JLWoodman

I use floro with a palomar knot quite a bit, I don't have issues. Just lube the line with your own spit where the knot will be tied and make sure you cinch it down carefully. However, if your not confident in using a palomar knot with floro, then don't. Find and use what gives you confidence.

I've got my Dobyns Fury FR806SB and paired it with the Shimano Cardiff 301a. I put a 8" Hud on which is just around 5 ounces, I believe. The 8" Hud feels a tad heavy on the rod, but the rod had no problems loading up and tossing the beast swimbait out there. The rod is rated 2-8 ounces. Living in Michigan, we got a couple 50 degree days and the fact that it's just the beginning of March here, makes for bad bass fishing days. However, I could not help myself so I took the new set up out for just a few minutes to toss the Hud out a few times to get a feel for it. I think it's the best rod you can get for 120 dollars, period. But that's my opinion and it would not be fair to give an opinion until I get out in good bass fishing weather and catch a few first. Also have to see how these Fury rods hold up after a couple years. To me, the blank itself is fantastic and pretty good quality. The guides line up perfectly. My complaint is where the hook keeper is placed, which is not really a big deal, and the foam handle is not the best material. But the rod is only 120 and the blank is worth over 200 dollars, in my opinion. I would recommend the FR806SB to anyone over any swimbait rod in the same price range.

These post have it covered. I was gonna say I got the best success letting it hit bottom and bringing it back up two to three feet, in and out on weed lines, to keep it simple and short. Good luck and keep trying.

Just ordered the new FR806SB, but they won't be in Tackle Warehouse until Feb 21. My next rod will be for jigs and lighter flipping applications in light cover.

I just ordered a FR806SB from tackle warehouse! They won't be in until Feb 21. Pairing it with a Shimano Cardiff 301a. Can't wait to try it out this spring.

I bought a Lews Tournament Pro and a BB1. Both perform flawless and nothing is peeling off them. I have owned them for over a year, no problems at all. I have owned 3 Shimano Curado's for a few years now...they perform just as well as my Lews, I like both companies a lot. I also take care of my reels and have them cleaned and lubed when needed. That being said, there are some lower tier Shimano and Lews reels I would never pay for. I feel when it comes to this subject, you get what you pay for, in most cases. I just purchased my first Abu Garcia reel, an Orra Winch for crank bait fishing. It was only 90 dollars but I hear they are great for crankin. To each their own, I want to buy a nice Diawa next. I don't care about the name on the reel as long as it performs well and last a long time.

I feel the Dobyns Fury rods are the best rods in their price range, by a hillbilly mile!

I always find panfish near cover and structure. Docks, vegetation, submerged tree branches, the list goes on. The best places I find them in are in weed holes with some kind of submerged wood in or next to the holes, or docks next to boat launches. In my experience they do not go for fake lures a lot, but they always will go for some kind of live bait. For me, I always take wax worms and night crawlers. If they are not eating one, they eat the other. I thread the wax worms on the hook so they can't easily steal your bait. It's the same for night crawlers. I cut the night crawlers into long enough sections to just thread them on the hook and I don't leave any hanging off, very simple. I can catch our Michigan 25 daily limit in 15-20 minutes on good days, and a couple hours on bad days. We fill our freezer during the summer and have quite a few fish fry's throughout the year this way.

I have been looking to buy my first GLoomis rod and have been doing quite a bit of research. I don't own either one but I have fished a couple GL3's. In my research I have found many articles and videos that compare the two. 90% of them state that the E6X's are better rods, especially for the price difference. From what I have read, the E6X's are a just a bit better in terms of sensitivety and just as good quality, but the components are a bit less in quality. That's not enough to be a deal breaker between these two rods in my opinion. Its a no brainier for me. I'm buying an E6X in two weeks and I can't wait! Now to start saving for my first NRX? My wife won't be happy, but I just have to!

Since your not looking for a reaction bite, I would go finesse. I would sight fish if possible with a fluke Jr. on a Ned rig. Pitch it where you want it to be and try not to spook the fish you are after. Let it sit for a bit, shake it a bit, make little hops with it, real it in and try again. The reason for sight pitching to certain spots is to not get snagged and picking out certain spots they may be protecting when they are getting their beds ready on. If that spot does not produce, real up over the rocks quickly, pick another and keep picking your fishing spot apart. You don't need to drag this at all and that should help with the snags. Seems you have a wind problem. Try to get away with the lightest weight possible and go with a weedless Ned rig if you have too. I really would like a square bill in this situation and I would bang it off as many rocks as possible. But if the fish are not going for a reaction bite, then that may not work very well. there are some good answers in other post here too, try em all, why not! Good luck!

Personally, I would have tied on something similar that could cover water as fast as a squarebill. I would have paid attention to the color of his squarebill and what kind of cover he may have been pulling them out of and at what water depth. If he was still catching a lot more than me I would have tied on a squarebill in the same color type as his. Pay attention to the pattern and listen to the fish. Let the fish tell you what they want.

I have a handful of best skills! My number 1 is complaining to the employees at our local Gander Mountain that they sell mostly lures and colors of forage that we don't even have around here. And that they never have the gear I'm looking for. My number 2 is ordering from Tackle Warehouse, I'm a pro at that! My honest strengths are finesse and top water fishing, but it seems most people are good at those. What I am working on this coming season the most will be ledge and deep water fishing. Also crankbaits in medium and deep water. The other thing I want to work on is finding bass without electronics, just by sight and an updated topo map. Reason for the last one is I have older electronics and don't want to spend the money to update, and I think it will make me a better fisherman.

The older Fenwick rods are better than the HMG line. But not by much really and this is in terms of sensitivity and rod strength. I have two HMG rods. Both MH, one for open water frogging, one for punching. Both hold up well and have had no problems, but they are not as sensitive as the older ones. Compared to the Elite Tech line, I personally love that line. I think they are just as good, if not better. I have two for finesse fishing applications and they are comparable to Dobyns and GLoomis lower tier rods. Not the GLX or NRX lines from GLoomis though, obviously. But the Elite Tech Fenwick rods are way less expensive and well worth the buy compared to Dobyns and GLoomis in my opinion. If I could trade my HMG's in for them, I would. Dobyns Fury rods are a great buy, I would go that route if your looking to spend around 100-110 dollars.

Good question... First I would try to find some deep schooled up bass and try to fire them up with a deep crank. Then it would either be a Ned rig or a shaky head. So if I had to choose one it would be the Ned rig.

You have to have a certain amount of slack in your line. Different line types will have more or less slack depending on if it's braid or mono or whatever. Jerk rod tip with slack just like everyone already mentioned, but don't reel a tight line, after you jerk the rod tip once or twice it creates too much slack so you have to reel in back to that certain amount of slack. Practice a bit and you will get it no doubt. Good luck!

I love this thread. Back in July, I found a spot with a few docks that always held huge bass. Took me a while to find a pattern and begin to catch them. I learned how to skip with a casting and spinning rod. Found that they tend to mostly hold on the last dock in a line of docks and caught them better on the side with the most shade. This certain spot literally always held big bass. I think because it was mostly a big rocky-gravely flat with big deep holes and the holes where filled with weeds. Seemed to be the most consistent and perfect spot on this whole lake. Fishing this spot is always a lot of fun, it's just hard to find a pattern with the much bigger bass.

Aetos is a very good model. 88 dollars is a very nice deal.

Sad to say, bass fishing is over with for me this year. I'm pretty sure they are moved out to their winter homes for the most part and this morning was frosty and too cold for me. I couldn't buy a bite. Found some bait fish but no bass and no bites. I took all my reels of my rods, cleaned everything up, organized all my tackle, and put everything up. It was depressing, like ending a long relationship. I wish I could pack my family up and move to a warmer climate, I don't know what I'm going to do all winter. Already I can't wait till May.

Personally, I like Fenwick rods. I do not have an HMX, but the lowest tier Fenwick rod I own is a 7'6" MH fast HMG rod that I use for top water and basically anything up to just a bit over an ounce. I have owned some Fenwick spinning rods from a while ago and those are very amazing. The newer ones are not quite up to par, but still very good, in my opinion. The top tier rods are amazing to, but an HMX for 45 dollars is quite the deal. Just check them over for defects before you purchase one and don't high stick it when you flip a bass in for a catch.

If your having trouble in a particular area and you know bass are there, take the time to find exactly what they are eating then match your lure to color and size. Then take color and size and match that with a lure that is as life like to the bait as possible and try to make it move or swim just like the real bait would. Add some scent to match that (use craw scent for craws, obviously), and you should be in business. Good luck

lecisnith, those are all nice smallies, I'm jealous! I have not caught me one over 1.5 pounds this whole season. I did catch some very early morning largies on a 3" swimbait and a buzzbait...