islandbass

Dang!!! They don't have any lefty 101s

It's actually cheaper with the $30 rebate. Sounds like a great deal.

Hello and greetings from the Pacific Northwest.

"Ahhhh, I see," said the blind mouse. Thanks! It looks like they gave a heck of a lot of thought into that rod. Congrats on a beautiful acquisition. 8-)

Dang!!!!! I need a couple of Brawny towels to wipe the drool off the floor. 8-) What does the bent part at the rear do? Is that somehow linked to comfort when fishing or fighting a fish?

If you're casting overhand, you're actually aiming left. If you're casting side arm, your thumb is letting go of the spool too late. Release earlier to solve. It will really be helpful to use a rod rated to throw the weight you wish to toss. lastly, ensure that the reel is properly set for the lure's weight.

That's an easy one for them to get out of. If the redesign the curado "d" to the curado "e" they could simply change the name of the curado "d" as we know it to something else. Perhaps dub it the "Panacea."

Nope...guaranteed lower price. This is what cost Shimano the market share I believe. Time will tell, but I'm very confident the Curado with be back at the $120-$150 price point. That is what I was hoping to hear, but I was preparing for the worst just in case. If Shimano breaks it down the way you propsed, that to me would be very fair and reasonable. I too think that failure to do that initially cost them. Thanks!

When it comes to fishing, I have no prejudice... I want to catch them all! I fish for multi-species, but for bass, they just have a special place in my heart. I prefer to target them probably 95% of the time. Are you in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon Perhaps? By your description, I was inclined to guess that with the mention of Sturgeon. I can't quite put a finger on it myself, but good question.

That is great, but I sure hope to not see any serious price hikes. I don't think the Curado D is worth its $199 price without a discount. Okay, it is, or should I say was, but I tend to be one who waits and lurks for the right time to buy.

Right on and great report! My eyes played a trick on me at first when I initially read the title. I missed the word "in" and my eyes nearly popped out. Glad it wasn't, "Broke my Steez Today." :-[

D, Great job on those rods. Did you have fun converting them?

Jigs - I just don't seem to have any luck. My first hook up with jig finally came this past January on a freezing day. Despite wearing gloves and through mitts, my frozen hands couldn't seal the deal and it got off. Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits - never caught a fish on either. I make, use and catch fish on inline spinners, but I can't buy a bite on the spinner or buzz baits. Go figure. One weakness many have I am certain that probably didn't get mentioned is a weakness to succumbing to the baitmonkey. ;D

After learning a lot from my first conversion, I decided to do a casting rod. I chose my hardly used Lightning Rod. What I realized after making the first one was that not all split grips are equal in the sensitivity department. The ones that enable you to have your hand touch the blank should be more sensitive that those on which your hand is solely on the cork. Berkley Lightning Rod This time, I made certain that my hand would be touching the blank. This time, my palm is in direct contact with the blank and let me tell you it was nice to feel the feedback from the blank to my hand. It also feels very comfortable to hold. As for the overall feel, I have to say it has greatly improved for me. The Lightning Rod has felt heavy in hand and the factory cork grip was a tad to thick for my hand. So if you're going to convert a rod, make sure you do so in a way that your palm is in contact with the blank. This is probably the last rod I will convert. Why? Because Spring is here and it is now time to get back to fishing. -ib

There are a number of 2 piece compres out there for $89.00. For the Graphite and components, it is very competitive at this price point. I have the 2 piece MH rated for 3/16-7/8 oz (wow!) and I've used it for just about everything from drop shot, shakeys, and even cranks. It is the epitomy of "all-around" at this price.

It's an apples to oranges comparison IMHO. They are not the same. I subscribe to the philosophy that it is better to have both of them than only one or the other. My experience albeit not too much is that some days the bass indicated a stronger preference of one over the other. If you only had one, you'd be SOL.

Some people like the known advantages a split grip rod can offer the angler. We have heard a reduction in a rod's overall weight true, but not by much, but they sure make a rod look great. We have heard that it increases sensitivity IMHO, yes and no. It depends really on the design of the split grip. Since not all split grips are equal in design, this increase in sensitivity must depend on the design of the part of the split grip under the hand/palm holding the rod. If the shaped cork is short enough such that the palm is in contact with the blank, then I would say that the increase in sensitivity is there so most likely yes. If the shaped cork is long enough such that it extends past the hand/palm holding the rod and as a result, the handle is in full contact with the cork and not the blank, then I say that there will likely not be an increase in sensitivity. I came across an article about St. Croix Legend Tournament rods, which I think are awesome looking by the way, in the Sportsman's Warehouse periodical in which either the author of the article or St. Croix claim the following: The hottest rods on the competitive bass fishing circuit now come with split-grip/supergrade cork handles. This exciting new handle design increases casting and hook-setting performance by creating an improved fulcrum point while reducing the overall weight of the rod. Sportsman's Warehouse Periodical - Sportsman's News April 2008 Page 18. Increasing casting distance and hook setting performance? Hmmmm It is not so much that I doubt the claim as much as I, being a visual learner, am having trouble seeing how the removal of a small amount of cork can move the fulcrum point substantially more than a non split grip rod to have the rod display such an improvement in those two traits. The article is not clear as to whether it is St. Croix or the author making this claim and for this debate I guess it doesn't really matter. Are there any rod builders out there that can substantiate or debunk the claim of improvement of the rod as the result of attaining an improved fulcrum point? Or is this sheer marketing hype? I can see how improving the fulcrum point can do this, but I am questioning how the removing of that little of cork can improve that point significantly. What say anyone else? -ib

No reel is immune to backlashing...just gotta take the time to learn the reel and set it correctly. Beat me to the punch. Even a DC reel can backlash unfortunately and it is never the reel's fault. The curado d seems to fit the bill. You will be amazed at how well it doesn't backlash when it is properly set.

Hello, and greetings from the Pacific Northwest.

Right on! I find a little comfort in seeing that I am not the only Jig virgin out there. I hooked up my first jib bass down 55' back on 01-22-08. My hands even with mitts were too frozen to seal the deal and I lost her. It is Jigs or death for me this season. I will be putting away my beloved drop shot and trusty cranks until I score a hook up and landing of a bass this season. So far, 0 for 4 since January. Gotta get this stinky monkey off my back! :-[

Don't feel too bad. You just need to get used to it. I have the green curado, 2 curado ds, and a trion and I know the trion is on par with the castibility of the curado. I gotta agree with you on the brake shoes. I lost two wading in a river when the fell out. I was ticked. Luckily the reel came with a few extra. The only negative for me is that its lower level tolerance for lure weights is about 3/16 oz. It then takes more effort (for me) to fine tune it as opposed to my curados which can handle 1/8 oz. Other than that, its performance has been superb. It easily handled all the chum salmon I've battled without even breaking a sweat while the best chum I ever fought, a 22 minute battle (and yes, I timed the darned fight so I', not exaggerating) spooled my 201 Curado D while it was at full capacity. So the Trion stays.

This might be a factor (friction) if you're placing it in the 1/2 or deeper into the book. I keep it in the upp 25% of the book and at the speed I retrieve the line, I would say with confidence that friction is likely to be a non-issue (negligible) if that is your concern. From one engineer to others.

Did you put it on a spinning reel and if so, what # test? Going over 10# in any mono can be troublesome on most bass sized spinning reels. When line falls off of a spinning reel like that, it can mean that there is too much line on the spool. It could also mean that the reel's setting for line lay could be top heavy. The reason I am guessing you are talking about a spinning reel is because line jumping off of a casting reel is virtually nil. You didn't mention the reel type or the # test you bought and knowing those two things would be helpful. I have used both siege and elite and they are among the best monos I have used.

Dodgeguy, The fact that invisx doesn't behave like fluoro is probably a RED flag! According to a line study conducted by TackleTour, Seaguar Invisx was the absolute worst performing fluorocarbon of the bunch. The abrasion-resistance of Seaguar Invisx was 35% "worse" than Trilene XL (nylon mono). As though that weren't bad enough, Seaguar Invisx was also the very worst for stretch-resistance, demonstrating 38% MORE stretch than Trilene XL (nylon mono). Roger i don't believe those results are valid.try a spool and see for yourself.i've used trilene xl and it's like a rubberband.invizx is not.also i fish cranks over some of the nasteiset rocks around and invizx holds up wonderfully.it does have more stretch than most flouro but that doesn't bother me. Rolo, It is hard to believe that someone could have be so anti seaguar invizx without trying it. The fact that it is limp and stretched like mono is why I like it. I simply don't lose fish with it when drop shotting and I have noted a drastic increase in catches and hook ups. Such tests ought to be taken with a grain of salt anyway well at least, it isn't Gospel to me. I apologize ahead of time if you have tried invizx. I fish rip rap and it holds up fine in the abrasion department and I am using 6# test. I have used fc line on spinning and baitcast reels and I just don't backlash any more.

x2. Do you mean limp? It might be just me, but I prefer a limp fc line for drop shotting. There is a whole gamut of fc line types. Some are supple and some are stiff and the choices are many.