NickBender

Always enjoy reading your tourney breakdowns, @Bluebasser86. Entertaining and informative. Good luck in the championship!

Congrats @Bluebasser86! Way to represent Kansas! What an accomplishment.

It’s hard going from the Curado down to a SLX, although I started with SLX XTs and they are fantastic reels. It appears to be the only option in a shallower spool MGL with a lower gear ratio. Is the Tatula the equivalent of the Shimano 150, or is a shallower spool? Does that Tatula 100 come with the SV spool?

Hey yall! I was considering changing my Curado MGL 150 for a Curado MGL 70 on a DC705CB using 10-12# sniper. This is my primary squarebill rod with lures weighing 3/8-1/2oz. I’d like it to pull double duty if able with DT8s or RkCrawlers. Just seemed like the 150 size wasn’t handling the lighter sqaurebills. My only concern is the much higher IPT on the MGL 70 - 29” vs 24.5”. Any insight? Thank you!

I've spent most of last year fishing on the MO side, but Gardner produced the most fish for me of the few lakes I went to on the KS side. Biggest was out of Olathe, but as @Bluebasser86 said, it isn't easy to figure out.

Hey y’all! Have you noticed a change on your lakes, maybe from summer lures and presentations to fall ones? Couple weeks ago on Watkins Mill bass were starting to pull off deeper cover and corral baitfish in both open, deeper water and shallow. May start throwing lipless, spinnerbaits and top waters more often now.

Anyone know if the curly-leaf pondweed at Miami County Lake has begun to die off? Wondering if it's fishable right now.

Looking for a rod to handle all my t-rig/big worm/light jig applications from a kayak. Using a Curado 150 mgl with 16# fluro. 1/4-1/2oz weight + trailer/plastic weight. Dobyns champion 744 Zodias 7’2” MH Levante spec r or tour versatile St. Croix Victory full contact finesse Those rods are in my 200-250 price range. Anyone have any experience with those rods and applications? Thank you!

Fish just like worms, ya know? The lakes I fish are small, and some get a fair amount of pressure.

Hi y'all! Are you ever concerned with spooked bass throwing a finesse presentation, i.e. wacky rig, drop shot or ned rig, in an area after you run a power fishing technique through it, i.e. chatterbait, crankbait or lipless? I know there are several conditions to consider here, but in general...something I've always wondered. Thank you.

There is no substitute for experience. Make sure you try to spend more time fishing and enjoying the process, than researching rods, reels, tackle, etc...

I've been asking myself the same question for the past couple months. The rods I considered were St. Croix Victory, Daiwa Tatula, Dobyns Fury/Kaden/Sierra and the New Shimano Curado. I aimed to pair it with a Shimano SLX XT and was leaning toward the Victory or Curado. I ended up getting a Dobyns Champion 734C... deep discounts and a gift card allowed me to punch above my price range. The holidays sales may allow you to do the same as well!

Thank you Glenn! Great community with lots of help and encouragement.

Thank you for the advice! I’m strongly considering something in the St. Croix camp. That’s what I may end up doing if I keep the SLX rod.

Well, I think I'll just stick with the SLX 7'2 MH/XF for chatterbaits, and get a MH/MF for crankbaits and lipless, since I don't have any other baitcasting combo yet. Thanks for the insight and advice y'all!

When I was using the SLX MHXF with 15# fluro and chatterbaits on a private 35 acres lake, I didn’t miss one fish I put the hook into. Now, I don’t know if I missed a swipe or a bite… I’m trying to replace the MHXF as my chatterbait rod, so I can free it up for T-Rigs and jigs, which I assume it would be a better rod for. Otherwise, I’m not sure what application I would use a MHXF for.

I use the H/F for bladed jigs (chatterbaits). It's a 6' 9" H/F Do you find yourself using a 3/8 oz or 1/2 oz with that Heavy power? I may be fishing the wrong time of the year, but I don’t notice a lot of grassy flats in our lakes.

I do have a 7’2 SLX MH/XF I could use for chatterbaits, and get the MH/M for cranks and lipless. I was hoping to keep the former for jigs and tigs. I only have one baitcaster, as I’m just starting out. Slowing learning and building ?. I’ve read about that H/F you use for jigs, and would get it if I didn’t already have a MH/XF SLX rod I think I could use now as a chatterbait rod. Trying to build my equipment, and I only have one baitcaster combo at the moment… looking for my second one for another application. Open for suggestions!

Hey y'all. After searching through the forums, and handling various rods and reels, I've landed on a Dobyns 705cb and either a Shimano SLX XT or Daiwa Tatula CT for a 3/8oz chatterbait and shallow to medium diving crankbait rod. Looking for a setup that has the versatility to do both, but also try to keep the combo around $250. Just looking for advice or suggestions on if this/these combos would be a good entry-level setup for the techniques. Thank you!

Does anyone have any experience fishing any of the ponds listing in the WIFA Program?

Thanks for the clarification my friend! It would never occur to me to just head up a creek from a main lake to target bass and certainly not bass that size. Beginner's mind conditioning that needs broke :).

Nice catches brother! When you say the fish are moving into the creeks, are those the areas where the creek feeds/attaches into the main body of water, or the creek channels running through main body of water away from the bank?

Besides bluegill, what type of baitfish do lakes like Olathe, Lenexa, Shawnee Mission or James A. Reed have? I've been out on the bank on several, and while I've noticed some smaller baitfish, I've had a tough time matching them to google-searched pictures. I plan to experiment with a variety of colors, but it'd be great to have a solid starting point. Thanks y'all!

Will do! Getting close to that time of year.

Hey y’all! I live and fish around the Kansas City area and occasionally down in Oklahoma - primarily LMB, but I also enjoy crappie and bluegill. I fished often as a teenager, and I wanted to reignite and share that passion with my children. Some of y’all have already helped me out with a few things, and I appreciate you!