islandbass

Holy smokes, that look baaaad Azzzz! If there is a lower geared version, I'll be over that.

Could be due to demand. Swimbaits are fast becoming the "hot" bait of the times if they aren't already. The prices follow accordingly.

I have a Compre and would recommend it. But one thing... You have a $129 rod on there and so I ask if you've considered a Crucial? At that price the Crucial can't be beat. The Quantim rods have intrigued my but they are not available in my area so given your choices, either the Compre or gamble with the Quantum.

This is a great subject and will hopefully illustrate to the young ones and those not willing to spend for pricier combos that there are deals to be had if you look hard enough. My Okuma Celilo UL Rod. It was less than $20 and it is mated to a 101a Cardinal. I love using this setup. It opened my eyes to the fun of UL fishing. My Berkeley Cherrywood spinning rod. At $15, it is such great bang for the buck. And after conversion from full to split grip, my casting berkely lightning rod. Did I mention is was on clearance at Wal Mart for $9.99? Unbelievable. Even I couldn't say no to that. My daughter's 6' casting Daiwa Strike something rod. Great deal at $12.99. She puts old reliable greenie curado on it. She's now 8 but she learned to use a casting reel when she was 6 1/2.

It is an awesome walk the dog bait. Caught a bass on it the first time I used it. Sorry about describing walking the dog. I just don't know how to. But I am certain others can chime in on it.

Goodness gracious, they look fantastic!! They look like they've been done by a seasoned rod maker! Hats off to you and kudos. If and when I go down this road, I'm going to PM you if you don't mind. -Alex

You should still be okay. They said 6-8 weeks or was it 4-6 and one month is only 4. Mine came in the 7 frickin' week but it did come. I'd call if you don't see it in about 1.5 weeks.

Bingo. Use whatever ratio you think works. I myself prefer to be able to fill 3 reels with 50 yds of braid each time with the rest being mono underneath.

I can only comment on the Compre. Excellent choice for you it would be. Love mine 100% and I was lucky enough to buy it for $54.00.

Oh yeah! There's nothing like having a little symetre in life. 8-)

There is a difference between mindless practice and focused practice. The former won't do jack for you. The release time with a spinning rig is ever so slightly later than it is with a casting rig. Every time you make a cast that goes sky high rainbow and lands 15' in front of you that tell you that you let go too early. Go through the motions of the cast and feel the weight of the lure load the rod but do not let your forefinger release the line. Just feel the rod load a few times. You will then be able to sense when to let go. Now go young padawan, and continue your training. ;D

Now that's funny! ;D

wow! shoot, I'd bite one of those. 8-)

What's up, Dez!!! Glad to see you here. Yeah, $91 US does seem steep, butin WA state, if you want to fish both fresh and salt, it's about $50 for residents! Ouch!!! I don't even want to look up the non-resident fee is.

Congrats on a good score! If this is your first caster, I highly recommend that you: 1) Use mono - more economical 2) Practice with something at least 1/2 oz, without hooks Once the reel is properly set to the lure's weight, the only thing you need to do is stop the spool from spinning before your lure (or practice weight) hits ANYTHING, be it the ground in front of you, the water's surface, or your neighbor's fence. Feather it to a stop, or stop the spool dead cold. It doesn't matter. Just stop the spool from spinning. Any mono from 10# up should be good to learn on. Save the braid for when you master the mechanics. When I use a newbie to casters, I spooled braid on. Wasted the entire spool on the first cast with a nasty nest. I didn't know any better, but from that point, mono for learning purposes. ;D -another Alex 8-)

As RW said, 3 rods can cover most situations. I usually carry at least 2 and maybe 4 and this limitation is because I am shorebound. What I am noticing however is that when I bring 3 or 4, it seems that most of the time, only 2 of the 3 or 4 are used and the others never get "called to duty".

I prefer LH for both reel types, but can now fish "opposite" handed if I had to. No need to explain why you prefer what you prefer unless you want to, as I am sure most of us have told to the point of nausea. However, I thought it would be interesting to see the break down for the members here. My guess is that option 3 is going to be the majority. -ib

Unless you have a true travel rod, the kind that breaks down into multiplie pieces (more than two), your chances of taking it with you as a hand carry is extremely unlikely. I think even a '6' rod broken down into two pieces exceeds the maximum hand carry length or comes to close to call with you at the airport without checking. RW's recommendation is probably the most hassle free. If you don't want to go that route, but one of the Bazzoka rod holders. The can be secured with a heavy duty lock and can easily fit 7' one piece rods. You can use towels or bubble wrap to serve as cushion between the rods. I carry my reels in my carry on however. I would leave all tackle items like hooks and such in the checked luggage. I did this all for my trip to Mexico. If it could take my stuff safely from Mexico and back, I am certain a trip to NY would be just as much a breeze.

X2 on the Crucial. Best val;ue in the price range. I own five of them, and they are great. Avid is really nice but a different price point. I third this motion. At its 129-139 dollar price, the crucial cannot be beat. excellent graphite, alconite guide, lifetime warranty, it is very tough to beat at that price. Someone at TT weighed the Alconites and was surprised they actually weighed less (albeit not by much) than the Sics. Sics of course are nicer, but thought it might be some good info for the weight weenies. ;D

This season, I caught my home made inline spinner hooked up a pair of boxers for the lake bottom. Yuck!!!!! Also this season, As I made the motion to end the retrieve (lifting lure out of the water to make a cast) a bat came out of nowhere are latched onto my lure as I pulled it out of the water and up toward me. His wing got caught on the jig hook but he broke free as I stared in wonder. 1/4 oz jig head and a wacky rigged 3" pink senko. :

That is aweome!! I too pride myself when I walk into a local tackle shop and walk out without buying a single thing and therefore beating the baitmonkey? So is the score something like: BassAwkards: 1 Baitmonkey: 1000 I dare not display my scoreboard! ;D

You've got your questions answered quite well. I would reiterate that if you set the drag right before the fight, you shouldn't have to readjust it during the fight. If theycan pull off line, let them because this is what helps to get them tired more quickly. I would also add that you have to have Patience with a capital P. Let your rod, reel, and line work for you and the fish is yours. Also, never ever allow slack in the line during the fight. Always maintain a tension in the line. As proof to what I mentioned, here is something to keep things in perspective. There are folks in my area who know how to land 30# King Salmon with 6# test. If this is possible, then there is no doubt in my mind that you ought to be able to land an 8# bass with the line of your choice, a properly set drag, and some patience. Good luck!

Yep, Ike is spot on on that. That however is half the battle. As already mentioned by Wayne P., the angler must ensure that there is no slack in the line before the retrieve begins. That is that key to minimizing any line foul ups with spinning gear.

I currently use SeaGuar Invizx and love this line for its limpness. I use it in 6# test and it is spooled onto a spinning reel. SeaGuar makes Carbon Pro. I have not used this line, but I think it is far stiffer in nature (as observed in the store). Invizx is the first FC line I have ever tried and I must say its performance is so awesome that I see no need nor do I have a desire to try any other FC line for my drop shotting. Its limpness is very similar to Trilene XL, which is what I want to have and it acts like mono in terms of its castibility. But, because it is FC, I also benefit from its refractive index, sinking qualities, thinner diameter relative it mono, and its ability to transmit feedback to me. I have observed more hook ups over both mono and braid so it is definitely a keeper. To your second question, as a rule of thumb, the thinner the line the more finicky it can be on a baitcaster. So a larger diametered line could help there. The reel being used can also be a factor. I imagine a Pixy or Presso could probably better handle 6# fc line as opposed to my Pflueger Trion. 12# seaguar ought to handle well on your baitcaster. At that diameter, it seems to be roughly that of about 10# mono. Any bc reel worth its salt should be able to handle 10# mono diameter line. However, bottomline, the root cause of backlashes is the angler. ;D

Now that is a review and a half! Thanks for the great info, ww2!