islandbass

I made a rod quiver with one purpose of having it hold rods close to me while fishing so I don't have to walk back to the shore nor risk it getting stolen during a moment's inattention. It will float with small pontoons, the same kind used for crabbing. It would also be attached to me via a caribeaner and leash. BTW, it won't work too well in choppy or fast moving water.

Right on! Looking forward to seeing the goods.

With the receipt.

I received a call from them last night too, and I answered it in person. the thing is, I figured they were calling because I let it expire and that they were trying to get me to resubscribe. However, being the slick dude that I am (ha-bs), I claimed that I wasn't here and requested a phone number so that I can have islandbass call them back. The person said that he was an outbound caller and didn't have a return phone number to give. Hmmmm...... I love playing these telemarketers. I don't know too much about how they operate but it did seem very odd to me that he wasn't able to leave a return number. I can't conclude if he were legit or a scam, but I am defintely inclined to lean toward the latter. Big Bass, I would be reluctant to "verify" anything from a place like BassMaster who should have that stuff on file. The times I might consider giving information as such is when I made the call and I know it is to a legit operator like my credit card co. A good rule of thumb is if they call you and ask for such info, be suspicious. If you call them, you can rest a bit easier.

It is very simple. A left handed is labeled as such because the angler's left hand, regardless of his or her hand dominance, will turn the crank and vice versa. The first thing you should do is try each mounted on a rod and see which way feels most comfortable. If you come from a spinning background and have been using a spinning reel for a very long time with the handle on the left, I am willing to bet a floating Rapala minnow that you will have a strong preferce use baitcast reels with the same configuration. I can almost guarantee it. There was a pole not too long ago I started about preference that will give you a good demographic of the breakdown of what most folks here prefer. Bottom line is that you will need to determine which is most comfortable to use. Good luck!

I'd defintiely return it or you can send it to me. ;D On the other side of the coin, the rod model you have was designed for jigs. I think the rod that would have been a bit more suitable would have been the CUC68M. I appreciate your response, however. Great input. In your opinion, what do you think its action is if not extra fast? Fast? Moderately fast? Thanks. Addendum: Oops! I see now that Burley already made that recommendation. :-[

I use 6# Xl on my UL rig. Great stuff. When you say it's not the strongest, do you mean it lacks abrasion resistance? BTW, I have never lost a fish with this line. Good mono. 8-)

A 101a Cardinal holds about 110 yds of 6# mono. If you can cast all 300 plus feet, you really should be entering a distance casting contest! 8-)

I think you've pretty much covered the gamut. What is cool about spoons is that they are still effective without needing to be tricked up. One thing that I have always wanted to try that I haven't yet is drilling holes into the spoon. I don't know what it might do. Heck, it might even ruin the spoon! I've also wanted to try this with spinner blades. Oh well, just a thought for the back burner. If you decide to do it, let us know if it works. 8-)

The Rapala knot is a great knot, but you will only need to use it with their lures that do not have split rings, like their floaters. Some of their lures have split rings and the palomar can be easily used on those that come with a split ring. I myself like the palomar knot but not for bulky things like cranks. Sometimes it's a pain to get it around the lure especially with if there are trebles. Not to mention that's one big loop to cinch down.

The first LP reel I learned with was super free. Maybe I was lucky I didn't have a problem. If anything, I learned faster with it than my non super free round reel. Go figure! KVD, Why would you have to sell your spinning gear? Rounded anglers are skilled with both reel types and use both.

BassChump, I am very sorry to have heard all of this. I myself am going through a pretty tough time too, but yours really takes the cake. I am not too far away from you as I live in the Seattle area and I go to Portland every once in a while to visit my brothers that live there. One of my brothers who I got hooked into fishing has not caught his first fish yet and it has been over a year!!! The best at this time I can offer are words of encouragement to hang in there and my prayers to you and your family. Maybe the next time I head down we can go fishing or if you ever come up to the Seattle area, let me know! I know a few places we can hit smallies from the shore. I would have responded sooner had I known, but I usually forget to check the Everything Else forum. It is great to see other Pacific Northwesterners here. Peace and God bless! -ib

Those combos work best with 6# mono. When I bought my daughter her Barbie rod, it recommends 6# mono. Line any thinner and the reel might not be able to pick up the line and any thicker seems to makes things difficult. The line that it came with was probably in bad shape. Also, unless the cover is super heavy, 6# line can handle even a 5# bass. There are folks in my area that have a special trip in which they target steelhead with scooby and superman rods. I know they land 15# + steelhead on that 6# line so rest assured that the 6# mono can handle a decent sized bass. One last thing. The little knob that retrieves the line on those rods is notorious for damaging the line. Be sure to periodically check the line for nicks and such. Many a fish have fallen victim to my little girl's barbie rod.

Defintely use at least a 1/2 oz weight or more. Just get some "bass casting" weights as they are called. This is the cheapest way to go. As for fractions from lightest to heaviest: 1/16 = 0.0625 2/16 = 1/8 = 0.125 3/16 = 0.1875 4/16 = 2/8 = 1/4 = 0.25 5/16 = 0.3125 6/16 = 3/8 = 0.375 8/16 = 4/8 = 1/2 = 0.50 10/16 = 5/8 = 0.625 6/8 = 3/4 = 0.75 14/16 = 7/8 = 0.875 16/16 = 8/8 = 4/4 = 1.0 I put in the extra fractions not commonly seen in fishing weights to illustrate the where fractions differ in value or are equivalent. -Alex

I have seen those beads in packs of Sugoi hooks too. I don't think they serve any purpose though.

Hello and greetings from the Pacific Northwest!!!!

That is what I thought until I caught my first smallie. I changed my tune instantly. Matter of fact I didn't target largemouth for the next 3 months. Smallies for sure, not taking anything away from the largemouth. Love'em too, but pound for pound, the smallie has it all over the largie for fight quality. They just don't quit. Can't wait until you hook into your first smallie. You too will see.

I saw one, a spinning combo at a local sports store. It really didn't seem half bad at all. It would be a great gift for the older kid. Sorry I can't recall the price, but I think it was reasonbly priced such that I didn't say, ouch! That's expensive. I wonder if he will fish with it in tournaments.

Are you fishing with braid? With braid, sometimes we can react too soon. Well, at least I suffer from that when I don't keep in mind braid's near zero stretch.

Sorry to hear that about your experience with Shimano, and that's cool, no sweat off my back or yours. The Woo Daves rods from what I hear are pretty good. I would recommend Lamiglas rods but they are probably not available in your area. The tough thing for me is that I have a hard time buying any gear, rod or reel, that I can't handle in person.

Eddie, Thanks for the great advice. Oh boy. Some time this year it is going to happen.

Another Trion LP owner. Definitely great bang for the buck. My only minor beef is that it starts to waffle when you try to toss less than 1/4 oz. Other than that, super solid, quite comaprable to the Greenie oldie Curado BSF in just about every way except at lighter weights. Here's another thing to raise your spirits: I caught this brute chum salmon after a hellish 12 minute fight. The picture does not do justice to the actual size of the fish, but my Trion handled this bad boy without even breaking a sweat. I was as it was the first river salmon I ever caught and I didn't want to lose it. So if the Trion can handle such brutish fish, heck, they'll handle any bass fishing scenario you can dream up.

Drop Shot: Shimano Compre ML action rod, you choose length - $89 Shimano Sahara 2500 size - $60 Total: $149 I would bite the bullet by spending $19 to get the symetre, but if I had to skimp on this combo, I would definitely skimp on the reel. IMHO, it is better to invest in a more sensitive rod over the bigher priced reel for this application. As for the jerkbait rod/reel combo, that is kind of a big ask for $100. Go with a Shimano Convergence rod with a medium action and length of your choice for about $39.00 and spend the rest on the reel. In as where I can recommend a sahara, I can't recommend a casting reel for $60.00 because I have not ever used a reel I bought new for that price.

The short answer is yes. However, high end gear is not necessary to enjoy a day of fishing. There is a great thread here about el cheapo rods that we who have "upper" end equipment have and still love to use. Hopefully you'll find it to help out you at ease about "needing" to "have to" spend big money for fishing. Be happy with what you have right now. I have an el cheapo Lightning Rod that has seen more action than my Loomis this season. ;D

I have good news for you. I have a 301 cardiff and while it is my primary salmon reel, it has a double duty as my crankbait reel. I have 10# magnathin on it right now and it can cast 1/4 oz crankbaits easily. If line capacity is needed, go with the Cardiff. However, the Citica has the lower profile and newer innards. For example, the Cardiff is not super free (however, I cannot see any notable casting differences even against a curado d) but it does have the dartanium drag.It also does not have the HE gearing but a 301A Cardiff is lighter than a Citica 200. So there's a bit of give and take.