FryDog62

Wow, that’s very nice! PM sent?

Yes both side imaging and visually if you can. Hard bottom return on the electronics is usually lighter colored. Then I go inspect visually, in the early spring water is usually fairly clear. I’ve used a long pole (not a fishing rod) in deeper water before to tap it and see if hard. Sounds tedious, but on a sunny, calm April day in Minnesota before the season opens its an excuse to get outside!

Looking for recommendations for a stand up shakey head jig for thicker 6-7 inch worms (Flute worm, Yum Genie, etc.). I usually fish 3/16 oz - and am thinking ideally a 4/0 wide gap hook. Not set on this - open to ideas, brands, etc. Thx

I look for areas where the bottom is lighter - and then check visually if I can to see if it is hard-packed sandy/rock bottom (which you want) vs. darker soft/mud bottom.

This is excellent advice... I think going too heavy can be counter productive... I stay at about 3/4 oz myself. I use AT Grassmaster jigs, Slither Rigs and Trashmaster jigs. Can’t stress enough that first lift after the lure hits the bottom - 90% of the strikes occur then. The only thing I would add for us northern water fishermen - is to drive around in the early spring and try to mark the hard bottom areas before the weeds grow up and form the canopy. As vegetation fills in around it, that's the closest thing to a picnic spot for the bass to hang out in the summer. Develop a milk run of a half dozen spots like this and it won't be so tedious.

They work, great action... but they are a one-bite plastic and don’t last unfortunately.

Still finding fish on some topwater and skipping under docks, but like the last couple years I’ve found around August 1st the Neko and shakey head bite outside of the deeper weed edge has cooled off. Now getting the better quality fish in/around the thicker weeds with bigger jigs like the 3/4 oz Grassmaster. Mop jigs not far behind...

I think there’s a Jimmy Buffett song something like - “Trying to Reason... With Topwater Season” Many highs and lows, but with risk comes reward, just not always when you think - -

St. Croix makes great quality rods, very good warranty. I was a loyalist for years until I picked up a Daiwa, Megabass, Dobyns, ALX, etc. Was very hard to go back to SC...

No not at all - St. Croix rods are the heavy, tip-weighted rods... Daiwa and Dobyns MUCH better..

Tatula 7'1" Heavy Fast is a good rod for flipping and not too long to frog, walk the dog, etc. at about $150. If you want to spend less, the Tatula XT 7'3" HF is $100 and the 7'4" HXF is $120. I prefer these over St. Croix which are well made but quite tip heavy. Dobyns Fury is a little heavier too, but a better balanced option at $120... best model there might be the 7'3" Mag Heavy.

I don’t know that there is a big difference between mono and fluorocarbon - both superior to braid in terms of abrasion. Although the line I choose for dock skipping and other rough edges is a co-poly (Yo-Zuri Hybrid). Very happy with its abrasion resistance and knot strength when it counts.

I think conventional wisdom is that fluoro sinks and will keep the lure nose down or keep from getting up on plane quickly. Not necessarily the case, I’ve used it but prefer co-poly.

I don’t have other suggestions from those manufacturers, the ones you listed would probably work just fine. For light skipping, the only other rod in your price range I can suggest is a Phenix Feather. I have The 7’1” in both the MLF and MHXF. They are paired with Daiwa SV reels (Alphas) and skip lures well... the MLF I use for weightless wacky and 1/8 jig/Biwaa Craw and MHXF 1/8 oz Neko up to 1/2 oz jig/trailer.

I’ve thought about adding shallow water anchors... and outside of the Talons weighing more than Power Poles, the Talons seem superior to me in many ways. I hadn’t heard they don’t hold well..

For $20-30 you can have a stand up “Photo Sculpture” made by Zazzle. https://www.zazzle.com/photo_sculptures-153658578398532160?rf=238840279726397180&tc=EAIaIQobChMIpeLSz67w6gIVSr7ACh1JoQNgEAQYASABEgJ_g_D_BwE&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_shopping&utm_term=z153658578398532160&ca_chid=2001810&ca_source=gaw&ca_ace=&ca_nw=g&ca_dev=m&ca_pl=&ca_pos=&ca_cid=381150036383&ca_agid=77529481373&ca_caid=6483100273&ca_adid=381150036383&ca_kwt=&ca_mt=&ca_fid=&ca_tid=pla-819651363069&ca_lp=9019699&ca_li=&ca_devm=&ca_plt=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpeLSz67w6gIVSr7ACh1JoQNgEAQYASABEgJ_g_D_BwE

Only guy I ever really heard using fluoro for buzzbaits is Swindle. I use co-poly, I would think fluoro would sink a bit and would cause the Buzzbait to nose dive a bit when you want it to plane on the surface.

For really light stuff like a Ned, hair jig, etc I use Alphas CT SV. For drop-shotting, I had a 2 year old former generation Curado 70. Great reel, but not for stuff that light, poor distance. For drop-shotting where you want the line to come off the spool with little to no resistance, I switched to a Tatula Elite and it works very well. I also have started using the Elite to throw 1/8 hair jigs and like the extra distance I’m getting now. Bottom line for me - if I want extra distance and effortless casting with light lures I lean Elite. I’m less worried about it not fitting the bfs category at 6.7 oz and more about functionality with light lures. If I am pitching shorter distances, want to occasionally skip a light lure, or casting in the wind, then I prefer the lighter 5.9 oz Alphas with the SV spool - which is more forgiving and less likely to overrun when the brakes are set low.

Dobyns Champ 683c and Tatula Elite 8.1:1. That Elite can throw even a light jerk bait a mile...

I throw all my frogs including the smaller ones on an ALX Toadface - Heavy butt section but softer MH tip to get casting distance and walk/work the frog better than a straight Heavy stick. I usually use 50 lb braid, but have used 40 as well. I’ve started experimenting with the “rougher” Berkley X5 in the thinner 40 lb diameter to “saw” through vegetation when necessary.

I use Sniper 7 lb for the rod I drop-shot, hair jig and Spybait with. It’s closer to 6 lb diameter of many other line manufacturers and I have had no strength/breakage issues. Closest thing I’ve found to Tatsu but for about half the price.

I have two 7’1” Phenix Feather casting rods - one MLF and one MHXF. Both with Daiwa Alphas CT SV reels (5.9 oz). The Daiwa 100 should be fairly good with lighter lures too, however if you plan to skip anything I prefer an SV spool.

I think Lew’s has some good products, but I’m mixed on the LFS reels. Seem nice at first but I had 2-3 that just started squeaking/whining after a couple years no matter how much I had them greased. Big believer in Daiwa baitcasting reels, Tatula CT’s are great, smooth and dependable. More so with baitcasting reels (vs. spinning) I think you get what you pay for. I remember my first few cheap baitcasters were so temperamental and I eventually gave up on them and went back to spinning only for a few years as a result.

Congrats, great to get a little excited over a PB and bring the kid out in ya!

Toadrunner - - Theew it fairly extensively for two straight seasons. Death knell was the first cast I caught a 19.5 inch LMB. I think I tossed it 1000 times after that and caught maybe two dinks. IMO, a well-tuned, squeaky Cavitron serves a similar purpose and catches a significantly higher percentage of the active/neutral/negative fish that just watch the Toadrunner slide on by...