islandbass

All the four letter words! Jaw dropping. ;D

Thanks for the RPM! 8-)

I've used and have both. It is as you thought. If you need more abrasion resistance go with siege. If you can get away without the abrasion resistance then opt for the either. Both have good castibility and resist memory better than any other mono I have ever tried. There is also usually a rebate offer to take advantage of.

What RPM Setting did you use? One's notion of Low speed could be different from someone elses. Thanks! I don't have any daiwa casting reels of that caliber yet, but holy smokes you and others here really know how to rile up the bait monkey. ;D

Warmer, You are the man!! Excellent tips too! I am willing to bet your daughter's ready for a bc reel. My daughter was 6 when I handed her my curado bsf and after the first cast she said the reel was hers and so it was. ;D Oh yeah. The Cold Stone Creamery is near the lake so that is the reward my kids like to have. 8-)

It is basically a position the angler puts a rod in which the rod takes the full brunt of the opposing force of the fish and the pull of the angler. Even the best rods when placed in these positions can break with as little as 2 lbs of force. Imagine your rod tip pointing toward the sky vertically and let that be 90 deg. and parallel to the water as 0 deg. The closer the rod gets to 90 degrees, less the angler takes advantage of a rod's ability to control and play a fish. When you get to and pass 90 degrees, that's the high sticking zone. The rod takes the full brunt. Sorry I can't explain it too well, but I will post an article that I did in the past about maximizing the use of a rod's power. I try to do it later this afternoon.

Welcome! I would recommend an older stradic or a symetre. This will serve your needs and then some. We'll all be around when you're ready for a baitcast reel too. ;D

Invizx rocks. I use 6# test among rip rap. No abrasion problems. If this is your 1st fc line and you are like me, you will not see a need to try other lines. As for sensitivity I think it better than mono of the same test. Excellent choice! 8-)

Welcome! First, let me say that I am in your boat as I fish exclusively from the shore with my kids. Your son is more than old enough for sure. A scooby doo or superman fishing rod is more that enough for him. So here are some tips: 1) Keep it simple. They don't know anything about the latest lucky craft. You mentioned that he doesn't like to touch live bait. Use soft plastic versions or better yet, inline spinners or spoons. If there is any baiting to do, it's all on you to do it. 2) Give them 100% of your attention. It will probably mean that you won't be doing any fishing, because it is likely you will be spending more time undoing tangles, retying knots and what not. This is okay. 3) Be patient and give them room to experiment and learn. If they want help they will usually ask for it. In addition, their attention span will most likely not be more than 15 minutes so be ready to accomodate that. I usually pick a lake/park that also has a play ground and restroom facility. When they're done, they can go to the playground with you and they just might get back into fishing. 4) Encourage and nurture them every step. 5) it is handy to also have snacks and drinks and even a little chair for them and don't skimp on this, a life vest. It only takes a second to slip into the drink even from a flat shore. Good luck. This is my 3 year old. His attention span for fishing is just under an hour even with a playground nearby. This is my daughter when she was 4 or 5. She started with a barbie pole, then a spinning reel at 5 and a baitcast reel by 6. She outfishes me most of the time and that makes me even prouder! ;D

Most of you guys have it fairly cheap or reasonable compared to WA State: Freshwater: About $21 Saltwater: About $19 Some other dumb azz processing fees and taxes: about $6 It turns out to be just under $50 after all is said and done. I wouldn't mind but bass take a back seat in my state and they are on their own so my $$$ is spent on salmon and steelhead. There is zero money spent to help bass. It is what it is. Gotta pay to play. :'(

Any reel in the Cruxis class or higher up will take off your learning curve with quality, focused practice. Guaranteed. Wish I could teach you as one who came from a spinning background. If you have your handles on your spinning reels on the left side, I am willing to bet you a floating rapala minnow that you will prefer the handles on your bc reels on the EXACT same side. Once again, as someone coming from a spinning background. Here is the bottom line thing you must do assuming the reel is porperly set for the lure. No matter what happens after you cast you must stop the spool from spinning BEFORE your lure hits ANYTHING, be it the water's surface or a shrub or the ground in front of you because your thumb's release from the spool was just a bit too late. Do this and barring major headwinds, you will learn as quickly as my daughter when she was 6. Out of her first 10 cast, only 2 had minor overruns and that was the only thing I taught her to keep in mind. Also, the release time of the thumb off of the spool is slightly earlier than your forefinger's release of the line with a spinning reel. If your cast (overhand) are slamming into the ground in front of you or flailing to your right (Assuming you're casting with your right arm with a sidearm cast), this is a clear sign of letting go of the spool too late. You are also going to ask yourself why you took so long to add such reels to your arsenal. 8-) -ib

They work very well with bass and many other species. It sinks about 1' per second. Cast it out and count down (pardon the pun) til it reaches the depth you want to retrieve and reel it in. Vary the retrieve as you see fit and that is it. Although they sink, they are still on the light side. While a casting reel can be used, it is far less hassle to use a spinning reel for the smaller sized conutdowns. Bass on in 3...2...1... ;D

How about a budget? Baitmonkey is curious. ;D

Largemouth Mexico Japan - I want to see these bass who so drove the Japanese to much such kick fanny gear. They must be finicky as heck! Smallmouth Canada Great Lakes

When I first started fishing (self taught, started cold turkey not knowing jack), the first lure I ever bought was a Rapala floating minnow. When I realized that it was hard to get any distance, I added a little 1/4 weight to the and in essence though I didn't know it had the name carolina rig, in front of it. Castibility was achieved and as a matter of fact, the first bass I ever caught was this way. I didn't realize that what I did was arrive at the conclusion of a C rig until I read about it in an article months later. It is very effective in casting those light floaters and the leader length can be adjusted to dictate the max height you wish the lure to float off the surface. This is the advantage I discovered with it. Without the weight, the bait floats all the way back to the surface.

I've used the clear version. The most notable thing is that it has memory up the ying yang. This is neither good nor bad but it is what it is. It does have good castibility and is tough. I've used 8 and 10#.

Believe it because it is true, The color change has not affected the line for me.

I really like the flirts for drop shotting.

Oooh, I gotta stop. I get irked every time I remind myself (as a Mostly shimano guy) how they don't have 101s where we think they need them. Picture Yosemite Sam turning steamin' red after old bugsy. Varmint, shimano! ;D I'd be all over a 101 citica like a fly on... nevermind. :-*

Wow, I can't believe that this far down the post that my reply is only the second one for invizx. The other luxury fc lines are more than I am willing to pay and on the other side of the coin, the performance I get from my 6# Invizx has me not wanting to see if the grass is greener. This line is a superb fc line. I love its limpness and I have noted an increase in strikes over mono in the same strength. The best thing is that in my area, it costs $12.97 for 200 yds. 8-) I can't believe it sells for over $15 at BPS.

For the most part I will fish new techniques this year. I had a killer time with the drop shot and learned a lot with it. I will probably only dedicate 10-15% of my fishing time to the drop shot next season. I have got to get Jig n pigs down, and I want to learn what there is to know about the Shakey head. I guess I need a new rod. Back, baitmonkey!!! I don't need a shakey head rod. ;D

Baitcasters don't cause backlashes, anglers do. Barring mechanical issues with a bc reel, to blame a bc reel for backlashing is humorous. It's all in the thumb.

Just MHO, but you should gather a variety of different lures. Some sink, some float and some just about suspend with the hook. Each can offer a different presentation. If you go with only one as you propose, you run the risk of not having something the fish want. As already mentioned, many plastics can be used to drop shot. Floaters Roboworms Berkeley Floating worms Sinkers Senkos and similar stick types Both of the options you linked look like they have great potential, but I have not used either.

I would leave it engaged, but that is just me. There is nothing set in stone with regard to that.

Flippin' Pitchin' I realize you mentioned you know how, but I wanted to post this pic too. Don't have a flippin' rod I can recommend because I don't have one yet.