Hogsticker

Jigging - hands down, no contest. Bass, Walleye, Trout, some sort of jig.

Here is another observation. I've never caught a fish on the lures/baits that just sit in my tackle box and don't get used with some regularity. Imagine that!!

X2, except I use P Line Senshi as leader

I us both lines as I am mostly a Sufix only guy. Both lines have the same diameter in every pound test. The Elite does handle a very slight touch better on spinning gear in the lower tests. On a casting reel I feel the Seige flowed a little smoother. Never used over 12lb. test. Personally, I would go Seige. It seems to have a little better abrasion resistance and knot strength IMO. Neither has an excessive amount of memory and handle very well.

That's a dandy! Congrats!!

I don't know if it's the best, and I think it is hard for any person to prove that any specific one is - but, I like the Chapsticks type attractant. No mess, though I rarely use it.

Spend the 200 and try to find a Zillion crazy cranker - well worth the money IMO

2 buis. days for me, but I live in Washington. Rarely will I order elsewhere.

I've been fishing for walleye for several years, jigging with a 2000 size spinning reel, 6'8 med. light rod. The easiest way to learn to jig is to just pretend you jig is a crow. You've seen a crow hop, now crow hop your jig. Hop it and let it fall back to bottom. Maybe give it a few shakes and a pop, then crow hop again and again till your retrieve is complete. Here is the tricky part. Make sure yo discern what the jig touching the bottom feels like. Each time you crow hop it, you should feel touch bottom again. If you don't a fish has or had your bait in it's mouth. If something feels different than the sensation of the crow hop set the hook. Walleye are tricky little worm snatchers who will spit your bait out before you even know they are there. Big bass will do the same thing. Just stay focused and you will be fine.

Indeed

Watched my old man cast his brand new G Loomis GLX right into the lake, 1st cast. Buh Bye

Anything that says Quantum on it!

No feelings hurt, it's all good. I enjoy the debate. What can I say, some people are just super stubborn! The pros did not get to be pros by not knowing what they are doing. They wouldn't be very good at their job. None the less, it's safe to say that a lot of them push a product, and on the flip side of that coin some of them like to share and teach. Again, it's not really fair to compare the intelligence of a bass to a dog, grape, or gorilla, and just because you feel you catch your "fair share" of fish does not mean you can't catch more. And yes, they are reacting on instinct. An insticnt to not strike your lure because they relate seeing that line to pain. My suggestion to all reading this thread - take every advantage you can if you want to optimize your opportunity to be successful. Or don't

I'm not trying to sound argumentative as well, and would like to spologize to the OP for this getting so off topic. It sounds like you you show no credibility for a leader simply because you do not like tying knots. Do you think professional level anglers use a leader to try and push a product consisting of 2 feet of leader from small amounts of actual televised coverage? No, they use it because they believe it increases his/her chance of getting bit in tough conditions, and they wanna get paid. I fish all winter long trolling for trout. I can recall when I 1st started going out with my father-in-law. He was getting strikes and landing fish with regularity. I couldn't figure out why I was not. After two full seasons of this crap I gave into the fluoro leader he suggested several times over. Guess what? I started catching fish. Nothing different. Same minnow imitations, same distance behind the boat - just a leader. Long lining shallow jerk baits in clear shallow water. Just another example to somewhat put this to rest. It does have merit regardless as to how ignorant you think a fish is. Little planted rainbows and other young species, yeah, their quite stupid. Big fish - maybe you should give them a little more credit, just sayin

Oh my goodness. Conditioned is a very good way to sum things up. If bass or fish in general are dumb as bricks, why aren't you filling your livewell every single time you go out? I use braid because because it handles much better and cast further than any nylon or fluoro line. More importantly it has zero stretch affording me much greater sensitivity when fishing bottom contact presentations. I've seen fish in shallow water who were line shy up close and personal several times. Thinner less visible line worked while others would not. You are talking about studies conducted in a controlled evviroment, not an adult fishes home habitat. Fish are spooky, I will leave it at that. Noise, shadows, line, on and on. When you say they are stupid what are you comparing them to, a banana? I'm out!

I certainly can't tell you what the best rod is. But, I can tell you when comparing what you get vs. Money spent, the kistler klx is very tough to beat. Tangle free fuji guides with alconite rings, a north fork c. Blank, and excellent build qualit in the U.S.A. they are very light and responsive with fuji reel seats, no heavy eye popping paints or clear coats. I've been very impressed with mine so far, and no I'm not a sponsor.

I beg to differ. A fish remembers getting stung. Fish are naturally spooky and very aware of their environment, including prey that does not look, feel, or smell natural. They don't grow big by being stupid. If this were the case every day on the water would be a knock out punch, granted you found fish. Your referring to a bass in a tank -

We will have to agree to disagree on this one. This coming from a Daiwa guy

You were fishing a reaction bait over 20 ft. Of water. Little different than a finesse jig in 6 ft. Of water. If people don't think fish are line shy, especially trout in heavily pressured waters.....hey, more power to em

Sorry for the confusion fellas. I was referring to the 100 size reels. The 200 E is a 100 size reel with extra line capacity, so I guess that could be considered one plus over the 100 D. The D feels a little more solid to me, perhaps the aluminum vs. graphite thing - don't know. The D seems to cast plugs a little further with a little less effort, but the E seems to handle a lighter bait better (not talking true finesse). The E is nicer to palm. I can't decide if I just wanna keep both, or par with one to make room for something else (likely regret it).

For those who have used both, what model did you like the best and why? I like the feel of the E a slight touch more (comfort), but the D is a super solid little casting machine for sure (100 size). Both are great reels no doubt.

Aldebaran MG, or a Chronarch MG......maybe a Scorpion metanium??

None of the above! *** Black!! Best 100 dollar rod you will ever purchase!!!

If were talking the warmest months of the year just fish the areas you usually do, but go out deeper and fish much slower. I've had my best luck in 20-30 feet of water dragging a football head with a twin tail grub or SK rage craw. Look for steep banks along the shoreline and then follow the ledges out into the water. Drag that bait down the ledge, and when you determine what depth they are holding in concentrate on that. Once in a while the swim bait bite heats up. Take a 1-1.5 ounce sinking swim bait and let it drop. Creep and crawl it just above bottom in those same areas.

If your lake is is stocked with or has trout in it try throwing a 6-8 inch trout pattern swim bait. Think like a fish. Find some areas where you would set up shop. Where the food would come to you, and you wouldn't have to expend a lot of energy to eat a decent size meal/snack. Toss the swim bait in those areas. No strikes, follow up with a big 8-10 inch worm dragged slowly along the bottom.