CatchNoFish

Thanks everyone, My main concern was whether it was legal/sportsman like to bleed or dump the guts right into the water, and didnt want to offend anyone. Ill probably test it out once or twice, to see if theres any difference at all.

I Have a few questions about bleeding out fish, that i hope i can find some in site. Also, I live in California. Question 1: Can i keep my catches on a stringer, then bleed/kill them when im about to leave, or should i bleed/kill them first, then place onto the stringer? Question 2: Is it ok to bleed them directly into the water? for lake?ocean?river? (if a fish cleaning station is not available) Or should i just bleed into the ground, or if i should just not bleed at all in this case. Question 3: Should i bleed ALL fish? (that im keeping/eating of course) or just certain species? I see most people bleed ocean fish, i mostly fish for catfish, black and white bass, bluegill. thanks!!

I just got my St croix legend elite 6'8'' medium xtra-fast, and shimano stella 3000 for my soft plastics. I was wondering if i could also use this rod for some crank baits, or if it would more than likely break this rod? Or is there a different reason why people dont use this setup for crank baits? Im saving up for another setup purely for crankbaits, but just want to know if i can throw them on this combo without damaging it temporarily. If anyone has any advice on that as well, if price is not an issue, Id like to get a low profile casting combo that can handle anything up to maybe a 15lb striper. thanks!

Yes, im looking for another rod specifically for hardbaits, A friend of mine lets me use his whenever we go fish, i tried for about 15-20 sessions, and about 3-8 hours each time, i can not get used to it, he has a curado. I understand you have more options with a baitcaster, but i really cant get used to it.

Ive just made the purchase! Cant wait for it to get here! I have even more questions, that dont relate to the original topic exactly, im not sure if i should make a new thread. What color should i marker the line? Would i be able to use any hardbaits? (within the lure wt limit) or would it be too much, or just not "efficient" if i were to get a rod purely for hardbaits, what combo would you guys recommend? same price range would be fine, thank you!

thanks everyone for your help and advice, it really helped me decided what to get. After looking into it some more ive decided to go with the elite 68mfx, and the stella 3000, with 20lb power pro slick. One final question though, are bass picky about line color? i prefer to used yellow powerpro slick since i can see it easier, and i dont normally use any topshot. Would you guys recommend a different color? I have power pro slick on ALL my reels, and really like it. ive tried other braids but dont like them. I am willing to topshot though, if necessary. But i like fishing all braid with backing. thanks again

haha, I really want to go all out with fishing gear, everything short of a boat (no room for that yet) I started fishing in college and had to save up pennies to buy my first ugly stick. I even counted the pennies to buy bait and lures! Ive always searched the web for nice rods and reels even though i could never afford them, but now that ive graduated and gotten a job, saved up a few months, I have the funds to finally get what i want, and am not holding back! If possible id like to stick with spinning. I am totally Fine with having a dedicated rod, I will get more soon hopefully. The first dedicated rod id like to get would be for soft plastics, mainly senkos, lizards, and crawfish. It seems like everyone would recommend the 6'8' xtra-fast action. Ive almost completely decided on that one, but am now considering Jon G's recommendation on the ES68MXF. Does anyone else have any advice/input? Ive used corked rods before, and they are just ok. One of the key factors that drew me to the legends extreme was the grips, but ive never used it in action, so im not sure if it is any better. What size stella would you guys recommend for this rod (or the ES68MXF that Jon G recommended)? I would like to load 20lb yellow power pro slick unless anyone thinks yellow is too noticeable for bass or too heavy? Ive always used yellow but never gone for bass. the stripers at the lakes range anywhere from 1lb up to maybe a 10lb striper (so ive heard) ive never caught anything more than a few lbs but i believe they do exist. catfish at least up to 15 lbs if not more (again so ive heard) Would anyone recommend the saltwater version of the legend extreme would it be good for crankbaits? I would like to buy a rod/reel similar to this price range/quality for most/all my crankbaits, mainly for targeting stripers, and possibly the occasional bass lures. I will be making the purchase tomorrow evening. hopefully i can get some good insight/advice into the elite vs the xtreme. thanks again everyone!

Hi everyone, been fishing for almost 5 years now, but ive mostly used ugly sticks. Im new to bass (have only caught stripers so far, but ive always wanted to catch largemouth and black bass) Im picking up my first rod/reel combo, and would like to have some ideas, i will mostly be looking to use senkos/lizards/soft plastics, and possibly crankbaits, if my rod will work for them Im debating between the st croix LXS68MXF and LXS70MF. Here are the specs from the website: LXS70MF 7' M Fast 1 6 - 12 3/16 - 5/8 4.2 6 LXS68MXF 6'8" M X-Fast 1 6 - 12 3/16 - 5/8 3.9 6 I would also like to pair it with a shimano freshwater stella, either 2500 or 3000 size The actual question: Im pretty set on this particular setup, just trying to decide on the size, and would like all and any advice on that, for my purposes. Would either of these rods work will with crankbaits and soft plastics? Also if they could handle a striper if i caught one? (there are many where i fish). Which rod/reel would you all recommend for my purposes? thanks for any and all information!