Kevin22

We just had this thread a couple weeks ago. Don't know what you mean by slow, this site loads up lightning fast for me and even faster on 4G. Literally as soon as I press the BR logo on my homepage it is up and running.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your review on the reel!

3/4-1oz lipless cranks will work wonders. As will a big bucktail jig with a 4" grub on it. Fish them fast and hard. The fish in that current are using reaction strikes to catch food, no need to finesse it. Crank fast, lots of jerks in the rod tip and hold on.

Are they busting the surface? toss the tiny rebel pop-r at them on a spinning rod. Pretty much any topwater that moves they will take a swipe at, your best hook-ups will come on baits with smaller hooks and dressed trebles. 12"+ fish will take a regular pop-r with ease.

I used stren hi-viz yellow (super braid) last fall and found no difference between it and clear lines, number of bites wise. But it was very easy to see and I could see any little twitch or pick-up.

I use seaguar red label. It does stretch, but not as much as mono. From my experience it stretches about the same as trilene sensation, p-line cx premium, and similar co-polys. You can feel the stretch when you grab the line and pull to break it.

A white spinnerbait with one willow and one colorado blade is a must have. Also take a look at lipless cranks like the rat-l-trap in black chrome and firetiger.

Going to sound silly, but try them with one claw. I have seen many, many, many crawdads with one claw in the wild. A craw with one claw is nothing new to a smallie.

And it is a good one for walleye/smallies! I think st. croix does have a 6'6 MLF and a 6'9 MLXF in the avid casting line though.

No such rod.

Does anyone know what kind of warranty these come with? And would you suggest the 6'9 MHF 1/4-1 or the 7'1 HF 3/8-1.5 for 3/8oz jigs, mostly in open water around rip-rap and fishing laydowns. Maybe some heavier fishing (1/2 T-rigs) around coontail.

Match the hook to your bait, not the weight. I would think 5/0 would be too big for a pit boss. I always used 4/0 and thought it was on the larger side. 3/0 or 4/0 for the pit boss IMO I would pick up some 1/4 and 3/8 for sure. They don't have to be tungsten for flipping docks, you aren't going for sensitivity here.. Get the rate of fall an action right and they will about take the rod out of your hand. I'd suggest just plain old lead. I am guessing you picked 1/2 because you were fishing a 1/2 jig, right? If so, the same rate of fall with a T-rigged pit boss might actually be with a 1/4oz or 5/16. Rate of fall is huge when T-rigging docks. You will have to experiment to find out. Another thing, have you thought that maybe the jig you were using was imitating a bluegill to the bass and not a craw? Maybe try flipping a T-rigged green pumpkin 4" tube up in there. I have had GREAT success with a t-rigged tube around docks in northern MN during the summer.

Winter in MD involves 8" augers and 24" rods.

I have a KVD 6'4ML. I use it for weightless flukes in open water. I like it a lot, just don't get many chances to use it!

All of that (besides the 10lb bass) and broken concrete rip/rap banks are what I fish here. If I get snagged I go get it out. Snagged on moss and weeds? come on.. use the proper gear and pull them out. I've been snagged hundreds of times this year and lost maybe 1 or 2 hooks. If you are breaking off on coontail, hydrilla, and milfoil then you really need to get some new line. Drop the rod tip and rip it out.

Looks like Hydrilla as already stated above me. Relatively easy to fish compared to coontail and some of the other weeds. Try a senko or similar weightless rigged plastics.

I saw the same reels you did. I was tempted to try one but the 1mo+ delivery was a deal breaker. By the time I finally decided to try one it wouldnt have gotten here until hunting season and I wouldnt be able to give it a good try. MAYBE I will buy one this winter and try it next spring. Big MAYBE though, probably be a waste of money.

Nice fish. Looks to be about 12-13" or so. I'd guess it to be around 1 to 1.25#, that is usually what 12" blacks are around here. Don't want to rag on you or make you feel bad, because that IS a nice fish.. but 16"+ is a big crappie. Most states have records in the 3-5lb range and 18"+. So they definitely get bigger. But depending on where you caught it at, that might be the biggest in the lake. Around here a 12" crappie is something to take a second look at. Just wait until you flip a 14"+ in the boat, it will make your jaw drop. If you ever have the chance, head down to texas to crappie fish. 16" fish are a normal every day occurrence on most lakes.

Are the fish there? Have you tried different baits/colors on your T-rig? Maybe try downsizing? A 1/2oz T-rig is going to fish a lot faster and more aggressively than a 1/2oz jig because it has less drag. When I am fishing a T-rig it is with 1/4 or 3/8 unless I am punching through something or fishing very deep.

Very slowly. Small twitches and hops, letting it sit more than you are moving it. Think of it almost like a shakey head. It's a cold water producer.

Do hook prices really matter that much? I mean really, how many hooks does one lose in a season? I lose maybe 10-15 EWG's in a year of fishing and maybe 20-25 wacky hooks (I use octopus). And most of those are lost because I leave them loose in the garage and they get buried. I probably spend $30 a year in hooks. That is 2 spools of line or about 8 bags of plastics. Both of those will be used in a month or less. If you figure how much money you spend on line, hardbaits, plastics, weights, and other term tackle, hook costs are very minimal. I am very willing to pay $6.99 for 6 hooks. The price of the hooks are the last thing I look at when determining which ones to buy.

IMO PB&J is a lightly stained to clear water color. But that doesn't mean it won't work in dirty water as well. You should have no problem catching fish with that color. I would choose a plum or junebug trailer depending on what shade of purple is in the skirt.

Right but when upward force is put on a hook in a fishes mouth it creates a pivot and drives the hook into meat. It doesn't just pull until it catches. The hook will go in at a 45º+ angle, it should have enough initial force to penetrate and not slice. If the point was dull and the sides were sharp then it could probably slice, but that is not the case. The only way I believe a hook like a trokar could slice through a fishes mouth would be if you were using a swimbait and set the hook before the fish turned. You would have to pull straight out the fishes mouth with no upward or side angle. And if that happens, well it wasn't the hook's fault. I would be willing to bet that you are setting the hook way too hard and creating a big hole where the hook penetrated, enough of a hole for the barb to back out during the fight. You really do not need to set the hook like you see on TV when using a trokar, they are so darn sharp you just have to pull back gently and you will penetrate the roof of the mouth.

I usually throw spinnerbaits along rip/rap broken concrete river banks. I use 14# mono. If I am fishing open water I will drop down to 10 or 12#. 7' MHF rod.

That does not make any sense. The way a hook works it would be impossible to slice through a bass's mouth. You are probably just lipping them and giving them a hulk hookset, thus tearing the mouth. I have been using trokar for 2 years now and love them. Very very few lost fish unless they dive for cover and get off. I hardly ever set the hook with them. I just let the rod load and pull back, those hooks are so sharp you do not need to set the hook.