casts_by_fly

I was wrong. They are actually huk brand. Here’s a picture. Got them at cabelas. This is two full years and about 80 trips of use. They get washed in the washing machine every couple trips with my fishing shirts.

if you have them, wear them. I started wearing gloves 2 summers ago and I'm pretty hooked. I went with the AFFCO ones (fingerless, with the rubber grippies on the palm) and have now worn them out over 2 seasons (the rubber is coming off). I got a new pair from somewhere else for christmas. I wouldn't buy golf gloves, but if you have them why not.

The regular Met should come with an MGL spool The MGL spool will be good down to a quarter ounce total bait. I don't use my Met that way, but I do use my chronarchs with that level of light at times (30 lb braid, MH/F rod). An eighth ounce weight plus a light plastic. If that's all you are doing with the rod then the shallow would probably be better, but if you're also going heavier and only occasionally going that light then I'd go with the standard. before you decide, I'd get your current met out into the yard (snow) and cast it a bit with that lighter bait weight. You might be surprised.

How do you like that vs just leaning against the back of a normal pedestal seat like this? My dad has a similar one so when I run the boat I spin it to the flatter back side as a lumbar support.

We barely got a dusting on this one in north jersey. And with it being so cold, the snow was a fine as the finest white sand I've ever been on (Antigua if you care). Aside from the tire tracks that were packed down, I managed to use the leaf blower to clear most of the driveway in about 20 minutes last night. Now its 15 with 20 mph winds constant. I imagine thats a wind chill in the single digits. The temps aren't so bad inside, but the lack of humidity is killer. My FIL got me a temp station for christmas. It was 69 degrees and 10% RH this morning in the house. My wife has a bad cold like thing so I started boiling stock pots of water for a boost of moisture.

I'm fishing mostly natural lakes and/or lakes with high bluegill populations as the main forage base. Shad colors aren't the problem. A-rigs are the problem. Maybe I just need to fish them more, but I have yet to have a fish commit to one. I've had a follow or two and that's about it. You'd probably need a pretty heavy one to fish it in the winter in Bismark. Probably would take a pound or two total weight and a tall lob cast to crack the ice.

The revo rocket is 10.1:1 I think and takes up 42" per turn. Last I explored it was the fastest. My dad likes his for buzzbaits and walking baits. It was always just a bit much for me. A quarter of a turn and you had taken up any and all slack, pulled the bait what felt like 3', and you barely moved. I find that a 1.5:1 difference (from a 7 to an 8.5) is noticable. That's about a 4-5" difference in IPT for the reels I have. A 1-2" difference isn't really noticable unless you're comparing side by side in a controled environment, blah, blah, blah. In the yard yes, on the water not really. Most of my reels seem to fall in the 29", 34", and 39" bucket and they are noticably different.

millennium Palma horse perhaps?

I want it fast for the occasional times when a bass grabs the jig/plastic and starts swimming at you quickly. Faster reel picks up the line faster. Buy a good reel with good gears and don’t worry about the gear ratio.

one of the better things for it. The super thick stalks that are thumb sized it struggles a little, but will get through them. Thinner pads like spatterdock are easier. Where it struggles is with super thin wispy things like algaes. It gets between the prop and blade so it doesn't cut well.

that should make a dandy spinnerbait and blade bait rod. I'd bet it would be a good 1/2 oz walking bait rod too.

same here. We were above freezing last thursday. Briefly. Any now we are basically at or below freezing for the next 10 days with lows in the teens. We've had ice which melted and then new skim ice, but this should lock us up. Who knows what happens after that but 10 days of freezing should put us on a couple inches of ice which means a March ice-out I think.

I prefer a ML for what you’re talking. If I am going to a medium powered spinning rod, I’m probably throwing the same thing on a baitcaster. For an eighth plus a trd or a 3” rubber of some sort I want a pretty light tip on the rod so it loads up quickly. I prefer a faster action and I think I’m going to love my new extra fast. Im a big falcon fan, but their spinning rods haven’t turned me on. They are all just a little more moderate than my liking for a given spec (or heavier power). The only one that ever drew my attention was the 6’10” expert drop shot (1/8-3/8, fast action, ml). The new 7’2” Cara finesse rig also has a great spec and might be one I’d try but I haven’t tried it so can’t recommend it.

A 1 or 2k would work. I prefer a little heavier to eliminate tip weight so would go a 2k.

it does look pretty comparable. I wonder if the ml1 unit was ‘dumbed down’ for compatibility reasons so that the helix and solix could handle it. And now the processor upgrades in the explore to the level of the apex have allowed better processing. Either way, it has me interested. I am going to sell the kayak and ideally do it with the electronics included. If that happens, then I will have to take a hard look at his setup.

the Berkeley only go down to 1/4 so that probably won’t work then. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Fusion19_Underspin/descpage-FNU.html

got a link? I’m not seeing it here. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Power-Pole_Micro_Anchor_CM2_Drive_Unit_Black/descpage-MBAA.html

this isn’t incorrect. It is a little thicker for a given rating and breaks heavier. If you take that into account you’ll be fine. If you’d have used 15# then trying 10# is probably right. For multipurpose general spinning, 10# 832 is a pretty good choice. It handles well (thin enough to be limp and long casting, thick enough to manage on the reel and tie good knots). It’s maybe lighter than I’d want for fishing heavier cover and you can go lighter if you’re fishing no cover. I’ll throw 30 and 50 also (on baitcasters).

Does it have to be the horse head? The Berkeley fusion underspins have good heavy hooks, a head design that runs smoothly and straight, and a blade that clears the bait well.

Fish it and see if it’s what you like, but only carrying 4-5 rods means each rod better be good at more than one thing unless you’re on a bite where you only need 4-5 lures all day. It happens some times. In late march and early April I will invariably have a chatterbait tied on around here so not the worst idea. If the rod does other stuff through the year then great. If not, then you’ve got a 10-month yard casting rod.

If you just want a standalone unit for 360 then I wouldn’t hesitate to get a helix 12. The prices are too good and if you want 369 then hbird is the only way to get it. I’d probably consider spending a little more and getting an explore just for forward compatibility but since you already run garmin and just want this as a standalone 360 then a helix is probably a better choice with the bigger screen.

I don’t see a high vis option though. I agree with your assessment after you turned me onto it last year and that would be my choice also (high vis aside).

If you don’t have rod bond, standard 30 minute epoxy will do also.

fluoro and a buzzbait or frog is not necessary. All of the line handling issues plus it sinks. If you want non braided line, big mono is the right answer. Lower stretch than thinner stuff, plenty of abrasion resistance. 17 big game or equivalent is about right.

then the head turner is the rod you want. I fish the expert version for what youre talking. Also a great bladed bait and walking bait rod.