ww2farmer

6'8" M/XF. It's pretty much the "do-all" rod in St Croix's line up. I have a few Legend Tournaments, but not in that perticular rod, mine is a Mojo, but all my other LTB's are outstanding, I can't help but think that one would not be either.

As some one who has owned Kistlers, that's about right, the Mag TS series would be fantastic $100-$125 rods, at there current price point, there is more bang for the buck elsewhere.

I will take all of the "hated" Mojo's off peoples hands that want to get rid of them.

Same baits I use on T-rigs when I pitch or flip. It's just a rigging option, I don't have a whole nother set of baits dedicated to it.

Nice, I have yet to catch my accidental fall walleye, and time is running out.

I have always been more successfull covering water than soaking baits......besides I can't stand stand to let them sit there for too long. Most of my bites are on the inital fall or after it hits the bottom and I shake or hop it once or twice. In grass I ususally flip/pitch to the target, a hop or shake, then on to the next hole/pocket/etc... with docks and wood I make multiple cast to each, trying to hit every branch,post,, or any other bassy looking spots, and ususally a couple to the same spots at different angles too.

Early Spring: SK red eye shad Late Spring: SK 5xd Summer: SK 6xd Fall: SK KVD 2.5

Reaction Innovations, Sweet and Smallie beavers are all I fish as far as beaver baits go. I use the same colors I use in the rest of my soft plastics, Black/blue, Junebug, Green pumpkin, and watermelon/red.

Yes, always for for me.

Before I paid much attention to things like this, 15 years ago I used to fish them alot in the spring, BUT LOL, I never knew they were floaters, I just thought they were like any other crank I had at the time, when you cranked it dove, when you stopped it floated up. You can imagine the shock I was in when I lost my last one to a pike and all the replacements I bought sank. They also used to make a floating deep diving trap, looked like a regular trap, but it had a bill like a diving crankbait. I caught many a pre spawn bass on those in the late 80's/early 90's.

Money no issue = Custom built 7'11" H/MF St Croix SCV flipping stick, for flipping, and a 7'6" MH/MF St Croix SCV for pitching.

Same ones I use in the rest of the year.

I like Strike King.........big suprise, lol. Specificly, the tour grade painted blade, and KVD's that are BPS exclusive.

One of my favorite baits is a SK Red eye shad, I have one that has caught so many fish both eyes have fallen off, and it continues to catch. This bait is some what of an old timer in my collection, in that it has NOT been bit off in 5-6 years of fishing it, even though I have caught tons of pike on it........but it will be now LOL.

I toss senkos, both weighted and weightless on 3 different rigs, depending on cover,water clarity, depth etc... a 6'8 M/XF St Croix Mojo spinning rod, a 7' M/F St Croix LTB casting rod , and a 7 MH/F St Croix LTB casting rod.

We have a few area lakes where most of the bass don't get that big LOL. Thankfully not the one I live by.

I have two scales, a $300+ Equalizer scale that I use at the weigh-ins for the tournaments I run. I think every tournament I have ever been to, the guy/club putting it on had the same scale. I also have a $20 Berkley handheld digital scale. Fish weigh the same on both scales, just a tad light maybe on the handheld, good enough for me. The only time I ever had an issue with the Berkley handhelds is when the batteries go dead. This fish in my profile pic weighed 6lbs 10oz. on the handheld, and 6.68lbs/6-10 on the equalizer..like I said, good enough for me.

I would get the 6'8" Medium/extra-fast Mojo, for those techniques, I have that rod and use it in similar fashion, and it's just right IMHO. The 6/8 M/XF is more of an "all purpose rod" than the 6'9" ML/XF. The Symetre is a great reel, the 2500 size is what I would get.

No two years are the same. Water temp has alot to do with it. What where the temps/condition last vs. this year? I have had good topwater days well into late october, some years better than others. I have heard it said before that 50 degree surface temp is the starting or stopping point for topwater. I have not really tested that theory, because by the time the water is in the low 50's here I have moved on to doing something else anyway.

IMHO.........no, not for the 3/4 oz baits you want to toss. Unless the water you fish is cover free. If your going to run straight fluorocarbon I would run at least 15lb, and 17 or 20 if the cover is really nasty. I don't use fluoro as a main line, I use braid with, most of the time tied straight to the spinnerbait, it's not a finesse presentation where line visability matters much. 20lb on my M power/fast action rod for the lighter spinnerbaits I toss (3/16, 1/4 oz.) and 30lb on my MH power/fast action rod with the heavier baits. If the cover is real nasty I will throw them on another MH/fast rod I have with 50lb braid.

Is there more to the story, or is it you guys just decided to "hike" into some un-known woods on a whim. Who owns them? Do you have permission to be there, is it public use land? I saw in your post that you and your friend are high school aged kids...........kids your age do questionable things, don't tresspass, even if it's just to "look" around.

As some one who has bought and traded many items here, there is no way in h-e double L would I send some one something without it beeing paid for as a seller, nor as a buyer would I expect ANY seller to do the same. I hate to be so blunt, but that was a dumb move on your part, and a rather sleezy move on the other guy's end as well. Could it be lost, stolen, etc...sure anything is possable, but 9 times out of 10 "lost in the mail" is BS. If this buyer is such a upstanding and well respected member here, he should come on and explain his side, if not, it makes him look bad. Honestly..........I think you might have been hosed.

Having never been to Pickwick I can't recomend things that work well there, every lake has it's own little thing where something works there, often very well, that is maybe just so so somewhere else, or maybe what kills them on lake X, will haul water there. BUT........smallmouth being smallmouth, the five things I would take anywhere and have a resonable expectation to catch them would be: 4" senko, rig it any way you want suspending hard jerkbait of your choice 3.5" tube Top water popper and a 4" straight tail finesse worm like a zoom, robo, etc....and again rigging options are many, drop shot it, shaky head, c-rig, texas rig, etc...

I have good results in late fall/early winter, and late winter/early spring, basicly and time the water here drops into the low 50's till freeze up, and from ice out till it warms into the mid/upper 50's with plain old boring, cheap, Strike king bitsy jigs. Pick a color based on your water clarity, black, black/blue etc...for stained water, and the greens, the browns, and craw colors for clearer water. If I am pitching or flipping them into heavy cover I will use the bitsy flip, it has a stouter black nickle hook, and it's a suprisingly good hook for a jig that's less than $2. 3/8's is my "default" size, and will go up to the 1/2 or down to the 1/4 if I see a need, If the cover is sparse I use the regular bitsy jig, the hook is ok for a while, but it's bronze, and will rust, and get dull. But they are cheap enough I just toss them out when they are getting beat up. I use these jigs mostly on spinning tackle, and 1/8, 3/16 are my favorites, but like with the bitsy flip will go up the 1/4 or down to the 1/16th if I think conditions warrant. I use the 3.75" GYCB baby craws or the Strike King KVD Jr sized chunk, both matched in color to the jig. Are there alot "better" quality finesse jigs out there? Yes. But dang, I have caught SOOOOO many fish on those, and never really had any QC issues with them, and like I said they are cheap. I can afford to have dozens of them, and not get bent about it when one breaks off, or gets trashed. And if your not hanging jigs up once in a while, your not fishing them where you should be. Now, I am also fishing these jigs around wood, docks, and grass, if rocks/gravel etc.. is the deal where your going to be fishing, you might want to look into a football head jig. I use the Strike King tour grade finesse football head jigs for this, same basic principle on colors/water clarity, same trailers, etc...as the bitsy jigs.

You never mentioned your choice of rod, but braid will only do so much, there comes a point where higher quality rods will be the only way to "feel" more. I have a few $50 Berkley Lightning rod shocks, decent rods for the money, but even with braid they are still not in the same leauge for feel as my St Croix's. I