Tag Archives: lake fishing

The Wife’s Setup for Bigger Fish…

The wife opted to try her new setup (new to her) which was a Tsunami Air Wave TSAWSS702M coupled with a Van Staal VR50 running 15# Power Pro braid.

I didn’t get on with the Van Staal VR50 because the reel stem is too short and it constantly smacked my knuckles when reeling. Apparently this has been fixed with the newer versions of this reel. But she loved the reel and her fingers are smaller so she didn’t have the same issue. She made several comments about the aesthetics of the reel and how solidly it was built. I have been sorely tempted to get the Van Staal VR50 Black but keep talking myself out of it.

This was her first time really casting lures on a short surf rod and she did great. It takes a bit to get the hang of it but she did fine and actually had fun casting for the few hours we were out there.

She tried the Major Craft Seabass CRX-904ML and liked it as well and was able cast it just fine. Come summertime, we will be going after catfish and white bass for sure.

Stay tuned…

We Managed to Get Out This Morning…

We went to a nearby lake to test cast a couple of rods and reels. The lake was about 7 feet high and still in the Low-50’s if not upper 40’s temperature wise. We threw a cast net for shad but they hadn’t moved up close to shore yet which is understandable.

My rod choice was the Major Craft Seabass Allaround Game CRX-904ML coupled with a Shimano Stradic FL 4000XG running Power Pro 20# braid. As the name implies, this rod is aimed at fishing for Seabass, but I think it will work just fine for our local Stripers, White Bass, Hybrids and Catfish. Its a 9-footer but it breaks down into 4 pieces which makes it convenient for small cars and it would be possible to travel by air with it as well.

The reel worked flawlessly as you’d expect with a Shimano. I think Shimano has finally got its head in the game on mid-priced reels. This Stradic is really, really good.

I tested various lure weights from 1/4 ounce up to 1 ounce and the rod handled them easily. Its rated for 10-30 grams. I still haven’t found a rod from Major Craft that I haven’t liked.

The weather was amazing…sunny and 74F!