buzzed bait

i know 100% how that goes man... glad you're back in the saddle again!

sent the pic to my pops and his response "What a belly on that thang! Looks like it swallered a squirrel..."

i like my fury. BUT if you like your tatula you already have (i love mine), maybe check out the sale they're running on sportsmansoutfitters right now, $109 for the original Tatulas. i like dobyns rods, but i'd take the Tatula over the Fury at that price every day.

i'd cast another vote for either of the pflueger combos already mentioned above. the trion combo is one i had before (lost the rod like a moron) and i liked it quite a bit.

i'd go either 15# mono or 30-40# braid. if you go with braid, just be mindful of the drag and adjust accordingly for the treble hooks baits.

hootie's here to teach these whipper snappers a thing or two!!

i'm with you on that. only the strike king _xd hooks are the ones i'm changing out immediately. they bend when you look at them funny.

yep small split shots. i like to use slip bobbers myself like the Thill ones that are bright orange or yellow on top. i put the split shots 12-24" above the hook (below the bobber) and then use a bobber stopper above the bobber to determine how deep the bait will go depending on where i'm fishing.

i can't offer much in terms of the fish catching. BUT i ALWAYS have my PFD on at night (daytime too, but just making the point here). hard enough to get back in the boat (kayak for me) in daylight hours, but at night that's amplified.

i'm not a fan of very many of them at all, but i choose not to watch them. some of the pros are just as obnoxious though with the sponsor name dropping in every sentence. or making it sound like you need every variation of every bait, line, reel, rod, etc.

Too long! 25+ years since i lived there and haven't been out there in the last 10 years so i'm due a trip! my dad has a nice spread out in Troy, just next to Libby. I need to plan a trip out there and do some fishing! it's absolutely beautiful up there. you bet they are! this is the lake my parents lived on when i was born, Bull Lake.

it's not advertised at all, i believe if you call them and ask they'll honor that. but still not all that great considering their other company, loomis, you can replace the top of the line NRX for $100 no questions asked.

awfully close to my birthplace of Libby. May have to arrange a trip to stay at my dad's place out there in Troy and spend as much time on Flathead as i can!!

i'll use any size, but 30# is a nice medium for me and 40# is really easy to handle in my opinion. BUT i'd get the BC reel dialed in first using some cheap mono and then once you're really comfortable with it, go ahead with the braid. another point about the 30# would be if you really like that, you could easily use that on the spinning rod if you really like it since 30# 832 braid is about the equivalent to 8# mono... just a thought.

i'd pay much more attention to the water temp than the air temp. it'll take much longer for the water temp to warm or cool than the air.

start with a plan like you have, but don't be afraid to change it up! with a decent bit of wind like you would have there on the regular, i'd throw in a spinnerbait or maybe a bladed jig.... i'd also try a deep crank, deep being relative to the body of water.

it's simple economics man.... supply and demand.

Lew's Speed Spool LFS can be found for $80, that'd be the one i'd spend my money on around that price point.

not without spending $11+ in DIY materials, and that's if you could do it! just suck it up, spend the $11 and consider it a lesson learned.

straight braid, i like 40# because i can bomb some casts with it and still get a really solid hookset.

i'd rather just spool up with the braid and tie on a leader length of the 15lb fluoroclear when you wanted to use it. the practicality of the 2 spools seems minimal to me. i have spare spools for both spinning and casting reels, all of which are sitting in a box in my garage, never really used, ever. honestly, i'd also be a little concerned about somehow damaging the spare spool when not in use and then it would really be useless, sitting in a box, in my garage....

i like the looks of that! that vein is really nice!

those look really cool! that smaller one made me think of something like an erie darter at first.

i'm likely going to have one rigged up for the river smallies this weekend. i have some tiny little kalin's sizmic grubs that are pretty good as a trailer on them.