Jon G

Nope. The spawn happens in the spring. The bulge in the stomach you see is something it ate (bluegill, big shad, ect)

FWIW I have a 6'8 Medium power fast action St Croix LTB (Jerkbait rod) and it is absolutely perfect for both topwater and jerk baits.

That's a saltwater reel and really isn't meant for bass. Honestly for the $175 range I'd just get a Curado.

Just respell more braid and start using a leader so you won't ever run out of braid on your spool

I feel like a kid on Christmas!! They are my favorite rod series and I was expecting to see them upgrade the series seeing how they already upgraded the Avids and Legend Elites. And is that a 7'4 MH I see? They've finally answered my prayers!!

If you don't have confidence in jigs start small. Start out by using a small finesse jig and after you've caught some fish on it and begin to have confidence in it move up to a bigger size.

I catch fish on jigs anywhere ponds, lakes, rivers, creeks, etc. If there are bass there they will eat a jig

I can throw something as light as a 1/8 oz trig and I've thrown 3/4 oz rattle traps on it. For jigs I use primarily 3/8 oz. It can handle 1/2 but the sweet spot is 3/8 oz. Same thing with the 734 the sweet spot (for jigs) is 3/8 oz if you want to go higher you're looking at a 5 power rod. I don't think it matters if you are on boat are on the bank you can use what ever rod you want. A lot of people (including myself) get a lot of joy out of using high end tackle. It isn't necessary but if you enjoy it there isn't a problem with it. Besides even a $1000 combo is still more affordable than a boat for most people.

you're not going to have a problem with power. It has a soft enough tip to cast lighter baits but enough power to wrench fish out of heavy cover. I've used it to flip and pitch 3/8 oz jig in lay downs and I've pulled two 5lbers and a 6lber out of letdowns with this rod.

yup thats a smallmouth. This chart will help you ID them

The MH Legend Elite is a true MH and it feels like a 4 power Dobyns.

I've fished both so I'll try and do my best to give a pros and con Legend Elite: Well for one you'd be getting a $400 rod for $285. The Legend Elite has much better components. It has torzite guides and and SCV blank which is arguably one of the best blanks on the market. The handle is comfortable and is made out of high quality cork. St. Croix IMO has a much better warranty and their customer service is outstanding. The only problem I have is that they don't offer a MH rod in the 7'3-7'5 range. Dobyns 734: It has a very good balance which most Dobyns rods have. It has nice cork and it is very versatile. Since it is a 7'3you are going to get a little quicker line pick up when fishing jigs in deep water and you are going to get a little farther cast due to the length However in my opinion (again I'm not trying to offend any one I'm just giving my honest opinion) Dobyns are a little over priced for what you get. In the $250 range I believe there are much better options. My favorite is the St. Croix LTB however they are a little to tip heavy for some. Another good option is the Kistler Helium 3's I personally haven't fished one but I've never heard anything bad about them. The Legend Elite is a much better rod. You have to remember you are comparing a $400 rod to a $250 rod. The Legend Elite just has much better components, is a hell of a lot more sensitive, and has a better warranty. If you don't want another St. Croix and you don't want a Dobyns the Megabass Orochi XX EMTF is another option. However, I still would not pass up on upgrading to the Legend Elite.

I'd go with the upgrade program and would get the Legend Elite. In my opinion the new Legend Elites are the best rod on the market. This is coming from some one who has switched from all Dobyns (I only used Champions and Champion Extremes) to St. Croix. I'm going to get yelled at a lot for saying this but IN MY OPINION (remember this is just my opinion) Dobyns are a little overrated. Sure they have a nice balance and they offer a lot of options but I think there is some better options out there for the price. I have the 7'MH Legend Elite and it is one of the most versatile rod I own. With it I fish jigs, trigs, senkos, paddle tail swim baits, swim jigs, chatter baits, spinnerbaits, and power shots. If you were to upgrade you'd be paying around $285 which is an absolute steal. I can honestly say that the sensitivity in the Legend Elite is about the same as the NRX.

The set ups you have are great. Now go fish them!

I would definitely talk to Gary at Tackle Trap. I bought my first NRX from him a few weeks ago and he was extremely helpful in helping me choose the right rod for what I was trying to do. I would also recommend trying to get a rep sample because they cost about $100+ less.

For slower presentations I would use punching rigs and weightless flukes and senkos For reaction baits I'd use chatter baits, swim jigs (Nothing more than 1/4 oz), and paddle tail swim baits with a keel weighted hook If the grass is as thick as you say it is I'd use nothing less than 50lb braid.

I don't care about balance and weight mainly because I never notice it and if I do it really doesn't bother me.

You can only use 1 brake if you want.

Chatterbaits are my favorite search bait and I use them year round like I do a jig and a Texas rig. They excel around grass but I've used them around rock and wood with success. The trick is to fish them just fast enough to get the blade to thump. There is two types of bites you get on a chatter bait; you'll either feel a large thump and it will knock slack in your line or you won't feel anything but your blade will just stop thumping. If you are interested in learning how to fish a chatterbait I'd listen to this guy he knows a thing or two about them

Eh, after looking into it some more I'm not overly excited for the new Curado. I like that there is a longer handle and an XG model but I don't know how much I like the new color.

I haven't used Seaguar's flipping braid but I've used Smackdown. Smackdown is pretty good but in my experience with it is awful at holding a leader knot (yes I know how to tie a proper connection knot) because it is super slick. Personally, I'd go with Sufix 832 it's cheaper and is arguably one of the best braids on the market.

Start spooling them yourself. It's pretty easy and you'll know that it's spooled correctly.

Use photobucket. I just started doing that and its much easier. You just post the link the photo and it embeds the picture. Best part is that the picture can be pretty much as big as you want.