Paul Roberts

I agree here. I think the action would be faster Back on track. Now, where are the engineers? Gary Loomis...are you out there lurking? I'll settle for Brian Waldman. Or Joe Vanfossen. How about the Ugly Stick commercial guy??

Awww Geee, Pat. Actually, if he were in a good mood I can hear him, "That boy was a piece of work." Hey, next time you see him ask him to sing, "You are so Beautiful", and get ready to shed a tear (after your teeth crack). Anyway...ahh...we sold a bunch of Ugly Sticks. Don't remember any coming back either. I've seen people fishing with em with tire tracks on 'em! Maybe Roger should get one now, they way he smacks his Loomis's around. One rod will do it too: 2 to 200lb test. Put a broadhead on the butt and you can kill deer with it too.

According to a Shakespeare rep (this is third hand now), the actor in the commercial (don't if you remember it -tough guy saying "Ugly Stick -Fishes circles around ever other rod") ...supposedly he broke a bunch of them before they got the commercial shot. When someone came into the shop (B.E.) to look at an Ugly Stick we'd have to run right over and tell them not to try it. Pat told me that he'd had people grab em and break em. > <that's Pat -and a good likeness too.

Then there's the SnagProof whatchmacallit...forget. Still have one. It was tempermental, but bass would blow up on it. Hooking sucked on it -hooks too small. It is molded around a chunk of lead in the underside of the tail. This part was pretty important in getting it to behave. A weedless spook is a GREAT idea. Just need one that works well. I'll consider the Hound, but it sounds like some kinks need to be worked out.

I had one for one day. It was smaller than I needed so I returned it. Liked it though. Basically, little has changed on the subject -too new. Wait a couple years. For $39, what the hay?

Thanks, J. I'm not going to bother posting what I originally had going -it became long and circular lol --NO puns on Ugly Stick intended-- with more questions than answers. But I gotta ask, what action does an Ugly Stick have anyway??? If I hang a wet noodle off the end of a broken rod does it make it fast? What does that mean? ;D I think I'll leave rod design to the better qualified.

Interesting. I must confess, I'm thinking in circles here. So, while you are at the lecturn J, or others: What do the terms "fast/slow" designate? I've read: taper, recovery time, velocity to given power, ... Why a term designating speed?

I was going to say the same, but... I've never used one. So.... can someone describe the action compared to other JBs? One of the main features is its ability to be cast long distances. A x rap does the same. If you ever have fished a rogue the weight systems are different and a rogue casts like crap especially into the wind. That is why I dont fish rogues much anymore. They are too light and do not cast like a weight integrated bait. The other good feature is it actually gets close to suspending. Rogues for ex. you have to buy 2-3 to get one close to suspending. That puts the price about the same as 1 lc or more then 1 x rap. Colors: One for cloudy days and one for sunny days. Thanks GMAN, and BladeRummer.

Interesting. I'd respond to this by saying: Not for the same amount of force applied. You are right that you do not gain power, but to actually realize that slower action, you've got to apply more power. I don't often use much butt power in my rods, unless I'm maxed in line weight for that power, and then apply it. Interestingly, I've been thinking about this since I've had some fights in summer, when I go up to max line for a given rod, and use it. My "fast" rods can bend deeply in the butt then. The tip is essentially out of the action -might as well be broken off. I assume with a more "brittle" formula, like a Loomis GLX, I'm at greater risk of busting such a rod -hence the conservative weight ranges on such rods. I have some well made older lower modulus fast rods that I can bend deeply into what suddenly becomes a slower rod as it's maxed. But action ratings are based on the distribution of power for a given lbs of pull. Exceed that and distortion takes place. If it's an Ugly Stick, keep pulling lol. If it's a GLX, or other super high modulus thin-walled blank, you better back off. Those line ratings mean something. Another way to say it is: A given rod is not equally "fast" across a broad range of line weights. It may behave XF with 4lb line, and moderate with 20lb line -if it survives. Am I making sense? There's a member here, a sponsor maybe I think, who is a custom rod builder. Would love to hear his input. I'll try and find a certain post he made not long ago, and PM him -unless someone blows my thinking out of the water in the meantime LOL.

I was thinking the same thing when I was reading through all of the responses. This is a great site. I think about all of my favorites have responded to this, thanks to all. I've learned rather early on from reading on this website how important it is to learn the seasonal patterns of bass and therefore being able to locate them. My goal is to try to take in as much of that information as I can when I'm not on the water so that I can consentrate more on actually fishing when I'm on the water. I've also learned how big Catt is on learning to identify structure. (BTW, I loved the thread you started about that. it was very informative) There is a certain amount of reading that one could do to help, hopefully, to speed up the learning curve on being able to do that. That may prove to be one of the bigger challenges I have in front of me. When I finally get out on the water, and think I have found a good spot to fish, what am I going to use. Again, reading articles on this site and other messages will, hopefully help speed up the learning curve. So far from what you guys have said, I think I will work more with soft plastics and try some jigs. I never really thought of jigs as being more important to learn than a spinnerbait. However, since the water will still be cold and considering the seasonal patterns, maybe that would be a good strategie. As far as reading the water and letting the fish tell me what they want, that seems a little more advanced. Maybe that will be a tougher task than being able to identify structure. I just need to keep an open mind when I'm on the water. Thanks again everyone, I would love to read more opinions. bassresource ROCKS! I would strongly suggest adding some faster lures too: jerk, SB, buzzbait, lipless crank; something to find active aggressive fish. If you can catch 'em fast do it. These lures (not always fished FAST, but often erratically) can help you find active fish quicker. Then you can finish em off with plastics and/or jigs. (BTW: a jig isn't always slow -I swim a jig a lot and can cover water with it.) I often start fishing with rods rigged with a "fast"/horizontal lure, and a slower/more vertical lure. One or the other will do the trick. But first you gotta find them. The horizontal lures will often do this quicker. This stuff isn't all cookbook. Finding good structure doesn't mean the fish are there, or willing. Often I make my day in spurts. I first find them on any given day (location and/or position), make educated guesses on presentation, then fine tune. It's great when I can go out and be on willing fish right away. But often there's some real fishing involved. If you are new to a water, move a lot. Get to see a lot of it. Don't find a piece of "structure" and camp out for hours. You hear of anglers doing this, but this is bc they already know what to expect. They are already connected. So your first job is to make contact with fish. To do this, you gotta do the work. And some faster lures can help you do this. Start this spring: Get a couple suspending jerks (X-Rap say) and read up on em. I'm betting they'll find and catch you fish this spring.

Charcoal grey, full cork, 9 stainless guides, hook keeper, IM 7 blank. Very similar to a Lightning Rod. Here are a few pics: Thanks, Daniel. Nope, that's not my rod. Mine is black and has a couple red stripes above the handle. Can't seem to find the time to photo it. It was made in the mid 80s and was given to me by the Berkley Rep. He said it was a prototype and some changes were going to be made in the reel seat. I saw some here and there later, similar to mine. Sweet rod. It was a higher end rod then, behind the Series One. Interesting you compare yours with a LightningRod. I recently bought a Series One on close-out, and can only describe it as a "glorified LightningRod". It's also IM7. Seems Berkley has got out of the running for high end rods. They seem to be going with durability, and/or targeting low/mod price points. Wait a minute...I already have pics of it. The handle I added; it came with a pistol grip:

I would say any 6-6 to 7ft M or MH fast spinning rod in your price range would do the trick. Think line strength you'll be needing -that will help you choose the power. If you'll be using 8lb most often go with a M. If you will be using 12lb more, go with a MH. Brands?? TONS to choose from. For the type of techniques you are talking about, I'd go for a high quality rod on this particular rig, since sensitivity is esp important here. As to spinning reels see this thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1265879981

Ditto. Knowing your baits doesn't necessarily mean having tons of them to play with, it means get to know each one you do have: How deep will it run? What speeds does it perform well at? Will it come through cover? Does it need tuning? bobbyc wrote: Most of the magic in a given lure resides in where you put it and when, and then your deliberate manipulations of it. Don't get lulled into thinking the lure is doing the lion's share of the work. If you find yourself asking/begging the fish to come to your lure, you are not presenting precisely enough. Go to the fish, don't ask them to come to you.

It is nice to have just the right rig. I guess it also comes down to how often we fish, and how much $ we're willing to put in. I think it also comes down to how long you've been fishing. I see many n00b posts asking for what shaky head rod, what dropshot rod, what tube rod, etc. when all they really need for all three is a 7' M/mod-fast rod. I just can't see how a young person just getting into the sport would need to specialize so early, when they haven't experienced enough fishing to know why a certain rod may be better. On the flip side of that, I se many offer their opinions about rod selection based on the fact that's all they've ever used. Try doing things on something differently, sometimes it ends up being better. Everybody wants a soft, XXXX-Fast tip on a frog rod. Makes it nice to throw those things a mile. Ever try to haul a six pounder from the slop with a rod like that? Not fun. John, that's right on. I think the bait/rod monkey too often, or too quickly, does the thinking. On the flip-side, another reason I've had so many rods is bc I've tried new things, that may or may not have worked out as I'd intended. I think RW's list is a good one that'll cover the basics. In some waters I'd add a L spinning, and in others a H flippin' stick. Describes me pretty well too.

It is nice to have just the right rig. I guess it also comes down to how often we fish, and how much $ we're willing to put in.

This is good; a good description of artificial lures. I think it's too easy to breath WAY too much into them -as if the magic is in the lures. There's some of that in there, but our manipulations (starting with depth and speed) make or break that magic on any given day, and at times, on every given fish.

Man! Big question. I guess I'd fish the water you have, not the articles or catalogs you own. They can get you all excited (esp cooped up in a cabin lol), but spread you WAY thin too. The bait monkey will be all over you in the winter. Problem is, and this is rampant in fishing literature, the focus is on lures and techniques that a certain lure supposedly excels at. This sells a lot of lures, but spreads new, and old, anglers way too thin. Focus on your waters and let them, and the conditions you are confronted with, develop your arsenal. You will not "find your style" in a catalog. That style is dictated by your waters and the varying conditions that will present themselves. Basically, very diverse water types (structure, cover, clarity) offer the most options -but DON"T choose them all. Pick some basics first (and thinking about YOUR waters). Some waters will be much more limiting. Things will change through the season. No worries, the bait monkey will catch up with you, but you'll have him by the throat as you walk into BPS lol. Basics: an appropriate jig or two (skirted, and worm or grub), an appropriate worm rig (T-rig, C-rig), a topwater or three (spook, popper, buzzbait, frog, say), a SB or two (tandem and single), a suspending jerkbait for spring and winter. Read up on these, and don't over-buy. Buy for your water, then take 'em out and see what they do and what problems/challenges come up. You will most likely need to run back to the store or catalog, with your mission better understood. Let me leave you with this: IMO, jigs will teach you more about fishing, in more waters, than any other lure.

I like natural colors too. BUT...other colors can catch fish too. I took to using bright orange stickworms for sight fishing and my bass took them just fine. I do tend to let conditions dictate, but if I always do the same thing, I'm not proving anything. Just bc it "makes sense" to us doesn't mean it's accurate. Fluorescent pink and chartreuse worms have quite a following. The one thing I discovered years ago, and have stuck with, is using translucent plastics under very high visibility conditions. Opaque worms (my fav was black) simply failed under such conditions, where translucent's caught fish. I think two things enter in most: visibility conditions, and possibly fish experience with certain lures. Bass have color vision, and it evolved to enhance visibility. When you said "natural-colored" worms I thought you meant, like a real worm, like the old Burke Erthworm. They work really well btw. Creme makes it in the scoundrel -still a great straight tail.

I was going to say the same, but... I've never used one. So.... can someone describe the action compared to other JBs? Is it wider? I read short rips above, compared to the darting of an X-Rap. What does the LC offer?

Great thread. Well put TommyBass. I can add little to what's been said. Good stuff all. I have more rods than I need now, in part bc I've been a multi-species angler. But I cover things adequately (on the bass waters I currently fish) with M and MH tackle. I bring dupes so I don't have to tie a lot.

Ditto -for bass. If there is a chance of you hooking stripers, or salmon, capacity, (not just line strength) enters the picture. Could spin you some yarns on this, but I'll spare your eyes and my fingers. For bass reels , I use kite string for backing and put on about 120 yards. After this I replace the top 80 or so when needed. This also saves bucks, esp with FC. So, capacity doesn't matter so much for bass reels. But spool diameter does IMO. Avoid small spools; go for a larger spool which will handle a wider range of line diameters, and formulas. Lines with some memory are much less a problem on wider spools, and stiffer lines like FCs handle better on wider spools. Wider spools offer more speed and require less gear ratio to realize ipt (inches per turn). Wider spools, as J mentions, provide smoother drags, esp at start-up. But, this is unimportant to me bc I have never used drag on a spinning reel. I back-reel, which has so many advantages. I'm still waiting on the ultimate spinning reel: wide spool, small gear package, no drag, clip-on/off spools. 8-) On casting gear I've come to avoid V-spools bc of possible capacity issues they can present. My first casting reel was a Shimano Bantam that came with a cool snap-in/snap-out V-spool. It was fine for learning, but soon enough it simply shortened my casting distance. And if I lost line during a day's fishing, my casting was greatly compromised. I took the V-spool out 25years ago and never put it back in.

People are losing touch with the natural world more and more. That is what the world is coming to.

Bass have two spectral peaks: yellow-green and red-orange. They are weakest in the shorter (blue) end of the spectrum. Behavioral studies have shown bass have the greatest difficulty separating blues.

Reformulations happen, for a number of reasons. I'm slow to switch to new lines bc it takes some time to get to know them and you can get to know what they do, and trust this, pretty well. Some examples: I fished XT when it first appeared, after I saw the need for a more abrasion resistant line than XL for bass in cover. Originally it was also a low stretch line. I tested this one night when the tackle shop I worked in was slow, lifting trolling weights from various lines over the back of a tubular metal chair. I found XT to have, by a good bit, the least stretch before it could lift the weight. Falling behind it was Stren's new 'low stretch' "co-filament" called Prime. This testing (playing lol) showed me that there is a lot of possibilities in line formulations, and other testing showed that there are a lot of properties that enter in to different situations. Anyway, abrasion resistance and stretch are two major ones. I found the low stretch of XT to be somewhat of a liability though -it was brittle, or, the breaking point came up fast. Put max pressure on a fish and I was in danger of the line parting suddenly. I had been very much used to the stretch in XL, so this was new, and something to get used to. Stretch really cushions things, and allows you to flirt around the max break point more, without risking going over. You can feel, and sometimes hear, the line reaching max -feels and sounds like a string coming taut -bboiiiiiinnnnnnggggg -STOP! Or you'll break 'er off! I backreel with spinning tackle too, so I maintain complete control over how much I give and take. Old XT was different; it went bboiinngg-SNAP! Now, after getting back into bass fishing after some years chasing other critters, I found added verbage in the XT product description -'shock resistance'. This is the main feature of Berkley Big Game -and my guess is this means in large part, stretch. So XT is now stretchier, and I've yet to break anything off with it, not due to a faulty knot. But I have had some knots slip. This I do not remember ever happening with old XT or XL.

'Ditto'. Understanding how bass behave. It's not only the biggest challenge, but the most interesting one too. Well...that's number 2. Number 1 is finding the time to get out the door and onto the water.