Stasher1

I believe the 2500 Shimanos typically fall somewhere between the 30 and 35 series Pfluegers. It really depends which model you're looking at. If you go with the Supreme, they're light enough to go with the larger 35 series. If you're talking about the President and below, opt for the 30.

I compared the Vendetta, Veritas, and the Carbonlite a few weeks ago and walked out with the Carbonlite. The Veritas felt much better balanced than the Vendetta, and the Carbonlite felt better than the Veritas. Having owned three of the BPS Extremes (6'8" ML spinning, 6'6" MH & 7' MH casting), I can honestly say that if I had to choose between another Extreme and a Vendetta, I'd go with the Vendetta...but I think there are definitely better rods out there for a little more $$.

I did that when I got my first spinning reel. I started out with spincasters and baitcasters, so the reeling with the left hand was a bit weird to me. My B-I-L would borrow my spinning combo and return it with the handle on the left, so one day I just decided to leave it that way. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be cranking my spinning reels with my right hand. ;D < Take a good look at the reel in my avatar.

In many cases, they're running their business out of their home or garage, so they have very little overhead, unlike your typical baitshop. No staff and no store front means they can sell for less than the "big guys" and still make a profit.

I have no experience with either of those head units, but I'd strongly suggest looking for a head unit with an aux input and patching in an mp3 player instead. They're smaller than CDs, can hold tons of songs, and can be found for less than the cost of two CDs. I wouldn't consider an aftermarket head unit without an aux input, regardless of the vehicle it was going in.

I just got back from the Atlanta BPS and they're also clearing them out for $2.88 each. Pretty limited selection, though. There were about a half-dozen left (total, 1/4 and 1/2), with the majority of them in a charteuse/blue/green combination. Now that I think about it, that's the reason I only bought one a couple years ago. The color choices were just terrible.

That is a legitimate question. They're definitely heavy enough to cast on any baitcast rig you'd use for T-rigs or jigs.

I've only owned one reel with a flipping switch and that was a Daiwa Procaster Rojo. IIRC, it kept the thumb bar from locking in the down postion. So, as soon as you remove your thumb from the bar, the spool would stop spinning.

Perhaps they've discontinued the 1/2-3/4 oz model and replaced it with the 1/4-1 oz version? The first one isn't even listed on Abu's site, only the 1/4-1 oz model. As a matter of fact, there isn't a single Vendetta listed on their site with a 1/2-3/4 oz lure range.

I just ordered some semi-finished (painted, but no eyes or top coat) spinnerbait heads from NorthStar. This will allow me to compare different blade, skirt, and arm length configurations without swapping components while I'm on the water.

She should've finished him off. The sneaky little bugger managed to crawl to my house and order a bunch of spinnerbait parts when I wasn't paying attention.

airborne_angler, PM me your address and I'll send you mine.

That's the exact opposite of my findings. There are definitely differences in the quality of components used from one manufacturer to the next. If you want a quality SB, you either need to build it yourself or buy one from a smaller custom SB builder, imho.

Being a spinnerbait addict, I bought one a couple years ago...but it has never touched water. It sits in one of my spinnerbait boxes, waiting to be used...along with at least four dozen other brand new SBs that I'll eventually get around to...maybe.

Every Ardent product I've looked at and handled has felt like an absolute piece of crap. At this point, I wouldn't even look at another one.

That would be fine with me. All of the Senko-type baits could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't bother me at all.

It's not a must, but I prefer it over mono and fluoro on spinning reels. I only use baitcast reels for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and lipless cranks and typically use mono or fluoro...for now. I'm seriously considering picking up a spool of 65lb braid before spring, though. I really like the visibility of yellow PowerPro.

x2 Slow rollin', baby.

20# & 30# PowerPro 30# Sufix Performance braid 3 Renosky spinnerbaits 4 bags Charmer floating worms 2 bags Rage Tail Space Monkey 2 bags NetBait Baby Mad Paca 3 bags Zoom Brush Hogs Pflueger Supreme XT (9235) 6'6" MH BPS Carbonlite spinning rod Bought the Supreme XT/Carbonlite combo @ BPS for $200, so the rod only cost me $50. I still think the guides are crap, but there's no denying the sensitivity of the blank. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm actually impressed. :-[

Is it a red Viento? ETA: It's apparently a Daiwa Smak Red Tune http://www.japantackle.com/Daiwa_reels/Daiwa_SmakRed.htm

It's my understanding that the sales at Dick's ended on the 24th.

From the looks of it, it's the same knob that's on the Patriarch XT baitcaster and Revo Premiers (spinning and baitcast). I don't know what happened to the round knobs that were on some of the earlier models. :-/ While they wouldn't be great either, they'd have to feel better than the sanding block that's there now.

I had a little battle with my local BPS over the warranty on a Crucial, and won't own another one. The over the counter replacement was definitely a factor in my decision to buy it, and if my local dealer isn't willing to do that, there's no reason to choose Shimano over the competition. Actually, they were willing to give me a replacement, but only after I got loud in front of other customers and made a bit of a scene. It's just not worth the aggravation to me.

Date: 1/27/11 Water Temp: Unknown Air Temp: ~53 degrees Water Clarity: visbility ~3ft. Depths: 5-6' Bait: 3/8 oz spinnerbait, short arm, single 50/50 (gold/nickle) deep cup Colorado, custom bluegill color with Renosky skirt. I'm sure other lures would've worked as well, but this is what I had tied on at the time.

I wonder if one of these would fit... http://cgi.ebay.com/Official-Parts-ABU-GARCIA-REVO-Handle-Knob-NIB-/140496859036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b643ef9c It may not be any more comfortable, but it would look better. ;D