Saladmander

Yeah, clippers just seem to mash the braid down and tear it up. Scissors work the best. I just keep a Leatherman on my belt. That way I always have my scissors, pliers, knife, etc. without having to look for them.

Nothin'.

They're all a little differnet, too. The one by my house has a lot of bass and big fish tackle. The one that is in the area where I work is slim on bass tackle but has more fly fishing stuff than any other Dick's I'd ever been to.

I agree with that to some degree. I think general color schemes (lighter vs. darker, natural vs. flashy...etc.) make a difference. I don't think subtle color differences matter all that much.

That's a great story.

Cujo made some really good points. Small ponds can't handle a big change in it's ecosystem. Ask anyone who has tried to keep a saltwater tank. A small one requires a lot more care than a big one. Fising pressure will definitely hurt a small pond pretty quick. Excess nutrients in the water can cause weeds to get out of control, as well. Phosphates and nitrates that are present in fertilizers can leach into the ground and make its way into a body of water from runoff. When the ice covers the pond in the winter, the weeds will die off and decompose. The bacteria that decomposes that stuff will consume oxygen. The ones in the know call this Winterkill (and that' the technical name). Dead spots that are undisturbed for long periods of time will create pockets of sulfates (you ever go wheelin' and drive through a bog that has mud that smells like rotten eggs?). Both those factors destroy animal life. No food, and no bass. I feel your pain, though... I've seen a couple ponds around here that suffered the same fate from too many people keeping fish to overgrowth of weeds. That's one of the reasons that I keep the little "honey holes" to myself. I've actually had friends bring somebody to one, then he would bring somebody, and he would bring a bunch of his friends... next thing you know, your quiet little pond that no one knew about has a handful of people there every time you go. Then, you finally stumble on the one guy that has an over the limit stringer that is probably the single reason that pond will be dry in just a few short years. It's really sad. Sorry to hear about your spot.

I like this reel a lot. I think that it's a great reel for it's price point. Here is a review of the Citica. Since this review, Shimano has released a 100 size reel. I think that the article states that there isn't. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanocitica200d.html

1. (2) 7' MH/fast casting - jigs, frogs, carolina or t-rigged plastics 2. (2) 6'9" M/fast casting - Everything 1 and 3 doesn't cover 3. 7' M/mod-fast spinning - small cranks, d-shot, jigheads, spoons

I can't believe I read this entire thread. I've done dumber things, though. :

Yeah, I think that's the one I was looking at. 7'M/(only I think it said mod/fast)

I'm looking for a new crankbait rod. A local shop has Croix and Loomis rods on sale. The Avid's around $100 and the Loomis is around $130. I crank lumber most of the time, med and shallow runners. I just picked up a Curado 200DPV that needs a rod. Anyone have any preferences between these two rods? My old crankbait rod for this situation is a 7' M/... so, I'll probably go the same on my new rod. Thanks for any input fellas.

- Caught a freshwater clam/mussel in about 4 feet of water with a 1-Minus. It had it by the bend on one of the trebles. Had to pry it open with a knife to get the lure back. Didn't know those things could clamp down so hard. - A beaver - Canadien goose - My brother caught a tampon last year. That was good fun watching him deal with that because it was on his favorite spinnerbait. ;D

Anyone know when the Sportsman show is coming to the Big E this year? Where is this place you guys are talking about? Is that the one in Worcestor? Edit: Ha... I clicked on the link... it's in Worcestor.

Man, I hear ya. I picked up some new stuff I can't wait to try out. The river looked pretty good today although it was a bit muddy and on the high side. No chunks of ice that I could see coming down the river. I think it's still too early for any lumber, which is a good thing if you're taking the boat out. I've heard of some guys losing their boat to logs catching anchor lines coming downstream in the early spring. Where do you go for Pike? I usually go up by the oxbow... good smallies up there too.

Ahh....Gotcha. Sorry. Sometimes I miss things when I read too fast. 8-) I read you're post again and think we were pretty much saying the same thing.

They were actually selling them in the store the last couple weeks for $40. They had the XML rods on sale for $60. I went there looking for a couple XML rods and ended up with the Fish Eagle rods because they didn't have any XML rods left with the power/size I was looking for. They seem like good rods for the money, but I haven't tried them out yet.

I gotta give this stuff a try. RW, you got me wondering what I've been missing out on.

Maybe my question was too wordy... I agree with all of you as far as matching the drag setting for the line used and taking into account the rods build to prevent breakage. I have no doubt that too big a line can tax your equipment if the drag is set incorrectly or the rod isn't used correctly. I've actually been taught to use my thumb and set the drag light on my baitcasters, so I don't worry too much about breaking anything. I personnally tend to use the lightest line possible to get the job done. I was actually asking about the opposite. Am I hurting rod performance in any way by using too light a line (under the low side of line range) on some of my rods? Say using 8 lb. mono on a rod that's rated for, say, 10-17 lb. line...? I have a dropshot rod that is rated for 8-14 lb. line, but I like to use 6 on it, especially for smallies. I have been using 30 lb. PP on that rod (14-20 lb.). I just hear of guys using 65 lb. braid on a rod like that BECAUSE the line diameter of that braid is more along the lines of mono in the 14-20 lb. range. That doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something. I definitely understand that the ratings are guidelines. It just seems that some people are saying that the rod should be matched to the line diameter range for performance, and I'm thinking that the line used should be based on technique and breaking strength. :-/ Thanks.

Just my opinion here, but I think that the power rating on the rod should be okay with spinnerbaits. I have a few M power rods that work well with spinnerbaits up to a 1/2 oz., but they're Fast action rods. I think the limiting factor with the BPS crankbait rod would be its action. I am not positive, but I would guess that it's a moderate action rod if it's a crankbait rod. I think a Fast action rod, Med power would be better for spinnerbaits. Although a moderate action rod wouldn't be my first choice for a spinnerbait rod, you could probably still use it for spinnerbaits if you put a little more > into it when you set the hook.

A have to agree with ya there. I don't have any experience at all with these things; and from what I read, they are great rods. But, I don't think I could ever get past the way they look. :-/

I saw a thread asking about using line that was heavier than the recommended range for the rod. I was tempted to hi-jack the thread 8-) but wondered the opposite. For example, using 8 lb. mono or 30 lb. braid on a rod that's rated for lines from 10-20 lbs. I can see the negative effects of using too big a line, but what about the opposite? I never really looked at the ratings on the rods that I used... I kinda just matched the line size to the usage of the rod based on power and action. I guess that would usually put you in the range of what's recommended, but with the braided line you could really get away with using a much smaller diameter line for a particular rod if you considered breaking stregth as the deciding factor. For example, I have been using a H,Fast for a pitching stick rated for like 14-20 lb. line. I've been using 30 lb. PP (no complaints). I know I could use something like 65 so that the diameter of the line is matched better to the rod, but I never felt that I needed that breaking stregth up here in Mass. Any thoughts about the smaller line on a rod like that? Or, even on a rod used for casting lures... any negative effects?

There's this older guy I used to see at one of my trout fishing spots that told me this story. I'd see him every year a handful of times that I'd go up there. He seemed pretty sincere and was a heck of a trout fisherman. Anyway, he fishes trout at this pond up in the northwestern part of mass that they stock every spring. He liked this one spot that produced some good numbers of rainbows. One year he had one on and an enormous bass hit it. Ripped the trout right off the end of his line and took off with it. A couple weeks or so later he was fishing that very same spot and hooked up with a rainbow that was hammered again by a huge bass, only managed to get this one in. He said, and I quote, "I couldn't believe it!! I never thought that would've happened again as long as I lived." It wasn't even hooked. I mean, the trout was, but the bass wouldn't let go. It tried to bail right by his legs. The bass weighed in at just under 10.5 lbs. I personally have never seen a living LM that big. This place isn't known for bass that big... but it has a good stock of 4-6lbers. She definitely knew how to put some pounds on. Until the secret got out about the fishing in California, I'd never think to try a rainbow imitation. But, I can believe that there are a handful, or more, of some 10-15 lbers spread out around the state. And as mentioned, probably in trout stocked waters.

I usually do pretty well with split tail Bass Assassins. My favorite color to use is the pink and pearl colored ones. I never look at the label; I just know the color when I see it, but it's a "something" shad. Close second for me is a good ol' Sluggo, pumpkin. Edit: Sorry, I just looked again at your original post. I don't use either of those. :-/

;D Muddy, I like the way you think!