kickerfish1

Jeff, you will never get the approval of some unless you fish it! Now get busy... we need to know how this compares the standard 13 Met and other cool, shiny new toys!

They still work just as well as they do when the water is cold. The only piece that may come into play is the amount of vegetation. Our lakes tend to get quite weedy during the summer so I tend to opt for swimjigs to combat them. If your lakes are mostly clear rock/sand oriented lakes with little to no weed growth I don't see why I wouldn't throw them.

I only use the standard 5.25 inch super fluke. It catches plenty of small and large fish alike. I see no reason to any smaller. I fish it on both casting or spinning gear.

Are you wanting one for a camo themed build? I would email Matagi and send them a pic. They usually do the painted seats to order so if you want multiple colors to be in there or several shades of one color they can do that as well. Don't expect it to be a cheap piece to obtain. You will probably be in the piece for about $30 or more plus near $15 in shipping. I have build in progress using a green marbled seat of theirs. They make high quality killer looking pieces that you just can't find here in the US.

There are a few on TW under their tubes section. Big Bite has some in various lengths and at very reasonable prices.

"IF" he has a local shop near him that carries Daiwa reels especially these mid to higher end. I know there is no local shop by me that does since BPS has changed their preference to Lews. I bought mine from Digitaka. I twas about $185 late in the fall of 2015. Now I believe the reels are closer to $200 with the current exchange rate.

I will gladly throw the X3 out there on this. Good baits made but a great guy!

The Alphas series of reels are pretty light and palm very well. The T3 reels are a small step behind the Alphas in both. The SV 103 with a body based on that of the TDZ/Original Zillion is very palmable but not like the Alphas. The SS SV 103 is based off the Steez for the most part. I would say it is on par with the Alphas.

I take NO responsibility for your decision on this new acquisition! I tried warning you, it is all down here now...

^This^ ...What smalljaw said is a very good run down. Green pumpkin, bluegill, and perch type colors will all be excellent for MN waters. Lots of good brands to choose from. Siebert, Northstar, and Dirty jigs all make swim jigs with good color choices and components. I like Keitechs, RI little dippers, swimsenkos and single tail grubs as trailer choices.

That one could have eaten your old PB. Hats off!

Always important to distinguish between a bait caster that is user friendly vs a cheap baitcaster. Both tend to be used interchangeably as most beginners are likely to buy cheaper gear when starting out. I too agree that the Shimanos with the VBS style breaking are great reels to learn on that aren't too awefull expensive either.

Outside of a lipless crank or spook, I can't think of an easier casting bait for a baitcaster especially with braid.

At the end of the day I will have a pile of rage tail swimmers and a pile of Keitechs. Both are good companies with good baits that catch fish. I see no reason to be 100% on either side of the fence on this one. Hopefully SK will offer a dozen colors or more. That may be one of the less talked about reasons Keitechs are popular...

8# is fine. Fished it on several outfits this weekend and caught plenty on it.

Do you have any fishing gear for bass? If you don't I would just do some bargain shopping online using various buy and sell forums. You should be able to find plastics for cheap, hardbaits for close to 50% off and plenty of rods and reels for under $100 a piece. If you know how to use a baitcaster I would suggest one of those and one spinning. This will cover about anything you want to throw. Get something like Berkley Big game for line and it will do about whatever you can ask of it. Buy a backpack or something to keep your tackle in. With about $300 to spend you should be able to get enough pieces (A few rods, reels, line, lures, terminal tackle, pliers, etc. plus a backpack or tackle bag) to be able to effectively fish for bass in your home waters.

Why make and model of reel are you looking for? Asking because some reels are fairly easy to work on while others are more complex and require things like spool bearing removal tool/plier. If you have a that uses the VBS breaking system, there are several on YouTube.

I have a better hook up ratio with Fast or XF action rods for single hook apps like texas rigs and jigs. I know some guys prefer to use a Mod/Fast JDM rod for deep water football jigs. To me these kind of rods are good at keeping fish from coming unbuttoned once hooked but for me not so much for getting a good solid hook set. I am sure it would work especially if you used braid and the you were not casting great distances.

I am sure the Sixers will take Simmons though Ingram has made a strong case for #1 honors as well. Simmons is capable of playing multiple positions and has highly advanced skills in every area. Ingram is just long and similar to Durant in both build and to an extent skill set.

Don't they usually cancel school and shut down the entire town when it gets that cold down there

Nice fish! Can you define cold and windy just so us Midwest and Northern folk have an idea?

I too would question what, if any bass population there is in that pond. Maybe try another body of water...

I had one several years ago that was a fluke rod. Didn't care for it or the guides. They are a $100 rod and fish very average. Never had any durability issues with it though I fished it for a year and sold it locally. If you can find one for $50 and don't mind the guides and the yellow blank, by all means go for it.

You sir have a gold mine! If you are still having troubles posting the photos you can shoot me a PM with your email address and I will post them for you.

Sensitivity is the least of my worries about a frog rod. Everything is visually if you are fishing hollow body and buzz frogs on top. A higher quality rod will be lighter and better balanced so it would feel more comfortable if fishing for an extended period of time.