J Francho

I'm not sure I want an ugly stick in my fanny pack, LOL. ;D

Good Lord! Happy B'day!

I'm not as young as you might expect, but I'm a mere fraction of these old farts, LOL. Back in the 80s and 90s, when I cut my teeth, an Ugly Stick and a Penn spinner got me through the woods just fine. 8-)

So easy, a can do it!

As soon as the cover dictates throwing a frog. I'm sure you could do just as well as water temps get warm enough for any topwater, but I generally start throwing frogs when the pads start to emerge, and the weeds reach "mid slop."

That's too bad. Any other Dick's in your area? We have three around the city, and their inventories vary. Great rod to get you going, well made, a little heavy, but plenty sensitive enough for bass fishing.

Some buddies and I were talking about fishing rods, and handles, and how some are completely unsuited for kayak fishing. We came up with the idea of a 7-6 MH/F rod, with a pistol grip, but with an optional fighting butt, like on heavier weight flyrods, and a very short foregrip, simply for landing. If you've sen any of my kayak video, you would know what I mean. I would get better hooksets while sitting down with such a rod. The point is, application on the water, where you fish, what you fish, and how will be the biggest things that determine your hookset.

I wrecked my car when I was 17. I mean totaled it. It was my fault. My insurance company forgave the 1st accident, and my rates didn't go up until I got a speeding ticket in my mid 20s. Rates for young male drivers are already through the roof to start with. It ain't the end of the world, but you'll want to avoid this, and show that you're a responsible driver.

I was a Real Magic user for years. Tried KVD L&L once, and won't use RM for line again. There are some uses for RM, though. It keeps some of the moving parts (rudder, trolley, rod holder pins) on my kayak moving easily. Its great for squeaky door hinges too.

Most often the big tungsten flipping weights work fine. I've done the vertical pitch thing, though through ice, LOL. You can also load the rod while flipping, making the bait circle the rod tip while still holding the line in your hand, and releasing so it hits the mat with some velocity.

Impressive internet muscles!

I use leverage during the hookset when fishing heavy heavy cover. I set the hook, and lift the fish out in one motion. Its why I prefer a moderate XH rod with a long handle. The handle is under my elbow. A short handle would give me less leverage. Some of you guys over think this stuff, LOL. I figured out what works on the water. 8-)

Nice 8-) Also, I wonder what the heck they were doing eating crankbaits? I thought they were a filter feeder.

You can get everything you need here, and its a few cents cheaper: http://www.usps.com/ TA is about the same right now.

Shipping 4 reels in a small box through USPS Priority mail Click and Print is less than $10. Insurance on $500 is about $7. Never had an issue with the USPS.

It won't cast as far as a Shimano.

I love it when people take Tackle Tour reviews as gospel. Personally, all I care about with a reel for flipping is that its solid, has a strong drag, and the handle is on the left. For pitching, I want the same, but add fast spool start up to the mix. Smoothness, brakes, even gear ratio make much of a difference, though I like it to be a bit faster. Note the two reels in front, right:

No, not a nice fish. That fish will be the end of Great Lakes fishing as we know it. >

Zillion...its not even close.

Get an All Star Select instead. Dick's usually sells them for $40. Much better rod than the ugly stick.

Watch C-SPAN for 20 minutes....you quickly realize that our government is the LEAST equipped to pull any of this off, LOL.

Most of the waters I fish are infested with zebra and quagga mussels that make mince meat of braid. When fishing rocks wood cover with bottom contact baits, and I'm using braid, I will use a leader. If I'm pitching into heavy weeds, I tie direct. For leaders, I prefer Fluorocarbon leader material, not reel filler. this stuff is more dense, has less stretch, and much more abrasion resistant than reel filler line. Triple Fish, Gamma, and my favorite, P-Line CFX all work well. An Alberto connection doesn't fail when tied correctly.

Just get a reel with the retrieve speed you want.

The TD-Z oil is very thin, and even a slight amount of water will wash the oil out. I get quite a few high Daiwas with noisy spool bearings, simply because they are almost dry. If I use the high speed oil, I will usually hit the reels every three or four trips.

Penetration.