Ballpark Frank

Excellent choice on the Energy PT, you will not be disappointed. One thing though, that dial on the on the non-crank side is not for magnetic brakes. The Energy has the Infinite ACS system, which uses CENTRIFUGAL brakes, not magnetic. This system is easily adjusted and has great fine tuning characteristics. Enjoy your new Quantum.

Out of my six G.Loomis rods, two are GL2 and I love them. I am one of the few that likes the GL2 and thinks they are worth the money. But, I got to fish the Powell 683C(6' 8" MH extra-fast) today. I have to say that rod gave my G.Loomis MBR783C IMX a serious run. For $170, I am going to look seriously at getting one. I fished it with shaky jig/worm, t-rig, shallow cranks, spinnerbaits, and small swimbaits. The Powell casted and handled all of these well. A great all-purpose rod.

THANK YOU and STAY SAFE

I am really enjoying the Citicas I got recently, but I still love my Quantums. I can't explain it, but for me they are the best in my hands. I am hoping that Quantum has taken a cue from Shimano and Abu, and bring out some lighter and smaller(just slightly for me) reels. I am looking forward to ICAST to see their new stuff.

#1 Booyah Counterstrike Buzzbait red/brown: I just started fishing buzzbaits in the past week and have had alot of fish much larger than I normally catch. #2 Jackall Aragon SSR Tennessee Shad: This has to be one of my newest favorite lures, great for shallow flats and running on top of grass. #3 Jackall Giron Ghost Crappie: Excellent small swimbait that can be used with normal everyday bass rods. Last year was dinkdom for me, I rarely caught anything above 2lbs( with one exception). This year I have changed my techniques, and started targeting the bigger bass. Most of the fish I am catching with these three baits are in the 4-6Lb range. My local waters are also alot different than last year; higher water level, more vegetation, and more forage fish. I think that those have affected the size of fish I am catching, but the lures are adding alot too. The fact that I am now fishing from a boat(my little 12') most of the time and not the kayak or bank, has alot to do with this also. ;D

I am going to buy a good digital camera for myself this afternoon. If I get some good pics, I'll definitely post them. I have seen a few Elite trucks and boats around Athens and Decatur the past couple of days, specifically KVD's Tundra and Swindle's Purolator.

Hey guys, I am off on Thursday(6-5) and Sunday(6-8), planning to go to opening morning and the final day weigh-in. If anyone is interested in going to watch, let me know.

Great Job, best rod review I have read. I really liked the last about the Lightning rods. Although I love my G.Loomis sticks, I still the find time for my old Lightning rods. They stood by me in the thin.

RW, the BCR803 is a Mossyback and stays a home most of the time. I have gotten to where I am using the MBR783 IMX for plastics and my BCR854 GLX for jigs. I was looking to sell it to finance a MBR782 IMX. Thank you, I may have found a purpose for it that I didn't know about. I think I'll mount my new Energy PT Burner on it, and give the buzzbaits a "spin" in the tomorrow morning. Oh it's 10:00, I should have been in bed 2 hours ago.

Thanks guys, just got back from the shop. I ended up with six total; 1 Cavitron 3/8 Black and 1 Cavitron 3/8 Chartreuse, 1 Booyah Counterstrike 3/8 White, 1 Booyah 3/8 Limescicle(with clacker), 1 RI 1/2 Red/Black and 1 RI 1/2 Black/Yellow. I am going to spend the next few mornings after work figuring them out. I appreciate the advice very much. I'll probably be asking several questions in the next few weeks. The advice I got last year about plastics was great and helped alot. RW, thanks for the info about the parabolic carrot. I was misinformed. I guess the carrot will have to be dedicated to the Rapala DTs. Since you said a firm tip, what action would that be; fast or extra fast? Would my BCR803(that I haven't sold yet) be good for buzzbaits? If I need to post this in the Rods section let me know.

Hey guys, I want to start trying to fish buzzbaits again and want advice on which "brand" and weight I should get. I worked on soft plastics almost all of last year and am ready to start a new bait challenge. I only want to get 3 or 4 and want to stick with one weight for now. As much time as I devote to spinnerbaits(essentially since I started fishing), you would think that I would have a few. All I have are two "el cheapo" from the bargin bin, one in black and one in white. I was thinking about getting 1/2oz baits in black, white, chartreuse, and red. I am looking at Booyah(regular and counterstrike), Fishbelly Ninja, and Reaction Innovations Squeaky Dolphin. I really like the RI Dolphin and have had excellent experience with several of their products. Any advice would be appreciated. Oh yeah, this is what bait I am dedicating my 6'9" Carrot Parabolic to. I have had the rod for awhile and have yet to fish it. Does this sound alright? I have always heard to use a moderate action/crankbait rod for buzzbaits, am I wrong or just misinformed?

The difference between Quantum's ACS and Infinite ACS is the number of brakes that are applied. Both of the systems are adjustable by a dial without having to remove the sideplate. With each turn of the dial the brake race is moved in or out to allow the brakes to contact the race, therefore applying that brake or brake set. On the regular ACS, you get either free(0 brakes), 3, 6, or 9(full on). With the Infinite ACS, you go in 1 brake increments from 0 to 9. Like bassdocktor said, the Infinite system offers more fine tuning which helps on those windy days.

Kevin VanDam; any bass lake Why? because it's KVD and I need the help!! Mark Zona; El Salto Why? because he has so much d**n fun.

Yes

I love mine. I have all four US Market colors and tend to use the Ghost Crappie and Crappie the most. I burn-em, jerk-em, sink-em, and even jig-em a little.. They have become my go-to bait, because they flat out catch fish. I don't think around here the large trout swimbaits do much good, but these guys are the trick. If you can find them, get all you want. They sell like hotcakes around here. I had to have my local shop hold them for me, and a guy tried to buy them for double before I got there. Another Jackall that you might want to check is the Mikey Jr. The Giron and Mikey Jr have dedicated rods and are usually the first and last baits I throw, heck sometimes they are the only ones.

Micro, it sounds like they had the same impression as we did a couple of weeks ago.

Mann's "classic" spinnerbait in chartreuse with one colorado blade, I caught my 12#9oz LMB on it when I was 14. That started my addiction to spinnerbaits.

I bought an Exceler a few weeks back to play with. A friend of mine loves his and I had fished it a little. I really like the Exceler, especially the price. This is my first experience with Daiwa reels and I am very pleased with it's performance. The Magforce braking is alot more effective than any other magnetic braking I have used. For $70, I don't think you can do much better. I haven't got to fish it as much as I have wanted, my new Citicas and Energy PTs are taking all of my time. I have no experience with the Megaforce, so I won't offer an opinion.

I second the Trilene Big Game. Spinnerbaits are still my favorite lure. I throw them in everything, from super clear depths to shallow weedy mess. Big Game has never let me down. I use both 12# and 15# depending on where the bait is getting thrown.

Micro are you a herpetologist? Although I hate cottonmouths, I have learned alot from you about snakes in the last few days. Thanks, I'll try to be a little more patient with them, note on try.

Thank you very much, now I will never get to sleep tonight. That movie still scares the crap out of me today.

I have six dogs ranging from small to huge; Dachshundx2, Beagle, Beagle/Vizsla, Vizsla, Irish Wolfhound. The best of the bunch is the Beagle-Vizsla mix(she is a product of a midnight rendezvous at a breeder of both dogs). Francis is her name and she is a great dog. She has the best of both breeds and none of the bad. I wish I had all of the puppies of that litter. Although I love all of my other dogs, she has become my constant companion. I have nothing bad to say about any of my dogs except for Seamus(the Wolfhound); I have a hell of a time keeping him in the fence. I have a 6' privacy fence around my yard and at least once every couple of weeks, I find him sitting on the front porch looking through the side windows. Sorry for talking about my dogs, I get carried away with them. With the characteristics that you mentioned, I would recommend the Beagle also. They are great dogs and are easily trained. Stay away from the Jack Russel, those dogs are breed with a few marbles left out, just kidding. They are too smart for their own good, which makes their masters angry and gets the dogs into trouble. The Beagle is America's dog and rightfully so.

Yak fishing has been my favorite method to get on the water for several years. I have a 9.5' SIK and a 13' SOT. I have only been pulled by one fish, and that was a 42# Flathead Catfish. I have never been pulled by a bass. I have flipped many times but never while fishing, only in whitewater. Modern kayaks that are meant for beginners or fishermen (not whitewater players) are extremely stable. One problem alot of beginning kayak fishermen make is trying to set the hook "as seen on TV". Never try the KVD/Ike hookset in a kayak, they are not made for it. One way to prevent putting yourself in a tipping situation, is maintain your casts at a 45 degree angle to the bow both port and starboard. This will prevent you from over-extending your kayak's center if you set the hook hard or fight a decent sized fish. Another way to avoid turning over, is earth anchoring when fishing mild(don't fish in heavy current, your control of the boat is too limited already). By anchoring I mean getting the boat in an area close to the current but not in it, such as a small calm pocket on the inside edge of a point and wedging your stern in the dirt or mud of the bank. This allows you to sit in relatively still water, but fish the current. You can also use trees, logs, rocks, etc. as anchoring places, but be careful because even in mild current these can cause you to flip. DO NOT USE A BOAT ANCHOR WITH A KAYAK, most kayak anchors are made specifically for kayaks and have a complete anchoring/retrieval/trolley system. Get a good paddle leash and rod leash, because you will be glad you did. I am no expert, just an enthusiast. If I can be of any help, just drop me a PM.

As I am a Quantum fan that is being won over by the Shimano crew, it is hard for me to make a recommendation, but here goes. My experience with Shimano is limited to the Citica, which are great. The highest end reels in my arsenal are Quantum Energy PT's. I think the Energy PT is one of the best reels out there for the money and features. Lately when out in the boat, I usually have an equal representation from Quantum, Shimano, and Abu(usually 2 each). I think you should try to get your hands around both(or more), and decide for yourself which you prefer. If $250 is your cap, you should be able to get a great reel regardless of brand. And as mentioned above, don't rule out Daiwa or Abu Garcia.

You hit the nail on the head, Jawjacker!