mjseverson24

Floro is less sensitive than braid except when the line is not tight, then the properties of floro still allow it to transmit vibrations where braid does not do a very good job of this. However braid is much easier to line watch and allows you to still detect mites without actually feeling the strike... To me I use floro when I am in relatively clear water (reduced visibility) and or around rocks, wood, and docks as it has superior abrasion resistant properties over braid. for stained and or dirty water and grass braid is probably the way to go for bottom contact... Mitch

I pretty much just lock the drag down, except on crankbaits they just get a good pull straight off the reel. the rods I use for cranks have a lot of give in them ( glass ) so drag typically is not an issue for me with bass, however with pike and muskie the drag definitely helps... Mitch

What??? i think i know what you are talking about, the texas study on tournament fish... well that is texas, not MN. where i live the conditions are quite different. i believe the study showed water temperature is the key feature in mortality rating (along with O2 content). MN water temps are quite a bit lower on average than Tx lakes and rivers. also having a smaller limit which is likely to occur in MN will help in mortality rates. Mitch

we can never insure 100% survivability in any activity that we do as humans, there are always probabilities that bad things can happen. such as golf being struck by lightning or by a stray ball, or basketball and football getting killed due to an injury obtained while on the court or field. Do I think that all of my fish survive after a tournament??? No and I feel bad about that. that is why supporting the DNR programs that help maintain healthy ecosystems is an important part of being a fisherman... Mitch

For me I keep my rod prices in the 100-150 dollar range, as I feel this region is by far the most competitive. The companies that make rods in this price range have much higher sales volume thus they can reduce their margins and still make a bunch of money. this equates to much more performance for your dollar as compared to rods over the $150 mark. Mitch

All three rods are good, the skeet reese rod is the lightest and best balanced, the rage is the most sensitive, and the mojo is the most durable rod. I like the skeet reese rods, but the rage and mojo lineups are good options as well. There really is no wrong answer to your question. Mitch

I would say 21"-26" it would be a skinny 26" and a pretty darn fat 21". I caught a 24.25" LMB last year that was just a few ounces shy of 9 lbs, and that fish did not have a big belly but it was super healthy... Mitch

I disagree completely that fishing is a blood sport... I practice catch and release on all fish that I catch... when i am in tournaments I go the extra mile to ensure I can release the fish in the best possible shape... fish care is held paramount to me when I go fishing... Mitch

Tatula for around 100 or the *** are two great rods, the falcon bucoo micro can be found near 100 as well which is one of my favorite rods, as well as the shimano compre... Mitch

2006 chevy silverado 5.3L V8 towing a 18 ft full windshield walleye boat I get about 14 MPG... it gets about 20 without the boat... Mitch

from may to november I typically fish minimum of three days a week. two of the days are at least 8 hours and more often than not 12+... not sure how many days total I get out because of vacation and weather, but I know this last year I fished 47 different lakes, and most of them I fished at least twice... Mitch

I love the quantums that I have, especially dor long distance casts... If I were to get one of their new offerings I would look at the energy pt. These are multipurpose reels that perform well for distance casting and also pitching, and other short accurate casting duties... Mitch

I cast jigs and t-rigs probably 70+% of the time, but it is usually a very controlled roll cast which is often just as accurate as a pitch. I almost never flip... Mitch

I never backreel as the drag is more than adequate to land a fish of any size given you know how to operate a drag properly... examples 30 lb muskie on 6 lb test rigging for walleye, or a 50 lb sturgeon on a 6' ML jig rod on 20 lb braid and many more... Mitch

There is a reason it beat the avatar record for opening weekend sales... Great movie with a great story. Mr. Kyle is a true American hero, I had the privilege to serve in the Navy at the same time as him. He was a rare person with extraordinary character. It is a very difficult movie to watch as they show combat without a filter. When the movie was over myself and my family just sat there in shock at what we had just witnessed. The theater was completely silent and the only thought that crossed my mind was "where do I sign? I want back in the fight." its hard to be home safe in my bed at night knowing there are men and women putting their lives on the line so I can drink starbucks, and eat chipotle... God bless America and God bless our troops... Mitch

want to see a grown man cry??? then click the link at the top of the page... thanks for posting... Mitch

I am currently a 5th year senior electrical engineering and nuclear physics student with a focus in fusion research and application. Before that I was a electricians mate 2nd class in the US NAVY... Mitch

After school is done ( next december ) I hope to be moving to Knoxville TN, and be a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory... No more crapy 5 month winters for me... Mitch

Not to be a jerk, but in all honesty a dual breaking system requires less talent to cast effectively than a single breaking system, as it has the ability to have a base setting (centrifugal) and on the fly fine tune adjustments (magnetic). on a system with only 1 type your thumb is what makes the fine tuned adjustments... Mitch

I use the skirted frogs for any cover, the only time I use the legged frogs is in open water or sparse cover situations as it actually looks more like a real frog. Using a legged frog over heavy cover defeats the purpose as the fish cannot see very well what the frog looks like... Mitch

the easiest reels to learn on are centrifugal breaking systems as many of them are set it and forget it... I would look into the evercast horizon series they even have the red Marine Corps ones and can be found well under 50 bucks and are nice reels... look on ebay or amazon for them. I have 3 of them (all the NAVY model)... Mitch

Well it would seem I am in the minority on this one big time, but I would get 2 100 dollar rods over one 200 dollar rod. For sensitivity a Daiwa Tatula or a *** black are great rods and are at the 100 dollar range. I also like the Falcon Bucoo micro, shimano compre and the skeet reese micro rods. Personally I feel like a rod that is specifically set up for one presentation and is optimized for it will perform much better than a rod set up to do multiple techniques... Personally I run 14 jig/trig setups... 7 for jig and 7 for t-rig, and each has a time and place where they are optimized(line, length, action, power)... This system allows me to quickly fine tune my presentations and also allows me to continue to catch fish when the bite changes slightly... Mitch

I almost never touch the spool during a cast in open water, but when I am target casting its beneficial to control trajectory and entry of the lure to avoid spooking the fish near the target... But with most casting equipment I dont need to thumb the spool in order to not backlash... Mitch

All Terrain jigs are what I am going to. I used to make all my own jigs and they did great, but honestly I like theirs better than mine anyway, and for $3.00 its hard to argue... I still make a few custom colors, but most are the AT jigs... Mitch

I have a bunch of the original version and I love them, my only reservation is the magnetic cast control vs the centrifugal of the previous model, but for flip and pitch it would work well... Mitch