padon

everybody fishes their own style and we should all be experimenting anyway.KVD was a power fisherman looking for active fish and reaction strikes and covering alot of water. if he thought he needed a slower presentation he probably had other baits he preferred.

exactly. every river is different and constantly changing. i want my ned or tube to drift with the current and just tic rocks. occasionaly it will grab bottom but a slight lift of the rod frees it and continues the drift. if it goes to bottom and sits there its too heavy and will get snagged constantly.I use the outcast perfect ned head weedless version. usually 3/32 or 1/8 . sometimes 3/16 and rarely 1/16

i remember when they first came out.man you could pull up to a shallow grass bed post spawn throw that thing out there and fish would come from nowhere to smash that thing. that was before flukes senkos etc.

zodias is a really hard stick to beat at $200

it happens. i got into the vodka one night on vacation and spent 500 at tackle warehouse on a rod and some baits, it all worked out. i like the rod and you can never have too many baits.

amen. i like my levante whipsnake and my orochi shakey head but i bought them at the previous prices. when you add the new $50 increases and compare them to zodias or expride at their prices to me they just dont measure up.

location, location, location. there is usually several lures that will work as long as they are being fished in the right location. the best thing i ever did for my fishing especially in the summer and early prespawn was to get behind the graph and ride and look. dont stop looking until you find what your looking for.dont fish stuff that looks kind of right, find the right stuff. brush piles , rock piles on channel swings, hard spots in and on the end of grass beds. when your fishing the right spots youll be amazed at the number of lures the bass will hit.

id use the medium rod. weight depends on depth but i use 1/4 alot. 15 pound braid usually to a 10 pound leader but sometimes 12. i use the gamakatsu g finesse or the owner cover shot.

one of my best producers for river smallmouth in summer is the 4 inch. but i was thinking last week im gonna try the 5. i dont think it will matter.

mixed with vanilla extract it makes a good early season whitetail scent. spread it on the bushes around your stand and they will mill around smelling and licking the bushes. gives you a chance to draw and aim.

agreed. the biggest advantage of a dedicated battery is the elimination of interfernce from trolling motor or voltage drop from starting. but if your gonna go to the trouble of doing it make sure your wiring is up to the task. 8 or minimum 10 ga wiring is what you need to handle modern electronics.

i agree . get some pliers and a rubber net. the shower blows is a beast!

i think you are right on the money. in fact i have 4 of those exact combos in the locker. buy some baits with the few dollars under 600 you save.

thats the reason alot of people like a somewhat softer rod for heavy jigs. 3/4 oz gives the fish alot of leverage when they jump and shake their head. a little softer rod that doesnt unload as quickly leaves a little more room for error if your not able to keep a tight line.i dont mean a less powerful rod just one that loads a little slower.

it will work just fine. for me its hard to beat braid to leader on spinning rods. i like the versatility to change leader sizes and the increased hook setting power of braid. but if you prefer straight fluoro you wont have a problem with tatsu.

i have the same rod and its excellent. i also have a new version expride in 72 ml which is fantastic. nice soft tip for dropshot etc but gets into the backbone about a quarter of the way down and has surprising power.

theyve been doing it for years up north. (minn, wisc etc) especially around vegetation. called a jig worm. a 7 inch power worm was the standard for years. use a light (1/8) jighead with a small (1/0) or so hook. cast to the weed line pop it out when it gets hung and let it fall further down the edge. fish usually bite when you pop it out of the grass.

how much is the paid version. i have maps on my humminbirds but some of that stuff could be useful.

im 14 years from retirement. ( not that im counting lol) so i cant tell you what its like. but to me its the flexibility that i look forward to. i probably wont fish every day but probably several days a week. blowing 20 today ? ok ill go tomorrow. have something i wanna do with friends today ok ill go tomorrow. right now when i get a chance to go i gotta go , bad weather , poor conditions etc.

me too but in july and august when the majority of our fish are sitting in rock piles 25 to 30 feet deep your not having much success on spinnerbaits.

right tool for the job whatever the job may be.

i know in one of the lakes i fish the smallmouth feed heavily on bluegills. i wanna try them buut ill wait til the hysteria dies down

i like spinning rods. idk what the fascination is with bfs etc. if its a light enough lure/technique that you need a spinning rod then use a spinning rod. now i like baitcasters too. I actually own more casting than spinning outfits. i like casting set ups too, i just use whats appropriate for what im doing. i prefer a casting rod for regular sized jerkbaits but i throw the smaller sized ones on a spinning rod.

i can only comment on rods i have experience with. shimano zodias is very good in that price range as is the st.croix victory.

i agree with tom. the mlxf is way too soft for anything except drop shot. the medium is a solid medium. it will do everything you want although a little stiffer than ideal for drop shot. the 73 mxf has the backbone of the medium but about 6 inches of fairly limber tip. i think thats your rod.