WaskaCrank12

Most of the rods I own are in the $100 to $200 range - when I started out I did so with low end/yard sale rods - the two differences I have found between the low end/yard sale rods and these middle tier rods I have are: -My shoulders and elbows don't scream at me and ache like they did from using the lower end rods -Once hooked, my getting the fish into the boat ratio has jumped quite a bit with the middle tier rods (so technically I am catching more fish with them - or probably better to say landing those fish) I do not have any higher end rods right now, but my guess is, like many have said, there is a point where there is a diminishing return once you get above a certain level of rod/price -- some people enjoy the luxury of driving a top of the line Lexus, while others get to the same destination in a well worn 25 year old base model Corolla

Update - Ice is "out" on the larger local lake (over 8000 acres, "ice out" was declared April 9th, over the past 109 years of records it seems the average "ice out" is approx. April 21/22 - yet is has been as early as March 20 and as late as May 15) - I saw a few boats out on the water and a guy near the ramp taking his boat out of the water - he said the surface of the water is clear of ice yet there is still some ice floating under the water, so he was careful and went slow, basically just to check out his motor and make sure everything on the boat was in working order The two other lakes closest to me (4000 acres and 1800 acres) both still, surprisingly, have ice on them - the 4000 acre lake still has about 80% coverage (not sure how thick it is) The temps are supposed to be in the high 50's this weekend so I hope to "un-winterize" the boat and hopefully get it on the water to test out the motor and make sure everything is in working order - none of the docks are in so it is a bit tricky to secure the boat (when parking the truck/going to get the truck) with nothing to really tie it to or keep it from getting in to the rocks (I don't have power poles) - so I will see - at the very least I could back it in and run the motor a bit with the boat still on the trailer

From Amazon Japan - ordered and received a few weeks ago - with the tariffs coming it seems like a good move now (at least that is what the Bait Monkey is telling me)

A Shimano Vanford and some SeaGuar line from Amazon Japan Ordered and received it a few weeks ago - with tariffs coming it seems my timing was good (at least that is the story the Bait Monkey is telling me....)

@gim that would be great if getting on the water in the boat could happen in the next 10 days or so.....but as @10,000 lakes Bassin mentioned many of the lakes (my guess is central MN and north) still have quite a bit of ice on them and night time temps are still around 20....here there is some open water showing yet there are also large areas where there is still a foot or so of ice....the big winds in this storm helped break up ice closer to the shorelines....if the sun comes out that will be a bonus as we now have over 12 hours of day light and that light is having more of an impact on melting the ice/snow....even mid to high 30's with full sun would be good

We ended up with about 14 inches of heavy/high water content snow...as usual here it all depends on the wind...the top of the driveway had over 22 inches, the lower portion only about 10 inches...it's the first time in my 19 years here that the snow thrower struggled a bit to auger/toss the snow because it is so heavy/wet...cleared the driveway and downspout areas but I am going to take a break before clearing the deck/truck/boat cover...might use the roof rake as well as this is a big snow load on the roof

Smallmouth Bass above was caught with a Megabass Griffon MR-X in GG Baby Bass color My PB Largemouth was just shy of 20 inches and caught on a Netbaits Paca Chunk Sr. in Sun Gill color on a 1/16oz CORE Tackle Hover Rig (if I can find the pic I will post it) **I have purchased a cheaper scale and will look at using that this coming season as it seems weight is preferred over measuring ?

Well...spring was trying to arrive....we are getting hit pretty hard with this snow/ice/wind storm....we have about 7 inches of snow right now and they are saying another 5 to 7 inches will fall thru tomorrow morning....wet/high water content/ heavy snow and a glaze of ice mixed in....good thing I kept the snow thrower gassed up and ready !...although it won't be throwing this heavy snow very far....

Although there has been ice melt around here and some open water (maybe 15 to 20 feet from the shoreline) I saw between 20 and 30 people out on the ice auguring holes, sitting on buckets and fishing....I think they are nuts !!

The 20% off at Kittery Trading Post does not seem to work for reels (I tried Shimano and Daiwa)...but the Bait Monkey says that should not stop me from purchasing some Megabass lures at 20% off...trying...to...resist......................

I have ordered and received two EDGE rods from EDGE/NFC - both are high quality rods. With that said both rods took a while to get to me, yet I was aware of that upfront as in my confirmation email it said 8 to 10 weeks. It ended up being a bit more than that yet it was fine as the lakes here in MN are frozen. One rod came with a bent/crushed guide (disappointing yet hard to tell if it occurred in manufacturing/packing/shipping ?). I emailed, with pictures, and within a few days had a return label and sent the rod back. It did take time, about 6 weeks, to get the rod fixed/back to me, yet that was within the timeline they had communicated to me. The second rod actually came a bit earlier than anticipated (a rep had called me to let me know I missed the first run of the rods being made but my order would be put in to the second round of production, perhaps someone cancelled their order and mine got bumped in to the first run ?). The quality of the product is excellent, the work is being done in the USA, and the pricing is very reasonable for the quality of the rods. Certainly your experience has been different than mine and I can understand your frustrations. With that said my experience has, overall, been a positive one with EDGE/NFC.

It makes a lot of sense to have a boat safety course - same with firearm/ATV courses - from my perspective there are no downsides to these courses - yes it is an investment of time/money, yet that is for the safety of the operator and all those who are around them - increasing knowledge and skill is always a positive

Thank you @Choporoz @J Francho @Brian11719 @WRB for the information and expertise...I have a Vanford C3000 that I will bump over from another rod and will seek out/purchase another reel for the second rod - most likely an Ultegra 2500/3000 or if I can find a good deal on a Stradic/Vanford I may do that -- I have Sufix 832 and will look to purchase some of the 8lb yozuri hybird leader - thank you for the info on what techniques you have used the rods for - we have mostly clear water here in MN so the ability to cast further from the boat is a plus, and as noted the 7'3" rod should help me do that

A minimum of a 1/2 gallon of water and extra ice - a gatorade/iced tea or if it is cold a thermos with hot coffee - dry roasted peanuts, banana, orange - if it is a longer day out I will pack flat bread with peanut butter/raisins or turkey - try to keep it simple and relatively quick/easy to consume items

Thank you for posting these vids and information - inspiring me to get back on the path as I roll in to year 2 of my sixth decade - I have been using creatine and whey protein yet will have to look more into the other supplements - I need to dust off the kettlebells and crank up the Air Assault stationary bike !

I too purchased the MN conservation fishing license (recommended to me last year by @gim). Over the winter I have purchased a few used rods/reels and despite my saying I was not going to purchase more baits/lures the Bait Monkey dug into me - So no more as of today ! ! Last year, due to motor issues, I was not able to get on the water until August 10th - those issues should all be resolved - so I hope to get on the water as soon as it is open (to search for panfish, I have an Okuma Celio rod and Shimano Miravel reel that @MN Fisher had recommended to me last year). Right now the area lakes still have thick ice on them. There was not a lot of snow cover this winter so the ice was over two feet thick. Friday it was 60 degrees, yesterday was a blizzard, today it is in the teens and it seems the temps will be below 32 at night at least into early April - so ice out might be delayed. I think it would be wonderful if MN went with an earlier bass C&R window of time. With the overall on the water time here in MN as short as it is -- to be able to fish for bass once the water is open would be nice.

Hello @Choporoz - thank you for the questions - -I have tied a few leaders, braid to floro, yet most often I have used straight braid (I am only going into my third year of boat/bass fishing so I am learning/trying new things all the time) - I am open to trying leaders more often if they work well with the rods/guides on these rods -I purchased the rods so I could have a good range of lure/bait weights to throw (1/16 to 5/8 across the two rods) - I would be looking at using the rods with a variety of baits across that range - from hair jigs to soft plastics/swimbaits to square bills (I am still learning what rods pair best with specific baits and techniques) -I will be fishing primarily in two natural lakes (one about 9,000 acres, one about half of that size) - lots of weeds/grass here in MN - yet also a fair amount of deeper open water Thank you in advance for your time and expertise !

Friday it was 60 and sunny here - Saturday it was 18, blizzard conditions with 55 mph winds (got about 6 inches of snow) - Today (Sunday) it is 18 and sunny with 5 mph winds - although there had been some melting of the ice on the lakes (maybe small amounts of open water 3 to 6 feet from the shoreline, near water inlets/drains) there is still plenty of melting that will need to take place before the over 2 feet thick ice is off the area lakes here - although day time temps will start to rise above freezing it looks like the night time temps will be below freezing until at least early April here

Hello - I have recently purchased two gently used St. Croix Victory spinning rods (7'1" M-F --"Finesse" and a 7'3" ML- XF --"Max-Light-Weight"). I you have either (or both) of these rods: -- What reels are you using ? What reels would you recommend ? -- What line are you using ? What line would you recommend ? Any other thoughts (techniques you use these rods for) would be welcome. Thank you !

I learned this from @gim last year -- so I do the same -- overall a good deal if you are primarily doing C&R

Only going into my third year of boat bass fishing and I have all spinning set-ups (and 1 bait casting set-up) - I have been giving that bait casting set-up an opportunity (practicing in the yard, ect...) yet it has not worked out well to this point (ie, many line blow-ups/birds nests) - I live in a high wind area and the spinning set-ups have worked out well for me - I really enjoy throwing medium to deep crank baits - and I do this on spinning set-ups as well (iRod Kaimana Coastal - Heavy/Moderate and a Daiwa Rebellion - Heavy/Moderate) - there are several factors in my choosing spinning set-ups at this point - 1. I am starting this fishing journey later in life and spinning gear has proven itself easier to use, 2. I fish in a very windy area which has made the bait caster set-up a real challenge (and I was spending quite a bit of $$ purchasing line due to the birds nests/blow-ups) 3. Our on the water season here in MN is very short and I want to enjoy the on the water time as much as possible (not untangling line) - As many have mentioned it is really what is best for you and your current situation - for me that current situation means spinning set-ups (I will continue to noodle around with the bait caster a bit)

I do not have power poles or spot lock (hoping someday to have spot lock, need to save up some $$) so I use an #18 anchor if I want to stay in a specific area (also can be used in an emergency) .....it's a hassle, yet it works for now....I typically use it a couple of times each trip...I am strongly considering purchasing the box anchor @A-Jay has in his boat

Today it is 60 here in west central MN....but on tap for tomorrow -- blizzard conditions with 55 mph winds, snow and 9 degree temps -- later today I will make sure the snow thrower fires up and that everything is battened down tight in anticipation of the screaming winds

I had nothing but wind knots, break offs and other problems with SpiderWire - so I use any leftover rolls I have for other purposes (ie, tying up trash bags before putting them in the bin) - Sufix 832 and Daiwa Samurai have been very good for me