J Francho

A Chronarch E will work great on either of those rods. My three are 7:1.

There are places in EU that are "catch and eat." I know friends that fish there. They catch and release. No one is handing out citations for it.

Honestly, like much of fishing, it's a Jedi mind trick. I think the hook stays cleaner in weeds, and like it upright for the hookset. Reality, it's probably all in my head. I have confidence in this rig.

There will always be a trade off. Brand identity, parity, or cutting edge R&D. Is it about the brand, the driver, or the most advanced vehicle? That's a lot to juggle.

Gee, for the amount of money I've spent on gear that hasn't lasted but a season or two, I'd totally disagree. It isn't all about simply fighting the fish. I don't fish for bass in drainage canals from shore, I do it in a boat or kayak, often amidst heavy cover. Rods go in and out of lockers, strapped to the deck for long, fast, and sometimes rough runs. Big smallmouth on true ML gear and light line will certainly test your drag, even if it's just 2# of resistance. I'd wager that your style of fishing for bass is lot less similar than most members' type of bass fishing. You've said it, if they are where you are fishing and bite, then you catch them. If not, upi go home, no big deal. That's not how we fish. We hunt them down. We put our baits where they might get lost. Largemouth are easy to catch? Sometimes. Mostly not. Man, I was just talking to a pro friend of mine telling me about fishing muskrat holes in soft marsh banks. Sometimes those holes go back four feet under the bank. You don't get their head turned, and body headed to the boat, you aren't getting it back. You've often said that's not how you *like* to fish, and would rather go out and drown live bait in the ocean for bigger fish. Well, for some of us this is how we *have* to fish. It's what the local waters handed us. So, are you rubbing it in, making it seem so easy or just being irrelevant? It's fine to share your opinions, and they are welcome, but man, debating this every time the topic comes up is tiring. Some of us when encountered with a tough day, push on. Sometimes we have no choice, or forfeit our tournament fees. Fishing for us is completely different than fishing for you. Neither is better, or *righter* so ease up and please don't tell us we don't know what we're talking about, that these fish aren't like Jack Crevelles, barracuda's, or whatever. This site is completely devoted to that person that wants to learn how to catch bass. BTW, I use my wimpy bass gear for other fish, too. Here's a brown that I'll put up against anything in salt, pound for pound.

No, they're designed to hunt while heading on a bearing back to the boat, not run to the right or left. Big difference.

I don't really notice too much of a difference. The length of the handle seems to have a much greater effect on feel.

I'd spool it up with the 50# braid you have, and use a leader when needed.

For the most part, I'd rather just pull the thing out of the package and fish it. That's why I fish baits that run true, have good hooks, and don't need any mods to catch. That said, there are many things I do to mod my baits. Most have been mentioned above, LOL.

Word on the streets, Ike had a REAL good practice. I'm pulling for Gluzsek. Ott Defoe is one to keep an eye on.

Get it straight from the inventor: http://billm.fatcow.com/ They work Great. Here's a little tip: Us two to make an "x" and you can have a perpendicular hook.

That echoes the reports I've gotten from a couple trusted friends. Something is definitely going on. No one knows if it leads to converting non biters.

I'm glad you all liked the show. He was blast to hang with.

Big spoons, big topwaters, swimbaits, and a double tail grub on a heavy jighead are my top baits. I'll give a nod to big jerkbaits as well.

Those of you that remember Bill will want to tune into NBC sports today at 2 PM EST to see a great tribute to our departed friend. It just happens to be his birthday today. Miss you, buddy.

Well, this morning it doesn't really matter what I set my thermostat at, the darn thing won't fire! Luckily, I have wood to burn.

theHooligan is selling a sweet CI4 for $150 in the Flea Market. If I was in the market, I'd be on it!

Witch Hazel, buddy. Look it up - amazing stuff!

Hmmm. That could be feasible. What is the cut on the final day?

I have a Pinnacle spinning reel that I like a lot.

Look for Cortland Toothy Critter in the fly section of any large retailer. 10# size will work. It's tieable, and bass don't seem to mind. It doesn't kill the action like wire.

And usually while throwing an expensive, hard to replace bait, lol.

If you buy all four, it's only $27. Personally, I use the original, though I've equal success with craw. I'm pretty sure they all contain the right mix of amino acids to get the job done.

I do quite a bit of pike fishing, and I don't bother with any specialized gear, other than toothy proofing the terminal tackle. For the most part, my swimbait rod or my flipping stick siffices. Heck, I caught one of my biggest on a medium cranking rod! That was a mess, lol: Getting dragged around: Result of patience and lots of luck:

Wow, the EXACT same thing happened to me, except I was stupidly spraying it on my mono because some old timer told me to. Same reel, an original Aero Stradic 1000. That was one hot little reel, back in the day.