mjseverson24

either work fine, but to skip properly a good trained thumb is by far the best... If I had to choose I would go with mag so you can adjust easier on the fly... Mitch

I guess i didnt think about that. Thanks for the good tip... Mitch

I didn't know there were issues like that on the Tatula either... I would assume it has to be an issue with a certain type of guide position and type on the rod that has the line coming at a more downward angle than the people at daiwa engineered it for... similar to the spiral wrap issue with the T3 review... Mitch

I have been interested in these every single time I pick one up at cabelas, but i am worried about the grips failing over time just like they do on golf clubs after use... but for 70 bucks even if they just last a few years i think they would be worth it... thanks for the heads up... Mitch

nice looking bait... custom baits are a lot of fun but its kind of sad when they starting getting teeth marks on them...(kind of) Mitch

Power fishing to me is putting the bait in the places that has the highest chances of success, and skipping over the parts of the cast least likely to catch a fish, so you get more casts in, but you sacrifice the chance for the fish in the more unusual locations... Mitch

I don't really have any setup that I would call versatile anymore, every setup has been basically designed and allocated for one or maybe two purposes. If I had to choose though I have 2 St. croix triumphs 7' M/F that have gone from T-rigs/Jigs to swim jigs to spinnerbaits over the last three seasons, so I guess that is my most versatile setup...(although the reel has changed from 7:1 to 6:1) Mitch

if you want to be a contender in your tournaments consistently jigs and T-rigs are two of the most important baits to be proficient in. My advice, get a dedicated jig/T-rig rod, and have the frog ready as well, those three techniques put better quality fish in the boat... Mitch

I use the Hawgtech bearings, they work great, no need to oil them which is the biggest plus for me, they spin great and in my opinion improve the performance of the reel... that being said stock bearings usually are good enough for most applications. the areas I want the better bearings are the ones I need more distance with...(i know they improve accuracy, but for me its about the distance...) Mitch

I have the 7' and I have a quantum kinetic pt on it. I dont care about balance its a tip down presentation this rod is very nice for the niche that it fits into... It does a great job of keeping constant mild pressure on fish which is key when fishing crankbaits... Mitch

I like the Tatula 7:1 or the lews Super Duty 7:1. I go with the 7:1 ratio to keep a good balance of speed and power when using frogs... Mitch

I use either floro or mono with a MH/XF, but i can and do use braid with M/XF as it doesn't have quite the backbone the MH does. Mitch

I guess I might be alone on this one but I believe selective harvesting is neither good nor bad for an ecosystem, it is a case by case basis. But I also believe that selective harvesting overtime severely damages a fishery. Not that the fish population will be in bad shape necessarily, but over time the harvesting of fish will change the genetic makeup of the the fish population. the fish that are typically caught and harvested are fish that are designed (genetically) to be more aggressive and accepting of the types of lures and baits that we use. by harvesting these fish we are basically breeding out the more aggressive and easier to catch fish, and allowing the ones that we have not yet learned out how to catch to breed. Over time the quality of the fishing on that body of water will suffer due to harvesting regardless of weather people think they are responsible or not... the fisheries biologists job is not to maintain a fishery, it is to maintain a healthy ecosystem its the fisherman's job to catch the fish their job is to make sure fish are in the lake... Mitch

a tatula for about 100 is about as good as it gets in that range... otherwise I like the falcon bucoo micro or the BPS carbonlite... Mitch

I pitch to tight cover like docks and wood with shorter rods (6'10" H/MF), I use a 7'-7'2" MH/F for moderate grass cover, and I use 7'6"-8' for heavy grass... the more accurate you need to be, typically the shorter rod I use and the nastier the cover the longer the rod I use... Mitch

Rods: st. croix, falcon, abu, daiwa, shimano, quantum, W&M, gander mtn, BPS. Reels: Daiwa, shimano, pflueger, quantum, Lews, W&M. Mitch

I like longer handles, I also like the larger knobs as well since they have more surface area thus increased grip. The companies that I typically find have the handles that I like are : Daiwa, Lews, and the skeet reese reel... Mitch

In those situations I use a 1/4 oz jig with a rage chunk ( nice slow fall ) and I just let the jig sit for a while watching the line, I then hop it a few times, reel it in and do it again. This is power fishing, you are looking to catch the fish in the immediate area of where it lands. This technique allows you to cover a lot of water thoroughly because you can catch fish in any location in the water column... Mitch

I tie a lot of my own, but when I buy jigs most of the time they are boo-ya boo jigs. I like the 1/4-1/2 oz black/blue and black/red. pretty much any of the colors work just depends on the situation and these can be found under 3 bucks... Mitch

If I had 250 to spend on a jig rod, I would go with one of these three rods... 1)---> Falcon cara t7 split 6'10" H/F ( 200.00) 2)---> Daiwa Tatula 7'1" MH/XF (150.00 but can be had closer to 100.00) 3)--->St. Croix Avid 7' M/XF (200.00) If I wanted 90% the performance of these for half the cost (except the tatula) I would go with a falcon bucoo micro 6'10" H/F Mitch

I get pooped on all the time while crankbait fishing and instead of lipping them into the boat I cradle them, apparently that squeezes them and well the rest is history... I usually dont realize it until the person I am fishing with says something like what is that all over your shirt??? Mitch

under armor is the best for cold weather when you are trying to stay mobile, Simms is also very good, none of it is inexpensive though... The best you can do is buy it in the spring when it is on sale if that ever happens. Mitch

I want to pick up a few more Tatula's regulars and type R's. Mitch

I am not sure what my biggest frog fish has been, but I have caught hundreds of bass between 4-6 lbs on frogs over the past 3 years(since i started using them). I don't think any of them has been over 6 lbs though. Most of my bigger bass come on the KVD frog black and yellow... Mitch

If you know how to handle a boat it is not dangerous, it may be uncomfortable weather to fish in but its only dangerous if you are an inexperienced boater(which if you are in a tournament you shouldn't be), or you have a boat not designed for less than ideal conditions. Lake Murray is only 9 miles across (open water) at its widest, it is also very deep for most of that distance, so a 30 MPH wind will not generate overly large waves consistently(less than 4 ft.) throughout the lake, certain areas may be more effected than others, but that is where experience and a proper boat come into play again. Oh and before you make a comment about me not being a personal advisor to somebody maybe you should know just a little about the person you are trying to insult. The reason I did not agree with you was because the OP wanted to know how he could have done better in his tournament given these conditions, everyone else offered up suggestions to do just that. You on the other hand gave him the worst advice possible, advice that would give him zero chance at improving his performance. That is the reason for disagreeing with you. Mitch