FryDog62

I use a 6’8” 683c Dobyns Champ for jerkbaits until the water warms and topwater kicks in... then I use the rod for throwing Arashi Cover Pops. I do use a high speed reel (8.1:1) to pick up slack quickly either when jerking or when walking the dog. The other rod I use for straight-retrieve Topwater lures (Buzzbait, Plopper 75, Jitterbug) is a 7 foot ALX Buzz with a 7.1:1 Tatula Elite. That reel is great for throwing lighter/high profile lures a MILE!

I haven’t seen breaking strength tests done on Sufix Advance, but Yo-Zuri did for their Hybrid line. They report a breaking strength of 16 lbs on their 10 lb line and 19 lbs on their 12 lb line. I use both of those pound test YZH lines and don’t have any reason to believe they aren’t accurate. Tough lines, and for what it’s worth I like Advance too but have found YZH to be a little better abrasion resistance and doesn’t degrade in the sun as much.

Here’s a photo of the custom Ezee-Steps for the Lund. Helps keep a spry 58 y/o like me right side up

I’ve typically used 14 lb Sniper for bladed jig fishing in the past. When I decided to experiment with YZH and Sufix Advance, their 10 lb lines were same diameter as Sniper 14. Other times I’ve gone with thicker diameter lines, the bladed jigs seem to “float up” more upon retrieve. I honestly have never felt the 10 lb YZH and Advance were too light. I do however use a custom 2 1/4 inch steel leader to prevent most of the toothy scud-missile break-offs.

Mid-Season Update/Review: I ended up with the 7’2” MH iRod Stone Cold Bladed Jig rod. It’s a Moderate-Fast and I’ve been using 10 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid this year. It’s mid-season and I’ve been really happy with the set up. A friend has borrowed it a couple times this year and comments how much he likes it too. He previously has not jumped on the Chatterbait bandwagon... I also bought a Dobyns 734c this Spring and picked up an ALX Toadface the previous season, both list Chatterbaits as good secondary uses. I’d agree, all 3 mentioned above are great graphite choices for up to 3/4 oz Bladed Jigs. The 1.25 oz Jackhammer I throw on an ALX Dragger. I did throw another friends glass Chatterbait rod and although not terrible, I just can’t get used to the “numb” feeling on retrieve. I like to feel the weeds and ensure the right amount of contact. The right co-poly/mono/fluoro line (so far YZH, Suffix Advance, Sniper) helps me on hook up % and keeping the fish pinned. Just wouldn’t use braid on a graphite Chatterbait rod personally...

Very smooth operation. The only thing I would consider adding are Ezee-Steps to step down from the bow onto the trailer tongue safely. I had some custom made for my PVB and they come in very handy (especially on windy days at the ramp). Great Job?

This x2. 75 may be shorter but it fishes bigger than the 90 and tracks truer...

If you're in the camp that a Dobyns MH rod is closer to a Medium, the 685 and 705 are well regarded jerk bait rods. I prefer the Moderate-Fast action so I can switch between fluorocarbon and braid depending on time of year/temps.

If the vegetation is a reed bed with a hard bottom below, I can’t pass without throwing a Cavitron buzzbait. The squeakier the Buzzbait, the more violent the strikes! Although the really big ones seem to suck it down like a toilet bowl flushing

If I’m fishing alone or with a partner, I like to parallel the weedline. Guy in front pitch an AT Grassmaster jig to the outer 1/3 or so of the weeds and partner in back throw a frog deeper in. Alot of times I also throw a Neko just outside the weed edge to see what’s cruising the perimeter. As far as electronics go, I use Livescope to see down the weedline and it’s very good to show exactly where it starts/ends. That can help you know where to pinpoint throwing the Neko. 360 Imaging works great for this too.

Possibly, I would liked to have at least given it a try though..!

The rod locker on my Lund PVB holds 15 rods... So I keep it at 15 set ups - If I need more than that I’m probably overthinking things..

Bingo, thx Jedi!!

Can anyone ID this lure?

Totally agree, this one I had to bear hug and barrel-roll him into the boat before the gator tail came back to life and smacked us all overboard!

I was only the “Net-Man” on this one, but that turned into a larger role than I ever thought since there was no net ?. The full episode of this multi-species show will air on Lake Commandos this January on the Outdoor Channel.

...Sometimes happens when you are fishing with a Medium-Light spinning rod and 8 lb line... and you forget the net in the truck... And then this happens -

I have a year on a 100 and 3 months on an Elite and both have been flawless. I paid more for them obviously than my Lew’s LFS which were great for about a year and a half and started screeching despite regular lubrication. Time will tell on the Tats but other models (SV TW) I have had have been bullet-proof.

Sometimes if a hump or deeper Reef looks so good I run a Carolina Rig over it a few different directions to see if there are any takers. Sometimes they hide or are in a hole, weed clump, etc. If not, move on quick as poss.

Bob makes them both ways... these are all I have on hand (I use them for chatters)

I use what’s in the picture here - a 2 1/4 inch mini leader that Wayzata Bait makes. Small enough the fish don’t see it on a moving bait, doesn’t sink the Plopper’s nose, plus it provides a swivel and protection against most pike bite-offs. I don’t fish Plopper/Choppos or Chatterbaits without tying one on...

For wacky I use 20 lb Sufix 832 yellow main line and tie an 7-8 lb fluorocarbon leader for fishing more open water, or 8-10 lb Yo-Ziri Hybrid if I’m around cover or skipping under docks. For Neko I throw on straight fluorocarbon - 10 lb Berkley Vanish Transition. I like the above water line visibility since many of the bites happen on the way down.

Based on Tom's recommendation about 4-5 years ago, I picked up a 6'10 Don Iovino MXF baitcasting rod and love it for Ned rigs and other plastics. In fact, the rod made a trip overboard last year and I just figured I'd get used to one of my other rods. Well, I missed it so much, I ended up buying another one, exact same model. I don't recommend doing that, but I do recommend the rod. Agree with others, its somewhere in between a ML and a Medium, but that's what I wanted. Light, sensitive, good components and at a very good price point.

I switched to a VMC Size 2 (not 2/0) Neko hook for wacky rigging two years ago and my hook percentage went way up. I think as close to 100% as you can get. The slightly longer shank makes the difference and you almost always hook the fish in the roof of the mouth. As NHBull says above, wacky in shallower water and Neko in deeper. I use 4 or 5 inch for wacky-rigging smallies, they bite both equally IMO. For Neko rigging smallies, I really like the Big Bite 6 inch Shaking Squirrel in Bold Gill/Chartreuse tipped tail (smallmouth key in on this tail!). Again, I use the VMC #2 Neko hook and a 1/16 oz nail weight in most lake situations, 1/8 on a windy day or in river current. This 6 inch worm is very slender and NOT too big for a smallie to inhale.

Question - is it a clean break above the knot... or do you see a "Curly-Q" where the line snapped? Reason I ask is that if the end of the broken line is curly, chances are your knot either didn't hold or may have been tied wrong. I struggled when I first started tying the Crazy Alberto knot years ago and would end up with knot failure because I didn't always go back through the loop the same way as I entered, which is critical. I'd pull the knot tight and it would hold initially, but the next snag or fish it would unwind and leave the Curly Q as evidence of an incorrectly tied knot. The other thing I will echo those above - when I'm being stealthy (i.e. Ned rig) I will use lighter 6-8 lb Sniper fluorocarbon as my leader. But if I'm doing anything else where line strength matters as much or more as invisibility (skipping docks, Neko rig around cover, jigs, etc) I use a co-polymer (Yo-Zuri Hybrid 8-12 lb depending on technique). The YZH is extremely abrasion resistant (an advantage when your knot goes in/out of the guides all day) and I haven't found anything else that ties as strong of a knot. IMO sink rate and invisibility are close enough to fluorocarbon for most applications too, its just a little thicker in diameter so go down a size if needed.