FryDog62

Crazy in that he seems to barely be lifting the lure... doesn’t even look like enough to make it vibrate but maybe it does a little..?

Yes. I’m much more in-tune to the proper vibration of the lure so that I can keep the retrieve at the right speed. I can easily do that with a 7.3 and honestly even an 8.1. I personally would hate to have a 5.3 or even a 6.8 and have to panic and pick up line faster than the dad-gum reel will allow me. Focus on the lure feedback more than the gear ratio..

I dunno, I still think the most forgiving line is braid. If it does rats nest you can get it out easier IMO. Once mono or fluorocarbon blows up - either the twists/knots stretch so tight against itself your screwed, or in getting it out via cranking it with the brakes tight, the line kinks or fractures leading to break offs later on. I don’t think I’ve ever not been able to get a braid backlash out, and it’s never broke-off later, but I’ve had to cut out many mono/fluoro disasters and re-spool (twice last weekend!) Personally, I’d go with 30-40 lb braid and learn to tie a mono/fluoro leader if needed.

After 3 surgeries to my right hand/wrist and a bone and SL ligament removed - I too had to make the switch to 100% baitcasting 2 years ago. I just can’t “work” a lure well using a left handed spinning reel and was frustrated so made the switch to b/c. Funny, when you absolutely have to change it makes it a bit easier to commit to the transition. Add to that someone who finesse fishes the majority of time, and also skips weightless plastics, the journey hasn’t been without a lot of experimentation to find the right rod/reel combo. Here are the rods/reels I have ended up with and am very positive about each combo: •MajorCraft Don Iovino 6-10 XF. Listed as a Medium, but it is a true ML finesse rod. I use primarily for Ned-Rigging, great sensitivity for those light bites. •Phenix Feather 7-1 ML Fast. I use for drop-shotting, but you could use for a lot of applications. It is a Fast action vs. XF so when finicky smallmouth pull on the worm they don’t “feel” the stiffer XF rod tip as much (but I feel them!). •Phenix Feather 7-1 MH XF. Yes MH, but those that know Phenix (like MajorCraft) they are about a half power lighter than stated. I use this rod for Neko rigging with 10 lb fluoro. It is easily finesse/light enough, but has a little more backbone than the other finesse baitcasters I use - because many times I Neko near weed edges, lay downs or docks and need to get the fish away from cover quickly. It works, I throw tubes For smallmouth with it occasionally too. •Loomis NRX 7-1 M XF. Only rated to 3/8 oz so is another rod that fishes somewhere between a Medium and Medium Light. I use this as my wacky rig set up. Also has Steez SV reel which allows me to skip weightless wacky worms as far and accurately as any spinning combo I’ve used. Not sure your budget, but these rods range between $120-500... maybe something in there you’d like. Good luck in your search! -Fry

I usually park the boat in the garage and leave them on the charger all winter... but planning to sell the house and thinking of storing the boat for the first time.. I’ve heard so many opinions about what to do and not to do. Not sure I want to disconnect 4 batteries and bring them inside for the winter though... maybe just leave it in the garage plugged in all winter again...

What if you leave a boat outside all winter (including below zero temps) without batteries plugged in to a bank charger?

I would pick either Daiwa, ALX, Megabass or Kistler. I like NRX but not a fan of GLX because of the grip. The one rod manufacturer I would not select for sure would be St. Croix. Heavy rods, poorly balanced. Had them for years (12 of them, various models) and am amazed at the above 4 mentioned rods how much better they are in terms of being light, crisp, balanced, yet powerful. Hate to say it despite my Wisconsin roots, but I’m a recovering SC fan-boy. No more... You and I have also talked about Dobyns rods. I absolutely love my flippin stick, but personally don’t think they make a great bottom contact or sensitive rod (many others do however). Therefore I would not be able to use Dobyns, despite good overall quality, as the one manufacturer to use for all rods I use... but that’s just me... am probably in the minority on that..

Instead I throw a 5 inch Caffeine Shad, for me it outfished Zoom flukes 2:1. Rigged on an Owner Twistlock Light, 4/0 3/32 oz hook. Unbelievable action. Also skips under docks like it was made to do it. Or semi-weedless just outside the weedline. Or, along the bank swimming downstream for smallies. I throw it on 14 lb Sniper, Daiwa Ehrler model 7-0 MMH baitcaster with Tatula SV.

If my in-laws are here to monitor my wife’s health for a few days, I plan to get out - hopefully with my son. Maybe muskies Friday and largemouth Saturday... and you’re right, after that it looks grim.

What water temps are you guys seeing fall turnover happening so far this year?

The question might be - what knot you’re tying to attach the fluorocarbon to the lure. A lot of people (including me previously) tie a Palomar, and although that works well with braid, can slip out with fluorocarbon. You can tell this is the case when you lose a lure and at the end of the knot is “curly-cued.” I switched over to a new know that seems to be bullet-proof. You can look up the video how to tie it if you Google “Shaw Grigsby fluorocarbon knot.”

If windy, I head to a small-mid sized river with high banks for protection. Also fishing just before a storm front comes in can be fantastic... but if there’s lightning, time to get off the water... When we do trips in Canada and are there for a set number of days, it’s amazing the kind of cold wet crappy weather we’ve gone out in. Actually not very smart and I do a lot less of that as I age..

Original packaging on Elaztech products usually states this warning... I know, we’ve all done it at some point...

I had a guide tell me once that bass go on the fall feedbag in 4-5 spots per day for approx 30 minutes Each location then move on to the next spot. I’ve had days I time it right and other days it seems like they just left. It’s the home run or swing and a miss time of year...

If you’re in a boat and trying to cover a lot of water, a Jigging rap or snap rap can work very well too... it started as an ice fishing method so it will work as temperatures drop too.

If bass keep the mosquito population down, then we need a trillion more of those fish in Minnesota where the skeeter is our state bird...

I experimented with 4 fluorocarbon main lines in the past 2-3 years and would rank them as follows: 1) Tatsu 2) Sniper 3) Tactical 4) Berkley 100% I've settled on Sniper because I think it’s 95% as good as Tatsu for half the price. Tactical is good, but I didn’t think quite as manageable/strong as Tatsu/Sniper. But not far behind...

It’s been a lights out lure for me (both bass and walleyes) the last couple years... however, I moved up to the 1/2 and 3/4 oz - same compact size as the 3/8 oz but doesn’t float up as much on retrieve. I guess it depends on the depth you are targeting and whether you jig it or just straight retrieve but at a minimum you may want to buy a couple different weights and experiment..

Agree... I now have a rod stored permanently at my In-Laws in Florida and another at my daughter’s apt in Denver. I just travel with a couple reels and a small tackle bag (with shorter pliers in them now

I find it the lightest and easiest to palm. Best of those 3 reels for finesse applications, second only to my Steez SV TW in that regard. Skips light plastics very well even without the T-Wing. I have 2 Alphas and use one for Ned/Neko and the other drop-shot. The Lew’s Lite was also small/light but good luck skipping lures consistently...

I see one of the reels you’re considering is the Lew’s Lite. I can’t speak to the current model but had the former. Like a lot of Lew’s reels they start out great but start to screech a lot even with frequent lubrication. If you want a smaller, compact reel in your price range - that still has the SV spool - I would suggest the JDM Daiwa Alpha. It does not have a T-Wing, but I actually prefer it to my Zillion in terms of comfort, palmability, weight. Can pick them up on Digitaka or Amazon for approx $250 ish.

“Regardless Of what we say, it would behoove you to personally check with the airline you choose for both to and from.“ I agree and disagree. There would be no surprises if you checked with the airline, however, they will follow the letter of the law if asked. Times I have just brought things in carry-on and it skated through TSA. Another time (with the same bag of tackle) I asked ahead of time and ended up having to toss my pliers. The rest of the tackle was deemed ok - had I not said anything might have been able to keep everything. Never know..

I saw someone out casting from a boat on Parker’s Lake by my house today... had to be upper 30’s, 15 mph winds and a few drops/flakes. And readily admitted there’s someone definitely more manly than me lol. But good for you Grant if you can get out in weather like this with ideal water temps, you deserve to catch a bunch of nice largies!!

Fish Monkey makes some good waterproof insulated gloves..

Braid would be Palomar... other lines use either Trilene or the Swindle Double Shindo knot..