repper

Everybody has to figure this one out for themselves. what I do now, and this works best for me, is put everything into Plano 3750, or at least I think that's the number. I have the plano's labeled by what in them. my boxes say things like jig trailers, crawdads, senkos, robos, flukes, shallow cranks, deep cranks, topwaters, jigs, weights, hooks, and so on. nothing remains in the packaging as the packaging itself takes up way too much room. i've got some add'l stuff, like a soft binder that has spinnerbaits in it, and a coupel of deeper plano's(forget the number) that have swimbaits in them. plano makes a container for crankbaits that i have found works really well. i've got some other 3700 labeled, but I can't remember what they are labeled right now. and I have several large plastic bags with misc soft plastics in them. it's not perfect, but it works for me! and it's the only way I can fit all my shxx into my tackle storage area of the boat! I've got more worms than I'll ever use, but I also have tons of options on the water, which is what you need to to the best you can. i just thought of a couple of other box labels: beavers, big worms,grubs,frogs/toads.

I thin 'ask the boater' is the best solution. However, as a boater...I think the non-boater should never need more than 4 rods, and one big soft tackle bag. I have never seen an instance in all my years of tourney fishing where 4 rods were not enough for the non boater. 1 spinning outfit and 3 baitcasters, spaced properly, will cover most every situation, and if it's all heavy power fishing you go with 4 bc and no spinning. I've got a 19' bass boat, and if the non boater brings more than necessary it does far more harm than good thru the day. And it does help to bring some gas money and drinks because those boats are not cheap to operate! And I have told many back seaters to leave some of their stuff in the car over the years.

If you can afford it then that Dobyns 701 Extreme would be the best bet. That rod is a huge jump quality-wise from the other rods being considered. HUGE. those extreme rods from Dobyns are awesome. I've got the extreme 702 as one of a couple of dropshot setups, and well..like I said. Get that used Dobyns if it is still available, you won't be sorry.

the best of the Cumaras for shakeyhead is the 7'2" M XF. Most shakey setups weigh enough that a baitcasting setup works fine, at least for me. And i find it much easier to stay in touch with the bottom using the baitcaster. In fact I leave it in free wheel and use my thumb to control the line until I get bit, then I engage, reel down, and set the hook! this method allows me to be sure I'm keeping it on the bottom, with the right amount of tension on the line, which is key when shakey fishing. without the proper line tension you can't impart the correct action to the worm, and being able to 'shake' the worm is why you use the shakey head technique. of course...to each his own. it's just the way I do it.

green pumpkin/watermelon laminate. 912.

i think if you throw deep cranks enough then getting a long deep cranking rod would be worth your while. on the other hand...if you don't throw deep cranks alot, then you can surely get by with what you have now. I too have a 7' rod locker, so I have a Kistler Argon 7'9" crankin stick,telescopic, that works great for me. If you get one, I would get a Telescopic rod around 8' long. The you will be able to launch those 22's a country mile, and get them deep. i think the main thing to consider is how much you will thor wthose deep cranks.

seems like everybody is leaning toward the saltwater rods, but i've got my 400b on an Okuma 7111xh. it's rated 15-40lb line, and 2-10 oz weight. i use mine for throwing the big swimbaits, or trolling for stripers with big topwater lures, but every once in a while i go on a saltwater trip, and i always take this combo. it's great for fishing the kelp beds. it's great for throwing 5-6 inch big hammers, etc. and it works well for bait fishing too. ive got 50 lb braid on it, and i just switch out the leaders according to what I'm fishing for. And it's 8' long so you can chuck live bait pretty good with it too. And for $110.00 I think it's a pretty good deal too. guys always do a double take when i take on the cattle boats, but then they see how far you can chuck an anchovie with it and change their mind! nice reel you ha 8-)ve and one heck of a great deal you got too. have fun with whatever you get.

Those rods RW pointed out to you in the flea market, either the jerkbait or the topwater, are both great deals. And those rods are far superior to the Mojo or bucco. Far. if they are in the condition stated they would make you a great rod. I've got thetopwater rod, in LT, and it's a favorite.

Use the 12 lb mono. it's better for a number of reasons. And set up the baitcaster for that it won't backlash easily, if at all. that way they only have to worry about putting their thumb on the spool right before the lure hits the water. As they start to get familiar with things you can loosen up the reels so that their casts begin to go farther.And if you can do it in water you will be better off, because they can see the lure hit the water more easily than hitting the ground. And if they can't tell when it's going to hit the ground, you will be picking out birdnests constantly! I taught both of my sons without many issues, and without too much line sacrificed. Of course, the first time they try it when they are actually fishing they forget everything you have taught them, and they backlash a few times, until they settle down. Good luck, have fun, and try to be patient!

I still have some of your original Megastrike that I use some, but the newer version is just too stinky for me. You said be honest, and honestly I use mostly Hotsauce, but I still do use some of the older version of your Megastrike. I do not care for the jig heads, too bulky, but I still use them in rocky areas, wish they had a rattle option though. I've caught plenty of fish on them though. I like the buzzbaits, but a 1/2 oz version would be nice. My son, who I almost always go fishing with, gags when I give him a good whiff of your newer version of the Megastrike!

i still believe you will do best with a walking style topwater, with treble hooks! silver, white, or clear. just work thru the boil and you will get bit! And with the trebles you have the best shot at hooking one

I think the Expeditor service, even at the $100.00 is a very generous plan. Do people really expect companies to replace their items, broken through no fault of the company? I kind of felt a little guilty sending my GLX back for replacement for $50.00 when I had broken the rod taking it out of my rod locker. Not so guilty that I didn't use the service, but I did feel bad that I had broken the rod that way. I mean, this was no fault of Loomis, but they still sent me a brand new rod for the $50.00. I'm sure if I dropped my Nikon camera, I would not be able to have it replaced for anything other than full cost. In fact I can think of no other companies that have such a plan. I suggest just being very careful with your expensive Loomis rods, and you will find they hold up very well under "normal" fishing. Mine certainly have. The only one I"ve ever broken was my fault. And since they will still replace your rod once, just be sure you learn your lesson on the first break, and you should be fine. I've got St Croixs best, and I've one Dobyns EX, and I think the Loomis rods are still "right up there" with most anything available. I'm not sure what the others replacement programs are, but I'm doubting they will give you a new rod for $50.00 if you send back the one you broke by closing the car door on it. And the more high end rod you get the more fragile it will be, no matter the company. If you want something you can abuse without worry get an Ugly Stick

For the amount you've listed I would get a Powell 703 or 704 and pair it with the Curado 100. You could fish all of the things you mentioned, and for the money the Powell's have good sensitivity when fishing with jigs, t-rigs, etc. If you can spend a bit more you should consider a Dobyns rod, with the Curado.

I fish in very clear water quite often. And depending on the conditions I will go as low as 4lb test floro. And I Dropshot 4" roboworms, nose hooked, or occasionly I will wacky rig my dropshot. And if the Robo isn't working I will try Senkos, either weightless, or with a flik shake type weighted hook, and almost always wacky rigged when using Senkos, and I down size the Senkos, using either 3" or 4". And just keep trying different colors until you get bit!

I have had great sucess throwing Vixens, Dog-x, and Sammys, when faced with boiling shad. And I always use a shad imitating color. Flitter shad, American shad, ghost Minnow, Chartreuse shad, etc. It's an awesome time to fish! I've nailed them using small, heavy Megabait lures too. I use chrome with black or blue top. These lures are very heavy for their size so they cast great. i cast them to the far side of the boil, reel fast until they are in the center, and then let them sink, and as they flutter down below the boil, they get hammered, and often by the larger fish waiting below the boil for the 'easy pickens'. Good luck. This is quite common on our lakes in the fall, as the shad begin to gather for their spawn. if boils will happen periodically in the general area where you first see them. the bass 'round up' the shad until they have them balled up, and then they attack. this will last various times, and then they stop and rest, and 'round up' the shad again, and the cycle continues. so be patient and wait for the cycle to happen and you will catch them!

The Core 50 is my favorite reel too. But for 200 bucks that Curado 50 is going to sell like hotcakes. But if you can afford it, the Core 50 is awesome, and you certainly won't regret the purchase. This reel throws light baits better than anything else I have, and I've got Daiwa's Sol, and a Shimano Chronarch 50, which both do really well too, but the Core 50 is awesome.

no offense...but you were clumsy. without going into the engineering involved with such a high dollar piece of equipment, it was not built to withstnd the kind of force you put on it when you pulled with the big end of the rod while the very fragile tip was not free to move. that is not loomis' fault, and in my opinion they are very generous to replace a rod broken in that manner , at any cost. that was not a manufacturers default. i dont blame them for raising the price to 100. they probalby get very tired of replacing perfectly good rods which have been broken by mis handling. i have broken a glx myself when taking it out from my rodlocker so i know of what i speak. and i gladly paid the 50 bucks for a new rod. and i am way more careful now.

this is a very common scenario this time of year. i would start with a jig, in a natural color. and i would try the flik shake type hook(one with a small weight on it), with a senko on it, in 912 or 301. and if i still wasn't catching them i would try a dropshot rig, at varying heights, with wacky rigged zoom swamp crawlers or trick worms. the swamp crawlers are thinner than the trick worm, and sometimes will get bit when the trick worm wont. and i love the watermelon candy color for this. i try to fish the depth where im marking fish, and keeping moving slowly until i get bit. i used to be able to fish an old rock quarry like roadwarrior refers to in his post. then the lawyers got involved and wouldn't let us fish it any longer. what a bummer. we used to sleigh the bass when fishing there. it got very little fishing pressure so those bass were really aggressive. i miss that place!

it's hard to hit a moving target!

Two packs of baby brush hogs, one green pumpkin and one wtermelon candy. use them texas rigged, and if you do have a jig, as you said, you can use the baby brush hogs as jig trailers too. just bite a little off the nose if need be. and if you get a jig get a 3/8 oz one because it will cast farther than the 1/4 oz. and get a green pumpkin with a little purple mixed in for the jig color. Good luck

you might be able to score Daiwa Sol at a great price in the next couple of weeks on ebay. great reel, castsw light weightws as well as anything, and if you can get one for 150.00 it's the best deal out there at the present time. i love mine, especially for throwing the light weights. low profile too!

if you are gong to be throwing light weights with it, then the Sol is the way to go. it's great at throwing the lighter weights. some good deals at the present, on ebay. Daiwa no longer makes the reel, so if you want one better pull the trigger soon.

i've got three of them, and they've been great. bulletproof. and I like the shape of the reel. it's very low on the rod, and the width doesn't bother me at all. I think they are under-apprecaited. And i found mine on ebay for a very nice price as well!

the glass rods have a very parabolic bend, which is good for keeping treble hooks from pulling when fighting the fish. however, if you want to throw those deep cranks for a period of time i recommend you go with a lighter rod. you will love one of those dobyns crank sticks.

if you are not fishing in gin clear water then perhaps fluro is not needed. but if it is, then i would recommended practicing your uni to uni until you can tie it perfectly. i use 30 lb suffix braid to various lb test fluro and never break at the knot but i used to have that problem too. and it was my knot. make sure you are tying the uni to uni correctly, and perfectly and it works great. i just spent a week at clearlake ca, using a dropshot rig with 10 lb fluro, catching many 3-6 lb bass and had no knot failures. but the knot has to be tied perfectly. i had a guide show me how he tied his years ago, and until i practiced tying the knot mine would sometimes break when fighting a big fish. but not anymore. and in very clear water i do think the fluro makes a difference, with all due respect to what others have said