Steveo-1969

I use Spike-It garlic chartreuse most of the time on my soft plastics, it's just a confidence thing for me. Numerous times I've been fishing a soft plastic without it and not getting bit. Dip the tip of my bait and start getting bit in the same area. Is it the garlic scent? The chartreuse color? Or just my raised level of confidence? However, last year on my annual KY Lake trip my buddy outfished me all week (more and bigger fish) and he doesn't believe in using any scent or dye. Hmmmmm...

Ha-ha. Guilty!!

Good advice here, this is definitely personal choice. When I use my son's 6'6" rod it feels too short for me. When he uses my 7' rod it feels too long for him.

Thanks for the tip! I have the exact same rod and reel and had it out fishing for the first time this weekend. I also found it a little bit too tip heavy for my liking. I'm going to use your suggestion to move the balance point.

Sufix 832 for me. 10# for spinning. 30# for baitcasting. Been fishing it for 3 years and no problems.

I don't know if I agree or disagree either. I'm not a freshwater fisheries biologist. But if they are purposely being over-dramatic about "almost always breaking the jaw" it's probably a good thing. Get's people more conscious of how they hold/handle fish. We've already hooked it in the mouth, gill, gullet, side, back, tail, etc. and had it fight us all the way in. Time to treat it gently and get it back into the water quickly.

I'll be following this thread closely. I bought an NRX 893c a couple months ago and just got a Curado I for it. Haven't put it on the rod yet though, I'm hoping the rain will let up enough this weekend to play with it in the back yard.

Two rods for me when fishing from the bank. One spinning and one baitcasting. I feel I can use any needed technique with these two rods.

I typically fish an 1/8 ounce jig head with my plastics, sometimes up to 1/4 ounce if the river is flowing fast. Casting jigs from the shore. My rod/reel set up is a 6'10" ML/XF spinning rod. Specifically a Loomis WPJR 821S GLX rod paired with a 3000 size Shimano Stradic CI4+. 10# Sufix 832 and 8# fluoro leader.

Congratulations Mr. Hottle. Enjoy your new rod!

Wow, now THAT'S a cold front!!

I haven't used a Carbonlite either, but my primary spinning rod for small baits is ML/XF. It's rated lure weight is 1/16-5/16. It caught a 4# LMB on a shakyhead last year and numerous 6+# catfish in river current. Performed flawlessly.

I'm guilty of this too (laying a rod down on rocks). When I fish from shore with 2 rods I have no choice, but when I set a rod down you'd think it was a stick of dynamite I'm so gentle. I made the mistake last year of letting my son try out my new GLX spinning rod and when he set it down on some rocks it slid a couple feet down an incline. Needless to say he hasn't touched it since...

I'm normally throwing a jighead with some type of plastic for walleyes in the spring (nothing against treble hook lures or live bait, just don't fish them). 3" or 4" Gulp minnow, 3" or 4" Gulp grub, 3" or 4" Rippleshad. I just bought some Keitech Fat and Swing Impact baits to try this year too. Various colors and I switch often. River temp is still 36 degrees, but it won't be long now!

I fill the first half of the spool with cheap mono then the second half with braid for two reasons. 1) With mono backing the braid can't slip on the spool, and 2) Braid is expensive and I use less this way.

I am essentially the same on my spinning setups. 10# Sufix 832 with a 8# fluoro leader.

Wow, what a giant!! I wish Eric Haataja was still on North American Fisherman. You could tell he is a great fisherman and was really good at explaining things. Tyler Kapela is good too but he's primarily a salt water fisherman. Nothing against it, I just live too far from the ocean.

I was bank fishing and noticed a young man about 15 yo was using his spinning rod incorrectly. He was casting and reeling with the reel on top instead of on the bottom. I walked over and very nicely asked if I could show him how to cast and reel properly. After a couple casts he seemed to have the hang of it, was casting farther and not having to reel backwards. I walked back down the bank feeling pretty good about the karma I had just built up, looked back at him and he was again reeling in backwards with the reel on top. Thinking about it now I should have asked him which hand he preferred to reel with and moved his reel handle for him. Sigh...........

Ditto. I've been fishing my river every weekend and haven't caught a smallmouth since October 26th. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. Hopefully someone can help you.

My girlfriend begs to differ....

This won't help you at all because I haven't fished it yet (D@#M WINTER!!) and nobody in my house understands why I'm so excited, but you guys will!! A month ago I bought an NRX 893C Blue. I got it as a demo rod/rep sample, but it was brand new still in the plastic when it arrived. Can't wait to fish it.

Summer is my favorite time too. The water in my river is low and clear and WARM. Wade fishing! Shorts, sneakers, tackle bag, favorite spinning rod, lucky hat and there is nowhere I would rather be than standing in the river. Unfortunately it looks like summer is never going to get here...

I have one gray pair and one amber pair. Love mine too.

I had the same debate with myself last year when I bought my Stradic CI4+. I ended up with the 3000 size figuring I might get a little longer casts without adding any (noticeable) weight. I can't tell you if my casts are longer or not, but I'm very happy with the reel.

Bill Dance did a show fishing this worm on a YUM Punkin Ed jig.