J Francho

You mean like in the Classic, where everyone was throwing a trap? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm on board with a 30 day warranty. I've only had two rods snap right off the shelf, one on a fish, the other on a cast. The first was a replacement for the second - can you say bad run? It's rare, but it happens. Bad rods make it to market. I want to be protected from that. That all said, I don't mind the little extra I pay for a replacement service. I have a twelve year old Avid that I will be replacing this year, since the reel seat cracked and the reel has to be taped on to use it. I don't mind the $60 to get a new one - that rod doesn't owe me a penny - or whatever "extra" I paid for it. What I AM curious about, is where this new line sits in relation to other rods. If you told me it was a Powell Max, without any replacement program attached, then I could make a judgement call about it's value to me. And that's really what it's about - what it's value is to the individual buyer.

I think I want to talk about this: "Bass are opportunists." Yeah, I get that, all animals are opportunistic. I don't think they are opportunistic feeders, though. They definitely have modes where they are inactive, neutral, or active (and varying states along that range). I've watched bass react negatively to prey that I've also seen them chase aggressively. That isn't opportunistic behavior to me. Just the opposite. I think they have a definite preference in food, and it is our job to try and match it. On some days, that might not matter, but on most days, I think it matters more. I think we also assume a great deal about what we think our bait is doing. A jig is a crayfish, a crank is a minnow, a toad is a frog, etc. The presentation can play a big part in what you are trying to sell a less than aggressive bass.

I don't listen to anything while I'm fishing. Sometimes I wish I had headphones to block out jet skis!

Not kidding, I'll have to make a video of it.

There is just something about wood fish that is so satisfying when you finally get the death grip on their lower lip. Congrats, a well earned catch!

You can use a "power flip" grab the line and spin the bait. Let go at the right moment so the bait smacks through the cover. Works well for lighter jigs in cover where it's mostly surface clutter that is think, and open below.

Also, did you misplace a spacer #664 or #2224?

Is the spring tucked in under the lip of the frame, and is the spool tension knob snugged down to where it just stops the spool from spinning freely?

Usually you'd install a water proof marine model in a boat, but if it's collecting dust, I don't see the problem. Make sure it won't get wet.

No sweat

You can do spinnerbaits, ribbit toads, frogs in moderate cover, small boot tail swimbaits, chatterbaits, and spoons as well with it. A 7' MH/F rod has so many uses in bass fishing.

15, 20, 50, 65, 80 Power Pro. 8, 10, 12 P-Line CXX 4, 6 Silverthread 12 Trilene 100% Fluoro 4, 6 InvisX 10, 12 Sufix Elite A good jig rod? General recommendation would be any 7 to 7.5' MH/F rod within your budget. I have an Avid AVC70MHF that makes a great all purpose jig and worm rod.

Line that sinks, even just a bit, makes walking baits more difficult than they really are. So does a very limp line. I also find braid tangles more with suspended jerkbaits than topwaters. I just don't like braid with a treble. I prefer something with a little give.

Not that it's any of our business, but if you have $50K cash to spend on a bass boat, you have probably worried about a lot less than $3K. I know the more successful I have become, the more careful I have become.

I don't know why what I said was interpreted that I don't believe in matching the forage. I said I despise the "match the hatch" analogy for bass fishing. It's match the forage, hatches are for trout. On some days, you can probably get bit on a gummy worm. Active and aggreesive bass can be triggered to bite. On other days, you better have a bait with a certain color, or it's gonna be a tough day. For truly trophy fish, realism is a must. Get more things right than wrong, and you get success.

In streams, there are predominant hatches of single species of bugs. Stream trout can get very picky about what they will eat, and if your fly doesn't match the hatch, you aren't getting bit. Applied to bass fishing (an analogy I absolutely despise) it means match the forage. Some lakes it's going to be gobies. Others it might be perch or shad. Some places are crawfish lakes. Do your research, see if matching the forage helps you catch more.

One of my favorite pics of my bud Kasey. Not sure why he was sleeping. His cousin and I caught the hell out them that day, LOL.

Pitch cast and roll cast. As you thumb the spool to a stop, you'll feel the rod load a bit. Normally, you like to have that resistance, and "hook" the bait in the air so that it hits theh water running. But when you need stealth, use "soft hands," and keep the rod at an angle to the landing, and let the rod dip as you thum spool at the end of the cast. It should feel like you dropped the bait from 2" over the spot where it lands.

You guys are brutal. Someone says, "Try this and tell the world what you think," and the rest of you can only criticize us. Maybe we should stop doing you favors, and make random, totally useless recommendations? I gave an unbiased review of their spinning gear, even went so far to catch 25-30 trout and salmon with it. Did the same with my two CI4. These fish actually do fight. Can take ten minutes or more to get them in. No harm to either the Pinnacle or the Shimano (or the other two Daiwa baitcasters I use for this either), so if you are having trouble with dink snook, then I point the finger at maintenance.

Would you prefer it if tournament anglers nailed all their bass to a board? As it stands, 100% of bass caught in tournaments is given more than a fighting chance to live, and be caught again. Can't say the same for all recreational anglers.

What is insulting about it? Guys still whine about senkos in tournaments. Don't like to beaten by blind squirrels? Set up your game! There is an old timer somewhere complaining that bass fishing was great until the invention of the plastic worm. Side imaging and GPS are WAYYYYY bigger tools in the scheme of tournament fishing than any terminal rig. Remember the guys taking chain saws and come alongs to get their boats into really remote water? Was that fair? When ever there is a, "why didn't I think of that?" moment, there are ten others that whine about it not being fair. That's what I mean by haves and have nots.

Since I quit smoking, I fill that shirt out just fine. The color, well let's just say I don't let her pick out my clothes anymore, LOL.