Micro

Call George Welcome. I know he has good reels.

Nothing real big, but plenty of fish. I posted pics of some of the bass here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1242174390 They were all in this size range.

The Revo SX is a great reel for that price. It has all the performance of the more expensive STX and looks good, too. I bet it will feel familiar in your hand . And its backed by the best customer service in the industry.

That's a nice, handy rod. It will do fine with cranks in that weight range.

The lake is on friggin' fire. Everybody is catching fish. The creeks on the north side are producing the biggest fish, but there are plenty of fish in the main lake and south creeks. The spawn is over. The fish I caught today all hit hard. They all looked like that could use a meal. Lots of blow-ups in the pads and scum. Caught 10 bass today in a just a few hours, with many more strikes. Water temp in the low 70's. Water clarity only a foot or two in the creeks, a few more in the main body. For you guys in the Richmond area, take a drive down, rent a boat from Ed Allens, bring lots of plastics. You will have a ball.

Which model? Team All Star (TAS), Instinct? The TAS is a light action, and the Instinct is a medium light action. Either way, it should do fine with light cranks. I wouldn't use it for heavier cranks. Stay in the recommended lure weight range.

I have 8 All Stars. 2 TAS and 6 American Classics. All USA made. They aren't the lightest rods, and they aren't the most sensitive. But they are plenty light enough and sensitive enough. That, paired with their incredible toughness, makes them reliable workhorse rods. If my life depended on fishing, I'd use only All Stars.

I swear, I really don't need to take anything else with me. Went out today for a few hours. Caught ten bass and one Yellow Perch. Caught all the bass on Rage Tail Space Monkeys and Rage Tail 7" Anacondas. Caught the perch on a wacky rigged 4" Senko :. Nothing big. But those Rage Tails are some producing baits. Here's a sample from today... Bass Bass Bass Bass Bass Something wanted this Space Monkey more than I did. I had a really hard hit in some water lilies. As I was pulling in the fish, it went sideways against the lilie stalks and wouldn't budge. I pulled harder and tore my lure out of its mouth. I think it might have been a bowfin. Never had a fish hold on that hard. Torn And here is a wacky little perch. I threw my Annie in a break in the lilies and got a decent hit. I followed up with the space monkey and got another hit. I follwed up afer that with wacky rigged 4" senko and pulled up this little guy. Wacky Perch

I installed vertical rod holders on my boat, too. It lasted one trip. One encounter with a cypress tree cured that problem.

I'm not a junkie. But I do like better-than-average equipment. I also understand it's a means to an end. I like solid, functional equipment that helps me enjoy myself. Catching fish is incidental to that.

You didn't say how much you wanted to spend. But the Team Daiwa Advantage-A seems to me to be a very good alternative to the Stradic FI. It's super smooth, manages line very well, and doesn't have the bail problems the Stradic has.

I'm jealous. I haven't been out for stripers at all this spring.

I know what you mean about feel. The Elite Tech Crankshaft does dampen feel some. That's the price of glass. I use the 7'3" MH/MF for heavy cranks. For lighter cranks I use a Fenwick HMG 7'0" M/MF (Model GT70M). It will handle most types of crank you want to throw as it is rated for 1/4 oz to 1 oz. It really excells with 1/2 oz baits. It has tremendous feel. You can really tell what you are bumping into or running across. Runs about $120.

Culprits are great baits. Some of my biggest fish were caught on shad and red shad colors Culprits.

Great pics. Keep them coming!

If you ever consider a portable battery charger made by a company called Vector (now owned by Black and Decker), keep on looking. I bought a Vector "Smart" portable battery charger more than a year ago. 6 months in, the fan motor started grinding and eventually stopped and the unit got very hot. The retailer exchanged it. Now, my replacement is doing exactly the same thing. Motor grinding and sound like a dying dog. This is apparently a common problem now that I'm starting to research this turd. Total garbage. Whether its blue, red or orange, and whether is says Vector on it, or Black and Decker, avoid it.

I want a toilet that flushes so hard it cleanses my colon. And I want an exhaust fan that sucks the newspaper out of my hands.

Biggest so far of '09. That gets beat this week

The top cork does look used, the bottom cork looks brand new and unfinished and unfilled. Looks like two rods merged together. Maybe that accounts for the extra long reel seat.

I'm off work all week. My arsenal for tomorrow is already set and is: 7'6" All Star American Classic flipping rod, Revo S, 15lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, 1/2oz Dave's Tourny Tackle flipping jig in green pumpkin with a Net Baits Paca Chunk in green pumpkin. 7'0" All Star American Classic pitching rod, Revo STX, 50lb Sufix Braid, Spro Bronzeye in Leopard. 6'8" All Star American Classic spinner bait rod, Revo STX, 12lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Rage Tail Space Monkey on a 4/0 weight Owner Twist Lock hook. 6'8" All Star American Classic spinner bait rod, Revo STX, 12lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Yamamoto 5" Swim Senko on a 4/0 weight Owner Twist Lock hook. 6'6" All Star American Classic spinning rod, Cardinal 802, 10lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Owner 1/0 weedless wacky hook, 4" Yamamoto Senko. I'm not taking any hardbaits at all.

Leopard and midnight walker. IMO, these are the two basics. Everything else is just to jazz up your tackle box.

I'm interested in coming.

I agree, it definately looks photoshopped onto that page. I can't tell if the rod itself was photoshopped. What I do know is that rod isn't representative of the rods I saw at Gander Mountain. The rods I saw there looked very nice, with normal looking reel seats, and cork with the little nooks and crannies filled in.

Sad part is, some of their stuff is outstanding. Their Team All Star and American Classic (now discontinued) rods, made in Houston, are excellent. But you'd never know it from that catalog.

There is a quick detachable mount. I used the mount with mine. I had to fabricate some extra support for it out of steel bar.