the reel ess

@Eric 26 I agree that a light is the better compromise if you're after everything from bluegill to bass. It suffices from the creek to the lake.

Are you looking for extreme sensitivity? You can buy UL rods for around $20-30 at BPS/Cabela's or Academy. These come to mind. You'd probably prefer a faster action for bass than you would for crappie and bream. I find that a moderate action allows the bass to shake the lure faster than the rod can react. They make slack in the line this way. Many times I've fought a good bass for a long time while it took drag only to lose it. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-micro-lite-glass-spinning-rod

I did a quick Google. The parent company of Lew's and Strike King acquired Zebco/Quantum in 2021. So they are still two companies in one. https://michianaoutdoorsnews.com/news/national/3011-zebco-quantum-sold-to-company-that-owns-lew-s-strike-king

The only Quantum products I ever owned were a pistol grip 6' BC rod and a spinning reel. No, I wasn't using them together as a combo. ? The quality of both was suspect. I mean the rod functioned as is should. But the build, the guides and the epoxy were inconsistent. It looked like someone's first attempt at a custom rod build. The reel was one of those with the auto bail flip thing that broke. I took it off and kept using it. But it was forever out of balance. I was young and I fished with cheap stuff then. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Quantum start off in the late 80s-early 90s as a higher-end branch off the Zebco tree? I know they got better since then, but I never bought anything else from them, even when Bill was hawking them.

I had one like that on my phone, but I must have deleted it. The soles of my feet were cut up from oyster shells in the mud.

I've fished some inlets and creeks from my kayak. So far, I've caught a few flounder and a toadfish. I've never gotten out in the "ocean". I see people doing it from the Garden City Beach though. If you put in in an inlet or creek, check the tide and go while it's rising. You don't want to have to walk back in the mud. Ask me how I know.

Double digit bass can't be caught just anywhere. I spent two days in So FL with a guide. We targeted bass the fist day in an Everglades canal and peacocks the second day. That day we actually caught a 7 pound largemouth.

The best

They got a lot better when Quicksilver bought them. But then, they were basically rebranded, low frills Mercs. I remember trying baseball for the first time. I stunk. I couldn't hit and was relegated to right field, swatting gnats with my glove and kicking the dirt. I wanted to quit and I thought my dad was going to tell me to stick it out. So I told him and his response: "Good, let's go fishing." That started me down the path to something I love so much it's a spiritual thing to me. I don't even like to watch baseball. And if I had liked it, it would have eventually ended for me.

I would have fished more. I wouldn't have married my first wife, though it all led to the wonderful family I have now. I would have left my last job sooner.

Well, I actually have an 8 wt with dry line that I hardly ever use. So, I guess I have bass covered. So I'm feeling like the 4-5 wt is the one for me for trout. Maybe an 8' to 8'6"???

Well, yes and no. In trout waters it will be kind of tight. But I also kayak fish. That's where the panfish and possibly bass come in. In that case, there are no back cast obstacles.

I'm a noob. Do you mean 5 wt 9 ft?

What's the right weight/length for a small waters/stream fly rod for trout and small panfish? Thanks.

Oh, I have some topwaters that work. I've lately become a believer in the supernatural powers of the stick worm. In fact, I've been pitching it instead of a jig lately. Saturday I fished 4 hours for 2 bites, both on a SK Ocho. Not my favorite technique, though I got an 8 pounder on it about a month ago.

I bought one of these after seeing someone on YouTube wearing bass out with it around spawn. I've caught a grand total of one fish and that was at a pond where you can catch them on Gummi Worms.

I had one good postspawn about 4 years ago with the Devil's Horse and nothing since.

I'm sure there was quite a bit less fishing pressure back then. 30+ years ago you'd hear about someone catching a DD Largemouth every few weeks or so. I haven't heard of one around here this year. Is it fishing pressure or the spots out competing Largemouth for forage? This is a complex question, maybe impossible to answer except on an individual lake basis. But with increased pressure comes an increase in people keeping all bass. A 5 pound bass simply will not become a DD bass if someone eats it or has it mounted. I know this happens. I've had someone ask me for a big bass I caught in front of them. I just said "nah" and let it go.

You used to see Pro Qualifiers on pros' decks. Now, maybe they were performance tuned. But still...

Topwaters, frogs, toads, bozzbaits, spinnerbait, stick worms, and, as with every season, jigs. If I can't buy a bite, I'll rig up a light Carolina rig and dust off the deep diving cranks. I usually go before sunrise and start out with a couple or a few topwaters tied on. Once the sun gets up I will change one to a lipless crank and maybe another to a spinnerbait.

Put it in the crate in the rear well of my kayak and throw it away when I get home. I'm a minimalist. I don't carry a cooler full of snacks, lunch, beer or drinks. I take one bottle of water, two if it's really hot or I'll be out a long time.

Lew's LFS Tournament MBs at $130. I had 3 of them. Like it so much I bought a plain LFS. Similarly good quality for $100. I bought a Fuego on the advice of people on this here site and it's disappointing. I can't complain much because it functions as it should, but it sounds like sandpaper rubbing when you're reeling. Guess the gears don't mesh perfectly. When I was 13, I got a Daiwa PMF100 Magforce reel for Christmas. I used that thing heavily for 30+ years. Most of those years, it was my only baitcaster. I did have to replace the levelwind pawl a couple of times, but they sent it to me for free, didn't even charge shipping. An Academy store brand Tac-40 reel was pretty decent for the money. I finally wore it out after 3 years or so of it being my jig reel with the drag cinched down. The anti-reverse is intermittent now. It would have lasted a lot longer for other techniques.

You can see one side of the bait has eyes, thought I doubt bass can see that. Anyway, I just rig it as I would a T rigged worm, eyes up. You can rig it on a plain, weedless jig hook if you wish. It catches the heck out of them. But the T rig is more weedless. Here's a tip: The Rage Bug skips a lot easier.

Preferably Tuesday-Friday

There are no 6" to12" worms in most waters, but bass sure do like them. I caught a bass on a Texas rigged Gummi Worm once just to show my buddy I could do it at his pond. I had a 10mm wrench rigged up with a hook and was planning on using it like a jigging spoon. But I needed the wrench for my Jeep.