J Francho

Sounds like NOS factory seconds and defective returns. No way I would touch them with a ten foot pole.

You should be able to find a medium/moderate fast spinning rod in 6-6 to 7'. I caught a ton of fish on cranks using that type of rig in the 80s and 90s. Cranks were probably the last thing I switched over to casting gear.

Who would reengineer old reels? What exactly are "other reels"?

Reminds me of the Pygmy goats we had growing. Very cute.

Get a 7' M/F or ML/F spinning rod, and a 2500 series spinning reel. You pick the budget. Load it with 8# Yo-Zuri hybrid or 20# braid. From there, knock yourself out catching your pets.

I set my tournament schedule aside this year to concentrate on fishing a tournament as a boater. I came in second in my 1st, and won my second. I was humbled by coming in dead last the next, but had three more top 3 finishes. So, I'd say I accomplished a lot.

My 1st SB memory was losing to the Steelers in '79.

What he said ^ It's like, why are the Yankees on FOX every other Saturday, and every third Sunday night.

Scott Norwood of the BCS.

Oh, yeah, since you don't have it here yet, largemouth bass:

Rock Bass, Google Eye: Walleye: Common Carp: Northern Pike: Pumpkinseed Sunfish: Chain Pickerel: Bullfrog:

Top: Coho, Male full spawning colors Bottom: "King-Ho" Cross in spawning color. note the huge adipose fin King Salmon (Chinook), full spawning color: King Salmon, normal color, just before fillet, LOL Little Bowfin, male: Freshwater Drum: Yellow Perch:

Brown Trout, male in full spawning color: Brown Trout, female: Rainbow Trout, male Rainbow Trout, female: Steelhead (Rainbow):

I cast "right handed" with both left and right hand retrieve. I've been told I look foolish, but not for fishing, LOL. The first 20 seconds shows a right handed cast with a right handed reel.

Super slow sink hard swimbaits. It's work, and sometimes painfully slow, but when a plan comes together....

Rage Craws work:

I find Saint Croix's tapers fairly consistent in both power and action.

Without some specialized tool, you run the risk of making a mess of things. Do as DVT Mike recommends above.

Just remember when your throttle is on 80% and the thing is pointed hard to port....

I'm John, I'm a Cowboys fan. I would like to see Rob Ryan's head on a platter.

Escel is a good format, as long as your log is under a few thousand records. After that, I highly recommend using something like Access. Once you learn queries, you can really get granular with the dta. For example, show me all the spinnerbait fish in water temps less than 50°, grouped by lake.

My tip, get a digital voice recorder, or use an app like iTalk to simply record the fields you want to capture. Then you can go back, and enter them in a book, or database.

I think the single most often cast I make with a drop shot is a pitch. Learn how to pitch with a spinner, and you'll get that goofy rig where ever you want it.

A drop shot rig is a great way to add life to a plastic, while keeping the bait in place.

Since my shoulder issue a few years ago, all my casts, except pitching, are two handed. One hand is palming the reel, and the other on the handle before the bait hits the water as well.