Ballpark Frank

Does everyone use a swivel when fishing Senkos/Stickbaits? I went out today to fish tubes on my new spinning combo, but the bass weren't hitting them. I switched to my Tiki Sticks for a while, but did not find any swivels in my backpack. I have always used swivels for Stickbaits due to advice from others. I fished these for about an hour non-stop and had no issues with line twist. I just wondering what others experience is.

Thanks to MaxDal for pointing out the avatar, it was incorrect. I took the Symetre and Convergence out for a little tubing today. No luck on tubes, the only thing the little dinks would hit were Pond Magic spinnerbaits and that took some dedication. They wouldn't even glance at anything else. I love the combo though. I should see plenty of action this spring, whenever it gets here. I did take a pic of my new addition/addiction at my favorite stream.

I have one angler getting to fish tomorrow.

I am definitely being pulled into the Shimano fray. I have been wanting a dedicated tube rod and reel for awhile. I never have much luck with tubes, and always end up rerigging to something else. My thought process is, if I had a dedicated tube setup, then I might try tubes more often(I think that is actually Bait Monkey logic). So, I went to buy an Abu Garcia Cardinal 600, lo and behold I bought another Shimano Symetre. I bought a 2500 RI a few months ago, and have been extremely happy with it. This one is a 2500 FI. I compared the Abu and Shimano, the Symetre came out on top. I decided that since I was happy with a Shimano reel, I would get a Shimano rod. I wanted to get a Compre, but the shop was out. I played with both the Convergence and Clarus. I could not tell a difference between the two, so I got the Convergence. I will upgrade to Compre or Crucial eventually. I am going to take the setup out tomorrow with only a selection of tubes, hooks, and weights to see what happens. Maybe the Shimano Kami will smile on me.

They are both good reels. If I were you, I would find a store and put your hands on them. If possible place them on a rod and see which one feels better. I have both and like both. My daughter has two Revo S's than she loves. I think the aluminum frame Revo will last longer and give a better service life. But if you decide on the Max, get the Silver, the click drag is worth the $10.

X 2 I have never been able to stand Hogan. I like FLW fantasy fishing, but they do try to get the money. I am checking out a friend's players advantage tomorrow, may have to get it.

Bassbilly81, picking your anglers and waiting till weigh in, is about all you can do without spending money. For my picks I used the normal FLW site and another site to get some information. FLW has a Player's Advantage package that has alot of extras for the fantasy fisherman; angler profiles, vids, podcasts, lake info, etc. I think it is around $30-$40 to get. I have a friend that has Player's Advantage and really likes it. I am going over to his place tomorrow to check it out. I am thinking of signing up for it, but want to see it first. This fantasy stuff is addictive. I started out with NFL a few years back, now I play NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, PGA, BASS, and FLW. I have a bunch of notebooks just to keep up with it all.

Kickbasskid, no offense, but I still wonder if a kayak is for you. Why mount a motor on a kayak. If you are wanting a motorized boat, look into getting a small john or even a canoe. Your room is already limited on a kayak, then you add a trolling motor, marine battery, and all of the components for a steering system. To answer your question about which boat is difficult with the motor issue. Neither boat would be appropriate for a trolling motor. That's not saying it can't be done. Now if you want to paddle a boat, either one would be good. I personally prefer sit ins, but I paddle in a lot of different water conditions. If flat calm water is where you will primarily fish, then the sit on top would work well. One point of warning, if you get a Sit In Kayak, do not use an anchor. Getting out of one can be difficult, especially if it flips in current and is anchored. That is a death-trap.

I have three recommendations and I own them. The Abu Garcia Silver Max combo(Silver Max reel and 6'6" MH rod) is an excellent deal. It runs between $60-$70, the reel separately is $60. Another that I picked up a few weeks ago at Gander Mountain, is a Quantum Accurist CX combo( Quantum Accurist CX reel and 7' M Tour Pro IM7 rod) for $99. These are both baitcasting combos and perform well. For spinning, the Abu Garcia Cardinal 302/ Fenwick Venture 7'M combo is great. These are at Walmart and Dick's for $60-$70.

X 100 I bought a carrot stick; good rod, interesting look, mostly gimmick. It stays at home, but it looks cool with my orange Rocket on it. Your money could be better spent on a better rod with a proven reputation.

After viewing most of the pictures in this section, I see alot more spinning gear than baitcasting. Here in the US, it's as if baitcasting is the only way to fish for bass. Alot shun spinning tackle, except for the lightest baits and tackle. I know most of the fishing trip pamphlets(primarily Scandinavia and Germany) that I look at always recommend spinning tackle. Is there a preference? If so, what are the reasons? I used to use mostly spinning tackle, until I caught the dreaded low-profile baitcaster flu. If some of ya'll could shed a little light on this, I would appreciate it.

I used to use one of those craft paint markers to write on the concave side of the blade. Now that I only use 1/2oz, I have no need.

I only have two colors of Flukes, Smokin Shad and White Pearl.

I have 2 Subwalk in the same colors. They are great, even if I'm not catching fish, I still enjoy making them do their WALK.Here lately, between the Subwalks and Skitter Walks, my other plugs are getting jealous. I was using my 7' M Quantum but I didn't get the most action out of them. Now I am using my 6' MH GL2, I walk them allday.

For me Real Senkos cost so much to cut up. I'll try it on a Tiki stick or two.

Rapala DT6 brown crawdad

welcome, flechero has sound advice. For those baits(cranks and spinners) you could spend alot less than you would for a G.Loomis. I am a burgeoning G.Loomis nut, so I will spend the $150 for a GL2 if that's what I want. But $150 will go along way with All-Star, Castaway, St. Croix, etc. For worms though the IMX and GLX cannot be beat, the Mossyback are another good(sometimes overlooked) rod, but for around $50 more you could get IMX. My best all-around G.Loomis is a MBR783C IMX. I use it for everything.

Floating line is all you need right now. Poppers are probably the most fun of all flies for panfish and bass. Panfish like to slurp them and usually do not require much hookset. Bass will slam them just like any topwater, it is great to watch. One thing that could aid in casting would be an investment in a new line. The higher quality lines offer alot more castability. A bass taper line is the best when using large wind resistant bug, because the head part of the line is alot heavier. Sinking lines have their uses, but with bass a good weight forward(bass taper) floating line is all that is necessary. Take note though, fly lines are fairly expensive, but if taken care of they will usually last several seasons. One more thing, if you can find a copy of Fly Fishing for Bass; Smallmouth, Largemouth, and Exotics by Lefty Kreh, get it. This is one of the best books on the subject.

Everyone I know was rooting for him after day one. I loved it when he would call out to "Momma" for help. The guy is an absolute class act. But if Charlie couldn't win, I am happy that another "good guy" won it.

When my daughter(8) first started asking about having her own baitcaster, a friend of mine had the Quantum that he bought for his son. The son spent most of his time in front of the Wii, so I borrowed it for my daughter to try out. She really liked it. It was small enough and built for someone that age. The biggest problem we had was backlashes. I could not get the magnetic brakes adjusted for crap with that reel. Now this is a girl that was practicing with an Abu 4600 with minimal issues. I am not saying that you should purchase this, but she has fell in love with the Revo S. I bought her a 5'6" Medium Lightning Rod and put the Revo S(centrifugal brakes not mag) on it. After adjusting the brakes correctly, she can cast a mile and rarely gets a backlash. She is doing so well with it, I have another Revo S on the way, so she can have two combos. I think the centrifugal brakes are more effective when learning a baitcaster, especially a child. I am sure the same performance could be had from a Shimano Citica, Quantum Accurist, or other centrifugal braked low profile.

I have always thought it odd that I see alot more spinning setups being used for fishing in Europe for large freshwater fish, including pike, zander, and bass. I am not saying this is true, just what I have seen. Maybe T-rig could clarify this. I know there are a few guys in the international section that almost always are pictured with a spinning reel. I used a Browning(can't remember the exact model) 7' MH rod and size 40 reel for big jigs. At the time I was alot more accurate flipping and pitching with a spinning reel. I usually spooled the reel with 15# Big Game and had no issues. I have since learned to pitch and flip with a baitcaster. Funny thing is I had been using BC gear for a many years, but could never get the hang of it for flipping. I also used that setup for catfish. They may not fight as hard, but a 10-15# cat will give a rod and reel a workout. I have several friends that use spinning gear exclusively. The interesting thing, they usually have a lot less gear in the boat, maybe 3 rods max. If you are more comfortable with spinning gear, by all means us it and enjoy fishing.

I am kinda like RW, I use only two lines. 8# Trilene 100% Flouro on spinning gear 15# Trilene 100% Flouro on baitcasting gear I used Big Game and XL for a long time, but this new Flouro is great. I do have one rig with braid, but it got used twice last year. To your original question, I tried the reel swapping for awhile(a few years back). While fishing from the bank, I would take one spinning rod and one baitcasting rod, with 3 spools for spinning and 2 reels for baitcasting. There was no need to have that many different lines for fishing. I finally settled on 1 spinning outfit(6'6" M) and 1 baitcasting outfit(6'6" MH). Many times we get caught up in the gear for techniques instead of the practicing techniques. I can't find it, but RW had an excellent post about having just one or two rods.

Are you actually fly-fishing or just using a fly rod, there is a difference. If you mean truly fly-fishing, where you cast using a fly line, leader, tippet, and fly, then I suggest using small streamers. You cast and let the fly and leader sink to desired depth(wherever the crappie are holding) then slowly strip between 6 to 12 inches of line continuously. If you just want to use a fly rod with mono line on the reel, then do as suggested above. Alot of crappie fishermen use a fly rod with a small spinning reel, due to the length of the rod. Now, you can get specialized crappie rods.

When you do, let me know. I love obsolete equipment at obsolete prices.

I agree with you Roadwarrior. I remember the December post, but not much has changed. This should not be moderated by the moderators. It should be moderated by the members before they make a post. Bass brat, I did not mean to include you in the possee. I apologize for the negative connotations that I alluded too. You responded to RW post, so I responded. I apologize to everyone for causing the stir. I justed wanted the members to see the silliness that can come from brand talk. There are new members everyday asking questions about gear, and they need good sound advice, not brand wars. Many times that is exactly what happens though, a brand war. That does nothing for the original poster, but cause confusion and sometimes disgust. There are plenty of places on the net for brand supporters and devotees.