Weeds

Howdy all, season greetings, Happy happy, etc, etc.... I recently picked myself up a 7 foot medium light St. Croix spinning rod. In recent years I've done very little fishing with a spinning outfit. A few years back I purchased a MH baitcasting set up and ever since it seems to have been almost something of an arms race; as I developed a real love of musky fishing the rods just got bigger and heavier, even when fishing for bass. So this something of a return to the beginning for me. I had planned on using this rod fishing for bass and panfish, chucking absolutley everything that seemed a little light for the MH baitcaster, things like tubes, unweighted senkos and plastics (I have really no experience with any of them) tiny crankbaits and small inline spinners. Is this rod to light for such applications? Anybody else using a medium light spinning rod these days? The current trend definately is for Medium heavy and Heavy baitcasting sticks and I feel that these rods really might be limiting/eliminating the use of alot of effective lures. I'd also appreciate it if anyone could recommend a good spinning reel keeping in mind that this outfit is geared towards light line and lures. Thanks, Ross

I like the show and without having ever met him I'd have to say I like Dave too. But.....waaaay too much product placement. I mean way too much. It undermines your credibility when every other sentence involves either Rappala, Shimano or Berkley. I still think it's a cool show and I'd love to have the sponsors that he has and I understand he has to pay the bills the same as everyone else but I mean....Sheesh. I dunno. I liked watching Musky hunter with Jim Saric too until the other day when there was a 5 minute tribute to Ranger boats. Eventually it gets almost insulting. Nothing like paying good money for WFN and getting advertising in return. Where's that cheese? P.S. I did enjoy watching him put a good whippin on Scott Martin (Whom I also like).

Scored myself a brand new St. Croix 7 foot medium light for 70 bucks, no tax. Good luck finding a retailer that can beat the OFC classifieds, boxing day or any other! No line up either. Considered hitting Bass pro for all of a half second for a reel before deciding to wait; after all, Spring is a good 3 monthes off and I also found Basspro's specials a bit lacking. Anyone know when they have their trade a reel in day kind of thing?

Go big or go home. I love 80lb braid, you'll never have a birdsnest you can't untangle and very few lures that you can't drag off the bottom. Pair it with your leader of choice in the appropriate length and you can fish for anything, panfish through musky. Just my 2 cents. Trust me, you'll love it.

Whoah. One thing's for sure. That is one big bass.

What would be a better option, especially if you do no trolling, similar price?

I know it's probably not a popular choice for a musky reel but I find my high speed Curado DHSV works pretty well for picking up slack when working a Suick and great for burning smaller bucktails (ounce, maybe ounce and a half). Maybe big Bulldawgs might be a bit too much for it. I've got a C3 too, retrieve is slower but a good reel with pulling power.

35 million is a pretty good size target market. Besides, lots of companies have Canadian sites in addition to their American sites. It's not like you have to have just one or the other.

I'm really all not that eager for any of Irishfields stink cheese here but having said that, how hard would it be to have a Canadian version of the site? When you consider how many people shop at the Vaughn location you'd think it reasonable to have a website that accurately reflects what the prices are. You are really in for a shock on your first visit if you think prices even remotely resemble a straight conversion.

I'm pretty sure GCD has one, shoot him a PM maybe. I've got a BPS graphite musky rod too and I think it's awful. My St. Croix's sure are sweet though..........

Rob Ray. All part of the game.

Great report, thanks! Makes me desperate to get out and catch one; been ages for me. Nice pics too.

Kind of makes you wonder how many guys he's kicked in the face when the whole world wasn't watching. So much for martial arts instilling a sense of discipline.

I managed a decent musky this morning on a storm curly tailed swim shad; it came as part of a spinnerbait but I removed the wire and blades and just hooked it straight up to my leader. Sinks like a stone but you can cast it a mile (2ish ounces) and that single hook makes for a really easy release.

Nice Fish! Looks like a great day out to me.

Does not look like it's offered in a lefty. Nice looking reel though, anybody tried/got one?

A word of caution. Berkley has intentionally designed the product to react in a manner very similar to the mentos in a coke bottle phenomenom. Putting a Gulp shiner in a Gulp Shad solution will cause a violent gyser like explosion; expelling the entire 20 dollars worth contents of the tub and soaking each angler in oh so tasty GULP!!!l Try it and you'll see.

The causeway looks like it has some promise to me. Probably close to a km long, you can walk and fish both sides of it, park for free at the far end of it and theres a pretty decent tackle shop at the other end of it. (got my magic suick there). Lots of Carp too if that's your bag. Sorry though, no pike....

Time to wake up and get rolling!! Awesome catch man!

A pile of musky for Canada Day, pretty sweet!! Nice Report.

Well thanks for the encouragement gents....I'll try and get a more standard me and the fish pic next time. If I'm lucky maybe tonight. Although I really should be working.

Looks like an awesome day.

Is this right? Yep. After 20 something edits. Told you it was a real crappy pic, looks a little like a sardine. How does every one take such cool shots, only reason I even had the camera out was I figured he might hit again. Normally I'm kind of in a panic to get to get it unhooked and back in the water. I need a tripod or something. A fishing buddy would probably do too.

Allright, but only cause you asked for it....probably take me less time to catch a ski than figure out how to post the pic, but give me a second here....

Well, yesterday I decided I'd switch things up and give musky fishing a bit of a break and try for bass (which I can't seem to catch for the life of me) so I started the day tossing a 1/4 ounce jig and worm. My very first cast into a weedbed and a small perch takes the bait, and as I real it in a musky hits it maybe 5 feet from shore, was super cool to see as I've heard about it happening to others but never experienced it. Very, very cool. Almost immediately he bites through the line; I made no attempt to reel him in as my drag is set way to tight and theres 6lb mono on the ugly stik and I know a prolonged stress cause these guys to belly up. After a minute of basking in the experience I wonder if he'll strike again so I toss out the Suick on the Jerkbait rod. Strike he does, at least I'm assuming it was the same fish, and I land myself a chunky 36'er. This Suick has got to be the best lure ever, it's pulling musky out of spots I've been blanked at countless times before. Next time I'm down in Toronto I wanna give it a go for pike (which I can't seem to catch either). Sorry, actually took a pic (crummy) but can't remember how to upload them. Well, Cheers....