Stasher1

;D ;D I always fish for larger bass ;D ;D I need to find a way to tell the dinks I am with the group that wouldn't purchase any of those reels. I like my Curado E-7 ! I would also recommend a 200E7 over the other reels mentioned, but I believe the OP is dealing with a smaller budget. I've neither owned nor used any of the reels mentioned by the OP, but out of that list I'd probably choose the PQ based on the positive reviews it has received on this forum and several others. The brand new Citica I purchased last spring turned out to be a lemon, so I'd definitely look the PQ before purchasing another Citica.

X2 I have a 6'6" M Triumph two-piece spinning rod that I keep in the car/truck pretty much all the time. It's not as sensitive as my Crucial or Avids, but surprisingly sensitive for the price. It also has a full cork grip, which I prefer to the current trend of foam/cork split grip rods. As a matter of fact, I'm currently in the market for a new ML spinning rod for wading small local streams and will most likely pick up another Triumph. My local DSG has a bunch of them in stock at any give time, but the majority of them are the older China-made models. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm going to hold out for a newer Mexican model. The Shimano Compre might not be a bad choice in that price range. They have a great warranty, are priced right, and sport quality components. I haven't fished with one, but it gets favorable reviews from most owners. I'd pass on the Voltaeus that was mentioned a couple posts back. It appears to be Shimano's answer to the Ugly Stick Lite, and seems just as "whippy" to me. IIRC, it's also sporting the flimsy all-metal guides that I despise.

I take an engraving pencil and mark the lure's diving depth on the bottom of the bill. Depending on the lure, I may put the brand/model on there as well. As far as organizing them in my tackle box, I have them seperated by style and depth. I typically fish from a kayak in the warmer months, so I try to limit the amount of "unnecessary" tackle I carry with me. I typically carry a Plano 3600s loaded with med-diving cranks and jerks, another loaded with lipless cranks, and a smaller container (off brand, roughly 2/3 the size of a 3600) full of wakers and shallow cranks. It may seem like a lot of cranks, but I keep hook bonnets on them to minimize tangling and that severely limits the quantity you can fit in a box. These will cover the majority of situations I'm likely to encounter in my local waters, but your local waters may be different.

Several of the WMs in my area are remodeling, or have been remodeled, and are now very slowly restocking their fishing sections. From the looks of it, they're all going to be stocking the same things now. :-[

Do they ever have an idea what you're talking about? I swear the ones around here are staffed by people who are either deaf or don't understand English. I just run in and head straight to the clearance section. If there's nothing good, I leave as quickly as I arrived. I do the same thing at Sports Authority. If it's not in the clearance bin, I'm not buying it. ;D

I have a Curado 200e7, but all I use it for is spinnerbaits. It would probably make a good worm/jig reel as well, but I prefer my 6.4:1 Patriarch for that. That may have more to do with me preferring the Patriarch to the Curado, though.

It does vary from one location to the next. I have 6 or 7 WMs within 20 minutes of my house, and they all clearance different things at different times. Even the inventory they stock varies slightly from store to store. Out of the 6/7 stores in my area, only one stocks reels over $50. Best thing to do, if you have the time, is hit them all every few weeks. When I was unemployed, I hit every one of them on a fairly regular basis and loaded up.

x2 The weight of the reel and how the combo balances in the hand is more important the the size of the reel, imho. A lot of 7'+ rods are tip-heavy and would most likley balance better with a larger/heavier reel.

6 for 36$, you got a steal. Excellent purchase, count me as jealous. I wish I could have gotten all 4 sets they had...but I like being married more than I like Lucky's on sale (most of the time anyways) The Atl. BPS had a big bin full of them a couple weeks ago. The colors must not be popular in this area because the sets have been steadily dropping in price since they came out.

No, it's definitely a ML. I already have a UL, and was looking for a longer rod for weightless Trick Worms and Floaters. It's an interesting rod. It has a really soft tip and a parabolic action, almost like fiberglass but different. Hook something large and you can actually feel the entire rod flex, all the way down to the butt.

Fixed.

In 2005 I left a job in B'ham making in the mid-50's a year and moved to Atlanta so the wife could work. I've watched my annual salary decrease every year since. > The jobs that were paying in the low to mid 40's a year ago, now pay in the low 20's. For many people, myself included, taking any of the available jobs means a step down in "salary" from unemployment. Many businesses are using the poor economy as an excuse to offer sub-standard wages to desperate, experienced workers. Their options are either turn down the job and try to squeak by until their UI runs out, or take the job and go in the hole every month because they can't pay their bills and feed their families on $10 hr. This isn't a matter of "poor work ethics". The problems go much deeper than that.

As I stated in my post, I have three kids. Two of them are school age and the youngest is 2. The high cost of decent full-time daycare combined with the pay cuts and horrible starting wages in most fields right now make it more cost effective to stay home with my son. By the time they take taxes out of my check and I pay the sitter, I'm clearing less than $2 hr at my current job. Take out some more $$ to cover gas and it's almost a wash. > I could actually work at McDonalds a couple nights a week and clear more $$ than I do now.

x2 in the canoe. A-Jay X3 In the kayak as well. Makes it much easier to find decent spot on the bank when nature calls.

BPS has changed the Microlite this year and last year's model is on clearance. I picked up a 7' ML two-piece model for about $28 a couple weeks ago. Stuck a used Pflueger Trion GX-7 4730 from the Flea Market on it, spooled with 20# PowerPro and a 6' leader of 6# mono. Light enough for 'gills/sunfish, but heavy enough for small pond bass. Total investment: about $55, including the line.

Don't be so quick to assume laziness is the reason they decided not to take the job. I have three kids, a full-time day job, and a full course load of evening/night classes. Personally, I'd turn down any job offer that would interfere with my education, as it effects not only my future, but the future of my children as well. Hell, I've been thinking about quitting my job so I can devote more time to my school work. It's also entirely possible that they're single parents of small children. Daycare isn't all that difficult to find, but who are you going to call to watch your kids while you're working all night? It's unfair to make judgements about people's work ethics without knowing their situation(s).

X2 I have three Kistler Magnesium TS rods and I wouldn't think of trading any of them for a Carrot Stix. X3 I have the 7' M Kistler Mag TS "Alton Jones Crankbait Special - Composite" rod and it's absolutely fantastic. Light and sensitive with mod-fast action, so it's not too whippy. I'm not a big fan of split-grip rods, so I'd prefer it had a full grip...but other than that it's I have yet to see a Carrot Stix rod that would make me shell out the cash when there are so many other rods in that price range with the features I prefer...like Alconite guides and a full cork grip.

Ooooooh...I like that. I rarely order from Cabelas, but I may have to place an order for a few of those...if I can't find the pieces to make my own.

I'm a bit of a spinnerbait junkie and have several from Revenge, Rattle Head, War Eagle, BPS, Strike King (several different models), Boo-Yah, Stanley, ***, Mann's, Hawg Caller, and more. The most productive one for me on local ponds/lakes has been Stanley. I don't know what it is about them, but they produce. I wish I could tell you how well they hold up, but I lose them long before I wear them out. :-[

I'm taking two hybrid classes (2.25 hrs each in class room, the rest online) and one online class this term. I'm so tired of staring at this stupid computer. >

I've been using Elite for a while now with no complaints and today I picked up my first spool of Seige in 6#. So far, I'm not all that impressed with the manageablity. It's pretty stiff for such a small diameter line. :-/ I think I'll stick with Elite from now on.

If your rods/reels aren't current models, you probably won't find reviews for them on any of the major chains' websites (BPS, Cabela'a, etc.). However, if you google the model numbers you can sometimes pull up the old reviews for your items from these same retailers. There's just no direct link from their respective sites. Make sense?

Have you met Bassn Blvd?

Actually, the Micro Lite has been around a while and retails for less than $50. Are you talking about the Carbonlite?

The Atl. store does the same thing, but they also have a dedicated clearance area. For some odd reason, it's in an area that many anglers would never go thru. They stuck it at the end of the aisle where they keep the kids' combos, over by the saltwater tackle.