WIGuide

Isn't there some power plant lake somewhere in central Ill? It'd probably be fairly busy but hey, it beats a snowbank. I got excited yesterday when I was casting in the yard and i hooked a broken branch on the ground! lol

That'll put you about where you want to be. If you fish a lot of weightless stuff though you might want to go with the same rod in a M/F

I think the Revo S would be a good real for you. If you already have one and like it why switch?

They generally offer more power and have a higher line capacity. As you can see here, many people still use them for bass fishing, but they seem to rule in the musky and northern niches.

Yes usually they have the same deals and a few more.

I'd have to either go with a spinnerbait or a dinger

Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog

They normally have the online sale that lasts longer and doesn't have the daily deals in it like the in store event does.

I've got enough to open a small tackle shop.

Pretty much, with the hooks as sharp as they are and with the light wire they're made with, they'll penetrate with that. I usually do put a little extra pressure on them though.

I'd probably go with a St. Croix Mojo drop shot rod. It's 6'9" ML/XF. The action has more to do with how quick you get into the power of a rod so this rod will have a very light tip With the lighter overall power the rod the blank will flex easier which will offer you forgiveness with the light line and still keep pressure on the fish.

I've got all stock bearings in my reels and I think they're just fine. I plan on using them until they are shot and then if the reel is still in good shape otherwise, I'll put new bearings in.

It is a throttle linkage problem. My dad's boat had that happen. It was actually a problem with the control box, it'd work fine about 99% of the time but if you pinned it and pushed just a little too hard the shift lever would go past a 90 degree position. When it would do this the throttle cable would be stuck at WOT and wouldn't return unless you fiddled with it a bit going back and forth and finally it would eventually return. I'd suggest since it's your first rig to take it in and have it looked at. It could be something else as well, but I'd be guessing that's what it is. Also, if you run it at any point between now and then see if you can run it fine without pinning it or pushing it past where the WOT stop should be.

I usually use a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 6'10" ML/XF or 6'8" M/XF depending on the size of weight I'm throwing. I'd suggest you use your Abu for drop shotting. As far as the hooks go I use the VMC spin shot. I really like them. They cut down on line twist considerably and if you're just getting into it they will help you out a lot. I haven't had any issues when it comes to them being too bulky even in gin clear water.

Although I haven't fished a Duckett, I can say the Mojo's are nice rods and I doubt you'd be disappointed! Not to mention, they've got a 5 year warranty vs a 1 year you get with the Duckett.

I'd take a look at the St. Croix Mojo Bass Frog N Slop Rod. It's a 7' H/F. It's got a ton of power and has the sensitivity you want when fishing your big jig!

I usually use anything from 30-50lb test braid. I've had good luck with Power Pro and Spiderwire. Planning on trying out some Berkley Professional Grade this year as well. I would stay away from Spiderwire stealth camo braid because the colors wear off really fast and you're left with a funky cream colored line. Also, I tried some lower lb test Kanzen braid and was very unimpressed. I don't know if their heavier stuff is any better but as bad as the light stuff stunk, I wouldn't even try it.

Hoping to get a Rocket this year as well and planning on throwing it on my frog rod.

There are plenty of good used boats out there. That being said you can't go out and buy a clunker and expect it to be perfect. If it looks like junk don't buy it because it show's how much that boat was cared for over it's lifetime. Stay away from anything with a Force motor on it. If you're looking for something cheap look for a smaller aluminum boat like a little v-hull. They are simple boats without too much that can go wrong with the boat itself.

I used to live pretty close to a Gander Mountain and during the winter I somehow managed to be over that way and stop in "just to look" on just about every pay day haha. I don't think I could ever work at a tackle shop because on pay day I would owe the store money instead of them paying me!

If there are very small nicks in the edge of the blades it's not the greatest but it doesn't need to be rebuilt. If there's gouges out of it or a blade is bent or has a hunk out of it get it off of there asap.

If you are just going to buy one style I'd go with the cylindrical ones. They don't get hung up nearly as much in rock/gravel and don't grab as much in grass.

I think the SK Squadron Heads would work well with the cane thumpers.

I've got a bunch of lipless crankbaits. I stick to Cotton Cordell and Xcalibur. I've got some random other ones, but the majority of them are from those two brands.

I think you can catch them on a lot of stuff but you just have to realize it has to be fished SLOW! The weather should be helping you out though making them more active. They should be starting to come up out of their deep wintering holes.