Micro

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1235093754/all

It's big, fat, heavy and you can cast it 17.3 miles. It's got the great finish of newer Rapala lures - clear with a reflective insert. Great hooks. I didn't detect a lot of action when retrieved slow, but it seems to do much better on a more moderate or fast retrieve. The rattle sound is very subtle compared to other lipless. It sinks, fast, nose first. It will sit on the bottom on its nose with its tail sticking up.

Thanks for the answers!

I didn't post this because I think Shimano is doing anything wrong. They make an outstanding product and I'm sure they are involved in charities themselves. But the wording suggests they aren't involved in charity. In other words, it looks more like critism than information. I think it could have, and should have, been worded differently.

Question about Sols, Aphas, Pixies... Is the Sol the American market version of the Alpha? What's a Pixy? is that some kind of supertuned Alpha?

I live in southeast Virginia. I most often fish Chickahominy Lake and River. I also fish Little Creek Reservoir, Lee Hall Reservoir, Daiscund Reservoir, Harwood Mills Reservoir, Waller Mill Reservoir. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/?type=1&region=1

This is on the back of the Spring Fishing Classic flyer. Our local BPS will not accept Shimano as trade, and will not give any discounts on Shimano for sale. Shimano seems to be left completely out of the flyer. All other brands are represented. Whatever Shimano's posiiton is, they are undoubted loosing out on more than a few sales.

I'd go with the Black Widow. It is based on the Team Daiwa Advantage. The Trillionaire is based on the Exceler. IMO, Advantage > Exceler. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwablackwidow2.html

I'm sold on the Zillion. A few months ago I owned no Daiwas. Now I own two Fuegos and three Zillions. The Zillion is my favorite reel. I'm lucky in that some of my friends are Shimano enthusiasts, others appeal to other brands. And I also get to fish with a tackle dealer that always has somthing new to try. So I've had the opportunity to try several different rods and reels. So far, nothing has impressed me like the Zillion. The combination of weight, feel, smoothness, quality of construction and performance with a wide range ot lure weights is hard to beat.

The only Matzuo hooks I have used are the 5/0 extra long shank offset worm hooks. I don't know if they make them anymore. But they were great for horny toads because they were long enough to crotch-hook them, instead of pushing the point up through the body. They also worked very well for long worms, like the 10" Rage Tail Annie. I'm about out and can't find them anywhere. But they were very good hooks. They were hard chromed, came extremely sharp, held a point, and IMO, every bit as good as a Gamakatsu.

I agree with Catt. Beetle spins will catch anything, and all sizes.

I don't fish big, soft swimbaits much at all. But I would imagine a big hook on soft swimbait would need a rather stout action to set it properly and consistently, but it seems a lot of swimbait rods have moderate or moderate fast actions. I'd be interested in hearing what other are using.

Fishing soft plastic swimbaits is a technique I don't know much about. Maybe someone else will chime in here.

I make big purchases at Green Top (and occassionally Tackle Warehouse). Reels, rods, more than a few lures - Green Top. Green Top is the bomb-diggity in Virginia for tackle. But it's 70 miles from my house so I do stop by BPS for small purchases.

Chicks.

Virginia requires insurance unless you pay the uninsured motorist fee. But you are taking your life in your hands if you drive without insurance. If you cause a crash, you are going to pay out-of-pocket for damages. My advice - carry insurance.

I think the 6500 is overkill for all but the biggest bass swimbaits. For 6-9 inch soft plastic swimbaits I'd go with a 5600 series. It will hold all the line you need.

It works great, give it a try. In our last trip to Lake Nasser (Egypt) we tested it also for tiger fish and I have to say that it was producing more than LC , Evergreen etc. Great! Thanks for the response. I'm going to pick one up. If it doesn't work well, it will look great hanging from my rearview mirror. One thing we already know, they must have great hooks. BTW, please post more pic!

T-rig, how are their lipless baits? The Mira Vibes, particularly the Mira Vibe 83? These are really nice looking baits.

I really like TackleTour. While they may profile some equipment I can't (or won't) afford, I still like reading about it. In the same spirit as reading an article about a Ferrari in Car and Driver. But TT has plenty of articles on gear I can and do afford. As stated, go through their archives. And they appear to be very fair in their reviews. They've suprised me with some of their assessments. I trust their site so much that its usually the first place I look before making a purchase. And the forums are great. Lots of very knowledgable, friendly people.

The area between Fredericksburg and Richmond is nice. I don't know what the job market is like, but I wouldn't mind living there.

$3 a lure adds up ;D. Like I said, they offer it, I took them up on it. BPS has the same prices as TW on most stuff, but I come across things occassionally TW seels for less. I'm going to do it more often.

IMO, a rod for deep cranks has attributes different than a rod that is used for swimbaits like the Mattlures Perch and Basstrix baits. Ideally, I think a deep crank rod will have a medium action, whereas a rod for swimbaits like the Mattlure and Basstrix would have a fast action. Personally, I think you need two different rods. You can compromise but the rod will be better for one application than the other.

I've got 7 Revos, 4 Cardinal 800s, 1 Cardinal 500, and several C4s. Add me to the Abu Posse list. Abu makes a solid product at a reasonable price.

If BPS doesn't want to match prices, they shouldn't offer. I went to BPS tonight after work to pick up some more Yo-Zuri Hardcore Drum lipless cranks. BPS sells them for $12.99. But the regular price at Tackle Warehouse is $9.99. I printed out the webpage showing the lure and the price. Went and pulled what I wanted off the rack and went to the customer service counter. I laid the lures up there and asked the clerk to match TW's price. She asked me if that was an actual store. I advised TW has an actual store, but sells online as well - just like BPS. She asked where it was, she never heard of it. I said its in California. She stated they had to have a store I "could walk into." I advised they have a store I can walk into, it's in California. She stated I couldn't leave and go there tonight so it wasn't a store I could walk into. I told her to stop jerking me around and either honor the price match or get a manager to tell me why they wouldn't. Next thing you know, she picks up the phone and calls the 800 number on the page I printed out. The ONLY thing she asked is "is this an actual store?" They must have said yes because she then hung up. She muttered a few things and acted as if she had no idea what to do next. Then she decides to call TW back. I had to point out the name of ghe lure on the page. She asked TW if they has "Yoozee" lures. I had to correct her (after all, she's talking to people that DO know what they are doing). Apparently satisfied that they were an actual store and that was their regular price, she started to fill out a "Price Reconcilliation" form. 3 lines took her 15 minutes. On the the way out, I felt compelled to tell a manager the trouble I had, and that it might be a good idea if BPS would hire, or at least train, customer service clerks to know SOMETHING about the products they sell. Friggin ridiculous.