fishnkamp

I would choose between the FR 703C or maybe the 733. Because you want to throw a 1/8 ounce finesse style texas rig than the weight of that 1/8 ounce weight plus a hook and a small worm or creature bait would be somewhere in the middle of the rods specs. The 703 should be better if you are target casting to rocks, docks etc. If you are making longer casts say on big grass flats the 733C should help control line and get a little longer cast. Either one will work for texas rigs and jigs below 5/8 of an ounce and spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Just realize we are not talking big heavy spinnerbaits with huge blades. You would want to step up to a stiffer rod for those, but the typical 3/8 to 1/2 even 5/8 should work nice. I would expect the 733 to be better at baits closer to 3/4, or like Webertime said step up to the 734C if you think you would be throwing more of the bigger baits. Sometimes we ask one rod to do to much. LOL

Welcome well you found a great place to learn how to do that.

Welcome to the site. I lived in New Buffalo for 5 years back in the 90s. Gods country for a smallie lover like my wife and I. As for the PA Fish Commision lifting the ban, well I am going to be polite and say it is about time the Commission stopped lying and maybe they just could not do it any more. Their premise that fish with dual sex organs, and birth defects are being caused by us terrible catch and release bass guys never held water. To admit pollution from abandoned mines could factor in means they would have to take on some powerful people in their state. But we can tell the dumb fisherman the problem will go away, if we just stop you from being there and fishing. it is just so much easier! My favorite parts of the Susqy to fish were down in the big ledges in front of the airport, and also the stretch above the Sunbury fabridam. I used to run all the way up to Milton. The largest smallie I ever saw was caught during a tournament up there. It was 7 pounds 1 ounce. My problem was I was not the lucky guy holding it, and also it knocked my 5 pound smallie out of big fish money!

Go to Dicks Sporting Goods online. Look at a Lews Mach II Speed Spin combo. This is a cool looking combo with great performance. The rod is a IM8 rod, the reel is a 10 ball bearing reel and it comes from Lews, a company that has a pretty good idea of how to match up rods and reels. The rod also has the Winn Grips that are super comfortable. I actually had a friend of mine remove the cork grips on two G loomis rods and he replaced them with Winn Grips instead. Man those rods feel so much better with a set of Winns split grips. Anyway you can order the combo and have it shipped to your home or to your closest Dicks store to be picked up the next day. Here is the link and the combo costs $140. They even offer free shipping. http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/lews-mach-ii-metal-speed-spin-combo-16lewamch6ft9mspncom/16lewamch6ft9mspncom?&color=# This second link takes you to the Lews website for more info http://www.lews.com/combos-mach2spin.php I have heard several people using this combo and they have been happy with it

The rod I would grab is a Dobyns Sierra series SA 693SF. It calls for lures rated between 3/16 and 5/8. It suggests the following PRIMARY TECHNIQUES: Jigs / Senkos / Shaky Heads / Texas Rigs SECONDARY TECHNIQUES: Heavy Drop Shot / Wacky Rigged Worms Dobyns run a bit lighter than other manufacturers so I think it will be perfect for your use. Match it with the right reel and it will be a pleasure to fish. It runs $160 They are really comfortable in my hands.

I would add a rod to your list. Look at a Powell Inferno 6103. It is a really nice rod. It is 6'10" a medium power rod with an extra fast tip. DO not worry it loads nice. Handles 1/8 to 1/2 ounce baits. I do not have this one but fish other Powell's. They make a great rod. The price is $99 I think it would be a good match with what you have already.

I think your arsenal is well thought out and should meet your needs. As others have said learn what your body of water fishes like in spring. If you can strategize with your boater he should have an idea about what he expects to fish lures and techniques. I would have a jig and trailer set up on your 7'1" rod. I might use a 4 foot fluoro or P Line 10 pound CXX leader on it especially if it is a clear water situation. I would keep the 7'2" ready to use for your spinnerbait/chatterbait or even a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper. Fish it on either a belly weighted swimbait hook or a 3/8 to 1/2 ounce swimbait jighead ( look at Picasso swimbait jig heads), they look like a fish head on a hook. This choice depends on the depth of water you are fishing. Your 7 foot medium rod would be ready to fish a rattletrap, jerkbait, small to mid depth crankbaits, etc. I like your ML spinning rod for fishing Sencos, drop shotting, make sure you have some Ned Rigs too. It is a great bait to go behind another angler with and it can be fished in 2 feet or 30 feet of water. Everything eats them. I doubt the new 7'4" heavy power rod will come into play for this tournament. If I added anything it might be another spinning rod, say 6'8 or 6'9" medium rod for light texas rigs, grubs, tubes. This also makes a great follow up bait rod if it is needed fast. I love to have a 5 inch Kalin grub on a BPS Perfect Finesse Worm Jighead. It is a one piece texas rig with the Gamakatsu EWG hook and a worm weight all in one. No need to peg a weight. Good Luck

It was interesting I read a post by Gary Dobyns that the Fury FR795 is the #2 selling rod for them. He also has said that the 806 is a beast of a rod with swimbaits. I think I would go with the FR806SB.

Check with Ranger and see if they can issue you a capacity plate that reflects the 250 hp as max. If they made the same boat later with that rating they may be able to do so. If not I would have the decaling changed on the engine cowl.

Those details are made to confuse you. It is advertising material as far as I am concerned.

I love the Dobyns rods. You can not go wrong with one. However let's look at your selection. Dobyns carried two types of Savvy rods. One was called the Savvy and these rods had "regular" sized guides on them. Then they had the Savvy Micro series which obviously came with the micro guides. Gary developed a more sensitive graphite blank and it replaced the regular Savvy Series. It is called the Sierra series and they are just a touch less sensitive than a Champion( a rod costing $75 more) but cost the same as a Savvy did. It is also a touch slower blank than the old Savvy blank as well. Unless you fished with both you may never know it. A new Sierra runs between $160 and $180. If you were in love with the Savvy rods you can still get the Savvy Micro rods which run the same price. I realize this is at the top of your budget Tom you never mentioned what you would like the new rod to do. Is this a rod you are going to throw just about everything, mostly crankbaits spinnerbaits (reaction strike type baits) or bottom contact baits like jigs, and texas rigs. I ask this because my prefered rod on your list is a Dobyns rod, which Dobyns rod I suggest is determined by your answer. Also do not ignore a Dobyns Fury. Their blanks and components make a terrific rod and compete very well against rods costing much more than their $110 price tag. I love the Sierra and Champion lines for myself, but have friends that fish a bunch of Fury rods. My next rod may actually be a Fury. I am currently looking at the Fury Fr704C and the Sierra SA 704V rods to throw chatterbaits, spooks and buzzbaits. My first Dobyns rod turned out to be a Champion D 705C. It is my frog/deep jig rod. If this is going to be an all arounds use rod here is one more rod to fill your mind with. I was looking for an all around workhorse rod that I mostly would throw jigs and swimjigs around docks. I read the Tackletour review on the Powell Max 683CEF. That rod is amazing for what it can handle as the review said. It lists for lures that weigh 1/4 to 3/4 and during the test they ended up going all the way to throwing a 2 1/2 ounce swimbait and it did it well. Now the rod blank material has been upgraded to the Max3D blanks. I spoke to the owner of Powell and he said it made no difference the rod performs the same, so go check out the review. The rod sells for around $150. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfastpg2.html

I like the idea of the Venom unit. It is made in such a way it can be removed in minutes, and as far as I can see does no harm to the trolling motor. I will let you know as I intend to use one this spring

Here is my answer to launching by myself. It is called z launch. I have an aluminum boat so I do not have a Hambys. That means instead or just launching and driving forward all the way out of the water I let the boat settle on the back edge of the trailer as it comes forward. It works great for $40 at Tackle Warehouse. Check out this video This has no bearing on recovering your boat. I wear waterproof socks while fishing do to medical issues with my feet. During recovery of your boat it is easy to wear shoes or sandals that the water will not bother.

Upgrading to a 3 bank charger is a total luxury as far as I am concerned. I use as charger that provides 10 amps per bank for my two trolling motor batteries. I charge them up as soon as I return from the water. My AGM batteries are Cabelas group 30 series and they have lasted since 2010-2011. I use a simple external agm battery charger from Walmart to top up the running battery about twice during the winter. The engine recharges it fine during the season. It is nice to have a 3 bank charger but not at the expense of other higher priority needs. Power Poles and Talons are really nice and really expensive. A cheaper option to look at is the manual shallow water anchor. Some of those are made in two pieces and come apart like a pool cue. I installed an electric anchor from Minn Kota on the front deck, but now that I am fishing tidal water I need more control. This is what I am going with. Up front my answer is a Venom Lures Down right anchor system Go Here On the rear I am using my modified Did in Shallow Water Anchor pole. This gives me a 12 foot long two piece pole. It stores really nice in the rod locker. I just need to either build or purchase a mounting bracket.

Then call St Croix. They may send you a rod and you just return the defective one. Give them a call. I have never heard a bad word as far as their customer service.

Welcome. If you have a good 6'6" to 7 foot spinning rod add the following baits. Now I am not telling you to go buy all of the store but rather say two packs of maybe two colors to get started with. All of these are basic lures that catch fish everywhere, sometimes the color may change but the technique and lure do not. Grubs. I love Kalin 5 inch Lunker but Yamamoto has great ones too. I like watermelon red flake, and a smoke with salt and pepper, however sometimes the bluegill works better. throw these on a BPS Perfect finesse worm hook in a 1/8 or 1/16 ounce. Match up the size hook. In fast that hook works really well for lots of plastics. Next get a couple of packs of Sencos. They can be fished wacky with the o ring in the middle, texas like your other plastics or on a leadhead weedless jig and so many other ways. Go find reaction Innovations Little Dippers and Skinny Dippers. These are paddle tail swimbaits. Again you can fish them on a weightless swimbait hook ( they have a screw lock to hold the bait on) a belly weighted swimbait hook and a swimbait swimjig( look at a Picasso it looks like a fish head on a hook. I like the 3/8 to 1/2 ounce ones. Some of these baits will fish well on your baitcaster and some best on your spinning rod. Good Luck

Get it replaced from wherever you bought it.

Most things BPS copies fail to equal the original. If you look in my tackle I own very few BPS house brand products. Now I buy tackle there, just not the stuff they have copied.

Does that have a portable fuel tank or a built in one. If it has a portable check to see that the vent is open. If it has a built in on then make up a spare fuel line and try running it from a portable gas can. Also did you check the fuel primer bulb when you lost power, there has been issues with those primer bulbs. When I got my Lowe brand new it had that problem straight from Mercury. If you have been forced to use ethanol you may need to replace the fuel line from the tank to the primer bulb and from the primer bulb to the engine. Ethanol causes the inside of the fuel lines to break into a powder causing fuel issues. I have had to do all of that on my boat. Iabass8 good catch on the prop, forgot about that one

I own the Stinger 170 which is your bottom hull with a different storage arrangement on top. I upgraded to a 70 pound thrust trolling motor and and group 30 agm batteries. Keeps thing going fine. I think it would be best to add the same electronics upfront so you are learning basically the same unit. I am not sure but I think they can be linked to share waypoints. Spend some time in the boat fishing locally so you can get used top how it plays together. I really like ride of that hull for most lakes and mid sized rivers. I have had some rough rides here on the Chesapeake bay tidal rivers, but then again I had wind running one way and tides running the other, never a recipe for smooth sailing. For me I dislike having three seats across at the helm./ I removed the middle seat and find it is so easy to get up and down without it. Stepping on a seat eventually wrecks the seat anyway. I have two regular fishing seats for pan fishing -fun fishing but most of the time I have a leaning post and a butt seat up on the front deck. Here is a pic of it sitting at the dock at Dale Hollow in Kentucky/Tennessee. In the picture you see it as it was originally setup for a hp restricted lake. I moved, so it now has a Merc 75 2 stroke on the rear, the middle seat is removed and a bike seat is usually installed up front.

I fished the Shenandoah and Potomac as well as the Susqy for years. Kalin grubs on a Perfect finesse work hook (check out Bass Pro Shops) small twin tail beetle spin type bodies on 1/8 ounce ball head jigs used to work well. If you have to upsize to get rid of the sunfish/ piranhas then do so. Add another couple of baits to your arsenal. Throw a tiny torpedo and mid sized PoP R in the slack water just behind and in front of each of those rocks. Another bait to get to know well is the Reaction Innovation Skinny Dipper and Little Dipper. Throw those on a belly weighted swimbait hook. Throw those up into the current as it comes around the rocks and into the slack water and just hold on.

They may get destroyed but are they getting eaten? I have heard goods things about the Keitech but have only used the RI Skinny Dippers. I have a 6 foot BPS Extreme ML baitcaster that gas either a little dipper or a skinny dipper tied on at all times. It gets put on my deck almost before any other rod. They work in super gin clear rivers, lakes all the way to dark tannic tidal water. I also like that you can fish them unweighted, belly weighted or on a swimjig head. That means from shallow to mid depths to over 40 feet deep. When you get the chance to fish them let me know how you like them compared to the Keitechs. that will be interesting.

Again not really bashing but relaying a witnessed event. I fish in tidal Md waters. The bass share their home with huge stripers, big blue and channel cats, pickerel and snakeheads. These fish can tear up equipment. I have sen a 15 pound blue cat destroy a Lews reel on my boat more than once. Personally I have switched to Diawa Tatula Type Rs and CTs. Many of the guys I know that fish regularly have made a switch to those reels as well. Most of them were fishing either Lews or BPS Pro Qualifiers. The Diawas are casting extremely smoothly and holding up well even in brackish tidal water.

You say you got it for Christmas so more than likely returning it to where you bought it sounds unlikely, If you can list it on here again, plus ***, and a few other sites. Maybe you can get it sold. If not check with DVT and see how much it would cost to make it a hot rod. Personally I think a Diawa CT would fit your needs well. That is easy to obtain for around $100 shipped to your home. I run 4 Tatula Type R and 2 CTs along with 1 Exceler. As for the comment that others like Lews has passed the Diawa mid priced reels you and I will never agree with that. I fish where bass BIG stripers and Big cats rome together. I have seen too many Lews guys change to Diawa after a 15 pound blue cat destroyed a Lews, or a big Potomac snakehead did the same. Go tangle with real fish and you will learn what holds up. even the Excelers handle these fish. It is not my opinion, it is what I have witnessed!

A Diawa Tatula Type R 8-1 or Tatula CT Type R in the same speed would be really nice. I run a Tatula Type R 8-1 for my frog rod. It sits on a Dobyns Champion DC 705C. That thing feel amazing in my hand. I also like the T wing for flipping and pitching. If my boat could fit a rod longer than 7 foot the 735 would have been my choice. It is the rod Gary himself suggests for throwing frogs. You will find it is good for many other things as well. Online you should be able to get one for around $160. It will make those frogs jump.