J Francho

Compared to what? I'll use my Avid ACV70MHF as an honest "8" for reference. That would put the Berkley at about a "3" or "4". I bought the exact stick while on a family vacation, and for what I payed was pretty satisfied with it. It sure beats fishing with nothing, right? What I'm getting at here, it matters little what others think - you've got it and you like it. It will serve you well.

LOL, it's only 12 lbs. "I don't always weigh my reels, but when I do, I express it in pounds."

In a pole barn, as in sheltered? Just crack the hatches so moisture isn't trapped in there, and watch out for squirrels and other vermin. I keep both my boats in a pole barn. Vermin is a bigger concern than anything else.

I generally run 10 or 12# Tatsu or 10# CXX on diving cranks. If I thought I needed an extra 6" of running depth, I'd use a different bait, rather than try to step down to anything lighter. Cranks are a contact bait for me - meaning, they rooting through cover, rocks, pilings, sunken wood, etc., not just hauling water. With that contact, you need to consider your line choice carefully. There's more to line choice parameters than just diameter. Yes, as a general rule, thinner line runs deeper. How much deeper? And does that little extra make a difference? Does going lighter have some risks I'm willing to live with, in order to get bit? Answer these questions, try new things, see how it works. I know guys that run as light as 6# line on their casting rigs for cranks. They sometimes out fish me. I also see them casting off cranks into oblivion, with the line snapping on the cast, and I see them losing fish sometimes. Braid might seem like a reasonable solution, and I bet would help the guys I just mentioned. For me, it doesn't work the way I want it to. Rebound, deflection, feel, and reaction are all "too quick" for my taste, and a slower rod did not fix this for me. For someone else, this may not be an issue.

Need a partner? LOL, I love Conesus, but I suck there.

Which line, Mike? CXX > Hybrid in break strength per diameter and abrasion resistance. By a long shot. Fluoroclear....meh, not so much. Hybrid > CXX in terms of ease of "handling" and memory.

Semi V is the preference for many of the NYC ressy anglers as well. There's some that prefer the extra room a flat jon provide.

Well, there may be a "delay" in break free, but that's the rod loading, not the drag slipping any smoother or not. 4 lbs. of resistance is 4 lbs. of resistance - sideways, upways, on a whippy rod, on a broomstick, or from a straight pull. I won't get into the rest of the physics that have to do with heat dissipation, except to say a dry Carbontex setup dissipates better, so it maintains that max resistance measurement better. That isn't really a concern for bass fishing, though. Just know that as the temperature of the washers increases, the maximum resistance gets lower, until a washer fails from too much heat.

Yes and no for tip down presentations. While I prefer my 6'2" rod for topwaters and jerkbaits, I don't have any issue walking an 8" Punker with my 8' swimbait rod. You're just moving the rod from 3 to 5 o'clock, instead of 4 to 6 o'clock. For reference, I'm around 5'7". I know plenty of guys that use a side stroke twitch with longer rods for topwaters as well. There's plenty of kayakers that have learned this as well. It really does come down to comfort, and whether you can learn to be comfortable doing something slightly different.

You should, physics is physics, and the resistance doesn't change, floppy/stiff rod, stretchy line/braid - makes no difference. That said, the IMPRESSION you get in hand is different.

I've got rods from 6' all the way up to 15'.

Not sure there is a Pinnacle short enough to meet the parameters, but they are a great choice for this - especially if you're the braid and heavier leader type. They have some serious power for a sissy stick. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/pinnacle-DHC5-performa-review.html and one in action on a MUCH bigger fish than a bass:

I had the same issue and solution come up while trying out my custom HPH baits for the first time. Randall gave me the same advice as Speed did here, and I caught one while on the phone with Randall, lol.

Drags are so much better now. I find the gradual slip a good drag provides, along with "giving the fish some rod" as Paul describes actually tired a fish out pretty quick. Bass usually aren't a big deal, unless you're chasing big ones with light line, so it's not something to get too worried about what is better. What is actually better for the particular person is really up to their skill set, and how they can use the tools. A lot more goes into playing a fish than just drag or back reeling. I'll bet Paul, Fish Chris, and myself all lost our share of fish figuring out what works, and whether someone back reels or uses drag, or a little of both won't change this. Nothing better learning how to deal with getting your string pulled, by actually getting your string pulled.

Pin the tail on the donkey, lol.

Paul, do you even own a spinner made after 1988? LOL.......

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/user/835-rm/

.RM.

Yep, I agree.

What can brown do for you? Though, chrome will do. I don't really chase mud sharks anymore. Sometimes a hole gets invaded by a few late Coho, and I'll catch them, since they are pesky jerks, lol.

I think one of my worst fishing incidents was slipping on a rock while fighting a trout in a stream. I was in only a few inches of water, but ended up dislocating a finger, tearing a finger nail off, and bruised my back pretty bad. Never mind landing with my head facing upstream, and filling my waders up to the belt with ice cold water, lol. I did manage to not break the rod or lose any gear, and I got the fish.

Chris, do you have a link to any info? I don't want to call down there, and disturb his wife. I'm in a little bit of shock on this one. Dave was both very helpful to members on this forum, but to me personally. He could be a little crusty, but he ALWAYS had time to chat about fishing, reels, rod building, and just anything. Sad, sad news.

Wow, that's sad news. RIP reel man.

Isn't your "2nd PB" just the first bass you ever caught?

Be careful of using "marketing terms"....... co-polymer, nylon, and fluorocarbon are all technically mono filament fishing lines. But in general terms, "mono" means Stren/Trilene/etc. mono line.