Reports of some light mayfly hatches from the mid/lower portion of the lake two nights ago. Not to bring the mood down lol

A lot of guys, including me, use the navionics premium “north” chip. You’ll appreciate it on pepin, thats where I use it most.

Green mirror is designed for river fishing according to their site so thats what I did. Its an amber lens so it took some getting used to. Awesome glasses.

Think shallow. Great time of year, for big numbers of 15-20″ fish especially.

In a previous post regarding this motor, Dean mentioned he got one and used it for the LPO tournament and was pleased thus far.

I would even argue its some of the best fishing of the whole year for numbers of fish. Good luck!

I don’t run either of them yet, but the “jog” feature on the xi5 will be an awesome function to whoever goes motor guide. It allows you you to reposition 5 ft in any direction from a spot lock by hitting arrow keys one time. Imagine that on wingdams!

Army corps had 40.4 as of 8am today.

I should have noted, the cranks I use most are #5 shad raps and #7 minnow raps. Most common jigs are 3/32 and 1/8 oz. Good luck with your choice!

Last year I bought a 7′ MLF extreme and have really liked its mushier mid section and tip while not sacrificing all sensitivity for cranks. However when I pitch jigs with it I loose quite a bit of sensitivity compared to the xf action st croixs I have. So Id say if you crank more go with MLF and if you use jigs more Id say mlxf. Don’t do much rigging so I can’t really speak on that.

Yes that is a good buy! I used to hate on expensive rods too until I legitimately fished with one.

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Fish a swim bait. You could rig a small draggin jig. Or no weight style Texas rig plastic.

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This was my first thought. Berkeley ripple shad or you can rig a bfishn paddle tail the same way

599 for the dsi is a good buy for that unit even without a chip.

I’ve seen shock breakage on nano multiple times, also runs a weaker break strength than other super lines. Nano casts very well but my suggestion based on what you noted above is 832. I’ve been very pleased with its abrasion resistance and smoothness over my guides, both recoil and non.

Nothing fancy here, pro blue, firecracker chart, and chart pepper in dirtier water.

I find my side imaging unit to be worth every dime. However, I don’t think that its that useful to every angler. If you are looking to actively search for new/existing structure then yes SI is a game changer. To guys who wont take time to locate and search for potential spots, its not worth the money in my opinion.

Yea goose was full of what I assumed were shad. The positive report I do have is on my new Honda lite 8″ auger…. it was the first real workout its had and it was great! So far its been nothing short of the high expectations I had for it.

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I put on a small piece of scotch tape after tying on the braid..the braid wraps tight against the tape and does not allow it to slip on the spool

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Talk to one of the guys at scheels, they can order anything from otter pending availability.

Looks pretty sweet!

Real good info for me, thanks Will! Like I mentioned earlier, I’m gonna work hard from dark to dark Saturday putting this info to use and hope for the best! I will report what I find asap. Very excited for the opportunity honestly. Thanks again!

Thanks for all the input guys. Seems as though the north end is my best bet. I’ll call ahead to check roads later in the week. I don’t plan to keep fish, just wantvtge opportunity at a few walleyes especially if they have some size! Expectations aren’t too high but we’ll work hard to try to make something happen. Thanks again…

I have a 6’6 med. and I like it, but for the price Id give the nod to the avid unless you are using it for cranks. I’ve noticed the fast action on the aetos is a bit slower than the st Croix fast actions.

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Why are you changing? The only difference is the flat screen so you won’t be gaining much in my opinion. Look at an 18 or 20 or any of the other brands models with zoom if your going to spend the money. Otherwise I’d just stick with the 8.

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Thanks for the replies! I haven’t fished through the ice in the marina, but have found a lot of panfish in there in the open water season. Do some guys hit that spot?

I’ve forgotten my pillow, knife, and flashlight on a few seperate occasions! Good luck!!

Nice report! What did you find for water temps on the lower end of the lake?

As a stand alone unit between the two units the 597 gives you more for the dollar (DI), HDS is more valuable for adding accessories and networking imo. If you haven’t checked out the lowrance elite 7 yet you may want to. Its essentially got the same features as the 597 (internal GPS, di, great sonar) with two inches more screen for 100$ more.

I would say the extreme is the better pitching rod, especially since they went to micro guides on that model. As far as length, Id say 6’6 to 7′ is most popular in med or med/light being most common, and Id stay extra fast for sure! Handle a few sizes/powers of the extreme n see what ya like!

Nothing like that on the market from them… Or anyone that I’m aware of.