Micro

No, they look maroon. Red in bright light.

I saw some under a bank overhang at a lake by my job. I believe they are on the move.

Nice fish. Are you catching them right along side the pier? I'm going to have to come out there with you real soon. Come spring, you'll be able to catch 40-50 lbers there.

I like sensitivity when crankbait fishing. I know a lot of people like soft fiberglass rods. Maybe they are best. But I usually fish crankbaits on my graphite M/F spinning rods, and occassionally baitcasters. I like the distinct feedback I get with a sensitive graphite rod. I can immediately tell if something has changed. I can feel the normal vibration of the lure. I've gotten to where I can tell I've picked up a piece of grass or something by the change in vibration. I can tell easier when I've bumped into something, and can distinctly tell what sort of botton the lure is bopping over. I think sensitivity is important no matter the technique. With a decent rod I can tell if a blade on an inline spinner is spinning. All sorts of things. I think sensitivity in any technique is something you learn to appreciate through practice, then it's tough to go back.

x3 on crickets. Red wiggler worms. For artificials - small beetle spins. Johnson Beetle Spins will catch anything.

How well do these reels handle light baits? Can you cast a 1/4 oz or 3/8 oz bait with them? I'm still considering one, too. The guy at BPS let me take the side plate off to see the brake, and let me fit it to a rod. They seem really slick. The spool spins forever, but since is so deep and heavy I'm concearned about how it would handle light cranks. It's made in Korea (all my Korean reels are top notch). Quality seemed outstanding.

Avid at the doctor's

Small tubes or curly tailed grubs hooked through mid body (wacky rigged to bass fisherman) suspended under a bobber is a productive crappie technique. The floating bobber will give the tube/grub motion. I've fished this way but found it may be too big of a bait for blugill because their mouths are so small. Crappie, though, can take them. Bass will take them, too, but this technique is really suited for crappie. Bowfin? They will take anything a bass will take. Live bait, plastic worms, etc. The only thing I've never caught one on is a surface lure, like a frog. They are immensely strong fish. They have a row of teeth inside their mouth so if you catch one don't stick your thumb in there. Here's a cool website on bowfin. http://www.bowfinanglers.com/index.html I've never caught a bass on a bread ball (maybe when I was a kid, but I can't remeber). But I've caught various other sunfishes, catfish and shiners. I like catching shiners on breadballs so I can use the shiner later as bait (usually catch a bowfin on them ).

Browning makes a fantastic rod. I own a couple of Citoris and they are great. I've fished the Midas and it's even better. You can't go wrong there. All Star, particulary the Team All Star IM10, is a very light and sensitive rod. And it's extremely tough. I have several of these and like them a lot. I've noticed some quality issues with them recently, though. I was looking at some baitcasters in M/F and of the 3 that were on the rack at Gander Mountain, all had defects that kept me from buying one (one had a bent eye, one had a deep gouge in the blank, and one had an eye that was completely glued over preventing line from going through). One of the spinning rods I looked at didn't have the foot on one of the guides completely wrapped. I don't know what's going on here except that I would thoroughly check any All Star you decide to buy before you leave the store. My favorite so far is the Fenwick HMG. These run about $120. They are light and super sensitve. I haven't detected a flaw (and I'm very picky) with any that I've looked at so far. Fenwick apparently places a high emphasis on quality control. I have several HMGs, spinning and baitcasting, and these will probably be the rods I buy from here on out.

Before you attempt to disassemble your 1003LP, you need the schematic. Here it is. It's the last one on the list. Click download. Its in PDF format. http://www.abugarcia.com/product_schematic.php?id=226.228.931# If you've removed all the sideplace screws (looks like 3 of them) and the handle and dragstar, and the side plate still will not come off. Check on the inside of the frame to see if there is a screw on the otherside holding the sideplate on. Abu Garcia Revos have this and if you don't notice it you won't be able to get the side plate off. I don't know if your reel has such a screw - I don't see one on the schematic. But check anyway. It may look something like this...

Looks like Strike King has a "fish on." YOU. ><)))))0>

Around $200

Glenn, you're in your 40s. You don't qualify as an "old dude." You're not an old dude until at least 50 and you buy your first pair of plaid pants.

Which one? Chickahominy Reservoir? That is a pickerel/bowfin filled lake. But the bass fishing is incredible. It's one of those lakes where the jon boat has a definite advantage over big, wide tournament boats.

From Rapala's website: The Shad Rap naturally works its way down to its optimum depth. It does not require a fast crank or high troll speeds. You can jig or snap retrieve your rod tip on a slack line, causing the lure to respond with an erratic, darting action that simulates a startled or injured baitfish. A steady retrieve wrks well, too.

I almost spit up my coke on that one. ;D I remember those ads. Man, those are old-guy shoes ;D ;D

I looked at them this last weekend and I'm considering a frog rod myself. They are technique specific. Very nice rods from what I could tell. Very light. Odd colors, though. The bottom half of the blank is a subdued grey color. The top half is red, yellow, purple, etc, depending on the technique you choose. Other than that, they look to be very nicley made and, again, are very light. The reels seats are nice and the baitcasters have a lot of exposed blank under the reeel seat.

Abu Garcia and Fenwick are owned by Pure Fishing. All Star is owned by Shakespeare. The Jarden Corporation owns Pure Fishing and Shakespeare. Jarden has owned Shakespeare for some time now. They just bought Pure Fishing in April 2007. Who knows how Jarden has decided to consolidate the two. But these companies, and quite a few others, including Pfueger, are all related now.

Nice pics, Burley. What waters do you typically fish out where you are?

Man, I thought the American Fisheries Society would have a book. They have one on just about everything else. But no dice on striped bass ecology. I recommend perusing Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en&lr= You may have to settle on an article or a scientific work. I've used Google Scholar to locate informative articles on snakes and other reptiles. Sometimes you can come up with some pretty good stuff.

Post some pics when you get a chance. You never know when something you do to your boat will give an idea to someone else.

Bowfin.

I guess the same way. I've always caught them by boat around the ends of the piers at night.

It just says "at retail." I don't think you have to buy the rod and reel at the same time either, just both within the offer period. I just bought a Fenwick rod and I'm going to buy another Abu to put on it in the next week or so. I will be requesting the rebate. Rebate Coupon and Rules

There's a $50 rebate if you buy an Abu Garcia reel and a Fenwick or All Star rod. Good deal, IMO.