brophog

The reel has come up quite a few times on this board, and the owners seem to really enjoy them.

Very few fishing shows would be deemed strictly 'educational' in nature. However, it is very hard for any fishing show to not teach *anyone* *anything*.

I've got a few of the past years models, too. I don't care for split grips, so I'm not thrilled with that decision. The new reel seats can go, imo. It's a line of rods that I've been moderately happy with when they're on a big sale (and only then), but I can't see myself buying one of these new versions due to these design decisions. In the past they were good enough rods that I could find some excuse to buy one (at 50 bucks or so), but I'd save my money for something else now.

Have several Accurists from before that time, and they hold up fine. They really need new spool bearings to really shine (imo stock bearings leave a bit to be desired), but the overall construction isn't too bad for what they cost. I simply keep them lubed properly, break them down about once a year and I've never had serious problems with any of them. They're decent reels, and a pretty good deal. I've never cared for the flipping switch, but I don't really use it, either. I certainly wouldn't buy one for that particular feature.

Save your money or buy spinning gear. Low cost baitcasters are just a headache waiting to happen. There are areas to skimp on in this sport, but baitcasting reels are not one of them.

It's the anticipation. Knowing you're in an area with fish, with the right presentation, just waiting for that fish to suck one down.

Trailer them to a bigger crankbait.......can not only cast them, but get them down deeper, too.

I've grown tired in recent years with some of the hair brain decisions the fishing department of Cabelas has made, but they still know outfitting and their Advanced Angler bags are worth every penny. Definitely my recommendation for a bag.

Small, compact baits are your friends into the wind. Things that can hang up are not good. I like things like lipless crankbaits, or 1/4 oz or bigger ball jigs tipped with plastics. Both are very easy to cast in the wind.

Nice tip.

I agree. Stay away from cheap baitcasters.

I've got a Shimano Compre UL in 7 foot that I really love.

It could be worse........she could fish, too. I spend at least twice as much at the tackle store with her than without her. Women have no natural defense against the bait monkey. :-?

If I knew the answer to this question, I'd know the secret to bass fishing.

Me too. Tom x3 Right handed, cast left on all setups, reel right on all setups.

Versus is expanding, but they're still chopped liver compared to FOX's stable of sports networks. FOX is not only ESPN's chief competitor, but they win their fair share of contracts against ESPN, and for some of the really big events, too. They've shown that they'll outbid ESPN on desirables, just to gain market share. Not necessarily the smartest choice, but a very real thorn in ESPN's side. There's more fishing shows than one can shake a stick at, and on a huge number of networks as well. Soccer, domestically, is only shown on a few networks and has a growing fanbase in a highly desirable demographic. I miss some of ESPN's Outdoors programming, too, but this is a very easy to understand business decision. ESPN sees the competition out there, and is re-focusing on the bigger events. Outdoors programming made nice filler for them, but the future of sports programming is global and those early morning time slots can be better filled with popular global programming.

I had a situation a few years ago where I made the mistake of fishing a Saturday morning (which I try to avoid). I was on a good run of fish, from the shore, and a boater came in so close that his bait actually hit me in the foot. That pretty much ruined that spot. I never did see that boater catch anything that morning, though, so at least I got some joy out of that. That guy took the term 'bank beater' a little too literally.

Agreed, and the people that were on the water were more tolerant of each other.

I agree with much of the consensus: XT is good line, but not for spinning reels. It's great on a baitcaster, though. In general, I'm still a big fan of mono, and my mono of choice is generally Trilene XL. It doesn't give me any issues, it casts good, it's cost effective, and it's widely available.

Never caught one either, though taking it out of the package first might help.

Anything dense and compact works great.

First thing on a new body of water is find the side the wind is blowing on and start there. From there, I find areas that have deeper water adjacent to shallow and to isolate the "highways" of the lake. I like to throw a bottom bait of some kind immediately to get a good idea of the bottom contour and structure available on an area I've never been in. Above all else I try to be neighborly and courteous to the other fishermen I see and share information with them. The greatest resource any body has is its fishermen.

You could try just not taking those things in the water. Though I've never tried to see if a bass will take VISA, so you may be onto something.........

I know they once did (at least the skirt) but I haven't seen a purple Terminator in several years.

I hear ya. It's my absolute favorite spinnerbait color, which is a shame since virtually no one makes a nice solid purple spinnerbait.