J Francho

Uh, no. LOL. But, I can't imagine any woman taking offense to it. You can see it here, in the background.

Wacky jig and drop shot for me.

I'm getting some feedback from the water....the Lexa may be the new crackerjack spinning reel choice. Remember the Tierra/Capricorn? Those were the best reels at that price at the time.

Here's the video I was looking for:

That logic would only work if both rods where of a constant diameter, the whole length. Then yes, the 7' would have more tensile strength. Fishing rods are not built that way. There is very little "equal" about two rods that are different lengths. Are you assuming that the shorter rod was cut out of the longer rod? OK, what part? The top or the butt end? Since the taper is progressive, then the answer of which has more backbone isn't so simple. Even if the taper was constant, then if it's the tip you remove to make a smaller rod, then the action will be slower, and power will increase. Take it off the butt end, then the opposite. There are too many factors, and the tapers are always going to be different. The notion of "sticking to two exact rods" is nonsense, anyway. My 7' M crankbait rod has less backbone than my 6'2" M jerkbait rod. And they're both Avids! There's just way too many tapers, and powers to make that generalization, and I'm not even sure how it would help someone? Someone help me out with that. How is any of this an argument for a longer rod? The long and short of it is, rear handles have grown, by quite a bit. The "business end" of the blank isn't really much bigger than when everyone fished a 6' rod. Today's typical 7' rod is much the same length from the reel seat forward as the 6'6" rod from a few years ago.

They aren't identical. They are different lengths, lol. The statement makes NO sense.

That's exactly right - isolated example, two specific rods. The point made above was a generalization that longer rods have more backbone. Way off, flat wrong. What longer rods? What power, what action, brand, model? See what I mean?

Palomar or Uni for braid. Braid to leader, Alberto's Knot: http://www.stripersonline.com/a/albertos-knot

You are assuming both rods use the same taper. That just isn't so. Rods come in many different tapers. Put my 6'8" MH XF rod next to my 7'4" MH XF rod. There is actually more flex in the top 1/3 of the longer rod, under fish fighting load. It doesn't have to be that way, pick two different rods, and what you state might be true. The point: length does not determine backbone. Blank wall thickness, taper/action, especially as it applies to secondary bend under fish load, have more bearing on backbone or power.

Yep, my point was mainly that length does not determine backbone, blank design and construction does. My 6'8" MH jig rod has TONS more backbone than my 13' centerpin trout rod.

I'd be looking at Xpress or G3 before Tracker.

A bent rod is best.

Nah, I hear you. It just cracks me up to see the lists of "winning" gear. Half the time, it's not at all what they were using, lol.

Short handled rods make nice jerkbait rods.

The Picasso School-E rig has a resin head, and is high quality and very light. Put 1/8 0z. jigheads on it, and 3" swimbaits and you'll have no problem throwing them on MH gear.

A "trophy" to me is something I haven't caught in NY, yet - an eight plus fish. I've seen them. My PB is 7-2, and last spring I came close with a 7-1. Great fish, to be sure, as were the several fives and sixes I've caught over the years. I've just seen too many fives and sixes weighed in at tournaments to call them trophies.

While I like the reel, I don't think it was the reel that got him the top 10 finish.

Studies have shown that catch and release bedding fish has no real net effect on the size of the lake's bass or the population. Harvest is what affects that.

A small paint brush. Wipe the excess off with a paper towel.

So is that why tuna rods are like 6' long? No backbone? Backbone is a function of blank construction, not length.

99% of the time, COVER, not CLARITY determines my line choice. Here's my preferences: Weeds: straight braid. Wood: Braid with a 12-15# CXX leader. Shoals with sparse over and clear water: 12-20# CXX or Fluoro. Deep, rocky cover: 12# CXX.

That's kind of what I figured. Thanks for coming on here. The only thing I could add, is that Tyler's situation sounds unique. Many parents see fishing as a "distraction, " and don't support them. Others young anglers are looking for handouts. that's where some of the cynicism lies. Advice for Tyler: stay humble. Listen to your parents. Work hard, both at school and your jobs. Make the most of your time on the water. Life circumstances as you get older often limit this time. Fish hard.

The only assumption I make before heading out is that the fish will be in the water.

Yep. Longer rods are great for some things, but sometimes the better leverage provided by a shorter rod trumps that. One technique I've really taken to a shorter rod, a 6' 8" MH/F, is wrestling bass from tight cover, like docks and laydowns, on a "short leash." The shorter rod makes accurate pitches to short range targets much more efficient. This has all but eliminated flipping from my fishing.

Reel Trade at Bass Pro Shops Dropped a bunch of Capricorns off for upgrade.