J Francho

Mike will probably answer the same as I would: depends on the application. Do you want brute strength and ZERO maintenance? Go dry. Are you managing big fish on light line, need a smooth transition from grip to slip, or dealing with high heat generated by long runs? Then go wet. Cal's and Shimano Star drag grease work equally as well.

Guppy.

Yesterday, they were definitely bass in my local waters.

I'd use the flipping stick.

Pain sucks. It completely alters who you are. Get well soon!

Shane, check out http://www.leveragelandingnet.com/ I first started using them in the kayak, and now in the bass boat. One handed operation. As far as rods go, St. Croix Avids and LTBs are a good bet. I've landed MANY northern pike, brown trout, steelhead, and salmon up to 30 lbs. with no breakage issues. Leave them on the deck, well that's another story, LOL.

I invested in two each of four colors in every size of the crawfish cranks. Half suffered some manufacturing issues, basically the bodies collapsed and got deformed. Those were replaced by them at no charge. I've caught a few fish on the remaining baits. They have a very nice reassuring "thump," and track OK, as long you don't go too fast. The shallow runners with the square bill really deflect well off wood. Overall, nice baits, but I think they are a little over priced. There other baits out there in the $7-8 range that are just as good.

Yep. This worked this weekend for 11 lbs. on Sunday. Got my gas money back, LOL.

Nice fish!

Nice pups! I have a bulldog....no running, LOL. We do walk every evening, though.

Shimano greases spool bearings for increased smoothness and durability. Yes, flushing the bearings will give you gains in spool speed, but you will need to keep those bearings oiled. And the spool will probably be too fast for 90% of users, which means you will add spool tension. Increased spool tension means you will wear out the spacers sooner. It's all trade off. Put line on it, fish it like you stole it. Any issues, call Shimano, they take care of their customers.

They'll need six games to come close....it's a 5 game series, LOL. :lol:

Thanks, that was exactly ZERO help to us. I've told you this before Grundle, but I'll repeat it: Posting questions like this in the public forum benefits all the users that see it and have the same question, and save us mods from a barrage of private messages.

He doesn't even need to do that, LOL. Who tells the car salesman, "Well, I really didn't like the pickup on that car without any gas in it." It's preposterous. Put line on it, adjust the spool and brakes, and go fishing for an hour, and tell me what you think.

Mine lose power on windy days, but it's a long, slow decline. I have gone three days without recharging before they finally were useless. As far as what the pros are hawking....lithium. It'll be a while, but that's the next frontier.

Not just pros, anyone with them use them for this. In fact, I think this is the #1 use they get. I've NEVER seen anyone actually fishing with their Power Poles deployed. Then again, most of the natural lakes around me are far too deep, even along the shoreline" for them to work.

Cradles are IMPOSSIBLE, unless you fish in a bog stable boat with one or two helpers... I rely on a FishGrip tool. Most fish are unhooked and released in the water. Unless its a tank, or it's headed back for release into crisco bay. The beauty of the tool is you can start the reviving process while you are unhooking. They just need to be held underwater, upright. You'll feel them tense up when they are ready for the release. I don't want to upstage your post with my own pics, so if anyone wants pics of the tool in action, and the process, just PM me. And for nets, check these out: http://www.leveragelandingnet.com/ I've got two, and they're great.

One eyed Sammy in MS Shad, but all the scales are worn off, so it's mostly silver.

I really hadn't thought about it, but this is a good argument for iPilot and a remote TM. My buddy loves to show off how he "parks" his boat at the dock, and "anchors," while he gets his truck.

Lunkerville is shot in one day. Depending on the day, it might result in two episodes.

These types of products come up now and again. Honestly, To me it seems more cost effective to start with good batteries and a good trickle charger/conditioner. I run Optimas in my boat, and have a 3-bank (5-5-5) charger. I supplement that with a trickle charger/conditioner on the cranking battery. I don't generally make long runs, so I get little benefit from the rectifier on the outboard. So, my opinion without ever using such an item (yeah-yeah) is to spend you $$$ on a good charger.

Do you really think is a fair representation of how the reel will perform on the water?

very nice northern. Any bigger, try cradling the fish, like this. Unless of course, it's bound to be the main course (pike is VERY tasty, and weeding out middle sized fish is good). That smallie by your wife is a slob, and that's a great picture of her.

The green B had plenty line cap. for swimbaits.

Pretty much all my stream caught fish are from upstream, letting an offering drift freely in the current stream. This is the most natural presentation. A float rig is great for this. This is for trout, but I assure you the concept works for bass in current as well: http://www.raventackle.com/Shotting%20Patterns.pdf