Masshole Mike

i agree with speedbead, put it towards another aspect of the trip or gas money for the bassbus. i'd rather it go to you or glenn than anything else. also, to echo everyone else... ronnie, glenn and everyone else that's helped out THANK YOU!!!

pemmican beef jerky & mountain dew when i'm by myself. pemmican beef jerky & bud light when i'm with my buddies.

i looked at both the citica and the revo's, and i felt the revo was much more comfortable. i chose the revo sx because it has the exterior brake control and also comes in a LH model, and coupled with the 7' fenwick it's gonna be a great setup i think. add to that the $50 rebate i got by buying the rod and reel together, plus i'm going to sell off my convergence, and i pretty much got the hmx for free. if i weren't leaving on sunday i'd be sending the revo out to reelmech today to have him hook it up.

listen to popeye, spinach will put some hair on your chest and make your forearms friggin HUGE. .dsaavedra. did you ever stop to think about why all women's dressing rooms have chairs outside of them? i like to call those the "boyfriend chairs" because you'll almost always see some dude sitting in one looking like he'd rather be getting a root canal without any novacaine. any time you go shopping with a female, look for those chairs immediately and pull up a spot, chances are you're gonna be there for a while.

he also said "GET BACK TO THA CHOPPPPPAAAAA!" which has no relevance to any other part of this thread, but it's probably my favorite arnold quote ever. tallying up what i've spent just on tackle getting ready for the g'ville trip, i'd say my self-control has packed up, left the building, got in a cab, driven to the airport, got on a plane, flown to wherever it is the baitmonkey resides and moved in with that foul little poo-slinging primate. and no, i didn't get the milk. after leaving the candy aisle i only made it as far as the frozen foods aisle where i picked up a couple rapala dt-fat series 3 cranks and decided to call it a day.

i'm always rockin an ipod when i fish by myself.

I went to the store to by milk this afternoon and ended up coming home with this... Revo SX and a 7' MH Fenwick HMX. They were in the candy aisle next to the Starburst and Watchamacallit's with a little sign that said "$50 Rebate" and I just couldn't resist.

...and THEN follow ReelMech's advice. ;D All I know is that the LP100 I bought was a waste of time and money.

MA weather can pucker up, too! I actually just checked the G'ville weather yesterday and Sunday and Tuesday called for rain, that's nice to see it's changed to partly cloudy.

Thanks for the heads-up Pond Hopper. I checked that thread out earlier, the only things is that if I buy a new reel before the trip I'm going to want to have it in hand by this Saturday which would mean I either pay less for the reel online but more for shipping to get it faster, or I pay more at a store for the reel and walk out of the store with product in hand. Also, keep in mind I'm not necessarily asking which of the two is the "better" reel, I already know they're both great reels. I'm more looking to get answers to the questions I asked in my first post. Would either of these reels make a good jig-specific reel, and why? They're both very similar aside from bearing count and a slight deviation in gear ratios, but would they be my best option for jigging or should I be looking at higher/lower gear ratios and IPT?

No the S has an internal centrifugal brake, same as the Citica. The SC has an exterior brake. I think they both would be a decent choice I am just partial to the Abu Garcia that fits my hands and style perfectly. I was just looking at the SC on Cabela's website. I like that it does offer an exterior brake control, but I'm not sure I want to spend the extra $30 for it. I'd also like to get a LH retrieve and I don't see that as an option for the SC. I might just have to take a run to BPS or Cabela's later this week and check em all out. I was hoping to bring two baitcasters to G'ville but I'm definitely leaving the POS Pinnacle at home. I just don't know if I can justify dropping $110 on a new reel just a few days away from the trip, but I also want to go there with as much fish-catching potential as possible, and if that means buying a new reel then so be it. (I think that's the Monkey talking....)

Thanks for the input so far guys. Another question I have is would a higher gear ratio/higher IPT be better for jigging? I've seen some people say they prefer a higher ratio and IPT for throwing jigs, say a 7:1, over a slower ratio/IPT reel. I've already got a BPS Rick Clunn 7.1:1 LH that's got a 31" IPT retrieve rate. Would this reel be better suited for jigging than the Revo/Citica I'm looking at? I was going to use the Clunn primarily for spinner/buzz baits. C'mon, where are all the Abu guys and the Shimano posse when you need them?!

all this info is taken right from the DCR website... Boat Rentals (just boat, no motor) $10/day + $4/vehicle (parking) = $14/day Boat and Motor Rentals $26/day + $4/vehicle (parking) + $30/day Private Boat Launch Fee $2/person + $4/vehicle (parking) seniors and handicapped $1/person + $2/vehicle Boat and Motor Limitations DCR rental boats are limited to 10hp motors Two Stroke motors - Private boats with two-stroke engines are limited to one-half the Boating Industries of America (BIA) or Outboard Boating Council (OBC) hp rating of the boat up to a maximum of 20 hp. Four Stroke motors - FOUR-STROKE ENGINES - Private boats with four-stroke engines are limited to one-half the Boating Industries of America (BIA) or Outboard Boating Council (OBC) hp rating of the boat up to a maximum of 25 hp. Private boats may use two motors provided the total combined horsepower does not exceed the horsepower limits above. Combined four-stroke and two-stroke engines may not exceed 20 hp total. 25 horsepower two-stroke motors are not allowed. All other questions can probably be answered by going here... http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/quabfish.htm Tin, like I told Tokyo Tony this probably won't be until early May if you want in. The more the merrier!

I'm looking to replace a piece of junk Pinnacle LP100 baitcaster I've got, and I was looking into either a Revo S or a Citica CI200DSV. I'd be pairing it with a Shimano Convergence 6'6" M Fast and fishing mostly jigs with it. I've got a few questions on both reels. I'm leaning more towards the Revo purely because it has a LH retrieve model and I'm much more comfortable with that, but I'd still like to weigh my options a little more. Is there a larger size Citica that comes in a LH model? Does the Abu have a sideplate like the Citica, or a dial for the braking system? The Abu lists 27.5" per turn, while the Citica lists 25" for the 100 and 26" for the 200, which would be better for jigging? Both gear ratios are similar so I guess IPT would play a little bigger part in my retrieve, correct? I don't do much jigging as it is, but enough that I want a decent setup for it, and the Pinnacle I'm using is trash. It doesn't cast well, frankly it doesn't do very much of anything well. I'd like to keep the cost of this reel to around $100. The Revo's at $110 at BPS and the Citica's at $120 with a $30 rebate. Which would be best for me, and how many hundred more options are there for me in that price range for this purpose?

well to be honest tony, i wasn't going to plan it for the 19th. being the first day it's open i'm sure that place is going to be slammed, but the bite should still be on the first few weeks of may so maybe one of the first weekends in may?

there are boat launch ramps at gates 8, 31, and 43. gate 8 has a lot of fishable water but if you look at the map i linked to, it lacks access to the big water. you have to put in at gate 31 or 43 in order to access the main reservoir area. however, i know there are limitations on motor size and possible boat size. i know you can't have a motor over 25hp, but i'm not sure what, if any, restrictions there are on boat size. i know there are fees associated with bringing your own boat, just as there are if you rent, i'm just not sure what they are. i'll check into it and post up any info i can find. bassnajr, are you talking about the CAST for Kids tournament or another tournament? the CAST tourney is april 6th, the quabbin doesn't even open until april 19th so that shouldn't interfere. even if it did i would schedule around any tournies russ has set up so hopefully he can make it up and catch a smallie!

like buckeyeone said, i'd much rather be out throwin a line NOT catching fish than sitting at home wondering if i could be catching fish. i spent part of my lunch break today setting up two rods so i can go out to a local river and get a line wet. i know full well it'd be a miracle if i even get a bite, but open water is open water and at this point that's all i need. just like anything else you won't get any better without practice. see ya later cabin fever!

Mike, Don't worry about a snack cooler, I will have an extra in the bass buss for you to use. That way you won't have to give or throw it away and won't have to bother with it on a plane. Ronnie awesome, thanks so much ronnie! another shining example of the kindness that runs rampant throughout this site. only a few more days and i'll finally get to thank you guys in person!

it hit me good yesterday when i looked at the clock and it was 1:30 and i thought to myself "by this time next sunday i'll be fishing in alabama...." i can't wait any longer! as far as luggage is concerned i'm going to try to fit my clothes for the week + my backpack of plastics + my 3-box okechobee fats tackle bag all into one bag. my reels, one change of clothes and toothbrush are going in my carry-on, and i'm going to stuff some smaller clothes into russ' bazooka tube as well. i hadn't even thought of food, to be honest. i'll have to grab a small cooler to stuff some sodas and snacks in for the day. the only bad part about all this is knowing i WILL forget something important for this trip. i'm going to go make myself a check list of stuff so i can keep adding to it as more responses are posted.

the quabbin only allows kayaks on one section of it, "the pottopaug pond" which is north of the dam at gate 43 because it's only a portion of the size of the "big" quabbin water. you'd have to rent a boat to fish the big side. the license i was talking about is a one-day MA fishing license for any guys that would be coming from out of state. here's a map of the quabbin in regards to fishable waters... http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/documents/quabfish.pdf

thanks for the replies guys.

get a peavey EVH 5150. dude, you gotta! i had mine hooked up through a marshall 1960A slant cab and that thing wailed. i'd suggest a boss NS-2 noise suppressor if you use alot of gain though. they're handy to have even if you don't get a lot of feedback because they cut down white noise as well. the frankenstrat looks sick, too. nice job.

i still have a few small loose ends to wrap up, like picking up at least one pair of sunglasses and packing clothes, but aside from that i am good to go. i got my license the other day online, it's super quick and easy to do and i suggest anyone that hasn't gotten theirs yet do so online. you can print it right out and you're on your way. i've actually got a few questions that may come off as noob-ish, but this is my first big fishing trip and i'd like to be as prepared as possible. first, how much is too much as far as rods and tackle when fishing on someone else's boat? i'm only going to be bringing 4 rod set ups down with me, and my tackle bag only stores 3 boxes but i'll have another bag of just soft plastics that'll probably stay in the room save for a few bags each day. would the tackle bag and 4 rods be too much as a non-boater? i just don't want to clutter up someone else's boat deck. second, expense-wise how much am i looking at spending each day i'm there? i plan on chipping in for gas money every day, as well as any snacks or lunches, but i wasn't sure how much i should really plan on spending while i'm down there. any ideas? i had a few more i can't think of right now. any help is greatly appreciated guys.

Fellas, the 3rd saturday of April is quickly approaching, and this means opening day at the Quabbin. I figured I'd see if we could generate a little interest in a MA/RI/CT/NH outing for early spring smallie fishing. Boat rentals at the Quabbin are fairly cheap, around $30 for the day (gas included) and I know you can get a 1-day license right at the gate for fairly cheap, as well. Anyone interested in a late April/early May BassResource.com get together?

didn't he catch that fish foul-hooked, that's why it didn't count as a new record?