Stasher1

Yep. No reason to mess with perfection. I had a bad experience using acetone as cleaning agent, I accidentally spilled some on our formal dining table and it made a permanent marking on the finish. Another one is the splatter marks on my study/work table finish from the splatter of break cleaning agent. These are some of the reason why I go for goo gone. But the main reason is that those acetone, carb and brake cleaners freeze and cooked up my skin everytime my hands gets in contact with them. Then don't let the chemicals come into contact with your skin. : Or, try using those chemicals outside or in the garage. :

I agree with everybody else on this one. Buy a boat. Even an inexpensive used canoe will get you into places you'd never reach from the shore, and won't require a trailer or pickup truck. I used to carry my 16' Mad River Explorer around on a Ford Escort.

I use a 2/0 offset worm hook or O'Shaughnessy hook for the 4" Slurpies ringworms. For weightless Trick Worms and floating worms, I select my hook based on how fast I want the worm to sink, but I usually wind up using a 3/0 EWG in my local puddle.

If you do the research and know which part numbers to look for, and what other vehicles use the same part numbers, you can get some pretty good deals on ebay and craigslist. There are always tons of Yakima and Thule racks/parts for sale on both sites. I would also suggest going with the widest crossbars you possibly can. It'll make it much easier to carry multiple canoes, kayaks, etc.

Nah, it's his to use. ;D I'll probably spend the majority of the week with a fly rod in my hand, but when I use conventional tackle it'll be a 6'8" MXF Avid and a 6'10" MH Quantum Tour PT KVD spinnerbait rod. Those two rods can cover about 90% of my conventional fishing applications.

I hit BPS on my way home from class and fondled the Vendetta, Bucoo, Premier, Mojo, Compre, Energy PT, and even the [gasp] Carrot Stick. The Vendetta seemed well constructed, but was extremely tip-heavy in the 6'6" Med. I keep reading about how tip-heavy the Mojos are but the 6'8" MXF Mojo felt perfectly balanced compared to the Vendetta. The Bucoo was nice, but they didn't have a 6'6" Med. in stock. The Premier was well finished and, in typical SC fashion, had the best cork of any of the rods I looked at. I already own a 6'6" Triumph though, and really don't see a point in buying another rod almost exactly like it. The Mojo was ok, I suppose, so I carried the 6'8" MXF around with me while I checked out the other rods. Like I said, it's an ok rod, but there's definitely nothing about it that jumps out and grabs me. It's just blah. The Compre was a nice rod, well finished and light. Cork quality was good, as well. Not quite as good as the Premier's cork, but still pretty good. The Energy PT was the surprise of the bunch. Very light feeling, well finished, with a nicely-shaped grip that fills the hand. The cork quality was rather poor compared to the Premier and Compre, but it had a very nice feel in the hand. The orange thing was definite "no" as soon I picked it up. It was a four-strike rod (foam split-grip, crappy guides, and bright orange), but the price was good so I had to check it out. ;D After about 45 minutes of walking back and forth, I had narrowed it down to the Compre and the Energy PT. The Compre had better cork, but I found the stupid finger notch they grind into the foregrip very annoying. So, they both have lifetime warranties, Fuji Hardloy guides, and cork grips. The Energy PT has a split-grip with mediocre cork, and the Compre has decent cork but an annoying cutout in the foregrip. I wound up walking out with the Energy PT. I'll spool up a reel in a little while to see how well it casts different weights, and to see what kind of feedback I get from a hard plastic casting plug on the pavement. If I'm not satisfied I'll bring it back to BPS and pick up the Compre, but I think it'll do fine. Thanks for the help, guys.

My guess: What is the best...? Nah, it was probably about senkos, banjo minnows, helicopter lures, Acadia rods, or NAFC.

I have spoken to some agents who flat out refuse to write policies for state mandated minimum coverage. The minimums are a joke, and in some areas the odds of you running into an expensive car and exceeding the limits of "minimum coverage" are just too great to risk.

In the time it took you to type out your first post on this subject, you could've banged out a quick email to TW and they would've taken care of it right away. If you have a problem with a company, it makes more sense to complain to that company, not to a bunch of people on a fishing forum who are incapable of solving your problem.

That does seem like the most logical solution, but unfortunately I only have about $300 to drop on my new bass fly rod and a loaner spinning rod for my BIL. The fly rod will set me back $200 (Redington Predator), which leaves me a little over $100 to cover the loaner rod, without dipping into household funds...which I try not to do.

I understand that there are a lot of satisfied Carbonlite owners out there, but there won't be one on my rack. For me, the split-grip and rubber grip are strikes one and two...and the guides are strike three. I do appreciate the suggestions, though.

No, it comes home with me after the trip. He's far from poor, as a matter of fact most folks would say that he's rather well-off. He actually has his own fishing gear, but he hasn't used it in many years. The last time he did, he had line/equipment problems that spoiled his fishing for the week. So, since he only gets to fish once a year, I just let him use my gear. The problem is, much of my stuff is application specific. As such, I don't have any extra general-purpose spinning rigs laying around...with the exception of the Triumph/Mitchell 308 combo that I keep in the back of the car/truck for "emergencies". It's a functional setup, but definitely not one I'd feel comfortable making someone use for an entire week. I know, I'm picky. The only other option would be to buy myself another rod and let him use my Avid...but I'd have to dip into my "new bass flyrod" fund to do that. I just don't think like him that much. ;D ;D

The Bucoo gets really good reviews overall, but I keep reading that they feel lighter than they're rated...H feels like MH, MH feels like M, etc. :-/ I'm leery of the Carbonlite and its guides. I live about 15 miles from the Atlanta BPS and have handled the Carbonlite a few times. It's a nice light rod, and overall I've been satisfied with the BPS-branded gear I've bought (with a couple exceptions), but the guides on the Carbonlite just don't seem like they'd last very long with the combination of braid and dirty water. Maybe I'm over-thinking this. He fishes once a year, and probably couldn't tell the difference between a $25 rod and a $125 rod, but I want him to have a good time. I blame it all on St. Croix. If they'd just make a 6'8" MXF Premier I wouldn't have to ask for help with my decision. ;D

That's the main reason why I want to keep it to $100 or less. In all likelihood, I won't ever use it. I go through this every year. I buy him a rod to use for the week, when the week is done I put it on the rack next to the others where it'll sit for about 6 months collecting dust. I'll eventually get tired of looking at it and sell it, only to find myself in the same predicament a couple months later. Add to this the fact that I don't like split-grip rods, or foam/rubber grips, and you'll see that most of the rods in that price range really don't appeal to me. That's why I'm asking for help with this purchase. I'd buy a rubber/foam split-grip rod for him to use, but I wouldn't use one myself. ;D

I've already bought at least eight rods so far this year and about a dozen reels, and will be buying a couple more rods in the next few weeks. I'm easily bored, so I don't keep gear very long.

Ok, here's the deal. Every year the wife's family has a week-long family reunion, and it's always on a lake. Two of my brother-in-laws will be there, but only one of them will bring any fishing gear. I will supply the gear for the other one. Now, here's where you guys come in. I need some suggestions for a decent spinning rod, in a 6'6" MF (possibly longer, but less than 7') for light t-rigs in open water. Since I'm supplying the rod, I'd like to keep it less than $100. I have several spinning reels around here ranging in weight from 8.5 oz to 11.2 oz, so I should be able to balance the combo well enough. It will also be spooled with 20# or 30# PowerPro which will help a bit with the sensitivity. Your thoughts, suggestions, ideas...besides telling my BIL to buy his own d**n rod? ;D So far the Quantum Energy PT has really caught my eye, along with the St. Croix Premier/Triumph.

Then we may as well count the Patriarch spinning reel. It can be switched from RH to LH retrieve. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpfluegerspinningpreICAST10.html

Their 4" ringworm in "green sunfish" color is a consistant producer on my local pond. I typically keep no less than four bags on hand at all times.

Tackle Tour's review is of the old Patriarch, not the XT that the OP was asking about. The XT is 0.8 oz. lighter than the Curado, which would definitely close the gap in their scores. But then again, there's roughly $70 difference between the Curado and the Patriarch XT. Even so, I'd still take another Patriarch over another Curado.

I have the "Preferred Rewards" card. It's basically the same as your regular rewards card, and will even have the same number. It just means they'll send you more coupons in the mail and invitations to "PR" member-only sales. I spend a good bit of time and money at BPS since the Atlanta store is about 15 miles from my house, but I only got my "PR" card for the free 500 points. My old card was just fine.

That is true, and I'm not knocking the Curado in anyway. It's a great reel, and if I didn't feel that way I wouldn't have kept it. I just prefer the Patriarch. That kind of thing happens. I had a Citica 200e that was a dud right out of the box.

Anybody can be snotty, but only a few can do it with impunity. Welcome to BR, where posts are often edited and/or deleted to give the appearance of one big happy family. :

It fits my hand better, it's better looking, dual braking, and casts light lures as well (if not better than) the Curado. The only advantage the Curado has over the Patriarch is weight, but Pflueger addressd that with the XT. People are assuming that the Curado will last longer than the Patriarch, but the fact is, nobody really knows.

It's funny that this thread would be bumped back up this morning since I found it yesterday while searching for info on the Energy PT rods. They seem very similar to the Mojo, but with better guides and fewer "special application" lengths and actions.

I have both, and would trade the Curado for another Patriarch right now if I had the opportunity. Retail on the Patriarch is $20 higher, but the prices on Ebay for both reels are very similar.