Steveo-1969

Hmmmmm..........

I've tried Gamma Edge in 10# on a baitcaster and it performed very well! Abrasion resistant, minimal stretch and handled pretty well. But it's thicker and more expensive than Tatsu. I'm fishing 10# Tatsu on the same rod right now and it's thinner, just as abrasion resistant, minimal stretch, and handles better (softer and less coiling). I didn't want to believe the Tatsu hype you read on here all the time, but after using it the hype is real.

My custom bottom contact casting rod was $400. Almost half of that cost was just the blank.

I bought a Gen 1 Carbonlite (black) baitcasting combo when they first came out. I like the rod very much and still use it occasionally. The reel was junk and was replaced with something different.

Welcome to Bass Resource! Your member name suggests you are a Mark Zona fan?

MVL for me this year is a 1/16 ounce jig head. Doesn't seem to matter what small plastic I put on it, the thing just catches fish! (I could have said Ned Rig I guess.....) Runner-up MVL is a 3/16 SK Bitsy Bug jig with Baby Menace Grub trailer because it caught my PB smallmouth in April.

1. How often do you go fishing? Normally once a week all year long. 2. What type of fishing do you usually do? (fresh, salt, target species) Always freshwater. April-October is smallmouth. November-March is walleyes. 3. How do you hear about new products? Social media? Friends? Online? Bass Resource and TV fishing shows. 4. When buying a new product what makes you finally decide to purchase it? Reviews? Friends Recommendations? Reviews and recommendations on Bass Resource. 5. Where did you usually shop pre covid-19? In stores? Online? I've been 95% online for years. mainly Tackle Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop. Very limited brick and mortar options in my area. 6. Does the fishing industry have enough gadgets? Never!! 7. How much do you spend yearly on fishing equipment? Anywhere from $500-$1500.

I am no expert and don't catch giant brown bass like @A-Jay but I've been using a uni-uni knot for years and have never had one fail on a fish. When I break off a snag I want the leader to break at the lure, but lots of times the leader breaks below the uni-uni knot. The main line (braid) doesn't break. I only use a leader on spinning. 8#-10# braid and a mono or fluoro or copoly leader from 8#-12#. The leader line is always the thickest and gets 3 wraps. Then the braid will get 5-7 wraps depending on it's thickness. I'm trying to get each knot to be the same size when I pull them together. The result is a fairly small knot and the leader length is about 3 feet.

This rod is 82 inches long, or 6'10".

I have a suggestion if you're looking for a rod that's on the lighter side of ML. But I don't know if it's against the rules to put a Daiwa reel on a G. Loomis rod? ? WPJR 821S GLX is a Loomis walleye jig pitching rod. The 1-power is labeled "mag-light" and the 1/16-5/16 rating seems about right. The action is XF and the rod is not "whippy" at all. Light as a feather, super sensitive, and plenty powerful. I'm guessing because it's a walleye rod it's never talked about here but it is by far my favorite spinning rod.

@Glenn Is the Butt Dial what we've been waiting for??????

Welcome to Bass Resource Steve. BEAR DOWN!!!!!!! Steve

Welcome to Bass Resource! I'm a fellow Upper Potomac wet wader.

I sent you a message.

I had a custom casting rod built by @Delaware Valley Tackle to specifically fish 3/16 ounce SK Bitsy Bug jigs (3/8 ounce total weight). It's built on a St. Croix 5S610MLXF blank (extended to 7'2"). This blank's lure weight rating is 1/8-1/2 ounce but is more powerful than the ML power rating IMO. I fish it with 10# line, I started with fluorocarbon but have been using 10# Sufix Advance Monofilament for the past year and really like it. Don't know if you've thought about going the custom route but I can tell you I have zero regrets!

Welcome to Bass Resource! I was born and raised in Wisconsin but kicked out of the state in 1997. GO BEARS!!!!!! ?

I don't think anyone has mentioned "ease of breaking off" as a reason to use a leader on your braid. I used braided line on my spinning rods because of line manageability. Line twist doesn't affect it like mono or fluoro, it casts well and it lasts for years. But I fish a shallow rocky river and get snagged frequently. Having a mono or fluoro leader makes it easier to break off than trying to break braided line. If I'm fishing somewhere that I'm not as worried about getting snagged I will fish with straight braid.

Downsizing your presentation has been a technique to catch pressured fish for a long time.

I saw this thread yesterday and was reminded I've been putting my Bassmaster Magazines in a pile when I receive them in the mail and I haven't read one in a while. I counted last night and I haven't read the last 9 issues! They are just collecting dust.

I haven't fished the river since June, but I usually fish anywhere from Shepherdstown upriver to Dam #5. Wet wading (or bank fishing if the river level is too high to safely wade). Smallmouth numbers are way down in the UP right now so unfortunately it's no surprise you aren't catching many fish. MD DNR has been stocking the last couple years and a recent survey showed a good spawn in 2020 so hopefully smallmouth numbers will be better in coming years. Please practice catch and release on any smallies you do catch. Website for you to check out: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/smallmouth_bass_stocking.aspx

Welcome to Bass Resource! Given your location and username I'm assuming you know the fishing store Susquehanna Fishing Tackle? LOVE that store!!

Not apples to apples, but I've fished the SC Mojo Bass 6'10" ML/XF spinning rod for the past couple seasons. For your first dabble into <cough> "expensive" rods it's not bad. Not bad at all. I'm gonna guess you will be very happy with it!

Welcome @Brian Martalus from a fellow boatless Upper Potomac wet wader!

The river I wade fish is 75-100 yards wide and I'm likely standing in the middle of it so leaving an extra rod/gear on the bank is not an option. So only 1 rod. It's either a ML/XF baitcasting rod or a ML/XF spinning rod depending on what baits I feel like fishing (lure weights on each rod are quite different). I carry everything I need in a small over-the-shoulder tackle bag (think smaller than a loaf of bread).

Dang, I never thought about water running downhill and moving water out of the bays. That makes sense! We fish the northern part of Kentucky Lake, from Kentucky Dam to about 20 miles south (water runs from south to north). I'll be honest I don't understand how the dams and generating current really works. But I'm guessing being only 20 miles or less from Kentucky Dam when they pull water through that dam we can see/feel that generation fairly quickly?