Turkey sandwich

copolymer is so gloriously indestructible.

what were you using for leader? was that just 8lb mono?

holy ****! congrats! Not only is that fish massive, its colors, scales and spots are beautiful! Why on earth did you take that tackle gar fishing?!? No stitches?

Most of the classic stuff still holds up well, even as companies tend to overshadow them by selling new products. The Fat Rap and Fat Free Shad (the whole series) crankbaits are some of the best ever made. Heddon's Spook and Torpedo series are still excellent producers. The Sluggo became the soft plastic jerk bait, but I have no doubt the original would still catch fish, and the classic Culprit ribbon tail worm has probably boated as many bass as any other lure.

So... you're not saying the H3 is probably the best fly rod ever made... but you're saying it's probably the best fly rod ever made?

I keep a ton of water on the kayak anytime it's hot. Reading about cramping brings back memories of cutting weight for grappling tournaments. The best thing you can do is to hydrate heavily beforehand and if you're having issues with cramps while you're on the water, something like Pedialyte is your best bet. Gatorade is generally better than water at that point, but basically, your body already hates you for putting it on the fast track to dehydration. You need electrolytes. (They're what plants crave.)

Lots of great suggestions on here on baits and techniques, so I'll touch a bit on locating fish. Smallmouth move much, much more than largemouth. The standard seasonal patterns for largemouth are similar. During the summer and into the fall, offshore structure is prime in lakes. They want ambush points and will set up oriented into the current using current breaks often like largemouth will use a weed line. They'll also move a lot from day to day, but can be found shallow, especially later in the day. In rivers, from the summer through the fall you'll generally find them in or around current, as that's what provides them with food. Generally, you want to find current breaks where they can hold in softer water. If you can find areas where fast and slow water meet, and especially if there's nearby depth, you'll find very consistently find fish.

There are tons of great rods around that price range. I own St. Croix Mojo and Fenwick Aetos rods around that price point and both fish fantastic.

I have a TON of feel in the MH F. I feel like I could find a use for the XF, but the F will cast a wider range of weights, which is more important to me than a slight increase in sensitivity. I'm sure it's still a killer stick.

That's the biggest shaky head I've ever seen.

I fish braid to leader. It's a performance thing more than a saving money thing. If you really want the arguments on this, use the search feature and look up the 400 other threads that cover the pros and cons of each.

LOL at calling the Legend series "mid grade". I'm not saying this to be a jerk, but seriously, they're amongst the best rods made and St. Croix has made it possible to get that blank in virtually every handle imaginable. That's pretty awesome in my eyes. If you simply don't like the grip, or the reel seat doesn't fit your hand well, there are two other options built around the same blank. Why more manufacturers don't offer this option for high end rods is beyond me. So, I haven't fished the Extreme or X, but I do own a current Legend Elite jig rod (7' MHF, I believe), and it's sensational. The sensitivity, balance (Chronarch), and feel of the rod are excellent. The quality of the cork is fantastic, though, had the X model been around at the time of purchase, I likely would have chosen that instead simply because I prefer a split cork grip for jig and T-rig fishing. The guides are by far the best I've ever owned. They are small, but they manage line well and seem pretty close to bulletproof. I would own an entire set of Elites and Xs if I only had the funds. And this isn't even taking into consideration that the warranty and customer service far surpass that of any other manufacturers. Here's the thing. You're going to get a lot of opinions on here. Some folks are going to be die hard Loomis guys. Those are also stellar rods once you get into the $400 price point on up. Generally, rods on the high end come down to personal preferences. You aren't going to find rods at that price point that flat out suck. The best advice I can give you is to just get them in your hands if possible before making a purchase.

St. Croix is generally the positive exception, though, when it comes to all things customer service. When I can justify picking up another 8 wt, I've been considering the Bank Robber. I feel like with all the gripes about streamer rods, it's pretty awesome that St. Croix just said to hell with it and brought in Kelly Galloup to help build a rod for chucking meat. Have you fished it, by chance? I'm also digging your positive review of the TFO stuff. I haven't cast any of their rods, but it seems like they're doing a great job in terms of building quality sticks that don't break the bank, and doing similar things bringing in Lefty and Bob Clouser.

I don't use wire leaders at all. Granted, I also don't have the pike waters you have/don't really target them often enough to justify it. Still, I'll likely be looking into that single hand spey line. It's kinda madness to me how complicated rod and line matching has become. I've kinda noticed the same thing. I feel like manufacturers need to just start posting grain weights and using that to standardize things. There's way too much guessing and with line costing $75-$150 it's pretty ridiculous that they just expect consumers to just buy using trial and error.

What are you using for leaders? Short 3-4' leaders with 40lb butt sections?

I generally fish them very similar to @smalljaw67. I will, however, sometimes weight them using Owner Gamakatsu keel weighted hooks. What's most important is to match the conditions and let the fish's level of activity dictate your presentation. In clear to mildly stained waters when fish are finicky, but you can locate them, this is a tough bait to beat. Also, a benefit to keep weighted hooks is that they're pretty snag-proof and can give you the weight to just deadsticking them in a current break. All of the baits mentioned have enough action on their own for this to be really effective. If you're curious about any of this, look up Jeff Little's YouTube channel and instructional DVDs. The guy is a deadsticking wizard.

That's fantastic. I'd love to get my hands on one. The H2 was a great rod, so naturally with all of the reviews I'm very curious about the H3. I also think I'll pick up that single hand spey line. What's the taper like? I'd imagine it's great to roll casting, but I haven't yet delved into spey or switch. How is it to haul/shoot?

One suggestion to help with your casting gear, use heavier braid. Braid under 30lb can be difficult to manage on a casting rod and will often sinch down on itself. You'll be amazed how much easier your gear will handle lighter lures with just that small change.

Great review! That rod has been getting a lot of crazy good reviews. I'm actually more interested in the line. I spent a lot of time cursing the castability of my Orvis Hydros Bass line. I generally like my Recon 8wy casting big flies with the Bankshot sink tip, but the Bass floating line doesn't cast nearly as well, even with super short leaders. What are you liking as a floating streamer/popper line? Suggestions for something with more grain?

In dirty water, sound/vibration should probably come first. Second would be to favor a larger profile. Third is probably color (go very dark or go very bright). Fourth is probably your presentation speed. If the water is really muddy, you want something that dos all of the above that you can work slowly enough for fish to find it.

So, from this thread you've probably realized that the answer is "literally anything used to catch smallmouth will also catch walleye."

I use braid to a Hybrid leader on my crankbait setup and it's excellent. Generally, I'm using a 12# Hybrid leader for fishing boulder and log strewn rivers and it's d**n near indestructible. I cannot think of a better line for slamming a bait into rocks.

I've seen the same stories. The whole thing is infuriating, but I'll save everyone my environment rant. I'm just glad that they finally figured out this problem.

Right now, this is exactly where I would start. Everything A-Jay mentioned is really, really good, but if you remember one thing from this thread, remember this. If you can find smallmouth, getting them to bite isn't generally that hard, with the exception of the post spawn and bad conditions. Once you follow them back out of the creek arms look for the primary structure changes. Points that extend well into the main lake are great places to start. They're better when they have cover. Even better? Is there current blowing over the point? Once they recover from the spawn, they're going to start actively feeding anywhere they can. Those spots are better if they can ambush prey caught in the current. I'll also second that it can be a big time killer fishing for suspended fish. They generally aren't the ones you want to target unless they're feeding up during lowlight hours and a jerk bait or walking bait can be your best friend.

Lol at saying "no monsters" when your average smallies are 3-5lb. Congrats on that trip! I'm very, very jealous.