fishballer06

The red and gold blade are.

Normal price - 832 High end - Smackdown

I've been debating picking up a new jerkbait rod for this season. I already own 4 Avid casting rods, and I'm pretty fond of them. I was debating stepping up and getting the 6'8" LTB rod for my jerkbait needs. Having already known how great the Avids are, I figure the LTB has to be even nicer, since it is the next step up in the St. Croix lineup. So last night I went to my local shop and compared the 6'8" LTB and a 6'6" Avid, both in a medium power, fast action. To my surprise, the Avid felt better balanced (with no reel mounted) than the LTB did. Is the blank heavier on the LTB, or could this be because the LTB uses split grips rather than the full cork that the Avid uses? I also felt like the reel seat was much more comfortable as well on the Avid, but maybe this is just because I'm already used to the Avids reel seat? The locking nut on the LTB is definitely different than the Avid. Anyways, I was looking to see if anyone has any experience with either or both of these rods and could give their opinion. The LTB is $50-60 more, which I have no problem spending if its worth it, but from what I could feel in the store, the Avid felt better. Because of the nature of how you work a jerkbait, having a slightly tip heavy rod isn't so bad. I guess I'm just torn between which of the two I should get

You can PM me if you'd like to talk more.

Haven't seen/heard of this yet.

I own 3 of them and I absolutely love them. For the price, I don't think there's anything else out there that beats it. I haven't tried the new Zillion TWS (which is $30 more), but that's probably the only other reel that might compare. To me, the price upgrade over the Curado I or Chronarch E, it's definitely worth the upgrade. Now if only they would make a 5:1 left handed model, I'd be a happy camper.

Flat - Spro Little John Silent - Rapala Shad Rap or DT Honorable mention - Wiggle Wart, Arashi (the whole lineup)

Class of '06. I live in Pittsburgh now, but my family is still in Bedford.

I just bought an Avid AV70HM from the bargin bin on the St. Croix website about 3 weeks ago for $114. I don't know what you paid for your Premier, but you might be able to return it and but the upgraded Avid model of the same rod for less money.

There's more than likely shiners and suckers in your lake. Give it a shot though. Fish could be hitting any given color on any given day.

Born and graduated from Bedford.

Zoom split tails Trigger X Flappin Grubs

Thanks for the info Wayne. My father seems set on getting a Motor Guide again, and the more I read and watch videos on the xi5, the more impressed I am. One question, will the Lowrance Elite 7 CHIRP model work for what I want with this trolling motor?

I love my Dobyns rods, and I would definitely take one of those over a Pinnacle. A rod for froging and a rod for jigging could be two different rods for me. For jigs, I want a rod that is sensitive and strong. For frogs, I just want a rod that is strong, because with frog fishing, you're going to see the fish bite. If you really want to try out a Pinnacle, I'd suggest going to a store that offers both rods and compare the two and see which you prefer.

Ever make an 80 yard cast with a large crankbait and have a musky/pike hit it in the first crank or two? If that fish wants to peel off 30 yards of drag and your spool only holds 100 yards, you're out of a potential $10-20 crankbait and another $10-30 worth of line.

Yup. They can do it with the scales (actual fish scales, not the weight measurer).

I own more St. Croix rods than any other company. I love supporting American companies, and I also love a good, high quality rod.

So my father and I are looking to upgrade the electronics on our rig. We've got a 1993 Blazer 202 ProV. The last time we upgraded everything, was about 15 years ago. So as you can imagine, our current electronics is very outdated and well overdue for an upgrade. Our trolling motor is a Motor Guide 12/24V adjustable 56 lb. thrust, so this is underpowered for our rig, and also needs an upgrade. I've seen numerous videos of guys showing off their new electronics and everything they can do. Now we're left wanting to bring our electronics up to date. I've done some research on the newer depthfinders, and I understand some of the new technology, but I know there's more left to know. I also know there's a ton of new trolling motor technology out there, and I feel in the dark about that. I was hoping some of you guys here could bring me up to speed on what is what, and what we should be looking for. We would like a to have a setup that we can track where we have been on the water, so we can track those same paths again (or avoid them when necessary). We do a good bit of bass fishing, but we also like to fish for walleye as well, so having something that we can follow the same path over and over is nice, especially whenever trolling over big open water. I know there is also motors out there now that you can set to run you along a certain depth or contour (sort of like cruise control from my understanding). I hope this all makes sense, and you all can get an understanding of what exactly we're looking to get. I'd appreciate any advice you can offer on what gear we need to be looking for, and what gear we need in order to do all of this. Thanks everyone.

Happens to me every time...

Vision 110's (finally dished out the money for 4 of them) Spro RkCrawler 55's R2S Goon Jackall Aska

I wouldn't go below the HMG when it comes to Fenwick. I bought a few of the HMG's last year and one HMX. I have yet to even mount a reel on the HMX because I don't like how heavy it is, and how poor the guides look. It was a poor decision to buy them online without seeing them in person. I'll probably end up selling it to a friend once they decide to upgrade from a "Wal Mart Special" rod.

Sounds like a good combination. You could probably back down to the 30 size reel though.

Keitech Swing Impact and then the Fat for the biggun's

It's funny to read about the WD-40. About 15 years ago, my father and I went on a walleye charter up on Lake Erie. We didn't have a boat suited to go out where the walleyes were, so we had to rent the charter. We experienced the exact same thing. The guide was spraying everything we trolled with WD-40. We couldn't believe it, and we were catching tons of fish. We told him that we didn't believe the WD-40 was making a difference, so he said "You know what, I'll prove it." So the guide reeled in everything that was on the left hand side of the boat, and rerigged every rod with lures that had no WD-40 on them, and we kept on trolling. The right hand side of the boat (the side that used WD-40) out fished the left hand side of the boat probably 5 to 1. It was simply amazing.

I live in Pittsburgh, which is where DSG's headquarters is based. So I'm guessing they got a shipment of special lures in from LC???