bass wrangler569

Just because it says 12lb test that doesn't mean that is its limit. Most reel manufactures use 12lbs as the standard for measuring how much line the spool can hold. For example, one of my reels holds 160 yards of 12lb line and somewhere around 130 yards of 14lb line. Even though the reel may say 12lbs its perfectly fine to go up to 20lb, 30lb, or even higher in some cases.

They have new nets now that are designed with a special mesh so that they don't damage the slime coat. I saw em at BPS if your interested.

no less than 5, possibly up to 6.5 depending on girth and whatnot. However, if I caught that fish it would definately be closer to 8lbs. ;D

Take a look at a pflueger president/extreme combo at bass pro shop. They are $20 over your budget but they are worth it. They are great reels/rods to start with. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_59170_100003002_100000000_100003000_100-3-2 One of the best lures for a beginner to start with are senkos IMO. Try the watermelon or green pumpkin colors. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_58909_100007007_100000000_100007000_100-7-7 You will find plenty of information about fishing the senko on this forum. Just type senko in to the search area.

X2, I have had a couple blades come off of them, I won't buy em anymore

Primitive depth finder: mark off one foot sections and shove it in the water till you hit bottom.

DON'T use acrylic spray on expensive japanese baits. I had the same idea as you a year or two ago. I had a LC that was getting a little beat up so I decided to try clear acrylic on it. It ate almost all of the paint/finish off of the lure. Maybe someone on here who is experienced with lure making/painting may be able to tell you an alternative that would work but if I were you I would steer clear of the acrylic.

;D Very true

Someone at my club said that he puts his flurocarbon spool in warm water for 30 minutes before he puts it on his reel. I tried it and it does make the line much easier to mangage. I have been doing this for a couple months and it doesn't appear to weaken the line at all. I'd recomend trying that before you renounce fluourocarbon completely.

As Ike would say "Never give up". If you have confidence in what you are doing be patient and the bites will come.

Thanks for the info and the link.

Thats what I was wondering. I thought it sounded sort of on the expensive side but I didn't have any other price to compare it to.

I have Pflueger President that is a three or four years old. Recently I have been having some problems with it and last week the spool stopped turning right and it won't cast hardly at all. I found a place that will repair and clean it for $20 plus the cost of parts. They also have a supertuning service for $40 (cleaning/repair service included). I am definately going to get it repaired but do you think it is worth it to have it supertuned? Have any of you guys ever supertuned or had your reels supertuned? Did it increase performance greatly?

Thats got to be one of those one in a million situations ;D. The oddest thing I'v ever caught was a dead bass. I hooked it on the inside of the mouth. I didn't realize it was dead until I got it closer.

When I want to be serious and catch quality fish or work on a new technique, I fish alone, if I want to hang out and have fun i'll invite a friend.

As far as color choice I generally stick with white in clearer water and chartreuse or firetiger in darker water. If the water is stained or in between I like white w/ chartreuse.

7' MH with fast action for plastics. 7' M with a moderate action for cranks I don't what your budget is or what your planning on spending but if you have a smaller budget I would definately put more money towards a sensitive worm rod and skimp a little on the crankin stick. Sensitivity is much more important with worms than cranks IMO.

http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/1171604763/Crazy_Fish_Eats_an_Unexpected_Animal x2 That was freakin' awesome!!!

I have no personal experience with either of the reels you mentioned but I do have several reels in 7.0:1 and 6.2:1. While the 7.0:1 is definately faster than the 6.2:1 it is not a huge difference. If you are going to be using the rod for flipping I would go with the 7.0:1 because it gets your bait back to the boat a lot faster and ultimately gives you more casts.

I personally like Quantums. I have a Tour Edition and I love it. However, a lot of people on this forum don't like Quantums and I'm sure they have valid reasons. Personally, if I were in your shoes I would go with the Curado just because they have a better reputation for quality and durability than the Quantums do (I still like my Quantums though ).

Ghost minnow is my favorite color for clear water. The slender pointer in ghost minnow is a great choice for smallmouth in the spring. Misty shad and American shad are also great colors.

Fantastic book. I've read it about five times. Its my personal favorite.

I just bought one of them in yellow/black back last week. I used it a little yesterday, they have great action.

I used to use a 6'6" extreme for spinnerbaits. It worked well, I would recomend it.

It is NOT "all preference". There is a marked difference in performance even between an Ugly Stick and an Extreme. The purchaser simply has to make the decision as to whether or not that performance difference is worth the cost difference. EXACTLY! People need to realize that higher priced equals higher level performance which usually equals more fish. The question is, like you said, whether or not the jump in performance is worth the jump in price. Its fine if you can't rationalize spending $200 on a rod, but don't think for one minute that that $200 rod won't be exponentially better than a $30 rod. Thats not an opnion thats a fact.