purchases over the last few years have been rods over 7 feet except a few jerkbait and topwater rods. I looked at some Denali rods and most are only over 7 feet. Most of the new rod lines start around 6'9. It may be best to have a custom built...

90% of the time I bass fish. I do dabble a bit with fly fishing and multi species fishing. Really I just hate live bait as I think it takes the sport out of it for me. If I didn't bass fish as much I would move up north and chase muskie.

Yea at this point it could be many factors leading to the cause of the bass population dwindling. It could be very simple, complex, or several factors. First, as noted we don't know about harvest rates of bass among those that have access to the pond. If a few fish are taken from time to time I don't see that as drastically negative thing. Releasing larger females who will be spawners is a good thing to do. Second the carp are not typically anything more than eaters of aquatic vegetation and insects. Species like grass carp can devistate a lakes aquatic plant growth, limiting the amount of cover bass have to use especially for spawning. It may make their fry more susceptible to predatory fish like bluegill / bream. The last thing that crossed my mind would be if there was a fish kill of any kind or perhaps something that got into the water chemical or otherwise to compromise the water clarity. The other thing to consider is there a small body If water like a creek that feeds the pond leading to the invasion of other species that may prey on younger bass. I have seen ponds that have stunted bass populations. Essentially there are very high numbers of bass present and and not enough food sources. In these cases you may find lots of 10-15 inch bass but few larger. To find out what exists in the pond you could try contacting your local DNR to find out if they could electroshock or by other means find out what the pond has in it and it what numbers. They may have to a rehabilitation project to it and sort of 're-do' the pond over. It is really hard to say what the root of the problem is with out knowing a lot more info...

A longer rod, matching the power of the rod to the designated weights you plan on using, something with good feel, and something that can be used for other techniques unless you just want a designed rod for this technique. When you rig up a c-rig you have a leader of six inches to perhaps two feet. The longer leaders tend to cast easier with longer rods. Personally I like NRX 873 or megabass EMTF. Both rods are over 7 feet and can double for other techniques.

I would say that you may want to lean in the direction of where you want and foresee your aresnal going. Figure out about how many rods you think you may need, the techniques you will use them for, the legnths and powers you desire and choose a rod manufacturer that fits what you are wanting. Dobyns would probably give you the most options for legnth, power, actions, etc... but would be the most expensive. Between the champion and savy series you could comfortably fish about any technique you could imagine.

Nice additions Mike!

-Dx703 -Shimano Cumulus 6'10 MH -Phenix recon 714 These are my preferred rods for senkos, flukes, caffeine shads, ikas, etc...

Keitech 3.8 and 4.8 FAT swing impacts are great plus double as excellent swim jig trailers. Great action and scent on these baits. Spendy but worth it over the knock offs.

I don't know if you have pulled the trigger on a rod but in a few of your latter posts you reference jigs and Texas rigs between 1/4-3/4 oz. I would strongly look at the EMTF. It is a great jig, swimjig, Texas rig, weightless plastics, and spinnerbait rod plus even light frogs and swimbaits. As long as you weren't wanting a rod for treble hook applications I would strongly consider it. Of all the rods I own it is the only one I would ever consider getting a duplicate of. If the legnth doesn't bother you it would be worth a look. I wouldn't part with mine for anything.

NRX 873 CRR or Megabass Orochi xx EMTF. Both double as good jig or plastics rods as well as several others techniques. A bit on the steep side of things price wise, but both have good components overall, and are very sensitive for deep water fishing.

Worm binders, soft plastic storage bags, Ziploc bags, and storage totes like you would find at Home Depot.

I fish a wide variety of lakes and conditions so I feel it is tough to get by with just a few. I have all purpose spinning and casting rods but also very technique specific. There are days where I can start and end with the same outfit but others where I switch frequently. I have more outfits than I care to admit but as I noted some are seasonal... ie hair jig and finesse jig rods, float and fly rod, frog rod, swimbait rod, etc... I am comfortable with 5-10 majority of the time.

Rage mennace grub, RI little dipper, swim senko, single tail grubs, and keitech fat and standard swing impacts.