r83srock

I have a cabelas 3600 tackle bag that I like. I like 3600 boxes as they store plenty but of course are smaller so easy to pack. I would pack your tackle by category. Seems obvious but you can have 15-20 trays in a tote stored in your vehicle. Talking with your boater before hand on what to bring, then grab what you need. Always bring your highest confidence baits though. 10-15 bags of plastics are plenty. Keep it to two colors and bring dye markers if you need to add some color to a bait, avoid the dip dyes as those can spill. Not sure where you fish in Minnesota but I’d have a solid mix of smallie/largemouth tackle. Jigs, spinnerbaits, flukes, senkos, topwater, traps catch both species well. Ned rig dragging behind the boat can be deadly. I usually bring up to 6 rods, never anymore than that. An extra spool of line or two, a spare reel and a small first aid kit are handy also. When I fish as a non boater I scale my boxes down to 2 or 3, then I have room in my bag for beef jerky and waters haha.

You bet! One other thing. The 150 is a bit lighter than the 200. I think it’s even lighter than the 70. I choose a 200 for a flippin stick to help balance that long rod. The 150 balances great on a 7’1”-7’3” St. Croix jig and worm rod.

I have had the K, and own the DC, 200M and 150mgl. I regret selling my K reels as I really liked them. I feel like Shimano reels have always palmed well, the best to me. The 200 M is as awesome as the K was, but it is a touch wider. To me it’s a non issue. The 200M hold plant of 50 lb braid for frogging or bomb casting big baits, however it will throw lighter lures well too, a bit better than the K did and less fussy to get dialed in, but maybe a bit harder to tune than the 150, hard to say on that really . The 150 is a sweet reel, and may be my all time favorite. It’s on the same level as the 200K and 200M in terms of ruggedness and smoothness. It’s a small framed reel that palms really well, sits lower on the reel seat. The only reel I have used that palms better is the SLX. It casts with very little effort and is super simple to dial in. The 150 mgl and 200M are almost interchangeable. If you need a deep crank,flip/punch, frog, a rig reel, the 200M is made for it. If you need an all purpose workhorse that can do most things really well, the 150 is it.

I would always want to fish with my dad!

I cannot comment on the grunt as I haven’t used that model. I’ve used other st croixs at 7’1” and it’s a great all around length. I have a feeling the grunt is a little softer in power compared to mh rods from st croix in the past. I think I saw a posted weight of that rod awhile back at 3.5oz.

Generally speaking, I consider water temps under 40 degrees cold, in the sense that the bite dramatically changes for me. The smallies will still bite however. Mid 40s- mid 50s consistently produces the biggest bass of the year for me, both largemouth and smallmouth, spring and fall. I also find a window for both species during the hottest parts of the summer, mid day where giants will go shallow. 80 degrees water is cold to me if I’m swimming in it long enough.

I have several victories and the Marshall is one of the nicest rods I’ve ever used. It’s under 4oz! I think the Victory series is the nicest rods I’ve ever in its price range that I have experience with. The warranty is tough to beat also.

Congrats on an awesome trip!! 👍🏽

I have an old St Croix premier 6’10” heavy moderate fast (softer end of a heavy) that I used to use for jigs/swim jigs/frogs about 20 years ago. I dusted it off last summer and threw a Curado 200b on it and used it for frogging the bank. Caught some nice ones in it and it casts great. I’ve also used 7’ mh rods a lot in the past. These rods work great for open water sparse cover, but in heavy slop you will be in trouble. It would be my first choice if I only fished a frog in sparse cover. The evo should be available to order from Walmart, it’s also on Falcons website. It’s 5.4 oz on my scale, so not a featherweight by today’s standards, probably due to a full cork handle. It’s got nice Fuji guides that are small enough to shed braided line on a windy day but not so small that they get filled with gunk from slop fishing. It’s crazy that it has a Fuji Ecs reel seat and Fuji guides, full cork handle at $80. I put U40 cork seal on the handle of mine and it looks new yet. I also think a full size reel makes it balance perfect. It will throw a scum frog launch, spro 65 or a pad crasher 50-60 yards with a curado dc and seaguar smack down 50lb braid. 🐒

I use a Curado DC 8 ratio on a Falcon EVO 7’3” heavy. The rod is $80 and it’s so great for frogging I can’t imagine a better rod for the technique. I use 50lb braid, usually power pro. I haven’t punched with it but I’ve fished a big jig on it and it works great. I use a 7’4” heavy St. Croix Victory for light punching and big jigs. It’s a very sensitive rod and it’s great for these techniques. It’s also a great frog rod and have used it for that, however I actually prefer the full cork handle on the falcon for frogging. I’ve used this setup from my boat, kayak, and bank fishing. Another great frog reel is the Tatula 150.

I love braid. Still use mono too. I’ll take braid for most things if I can. My boat does 62 on a good day, sometimes I let my inner 18 yr old out. My favorite river is 5 miles from a dam on the lower end to a rapids on the other. I choose to idle any of it to keep the peace with people who live there. There’s a stigma with people in shiny bass boats. I try to be the guy to break that stigma. Kayak fishing is fun too.

You are doing a lot of things right! The booyah frogs are soft but the trophy scum frogs are softer yet and have the correct hook angle out of the package. I do use pad crashers but I’ve been using the trophy frogs for close to 20 years and keep coming back. That Aird x rod is nice, but it might be a bit soft for frog fishing in cover. A big bass can have a tough jaw to get a frog hook into.

The basic $50 frogg togg sets work well for the price. Not super durable and I don’t go out of my way to fish in rain but they are nice to have in the boat just in case. I have no complaints at the price point.

I use a small Folgers can and pour overboard for #1. I am in the market for a larger container though, as I’ve filled it a time or two. I usually just go over the side of nobody is around. #2 I keep T-P and dude wipes in a waterproof bag. It’s rare that I ever need it but you never know. I try to get that out of the way before going on the water and I pay attention to what I eat the night before I fish, so that helps.

My uncle has simms and fishes a lot, haven’t heard a bad word about simms. I bought a GILL set several years ago and it’s been rock solid! Mine is an insulated set and I use a cheaper frogg toggs set for summer fishing, which works fine also. I would rate the Gill set a 9 out of 10. My only gripe is it’s difficult to go #1 if you have to. The zipper on the bibs has material behind it to keep water out. It keeps ya dry for sure!