lordhell

I've claimed warranty from Gloomis and St. Croix, both are pain free process. I would say that you're safe with Gloomis if you're looking at the EX6.

I've never had the opportunity to try Walleye, but I heard they were excellent. I do like crappie very much, especially pan fried.

Picked up some new Megabass LIN 10, Monoblock Grigio Titano, new Aldebaran 50HG, new Metanium XG DC, and Stella SWB 14000 and 18000... yea, winter is burning a hole in my pocket.. LOL Need this Spring thing to happen so I can get back to fishing and not buying a bunch of crap!

Waiting patiently for that Spring spawning season... Got the itch real bad!

I basically use bass gear for shore based saltwater fishing. Just rinse off your gear each time right after usage and you're good to go. The only reels that I won't use are the untreated magnesium reels like Daiwa Steez. Treated magnesium reels like Shimano Core are perfectly suited to saltwater fishing. Your bass rods and reels will work just fine. Have fun and post some pics!

Nice trout + snow!

To OP: I've messed around with Abu Garcia reels at Cabelas in past. They are decent reels and good for starter reel. It should serve well for topwater fishing. Don't skimp on a good top water lure. Try Jackall Bowstick 130, amazing walk the dog lure. You probably won't be casting the farthest with that combo, but if you get really good with it, you'll cast like a champ on higher end combos. Good luck and have fun!

One of the best top water walk the dog lure: Jackall Bowstick 130. It's tough and the finish will take a beating unlike other cheaper lures. Worth the money. Try Ghost Minnow pattern.

I have extensive experience fishing on Texoma for stripers. I have also caught plenty of largemouth and smallmouth while targeting stripers. In April, morning and evening time frame, go with a top water lure. Use a large spook style lure such as Lunker Punker 6", Delta Wood Bomber Sinister 6", or Jackall Bowstick 130 5". For largemouth and smallmouth, focus around points, structures, rock pilings. Walk the lure along and over the structures. For colors, I prefer to go with shad colors, golden with white belly on Lunker Punker or Delta Wood Bomber. If you use the Jackall Bowstick 130, I strongly recommend the Ghost Minnow color. There are some HUGE bass in Texoma, so don't be shy with the 5"/6" sized lures, they will suck those lures down for sure. Also look for gizzard shad activity around the area, good indicator that there are predators around.

Offshore - Yellowfin tuna for me. They have enormous pulling power and don't quit (some literally run till death). Inshore - I like catching redfish on light tackle, lots of running and strong pulls. Freshwater - Hybrid bass, especially the big boys, they pull much harder than stripers pound for pound on light tackle.

Live shrimp is definitely your best bet. Try putting a live shrimp under a popping cork with about 18 to 24 inch of leader. Check out this page for corks and video on how-to: http://www.egretbaits.com/#!/Vudu-Rattling-Corks/c/6923161/offset=0&sort=priceAsc I really like their green colored corks for popping live and artificial shrimps. Corks worked so good, the speckled trout and spanish mackerel were actually taking a bite out of the cork, LOL

That fish looks to be around the 200lb range. Based on the string attached, the fish probably ended up as food since regulations to protect them were not in place "back in the days".