J Francho

The old change-up works like the devil.

I think the ice over period resets things for us up north.

This thread has run it's course.

Huh? You tie leader onto the end of the braid. How long is a personal preference. I generally use a leader that is about 6' long, and retie when it gets down to about 18".

Calling these "G. Loomis" Edge rods is VERY misleading. The name is simply "Edge." And yes, they are designed by Gary Loomis himself.

Suspending Rogues came out at a time when there were very few other baits that worked like this. There are a lot of things you can do to customize their action. As the evolution of suspended baits continued, specific actions were starting to get built into the baits. Also, advanced weighting features helped in casting these lighter baits in the windy conditions where they often excel. As these actions became more specific, certain baits began to emerge as favorites. Baits like 110's , Ponters, Flash Minnows, etc. have some pretty advanced designs, and the consistency in these baits is bar none. That costs. You want that specific action, and pike eats your lure, you can grab another one, and it will behave the same way. You'd have re engineer all your dots and strips, and bigger hooks/split rings, etc. to get that back again with a Rogue. That R&D and manufacturing costs, hence the higher price. All that said, there's nothing like the roll of a Rogue in cold water. It's as valid as it was in the 90s. I caught so many fish on it.

It's not a review, it's a "first look," and as such lives up to it's title. These are just the same typical observations you or I would make about it. I could care less about why's of the line, and want to discover the what's - as in what is it good for. My first impressions, it's gonna be an outstanding topwater line. One thing I noticed was his complaint about lower break strength. the 20/10 line he was using has an actual break strength listed at 34 lbs. That's MORE than enough to expect from a 10# diameter line. He maybe should have checked the spec sheet.

Some of the Finger lakes, Cayuga in particular, have some pretty thick weed lines right on the edge of the drop off, around 10-15'. There aren't many shallow weeds, since dock owners typically harvest them, so the bass are usually in these weeds during summer. They are primarily EU milfoil and coontail. The darn zebes grow on the stalks of the weeds! Pitch a jig in there, and after a half hour, your line is pretty well frayed and weak. Smaller the line, the faster the fraying. I generally use 50-65# for this.

The same as in spring, in the water, where the fish are.

I fish them all. Rogues are a different bait altogether. They have a specific body roll that other baits do not have. Likewise, a Pointer has a walking side to side action others do not have. The Vision 110 does the walk, then goes head down, nad very slowly rises. Three baits, three different actions. Fish what works that day.

You don't adjust brakes for the weight of the bait, that is where spool tension comes in. The brakes are for casting conditions and angler's ability. My take, this was designed for David Fritz. He's an old school kind of guy, low tension, little or no brakes. Less unsprung weight in the reel = better casting distance (if you have the thumb), but with that comes a price. Weak brakes. While this is an elegantly executed reel - very simple - I don't think it's a reel for the masses.

http://www.japantackle.com/ is pretty trustworthy, though expensive.

I had an awesome conversation with a biologist last night. He basically shot down my logic, and stated that the neuro pathways for a negative response are totally different than those of learned hunting skill, or social behavior. Makes sense. His example was great. Imagine a whopper as your favorite food. You learn to just automatically order it, but that took time, and you have to find the Burger Kings in your area. Now, imagine someone unexpectedly pricking you with a pin. Your response is automatic, you instinctively move away from it. Now, I realize that human physiology is a lot more complex than a bass', but the two extremes hold true - different pathways to the brain. Whether this answers the original question, I don't know. It's up in the air, still. I do think fishing pressure changes the game, more so on smaller waters. Whether that's stress on the fish, the environment, or they learn not to bite, no idea.

I found the 10 and 12# sizes pretty decent for cranking duty.

There's no drag clicker in the Z200 reels, just a clicking star.

Google up zebra mussels, then fish one of my local lakes. If I could figure out how to make braid scissors out of them, I'd be a millionaire.

Three different types of line makes this comparo total bunk. Note, the Lexa is $20 less, and the cranker has instant anti reverse.

Lesser boats sometimes have "thick spots," where the the beads stacked up in the rotomolding process. I've even seen some with an almost solid bow! Not saying that's what's up with the Ascend, but something you can only find out in person.

If you have to set the spool tension that high, the braking system clearly isn't effective.

Toray makes XPS, not Seaguar.

never been a problem for me. I've had it freeze up, and I switch to fluoro. Went back and used the thawed braid, and it was fine.

That's 20-30% of the line's breaking strength, or the rod's max line rating, whichever is lower. So, yes, it's correct. Kent just wasn't completely clear on that, and I'm pretty sure he only uses braid on one setup.

Give us a report. I think you'll be surprised with the hidden potential in most reels.

No hating - I started on a knuckle buster. The darn handle spun on the cast!

It's in your head. You could have likely properly cleaned your old bearings, properly lubed them, and gotten the same effect - that is unless the old bearings were shot, or you were already using very little to no spool tension. That would be the remaining 1/10.