Bassaholic

Hey can any of you spinophiles do this with your reels?

I'm no expert but here's my take. I'm just 25 but I've been fishing for about 24 of those years. For most of those early years I used spinning gear exclusively and was basically happy with it. But about 10yrs ago I got my first baitcaster and it really opened my eyes. I suddenly was able to fish certain techniques that I wasn't able to before. Flipping jigs, 1/2oz spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, frogs and crankbaits just were never easy to fish on normal spinning gear. Now sure if you're content with just using #7 jointed Rapalas and lures under 1/4oz all the time then stick with spinning gear. But if you want to be able to fish different techniques and not struggle with it then I'd recommend a good baitcaster to any new bass angler. Bottom line is personally I'd never go back to just using all spinning gear. But I still love my spinning reels for tubes, dropshots and other light plastics...oh and like garry said if anyone has been influenced by some of the "advice" given here and now want to sell their "overrated" baitcasters I'll gladly take them off their hands for $5.50.

When someone asks me why I need all the different rods and reels I have I explain it like this. Try to think of it like golf. Tiger Woods could probably play 18 holes with just a driver and a putter but would he be as good compared to if he had a full set of clubs? Of course not. Now that 6'6"M spinning combo is going to cover you for alot of things. But what if one day out on the "course" you need to burn a 1/2oz+ spinnerbait for smallies or drag a 4lbs largemouth thats covered in 2lbs of slop out of a jungle of weeds? Is that the best "club" for those situations? That being said, I dont think you or I or any non-pro NEEDS a combo to cover EVERY situation and there's alot of set-ups that can be multi-purpose and only a few techniques that require specific gear. The main one that I think of is cranks. A slow-mod action rod seems to work best for cranks.........of course I'm still going to buy as much gear as I possible can.

Some good advice from one of the best bass fishermen in the world.

That's a beautiful fish. I love fishing small streams for browns too and can't imagine doing anything else on opening weekend. I was planning on getting out Sunday and Monday but with all this rain my stream is way to high and fast. I also have an ongoing feud of at least 4 years with a big brown in my stream. Hopefully I'll be able to out smart him this year and post a report on here too.

I dropped $400 on 2 rods at LB 2 weeks ago. But they were having their no-tax sale so I also saved some $...at least thats what I was telling myself as I punched in my pin.

Next we'll be hearing how gobies and asian carp have rights too!

Why not just raise our early season daily limit? We're already at 10 down here but 12-15 wouldn't be unreasonable, would it? It's better than having them oil the eggs, which I heard they already did in some areas last spring?!?

You should have no problem casting a 5" senko on a good MH baitcast rod. A standard 5" senko should weigh around 3/8oz...at least all the ones I have do. So they should load fine on a MH fast to extra fast rod but would be too heavy for most ML rods. Also what kind of cover are you fishing? Because I wouldn't use one and I dont think many other people would suggest using a ML rod in heavy cover like weeds or timber and if you're like me and thats the kind of stuff you're tossing you're senkos into then I think you're going to be in trouble if you go with a ML.

I fish for bass mostly. But I wouldn't be against catching a musky or a walleye...anything with teeth really. We'll be close to the University but I'll go anywhere on the river as long as its fishable from shore. Actually I'd be willing to travel alittle ways if there's any other good spots close to the city that are fishable from shore. Thanks for the help already guys.

I need some help...I'm going to be in Peterborough for the weekend to move my girlfriend home from school. I'm going to have some time to kill on Saturday well she packs things up so I thought about hitting the Otanbee River. I've never fished it before and dont know anything about. What species are in it? What area would be the best to try? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Great job! I really enjoyed it because I do 90% of my fishing on small lakes just like that...actually we probably fish alot of the same water. Can't wait for the next one.

Where are you going to be fishing? I think that'll play a big part in how you fish them. There's a big difference between chasing smallies over a hump in 20+ FOW on Erie than smallies in a shield lake that are under a blow down, a dock or a few boulders in 6 FOW.

These have roughly the same design as the HMNG popper and they're half the price. I have a couple and they're absolutely stunning. They're a functional piece of art. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewmbpopmax.html

This won best in show for Hard Lures??? http://www.mystictackleworks.com/index.html

That's a sweet pick up! Quite the step up from a Citica. I'd love to get a Calais some day...except mine will have the handle on the "right" side.

I think the ratio really comes down to the water you're fishing. Especially if you're fishing from shore like you said you were. But one thing I'll suggest you try to do is cover more water and fish something alittle faster than a senko...at least to start. Next time maybe start off with a spinnerbait or a crankbait. If you're fishing in the morning or evening try a buzzbait. Work a section of the shore with a reaction type bait and target the aggressive fish first. But let the fish tell you what they want. If you have no takers and the fish dont seem active then go back to where you started and re-work that area with a senko or a jig. This is exactly what I did tonight. Started with a buzz but they didn't want it so I switched to a jig and they started hammering it. Caught 1 in 30 mins throwing the buzz and then 10 in an hour using the jig. They were mostly dinks, biggest was maybe 2lbs. But 2 weeks ago I fished the same area with a buzzbait and didn't have to switch because they were aggressive and I caught probably 20 in 2 hours.

I've got the JDM verison of both these reels and I think they're awesome reels. Whats your primary technique for this reel going to be? Because I feel the Chronarch B(Metanium XT) is better suited for moving baits like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and cranks. But like Urban Fisherman said the Chronarch Mg(Scorpion Mg) seems to be better at flipping and pitching jigs, or anything that requires more "feel". So my suggestion...neither...I think the JDM verison of the Core looks like the best of both worlds and could be the reel you're looking for. It's at the top of my list of reels I "need" lol. And if you look you can find them for just alittle more than a Chronarch B. IF you're interested send me a PM and I'll send you a link to some online vendors.

That's really funny. I had the exact same thing happen to me last weekend. Except I had to do minor surgery on mine. I pulled it out with a pair of pliers. I've seen them barf up alot of stuff too but I've never seen an almost intact claw sticking out the LOL. Then last night I had another weird incident. I caught a small bass that seemed to have something large and very solid stuck crossways in its stomach. It was really bulging out on both sides and I wish I had my camera with me so I could have got a picture. It looked very strange.

I've fished buzz frogs/toads pretty consistently over the last 2 summers and I've learned that it really helps with the hookset if you keep your rod tip high, like at a 10 or 11 o'clock position. With the rod tip that high you really cant get a good strong hookset. So that forces you to drop the rod to load up for a good swing which gives you those few seconds to make sure the fish has it and gives the fish time to take it in. It takes some getting used to because most other topwater lures/presentations(spooks, poppers, buzzbaits) are fished rod tip down or alittle above horivontal. Anyway great report and those are some nice bass. Nothing beats watching them blast those buzz frogs/toads.

Sounds like you had a great time. I love Weslemkoon, I've been going up there for 15 years. It's given me countless wonderful memories just like yours. I actually caught my PB largemouth out of there a few years ago. What part of the lake were are you on?

Congrats on the PB. Great way to start off the season.