islandbass

For me, Either VMCs or Mustad triple girps. The former is one of the most economical for me. 25 hooks for about $5.00. I have also used Gammies and Owners and they are just as good, but economics (best bang for the buck) dicate my choice for VMCs most of the time.

Ahh, Raul. Thanks again for helping "see" things in the right light. One more step toward the dark side I go. The rest of the journey I am assured under the tutelage of Raul.;D

now i have done that before, and employee asked me if wanted a job there after i helped the guy out. Woh, I did this! The poor salmon sales guys didn't know jack about bass equipment. After I helped the customer out, he walked out with a Citica D and a Compre Rod. I even taught him how to cast as he was a bc virgin. Now how's that for salesmanship?

Would it be safe to assume you live in California? ;D 8-) 7 ML Action rod (drop shot/finesse) 7 M Action rod (crank/jerk/spinner bait) 6'6" M rod for (overall) 6'10" MH (Jigs/Trigs) 7' H Heavier Cover With the conditions I normally face, the 5th rod will proably see the least amount of action.

It might be moreso that they've already reprogrammed their muscles to do so. Back when they started, a lh reel was not very common to find. You had to use the rh reels or none at all. Today, many companies make both so there are now more options. The best thing to do is the learn to fish both ways. That's what I did, but my preference will always be LH reels.

Felicidades, Raul! You are most deserving of this. Thanks for your help along my journey. I see a sign and it says, darkside, 500 ft. Getting there! ;D Anyway, did your buddy ever make it out to the Pacific Northwest and go fishing? -Alex

You might want to try a plastic that floats. Some plastics float by default while others do not. It seems that you might have been using a worm that does not float. The front of the package will usually tell you. I know for sure that Roboworms float. The height that the plastic will float is dictated by the length of the leader generally speaking. Gotta to go back to Trigonometry. Funny that you mention this. The first time I tried a C-rig as a Green newbie was with a 5" senko, and let me tell you, that sucker doesn't float. ;D

I concur 100% Muddy, If you've seen how clumsy I can be, you'd consider yourself lucky! ;D

Being one who has always been regarded as slow in seeing things, I believe generic examples of this bad advice would be helpful for those who give it and are not aware. Ignorance is bliss, or is it? By this expert advice, do we mean Some one asks for opinions about reels A and B but someone recommends reel C? If so, I can understand the point of the thread. I do my best to answer questions based on what is asked. If I have offended anyone, I apologize. I try to give opinions based on things that I have used. For example, I would never recommend a Calcutta because I have never used one, let alone held one, but I would provide positive feedback on a Curado D, Trion LP, or a Cardiff A, because I have these reels and like them. I agree that public opinion would be tough to "regulate" but perhaps it would be easier to provide or limit the opinion to address the inquiry(ies) of the person who initiated the thread.

Unless you are dissatisfied with their performance as is, I would leave them because you are already accustomed to how they are currently set. I too have a trion and I use a 3 off and 3 on setting. I've tried 2 on and 4 off, and the casts were a bit farther, but the potential for a overrun increased as did management with the thumb. The extra 3-7' just wasn't worth the increase in management. If you are willing to change settings, try 3 off and on. It will not be much different from 4 on and 2 off and if islandbass can do 3 off and on, anyone can too. ;D

Maribou is great, but true chicken feathers are also awesome for treble hooks on poppers and like baits.

I get mine from a craft/arts store called Michaels. Hopefully there is one in your area, or a Chicken farm. Seriously!

It's always a good thing to find great deals. Right on! 8-)

I caught a river sculpin fishing with a size 5 floating rapala minnow. That is not the weird part however. I was pretty much at the end of the retrieve and stopped. The current pushed my lure to the shore such that the front half of the lure was on land and the other half in the water. Then, a small sculpin, no bigger than the rapala swam up, saw the lure, hopped up to it and lactched its mouth to the rear treble! I heard that they can be poisonous so I released it from the treble with great caution. Ugly mugs. This isn't the one I caught that day, but I just wanted to show you how ugly they are.

That is good to hear! My, my, the bait monkey is strong in this one.

In addition to the increase in hardness, I also believe that they are light in weight as you go up from AL oxide to Hardloy to Alconite. There is also increase in the price of the guides too. I have also heard that this increase in hardness also translates to enhanced sensitivity, but I can't confirm with any certainty. Granted, we might be talking a gram here and a gram there, but there are some folks to whom such extra grams make a difference. Now the SiCs are harder than the Alconites but I learned at TT that the Alconites were actually a smidgeon lighter. Go figure! ;D From Al Oxide and up, there should not be any problems with braid at all.

Well I looked at that in the BPS catalog. Were my eyes deceiving me or is there only a right hand version? If so, that stinks! >

101D for sure. I held one of the 7' cumaras mated to a core. Unfreakin' believable in hand. the 101D's lighter wight ought to complement the cumara quite well.

All good stuff so far but I will add this. If you are making vrey long casts (as you might with a c-rig), you might wish to opt with a greater distance between the weight and the bait. Why? Because the farther the rig is away from you, the shallower the angle will be between you and the rig. A shorter distance between the weight and the bait could make the bait to drag along the bottom and you wouldn't know it. Ideally you would want you bait to suspend above the bottom unless of course you want to c-rig a drop shot. ;D

The short answer is yes. I use my 301A in saltwater. As with any other reel you will need to clean it after every outing. Well, at least I do.

Ooops! I made a mistake!!!!! I wrote the piece away from home and when I looked on the rod, the lure range is actually 1/4 - 5/8 oz. The specs are: Length = 6' Action = Moderate Fast Power = Medium Lure Range = 1/4 - 5/8 oz Line Range = 8-15 Sorry for the confusion, guys! I guess I'm getting too old. :'( I do recall though that when I was typing the thought of a Pixy came to mind. So maybe my fingers did the walking and typed in the 1/8 - 3/8 subconsciously. Thanks. So skipping docks; I guess I will need to buy a boat first.

It might seem confusing, but that information is actually useful in helping us add line to the reel. For example you can put a lot more line of 20# braid on a reel than 20# mono, but how much more?? By also listing what its mono equivalent diameter is, we the anglers have more information to better approximate the amount of line we can out on our reels.

I was at a sportsman's show and came across a very nice looking Tica rod. It is a 6' moderate fast action casting rod and the first thing that popped into my mind was a great small crank, jerk bait, and topwater rod. I think that it would be a kind of neat rod for some finesse applications. Its lure range of 1/8 - 3/8 oz. Not too many casting rods go this low and for the price of $15, I thought it couldn't hurt. It feels great in hand. So let me know what you would use it for if not for what my first guess thinks it would be good for. I think its length will make it feel like a light saber working cranks and jerk baits. ;D Thanks!

It would be prudent to follow those guidelines. The range tells you that the rod should be capable of casting the weights without concern. Too light and the rod won't load properly. Too heavy and well, I don't need to say anymore. In the end it's your call and your risk. It would be far better to get another rod whose middle range is 3/4 oz.

If you are referring to the Trion Baitcaster, I have one. It is a solid reel, but it does not fare well for weights less than 1/4 oz without some serious adjustments. Great reel for the price. I'd put it on par with the Curado BSF (old greenie). It has landed all of my river salmon without breaking a sweat.