J Francho

My Kistler telescopes from just above the reel seat. As far as sensitivity goes, its a million times more sensitive than my old 7' All Star, and much lighter, which equals less fatigue. I'd be willing to bet that a one piece is a bit more sensitive, but not much more. Be sure it will fit in your rod locker, as that seems to be the primary reason for telescoping models.

No Slash = No cash. In other words, complete trash.

That may be true, but I wonder if some of that chatter isn't just marketing hype channeled through the manufacturer's pro staff.

I use the rod to get the fish out of cover, not the reel. However, I do like a high speed reel to get the bait back to the boat and ready to pitch again.

Trout.

Matt, its not the temp, its the wind, rain, and waves that would affect turnout on some of these waters. This is a calm, sunny day on Lake Ontario:

Are you kidding me? Dude, you've got to come up with better anecdotal evidence to fit the article you read than a fish so small, a 1/4" jighead forced its jaw open! When fishing for these, you're going to get a couple of drops, LOL: I see RW beat me to it, with a much more eloquent post

Nope, straight up Alligator Gar. That was the "little" one they caught. Scroll down the page, and you'll see a new record: http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/articles/if2807_Feedback/ Here's the guide that took Stange out: http://www.texasfishingguides.org/kirkland/reference_in_fisherman.htm

DMB, ever see the episode of In-Fisherman when Stange catches this beast?

With a jig. 8-)

Ever been to Champlain, Erie or Oneida? It doesn't have to be early in the season for it to be freezing, LOL.

Sing with me, Muddy... Semantics.. Pedantics.. Schematics..

You must be using tiny finesse jigs. It's virtually the same gap. It makes ZERO difference, unless you're using the wrong hook. makes no difference to me, though since I only ever peg when flipping pads.

I spent a lot of time this summer dragging a tube and a DS rig in Lake O. There were days when the DS produced more, but more often than not, the tube got bit. Its like my Texas rig worm for the open water.

I guess you don't use jigs then... :

I'm selling on all the Fluorocarbon applications here. Sounds to me, these guys are FC lovers, as they have pretty much said FC for where ever they don't need floating lines. The line diameters are overkill too. I can't think of too many situations you'd need more than 17# mono or 65# braid. Also, there was ZERO discussion of utilizing line as a part of the "system." As in rod, reel, line, terminal components, and bait. You can't just say, "You must use 8# mono for hard jerkbaits." Spinning/casting, rod power and action, cover, water clarity, other species present, etc. all come into play.

I don't think capacity is the issue with heavy swimbaits as leverage and circumference are. I simply cannot keep the spool from spinning under the pressure of my thumb early in the cast with the tiny spool on a lopro reel when casting a 3-6 oz. lure. I guess I'm a wuss, but that's my preference. For swimbaits, pike, and even trout and salmon fishing, I prefer a round casting reel. For everything else, I like a lopro reel.

You should try to actually fish for these, instead of snagging them. They are great fun using a tangle baits (described above) and a fly rod.

Muddy, I would bet it something to do with all of the above. My 9 year old comes home with at least an hour and a half of homework plus 30 minutes of reading time. I don't have any console games in my house, but Big Al does have an outdated Gameboy. Many things compete for his "spare time." With winter and shorter daylight periods, outside time is at a premium. Legality issues and insurance issues have caused most "games" that kids play to become organized. I live next to a state of the art multi use sports facility, yet the gates are locked when not in use. I'd think for the taxes we pay here in NY, we'd be able to budget some open field time. Enrolling your kids in organized sports is expensive. It was $85 per kid for a spring baseball league. You get a t-shirt and a hat. And if, like in my case, you know a bit about baseball, you are encouraged to assistant coach. Three years I was the bench coach for the the Yankees, the Irondequoit Yankees that is, LOL. Add to that expense, a glove, bat, batting helmet, sliders and cup, socks, chest plate (Al pitches, so its a must), cleats, plus batting practice at the cages, and you're talking a significant chunk of change. In these times, not everyone will be able to afford it. There is the local Y, but that is pricey as well. I agree, kids are not as active as they used to be. But it isn't just kids - its everyone! We ALL are getting lazier. This is why doing things like hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, whatever outdoor stuff you like is so important.

Sign up for Erie, eat lots of seafood, and help your pro by chumming ;D

That came out wrong. I didn't mean it sound like its a tool an 8 year old would use, rather that its perfectly suited for the task, and more than capable of landing a big fish.

6-8' ML/Fast, down to moderate spinning or casting rod will suit you fine. I prefer a casting rod for spinners and spoons simply due to cold fingers - its easier to thumb a spool than grab the line. You could go with 6# mono or copoly and similar leader. A 1000 or 1500 series reel will be fine. Raven micro swivels are very strong, and worth using to avoid twist that these baits generate, and won't mess up your guides if you accidentally reel up too far. Avoid it if you can. For baits, try Panther Martins for casting upstream and quartering, and Blue Fox Vibrax buzzing slow pools. When fish are coming into creek mouths at the lake, then ripping Rooster Tails is good, as are floating minnow plugs. If you want to try bottom bouncing trout dough or sacks, Raven bait hooks in size 8 and 10 are fine. Floating gets more complicated, but that's a start. With time on the water, and a few fish caught, you'll learn to read the water better, and predict where fish are holding. It's sort of like structure fishing, but replace rock piles, edges, and breaks with eddies, riffles and pools. While your getting started, walk the water at a distance with the sun to your back and you polarized sun glasses on. This will give you an opportunity to actually see the fish. Stay back, and don't spook them. make your way downstream and work up to them. Walk lightly, and move with an "economy of motion." Good luck

Its so you don't nick up the business end of the blank, doesn't catch line on the cast, its out of the way when you are casting and retrieving, and makes it easier to carry with a bait attached since most people carry them above the reel seat.

My son fishes with a rod similar to the one you describe, so its really down to preference, though you really need to match the gear to the water and the technique. Bottom bouncing, spinners, spoons, and small plugs will be fine with a 6-ish rod. If you want to float, which is my preferred method, then 9' is the minimum. My buddy floats with a 15 footer Most of those fish I caught were with a L to ML rods. In fact, my biggest brown this year at 18# was caught using a 4# leader using a rod rated 4 to 10#. Here is Big Al with a 9 lb. BT buck caught on rod similar to the Avid you use and a Shimano FE 1000.

Thanks everyone. Its VERY early yet, and I have hopes of busting the 20# chrome barrier this season.