ww2farmer

I owned and used one for many years, it is a fine jig rod.

That's the reel I used to have on it before I switched to "all Shimano". It was a good match for that rod.

If you go with the Mojo, you'll be fine with a light reel, but you might want to add a little weight to the butt end to help balance it a little better. I don't like adding weight to the end of the rod, that's why I want with the heavier reel instead of any of my E's series Curados, or Citicas. It's not really all that tip heavy, but it's a big rod and being better balanced helps on those long days when punching or flipping is an all day affair.

Well I changed my mind on that the next day, and called and canceled the order. Thank god they didn't ship yet. So today, after it got too muddy to work, I decided I better go to the city and at least handle several UL rods before I pull the trigger on one. They had the St Croix Panfish rods where I went, and several nice Shimano UL rods. I ended up going with the Shimano Convergeance 6' UL. I liked the handle on that better than the St Croix, and I like the fact it was cheaper LOL. Paired it with a 1000 size Shimano Sedona, and since they didn't have either of the lines I wanted (Red Label FC, and 4lb Power Pro) I went with 4lb green Berkley Nanofil, and 4lb Stren fluorocast for leaders. Also picked up some chatter baits, SK swimbait jig heads, and VMC wacky jigs, and another jar of 1" Gulp! minnows.

That's pretty much how I do it. 3/16,1/4 and sometimes 3/8's ounce baits on a medium power/fast action. 3/8's - 1 oz. on MH/fast.

7'11" H power, mod. fast St Croix Mojo. It's a beast. Takes a reel a little on the heavy side to balance it. I have mine paired with a Shimano Cruxis 201, that's a 9+ oz. reel. Is it perfectly balanced and feathery light .........nope, but it has great sensitivity when paired with braid, is well made, and is affordable. And I am pretty sure I could pull a mini-van out of the slop with it.

A modest Tackle Warehouse order.....A pair of Strike King S11 sunglasses, some VMC heavy duty flipping hooks, and a spool of 17lb Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon.......now my transition from Trilene 100% to Seaguar is complete.

As do I, but I have hauled them out of some pretty thick stuff with the Avid. I don't think non-St Croix users realize how powerful a stick it is and are misled by the "MH" rating Croix puts on it. If it weren't for the MF action of my H powered flipping stick, I wouldn't even own a H power St Croix, they are beyond broomsticks, and I don't care for them at all. Before I switched over to St Croix, I fished my frogs and toads on other brands H powered rods (Kistler, Fenwick, BPS etc...) and honestly the Avid is more rod than all of them, yet people have no problem recommending, using and labeling those rods as "Frog" rods.

What size VMC are you using for Havoc Pit bosses and Havoc Slop craws. I was thinking 5/0. This will be the first year I will use those baits. I used a 5/0 Trokar , and a 4/0 Gamkatsu on RI Sweet beavers in the past. The Pit Boss worries me, as it's a little "beefier" in the body than a RI Beaver, and I want to have enough bite with the hook.

I fish hollow bodies on the same rod I fish soft plastic "toads". It cast's both fine. I don't understand the thinking that it's good for one but not the other. To me, it's a great rod for both.

I don't know how you can even keep from wetting your pants in pure fear facing that type of cover without a Dobyns rod.

If some one would like to pay-pal me $80 to buy him the re-arm kit, I'll push him in the water while taking a video to put on you-tube............for research purposes of coarse.

Now how can that be??? Don't you know that every single Dobyns rod is made with a special little bit of magic. I heard it was from the tears of anyone who's hopes and dreams have been crushed by daring to fish against the army of pro-staffers that uses the best brand of fishing rod every bestowed on man.

Same, except I have a few Legend Tournaments too. I don't get too worked up by the "Dobyn-ites". Go to any bass fishing forum and you'll see them flapping there lips on why every other rod sucks, it's actually pretty comical.

I didn't care for it. When I was searching for a good low-cost flouro to use for leader material after I decided to quit using Vanish and Trilene 100%, it was one I tried because our local Wal-Mart carried it. One brief weeknight outing using 15lb pitching plastics into zebra mussel incrusted milfoil pockets, and it was chewed up bad every half dozen pitches, where as Red Label, and Trilene were not. After spending more time re-tying then fishing that night, that spool went straight into the garbage, and Vicious has been added to the list of lines I won't use even it was free (along with Spidrewire Fluorobraid, Vanish in anything bigger than 10lb test, and Yo-zuri hybrid) Seaguar Red Label for the same money is much much better. I rate the Vicious lower than Vanish in quality, and most people hate Vanish (I don't under 10lb, I just like Red Label better)

Personally I like jigs better in these situations and in no particular order or combination......cold water, dirty water, hard cover, deep water, and in the fall. When I tend to use plastics more, also in no particular order or combination, is in clear water, warm water, heavy grass, shallow water, and behind a guy fishing a jig. But there are times when I prefer one or the other, but the fish tell me other wise. I don't try to argue with them, I usually have a jig, and several plastic presentations rigged up at all times, unless they are obviously biting one much better than the other.

Find them with a crankbait, clean up with a jig.

Can some one who has both the Trokar, and VMC hook in the 5/0 size post a picture of them side by side for comparison purposes? Or at the very least, if you have used the VMC post your thoughts on it? I am interested in the new VMC hook and have not seen one in person yet. I have been impressed with VMC's offerings lately and was considering going with these hooks this time over the Trokars. I like the fact the eye is sealed shut on the VMC, and that is a needle type point, and not a "cutting point" like the Trokars have. I tried the Gamakatsu flipping hooks last year, good hook...............bad keeper. I like the Trokars keeper, but I don't like that the eye is not seald shut, and the points durability leaves a little to be desired.

The tape on the reel spool trick is your friend when learning to skip with casting equipment too.

As soon as the ice is gone. It's feast or famine that early for me. I usually target smallmouth first, as they are a little more active in cold water. I won't even wet a line until I see signs of life on the graph. I start looking in deep water close to spawning areas. If it's windy, and I mark fish on or close to the bottom, I'll drift and drag a tube, football jig or drop shot through the areas I marked fish, if it's calm, I will dead stick a drop shot, often dropping to marks I see on the graph, or painstakingly slow fish a small finesse jig. If they are suspended over deep water, a light wacky jig if it's calm, or suspending jerkbait if there is a little wind gets the nod. If I just can't get the smallmouth to play, I pull up on the edges of large weed flats and toss lipless cranks, and jerkbaits around for what ever will chase them..........usually things with teeth, but often a bass or two. Or I go looking for panfish. I don't even bother with largemouth until the water gets into the high 40's, which usually is about a week or two after ice out in the back water area's if we have had steady warming weather and night time temps that don't keep falling well below freezing, and up to a month on the main lake. And even then that mid to upper 40's temps are hit and miss..........timing is everything. Once it gets to, and holds in the low 50's is when I can almost call my shots, and just keeps getting better from there.

Get the Medium.

You didn't say what you planned on using that rod for, now I don't want to tell you how to spend your money, but if your looking for an "all purpose" spinning rod set up a MH powered spinning rod from St Croix is a poor choice. I fish exclusively with St Croix's now and am a big fan of there products. They are very stout and powerful MH rods, and ill suited for line less than 12lb mono or fluoro, or 20lb braid. Not to mention it won't load and cast baits small than 1/4 oz very well. If that's not the case and your looking for a spinning rod to fish heavier line, baits and cover it would be a fine choice, but If your looking for a more general purpose set up, a medium power Croix would be better IMHO.

I am a big Yamamoto fan, but the Ika's are not anything special to me. I have used them, I have caught fish on them. They work, but they are just another bait, nothing magic. In fact, I don't even have any right now, and I'm not too worried about it.

I was blowing live-well pump fuses quite often one year. The only way to avoid it was to change the pump. Once they start going bad it's a never ended struggle. Putting a bigger fuse in it not a good idea, not only could you damage the pump, but possibly the wiring. Burnt, melting wires hidden in the bowels of the boat somewhere from drawing too many amps is a most undesirable situation. Yeah putting a bigger fuse in could be a cheap easy fix, but how cheap would it be if you have to tear up the boat to find another problem it caused? As to finding 4 amp fuses, I found them at both my local Napa stores. Something like $3 for a 5 pack.

I use the Flambeau Z-rust boxes that are about the same size as the Plano 3600's. One for flipping jigs, one for finesse jigs, one for football jigs, one for swimming jigs. Sorted by size and color in the boxes. Extra jigs are kept in there packages in a Rubbermaid tote at home, and I restock the boxes as certain items dwindle. Simple, cheap, effective.