Stasher1

I'm not even a fan of the Veritas and I have to agree with this. The Mojos, to me, are tip heavy and generally not well-balanced rods. I've owned a couple and handled a bunch, but they just don't feel (or perform) as well as they look. I think they're out-classed by rods costing $20-$30 less, like the Vendetta.

That's what I use when chasing bream. I have a bunch of Bett's Trim Gim poppers in different colors that I toss with my little 3wt rig.

I was at Dick's yesterday and they still had a few Citica 200E in stock for $79.99

I'm not a tournament fisherman, and really have no interest in it. For me, fishing is kinda like meditation. While I enjoy catching fish, it's not the main reason I'm out there. I've never owned any rods or reels that cost over $200, and the majority of my more expensive gear has been sold/traded in favor of $100 rods and $100 reels. For me, that's where I find the best balance of cost vs performance. I don't own any of the latest or greatest gear, but what I have is pretty solid and doesn't seem to be hampering my fishing experience.

x2

Lol, I was thinking same thing. I have my UL setups spooled with 4lb Trilene XL, but not because I think it's the best line for the job. I use it because it's cheap and readily available. I can't tell you how many of the little (100yd?) spools I've found in the clearance bins around here for $1.

I have my doubts about their longevity, especially when combined with braid and dirty water. It bothered me a good bit at first, but I've gotten to the point where I don't worry about it anymore. We're talking about a $100 rod here. If the guides wear thru, I'll just go buy another one.

That's pretty much what i did last year. I've found that, for me, there's not enough of a difference in sensitivity between a $100 Carbonlite and a $180 Avid to justify the extra expense. The more expensive rods have all been sold and replaced with Carbonlites and a Browning HiPower, which I find to be very similar in feel and performance to the Carbonlites but slightly better looking. I'm not a big fan of the guides they're sporting, or the EVA split grips...but I love the light weight and sensitivity. .

x2 I might step it up to a 4/0 or 5/0 for 10"+ worms, but I rarely throw them around here. If crappie and little rock bass can eat a 3/0 hook, smallies shouldn't have a problem.

Not a hater, just not a huge fan. I've owned a couple, along with their "sister" rods the Premier and Triumph. They're all functional rods, but generally not as sensitive, light, or well-balanced as many of the other rods in their price range(s). To be honest, out of the three, I prefer the Triumph. It offers all of the performance of the other two, for $30+ less.

I'm not so sure that's a compliment...

I never said I don't like them. I think they're great for catfishing, chasing panfish, or tossing crankbaits.

Any update on the rod? I've been using a 6'6" MF two-piece St Croix Triumph spinning model as a "trunk" rod for a while and finally snapped the tip off while camping last weekend, so I'm on the hunt for a replacement in the same $70-$80 price range, and the Extremes are on sale for $70 right now.

X2 I keep my ML dropshot rig spooled with 6#. To me, UL is 4# line or lighter.

A 7' MH Ugly Stick would probably be fine for lipless cranks, and maybe even usable for spinnerbaits, but they're FAR from ideal for t-rigged soft plastics and/or shaky heads. They just lack the sensitivity for contact baits, imo. I have three of them down in my shop (one Ugly Stick Lite and two "standard" Ugly Sticks), and they just sit around collecting dust. Even my two oldest boys (9 & 12) won't use them.

Personally, I'd either invest in a small spool of 3x tippet material and some mini tippet rings, or (and this is what I did) pick up a furled or twisted mono leader from someone like Quigley's and use standard mono with a perfection loop tied in the end as tippet material.

I usually spool on just enough mono to cover the spool with a single layer, then fill the rest with braid.

My two oldest boys (9 & 12) have Sonora 2500s on 6' Med. Abu Garcia Conolon Premiers. They're a bit heavier than I'd like, and the orange reel is rather ugly against the red reel seat and burgundy/gold blank, but the sensitivity is decent for the price and they're easily replaceable if something happens. I paid $15 each for the reels and about $25 each for the rods, iirc, out of the clearance bin of the local Walmart when they were remodeling.

One of my favorite colors to throw in off-colored waters. I generally keep a few bags of tequila sunrise plastics and jigs in the box, just in case.

I bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009K3SY/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk for the wife about five years ago and we love it. It makes killer waffles, just like the ones you get at a hotel.

I looked quickly at the thread title and thought I had finally hit the big time.

Make her a set out of an old pair of lipless cranks. Then you can tell her that you're just restocking because Xmas and her B-day are coming up...

OG is probably the first place I'd go if I had a craving for balogna alfredo. For anything resembling real Italian food, I'll pass.

The SA's around here have gotten rid of the majority of their fishing gear and now only carry cheap combos, a small selection of Bomber and Rapala cranks, Eagle Claw hooks, and about 8 different bags of Zoom plastics. That's it.

$0 I've been building up my home gym for the past couple months, so that's where all of my extra money has been going. Heck, I even sold a couple rods, a few reels, and a couple guns to fund my new "project". I did hit Walmart this morning for a couple packs of Strike King tungsten worm weights, though.