Blade and location questions?

Hi guys,

I’ve always been to busy to fish the river this time of year. I have no idea what blades are. Someone want to explain them, or tell me what they are? Sounds like I need to pick up an Extreme rod from Dean. Should it have 6 or 8 on it, does it matter if it is Crystal, Flame, or Smoke?

I have always fished post spawn or the river and lake, so I know those locations, and what to look for. What do you guys look for this time of year. Obviously GPS coord’s are not needed, but is the farther up river the better, or does the river hold an even amount of fish (in the right locations) all the way to the head of the lake. Thanks, and congrats to all the PB’s so far this season!

blades are little metal “minnows” sometimes called sonars as well. As far as rod goes, I have a legend tournament 6’8mlxf and I love it. You need something sensitive in the tip with a little back bone in the butt section and fast to extra fast action. The better the rod, the more you will feel, etc. You can fish them without a legened elite, but your experience will be that much better if you have one.
That being said, locations are time and current sensitive. First off, current breaks. Any time the current is diverted or redirected you’ve got a spot that might hold a river walleye. look for eddy’s, wingdams, rip rap shore, trees, etc. Something else to look for this time of year are sand flats that are close to entrances to backwater spawning areas with deep water near. Find one with a current seam or some type of current break and you’ve got a winner. These fish are staging to spawn right now so you will find them close to or with access to their spawning areas which will include backwater, rip rap with a bit of current or other rocky/small boulder areas.
Hope that helps.

Or come find out more face to face if interested. Seminars

Here you go

blade

I prefer 8lb in crystal when pitching, able to see the line better and get some blades back in snaggy situations.

Jami

Thanks guys, didn’t realize they were sonars! Got lots of them.

Can I get by with the $170 St. Croix, or do I need the $350 version?

Do I need to concentrate above Dean’s, or can I get into fish below?

Thanks again!

You can get by with what you feel comfortable with. But if you do use one of those new extremes, you will buy one…

I’ve let a couple of buddies use them, and both have put orders in.

You can get fish through out the river system!

Best bet still is to stop at Everts and get the latest and greatest info from Dean.

Jami

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You can get by with what you feel comfortable with. But if you do use one of those new extremes, you will buy one…

I’ve let a couple of buddies use them, and both have put orders in.

Jami

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and I would be one of them I always got by with the other rod working…what the extreme does is simply amazing! Changed my entire view of pitching blades

I’m all for Dean selling Legend Extremes, but honestly, I can’t imagine not getting the job done with an Avid, or any high quality rod and braided line.

It has not been said that you can not get it done by any means. The difference in the 2 is quite the difference though is what i am saying. You can feel everything as the baits is snapped forward and also the flutter back and I could feel every bit of movement of the blade as I worked it down the the breakline. Never said it would not work as it would ,but the advantage gained is well worth it.

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I’m all for Dean selling Legend Extremes, but honestly, I can’t imagine not getting the job done with an Avid, or any high quality rod and braided line.

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I appreciate and respect your comment here,and felt the same way myself at one time.I will say however,I dont sell the xtemes,they sell themselves….IF….. you actually fish with one.

Guys, going through the rod locker, I found a rod I don’t use much. Style number Loomis WRR 8400S

7′ Med-light EX-FAST action 6-12# 1/4-1/2 oz.

I will make 2-3 prespawn trips, tops. Will this work for blades, if I set it up, with 8# crystal, or would I be better suited spending the $360 for the extreme. I would prefer not to, but if the difference for those couple of trips would be that big, well…..

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Guys, going through the rod locker, I found a rod I don’t use much. Style number Loomis WRR 8400S

7′ Med-light EX-FAST action 6-12# 1/4-1/2 oz.

I will make 2-3 prespawn trips, tops. Will this work for blades, if I set it up, with 8# crystal, or would I be better suited spending the $360 for the extreme. I would prefer not to, but if the difference for those couple of trips would be that big, well…..

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That rod should be an excellent rod to use! Fish it side by side with what you are interested in,and you can decide if you want something different.Heck,we all know we cant really justify any of our fishing stuff and all of us would be financially way ahead if we went back to cane poles just like I started out on.

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I dont sell the xtemes,they sell themselves….IF….. you actually fish with one.

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Thats why I am afraid to try one out I got my purdy blue ones from you by actually fishing with one…errrr 3.

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I’m all for Dean selling Legend Extremes, but honestly, I can’t imagine not getting the job done with an Avid, or any high quality rod and braided line.

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I appreciate and respect your comment here,and felt the same way myself at one time.I will say however,I dont sell the xtemes,they sell themselves….IF….. you actually fish with one.

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Well, I’d better not try one because knowing me and my tackle buying habits, I will most likely have to have one if I try it!

What specific LE model do you like for blades? …and what else will the rod do well?

I’ve got a 6′-3″ Legend Tournament Walleye ‘Vertical Jig” rod, and an Avid 6’-8″MXF.

What LE would compliment these two?

See how easy I am?

After fishing with different lengths and actions of Legend Extremes all winter, I asked Dean to assemble a combo for me, specifically for fishing blades.

That combo is a 69MLXF paired with a Pflueger reel and 8/2 fireline crystal. Had a chance to break it in on Monday…what an incredible fish-catching tool.

Thanks Dean!

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After fishing with different lengths and actions of Legend Extremes all winter, I asked Dean to assemble a combo for me, specifically for fishing blades.

That combo is a 69MLXF paired with a Pflueger reel and 8/2 fireline crystal. Had a chance to break it in on Monday…what an incredible fish-catching tool.

Thanks Dean!

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Thanks Jason. That rod would fit in well with what I have.

Dean, Jason, or whoever,

Would this rod (Extreme 69mlxf) work well pitching jigs and plastics or do you have a better one for that? also which plueger reel you using? and finally Crystal line why? is this because you have tried other superlines and they don’t work as well in this appilcation or just like the crystal and no need to change.. I personally have had better luck with spiderwire and powerpro. I should be good with those or no?

thanks for the help as I have been eyeing up a new casting combo for jig and blade appls.

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Dean, Jason, or whoever,

Would this rod (Extreme 69mlxf) work well pitching jigs and plastics or do you have a better one for that? also which plueger reel you using? and finally Crystal line why? is this because you have tried other superlines and they don’t work as well in this appilcation or just like the crystal and no need to change.. I personally have had better luck with spiderwire and powerpro. I should be good with those or no?

thanks for the help as I have been eyeing up a new casting combo for jig and blade appls.

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Joe,I really have no bias on any of the superlines as we keep trying new stuff all the time.That said,i keep going back to crystal because of ice buildup in the cold.Just seems to have less than the others.No doubt,Power pro & others are more abrasion resistant.Either will work just fine when you aren’t dealing with ice.

Although not etched in stone,6’8″ mxf with mono get the nod for pitching jigs over 1/8th and the 6’9″ mlxf with hardline for blades or lighter jigs under 1/4. Seems to work well for me anyway.No doubt results may vary!

I used my 68MLXF for a number of things on Monday….pitching blades, pitching 1/16 and 1/8 jigs, dragging jigs, even a brief vertical stint in some slow water using a 3/16 jig. It performed great in all respects.

Although we’ve been drawn to these rods for their incredible sensitivity and light weight….we should not ingnore their power and ability to stand up to tough tasks.

Case in point: The 20lb+ “golden walleye” below was landed with my Legend Extreme 69MLXF.

I realize there are variables that affect the answer to this question, however I’ll still ask it. What weight blades are you guys running. Is it safe to assume in this high water condition you run the 1/2 oz and during the low flow times you run the 1/4oz? What do you guys recommend having on hand?

1/2 oz if you vertical.For pitching,if you cant make a quarter work,you are fishing in the wrong location.At least for targeting quality eyes in the highest percentage habitat.

Hey Les being born and raised in Park Falls I’ve found the Loomis works best if you break it in two pieces and use them to support a couple of new saplings in the yard.

I’ve only been on the river 3 times and am new to blades, but I did pick out a couple of 1/4 oz. blades at Everts and experimented with them. I found out right away my medium-light fast action was too soft so I switched to my medium 70MF which works better. But I’m starting to see why you guys recommend the XF tip. Even the medium fast doesn’t have a lot of snap to it. Btw, I can’t afford the big bucks for the Extreme rod you guys are so high on, so don’t beat me up for not having one. I’ll upgrade over time…
Anyway, I’ve been trying the 1/4 oz. blades in less than 10 FOW where I’ve also been pitching a ring worm. My major problem is the blade scrapes up all the
leaves, grass, sticks on the bottom. Am I too shallow, too heavy, or should I be snapping it back up before it falls all the way to the bottom?
Maybe I’m using the tool in the wrong place.

John

John,difficult at best to verbally explain the rhythm and timing of the lift and drop,but some areas,especially now are tough to avoid what you are running into.

I appreciate the budget issue on the Extremes,but the good news is that Croix does offer their new Mojo rod in the 6’9″ mlxf action at only $89.99.Might be an option for ya,and they are available to demo as well.

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Hey Les being born and raised in Park Falls I’ve found the Loomis works best if you break it in two pieces and use them to support a couple of new saplings in the yard.

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SPOOK?

Won that Loomis out on OAHE, the price was right!

I looked through my St Croix catalog Sunday after we got home from fishing. I saw the lower priced 69MLXF and pointed that out to Kathy. Just bought two other rods this year already, so the Avid is on my Christmas list for next winter. If she has sticker shock then I may compromise and change to Mojo :^)
I gotta actually catch some fish on the blade before I invest in a rod just for that. But eventually I will catch and will invest…

John

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I gotta actually catch some fish on the blade before I invest in a rod just for that. But eventually I will catch and will invest…

John

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Actually makes a good pitching and dragging rod also…

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I gotta actually catch some fish on the blade before I invest in a rod just for that. But eventually I will catch and will invest…

John

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Actually makes a good pitching and dragging rod also…

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Tell her it was on sale! J/K

What’s the heaviest blade bait you should cast with a Legend Extreme 69MLXF. It’s printed in the St Croix Catalog 1/8 to 1/2 oz. That 1/2oz seems a little heavy for an extra fast rod.
Jim

as Dean posted, the quality walleyes you often see posted here are caught by casting small (1/8-1/4oz) blades to shallow current breaks, sand bars, rip rap, and mid river seams… The XS69MLXF is a great rod for that purpose as it is able to cast those lures a long way and is “soft” enough to not “over work” the blades…I.E. force them thru the water too fast, disabling the “flutter” effect.
1/2 oz blades are designed to vertical jig with a quick., short upward pull (I do about 8-10″)…then slow drop on a taut line…touch bottom and repeat the process. Most of my fish suck it in on the fall back or off the bottom…a great technique for Sauger.
I prefer a shorter rod for this to get a quicker response and hook up… For me a St. Croix 5’9″ or 6’3″ MXF is ideal. Any decent 5’6″ to 6’6″ MedFast rod with 10# braid will suffice for vertical blading