islandbass

OR MY USUAL: You threaded the line through the side of the tip instead of through it Dang!!! I've done both!!! And the one about cutting the standing end instead of the leader I do quite often when it is below freezing, but I've done it as many as 3 times in a row tying the same lure!!! Making that "one last cast" and catching some obstable behind me. It sometimes ends up in a backlash that has to be undone at home. Making a cast with a bc reel and forgetting to disengage the spool. This is where the majority of my overruns occur. Getting out to the lake with my fishing rods and fishing bag, then realizing I forgot to pack some hooks or some other important necessary item.

thanks for the suggestions guys. im pretty sure my dads not gonna buy and mount one of those rod holders to the front of his truck though. i was thinkin of just putting it next to the passenger seat and have the tip come out the little slidey window in the center of the rear windshield. I don't know how handy you are, but I would construct an apparatus to solve your dilemna. I'd keep it in the truck's bed, butt toward the cab and tip toward the tailgate. You can use wood, felt, and some simple tools to build something that will hold that rod (and others). You won't even have to take the reels off. Here is a picture of a quiver I built for 3 rods so that they can all be held in one hand. Build yourself a similar deal for the truck's bed. It could easily be removed and placed back in the truck. I bet you probably have some scrap wood around the house that could be used. A square of felt at WalMart is less than $0.30. What I envision is a narrow strip of wood fitted to the width of the truck's bed with the slotted grooves like the one in my rod quiver you see that are lined with the felt. The number of grooves you make is up to you. This wooden strip would be placed somewhere in the truck's bed between the middle to rear two-thirds, such that the wood is propping the rod up and an angle that is just above or at the height of the tailgate. Velcro could be used to secure the rod. Something like this probably won't take but an hour and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself.

Absolutely. It just means that the reel will be holding less line. For bass fishing it probably won't matter one bit. Salmon is a different story. Last year, a brute chum spooled my Curado D which was at full capacity with 12# CXX. It was the best 22 minute battle I fought and I lossed. Tipped my hat and shed a tear. :-[

Yeah, the 200s are heavy but the 100s are not too shabby at 7.4 oz. Ain't a pixy but who here is a weight weenie? ;D Thanks, Ghoti! That is an awesome price. The $13.50 shipping price is a bit high and it makes the reel come out to $173.49. However, at full price locally with my state's sales tax, it would cost me $217.36 which makes it still cheaper.

X2 for the Shimano. Until I started fishing, I thought that Shimano only made bike components. :

They probably shipped them in separate containers but they just didn't arrive at the same time. This is more common an occurrence than one might think. I hope that is the case for you, kb.

Actually, spec for spec, the Citica blows the Curado BSF (green) out of the water in every category except weight. It is still a great reel though. HE Gearing, Dartanium Drag, Quick Release latch that stays on the reel, a lower reel foot just to name some. Before this you had to get a chronarch for such features and now you get it in a Citica for $119 and a Curado BSF was $149 lacking those things. I have both the old and new curado. Well, I had a green curado. I forgot my daughter claimed it as hers after her first cast with it when she was 6 1/2. ;D To the subject the revo or citica would be the two I'd choose from.

For the Drop Shot Reel, I use a size 20 Rapala Sx6i. They were originally about $50 but they can be had for about $35 these days. I got mine for about $33. I also have a symetre 2500 that I can also use. I do not buy into the supposed notion to have a reel with a line capacity greater than a 2500 size reel. Spinning reels in general are inherently heavier and to me, the extra line is not worth the great jump in weight their is between a 2500 to a 4000 size. Not worth it IMHO. Just think about it this way. The reel is already going to weigh down on you and you work your lure and you are going to feel the weight on every movement of your wrist. I can only speak for myself, but I don't want to fatigue my hand/wrist arm working a real heavier than it needs to be. The only exception to this however is if I had to fish really deep water where that extra line capacity is needed. I don't face that condition so I have a spinning reel contingent. At those greater depths, I suppose I can use a casting set up. EG #1 A StradicI 2500 weighs 9.5 oz and its 4000 sister 11.6 oz. Not too bad, but that's 2.1 oz more and over the time of the day, one will feel that difference. EG #2 A Symetre 2500 also weighs 9.5 oz but in the 4000 size it is a whopping 13.3 oz. A 3.8 oz difference. No thanks! For line, I use seaguar invizx at 6# test. It is the first fc line I have tried and have not seen a need to try anything else because this line is awesome.

I like the way you think! 8-)

Good idea, but better yet, take your rod to the store with you and try both on your rod. They are both great reels. Then get the one that best balances your rod. I believe that the Symetre (Have one and love it) in the 2500 size, which I would recommend is still under 10 oz.

Here is an article that I come across a while ago for which a thread in the Largemouth forum brought to the forefront. I think has some great insight regarding our rods and how to get the most out of them when we have those hawgs on the other end. The article is from The Reel News Publication (a local periodical) written by J.D. Wade. I wish to give him full credit. I learned something from it and I hope you do also. Please feel free to throw in your two cents, yay or nay, etc. I believe this is a topic worthy of all opinions and further pursuit. Anyway, passing on! Article Below: Know Your Rod Angle by JD Wade You've just set the hook in the mouth of that trophy fish and the battle is on!! It's going to be an epic event, a real white knuckle ordeal, and you are going to have to show it who's boss. This may be the ultimate test of your rod, and the strength of your arms. The angle at which you hold your rod may mean the difference between success and failure. Whether you are trying to land your biggest ever salmon or halibut, a feisty walleye, an angry bass or maybe a giant trout, each rod you use has a certain amount of lifting power built into its design. The key to winning the tough battles between angler and swimming adversary is knowing how to tap into that lifting power. A research team conducted a study for G. LOOMIS company, that blew away conventional thinking about the most efficient rod angles for controlling fish. The results also help us understand rod dynamics. The researchers used a 6 foot 6 inch G. LOOMIS saltwater rod with three pounds of suspended weight, acting as a pre-load. During the testing, the rod would be quickly raised 14 inches, from seven different angles. This was to stimulate the pumping action used in a battle with a sounding fish. The amount of lifting power was measured at the different angles. 0 degrees being straight down, and 180 degrees straight up. At 30 degrees the rod exerted 62 pounds of lift. From 60 degrees the lift dropped to 48 pounds and 90 degrees produced 37 pounds. Those angles provided kind of lift the necessary to move a big fish. Therefore, 30 to 90 degrees can be called the power zone. Above 90 degrees the lifting power dropped off dramatically. At 120 degrees, only 9 pounds of lift was measured. The results were nearly identical using the same length bass casting rod . I think this shows you may want to keep you rod tip up, as we are always instructed, when the fish is running, but when it's your turn fight back line, holding your rod not higher than parallel with the water will conserve your own strength, and take maximum advantage of your rod's design. J.D. Wade has written an award winning, best selling book, SHELLFISH GUIDE, published by Evergreen Pacific Publishing. . .

There was a very recent post on this stuff, but I can't recall which forum. Try to search for similar posts. It will clear up the fog for sure.

I will add this. I am not sure what people mean by keeping the rod tip high because I can interpret that in two ways. High - As in the rod being 90 degrees relative to the water. Going past 90 degrees no diminishes the rod's ability to pressure the fish. So if it is meant high as up to 90degrees, that is alright. But if it is meant high as in past 90 deg. then I say that is not ideal. Drawing a clock with 12 o'clock being directly above you, I would recommend not going past 90 degrees when fighting the big girls. Maximizing the rod's power to wear down the fish ranges 30 - 90 degrees. Keeping tension on the line within this range will aid you in applying good pressue to tire the fish with little chance of stressing the rod or line (At these angles, the rod is working within its traits. The line nor the rod should break here assuming no flaws in either). High - As in well past 90 degrees. I am talking about during the fight, and not the hook set. However, I rarely go past 90 deg. even on my hook set. As stated, past 90 deg. gives the advantage to the fish. There is an article about this that I will post when I get home this evening. I am an amatuer physicist (yeah, right). Okay, I am not, but I like to have every edge I can possibly have against our quarry, including ways to maximize the effectiveness of the rod. At the wrong angles, any rod can break with as little as 2 lbs of force. It means a rod can even be broken by a small fish. When I fight a fish, maintaining constant pressure on them by keeping tension on the line and being mindful of the angle of my rod are the only things I key in on. Once hooked, I rarely lose a bass. This ain't to brag. Being skunked from the shore helps in that stat of rarely losing a hooked fish. ;D

That's a great idea, Muddy, but I didn't realize that people gave recommendations on the gear they have used. ;D I'll just state gear for that price point. For reels, I can only list spinning reels. None of my bc reels was cheaper than the $75 price point. I did buy a Pflueger Trion (casting) for $79.00 - Decent reel whose castibility is just about on par with the Curado BSF. It only starts to suffer one needs to fine tune the reel to cast lures that weigh less than 1/4 oz as where a Curado BSF seems to me to have a greater margin of tolerance. With said, the Trion has landed all of my Chum salmon, who are brutish fighters. If it can handle big chum salmon, it will make short work of any bass. Shimano Symetre - also for $79. Get the reel and be done with it. The reel is sweet from the first crank. However, my biggest rave about it is that starting at this class in the Shimano line up, you can actually add line to the spool directly as you would a baitcaster. That alone is worth the price. Rapala Spinning Sx6i (Size 20) $55 MSRP - I got mine for only $35 and I know they can now be had on Ebay for about that price. This is one of my favorite reels and it it the reel I drop shot with. Smooth drag and great performance that one doesn't see in a reel this inexpensive. Tackle Tour reviewed this exact reel. For bass fishing finesse techniques, this is the ticket, and take it from someone who loves Shimano gear. Abu Garcia Cardinal 101a $30 - This is a small reel, but I use it for ultralight fishing. The reel weighs a smokin' 6.95 oz. and being that spinning reels are inherently heavy, that is quite impressive. With it and my ul rod, I have easily subdued bass just under 4 lbs on 6# line. Hmmm lb and # having the same meaning. : Rods: Shimano Clarus (casting) $59 - The entire line up covers just about every facet of a bass fishing application. For that price, the angler gets a decent rod with superb components whose guides will not falter with braid. Sensitivity is sufficient even for soft plastics and I have the 2 piece medium action rod. Lamiglas Competitor Rod (casting) CC664 $64 - Unfortunately for you folks out there, many of you don't know or are not aware of the great rods that Lamiglas makes even in their low end (they aren't really low end) rods. The model I have, the CC664 has these specs: length: 6'6" line - 8-20 lb lure weight - 3/8 - 1 oz Action - Medium Let me ask you... What rod out there from anyone else has such a wide range of line and lure specs? Not many. Maybe a Daiwa or two. This rod makes for an excellent all arounder. It is still one of my favorite rods. It easily handles single hook and treble hook lures and has a backbone under which a 6.5 bass has no chance of making its way back under the dock nor head toward the wooden pilings. Heck, my rod wasn't even at 45 deg. Now that is power. Despite its weight range, it does not have a problem casting 1/4 oz lures. Daiwa Strike Force (casting) $12.99 - Well this is actually my daughter's rod, but I fiddled with it and was taken by surprise by this medium action rod. It is very good for crankbaits and topwaters with trebles. It is either 5'6 or 6' but it casts almost as far as my 6'6" rods. And yes, my little girl knows how to handle a baitcast reel. Berkley Cherrywood Rod (spinning) $17 - I have the 7' two piece version and the first time out with it, I caught a bass. This is a good, decent rod, especially for its price. With regard to sensitivity, it is sufficient to drop shot with. Now how is that for a sub $20 rod! Awesome if you ask me. Rapala Sportsman Classic (spinning) $15 - I got it on sale and sadly it was the first time I was ever disappointed with a Rapala product. Its sensitivity stinks to high water. I can hardly feel the vibration of a crankbait with it. On the bright side, it has a fair backbone. I have drop shotted with it successfully. However, to maximize sensitivity, use some braid. The adage, "You get what you pay for," is confirmed in this rod. I won't get rid of it. It is the perfect rod for the visiting, clumsy family relative you want to outfish. There are two rods I have that are more expensive than $75 but I was lucky to score them for less: Shimano Crucial MH610 $59 - Don't need to say much. To say it isn't a fair fight is an understatement. To get a $129 rod for $59 still blows my mind. It was a demo model, but I have the lifetime warranty with it as with my other Shimano rods. Shimano Compre 6'6" MH 2 piece - $54.95 for an $89 rod? I was on it like the green hornet. So there are great values out there. You just have to find them. -ib

X2 x3 size 1 or 2 mostly. Cheaper than gammies!

If you want to use the palomar, all you need to do is add the smallest duo lock (not swivel) snap. One end to the bait and the other to the line. You will actually find it easier to WTD with it. The Rapala knot is good too. You can't go wrong with either. Bottom line, it's a matter of convenience. If you're a beginner, you might have difficulty learning to WTD with a direct tie knot. However, it can be done. I direct tie when I'm too lazy to tie a loop knot. Also, a split ring can be used BUT the Duo Lock snap gives you more play and there is zero chance of getting the line or knot caught up in the ring.

They are pretty good. As a matter of fact my only walk the dog catches have come on them. I had never had any look with my sammie or spook (the bigger ones) and so I got the skitter walk because it was smaller in size than the bigger lures I had. It happened to be the key to success. I will need to buy the smaller size WTD lures for my lakes. In terms of walkability, it is easier than a spook, but nothing beats a sammie. Hope that helps.

There isn't anything wrong with it per say, but I would haggle him or her down. I myself would not pay $95 for it, but I might be more willing for $70.

I suppose it is an okay deal. But I will tell you this. You are better off as a newbie learning with a better reel. Burley has a very good point. Let's say you bought that deal. A week later you realize that the reel is not that great (you will quickly outgrow it, when you realize it isn't going to handle 1/4 oz weights). So now you come back and ask us what would be a decent reel and we give you the recommendations from a Citica on up. That is another $130.00 or so. You have now spent over $200.00. You could have gotten a better rod and reel the first time around. It's a live a learn thing. There is no reason a "beginner" has to start with lesser items. Bottom line, you will eventually end up spending more and the potential to learn more slowly. Any bc reel in the Citica class on up will speed your learning curve. I guarantee it as one speaking from experience. Haggle the price of $70-75 cash upfront. The rod is probably worth that and then get the reel of your choice. You will then have a new excuse to get another rod. ;D

I like it. Have you though about reversing the curve though? I think that that might be even more comfortable. Since the forefinger bends the other way, it might make for an even better grip. Either way, that is way cool!

This might come as a surprise, but I would actually expect it to break right at the knot as you have discovered. Here is my line of thought: One end: 50# braid Other end: 15 or 20# fluro We all know that the knots by their very nature weaken the line somewhat and pardon the pun, they are the weakest link. For arguements sake, let's just say that there is a 10% loss in line strength at the joining knot. The 15# fluro at the knot is effectively 13.5# line and the braid side is now 45#. Let's add in the cutting factor of the braid at that knot. Although the side of the fluoro at the lure is also at 13.5# strength, there is no braid on that end to influence it. I am willing to bet that more times than not, the breakage should occur at the knot joining the two lines. Just my $0.02.

Fortunately, there is no law that stipulates that spinning gear must be used for finesse fishing, so I don't see why you feel the need to have to use spinning gear because "everyone else" is using it. For me, I prefer spinning rigs for finesse applications because in general, bc reels have difficulty (for most folks, anyway) handling (tossing) the weight range of finesse class baits, which for me is 3/16 oz and less. Bottom line is that both reel types are tools and each will excel in certain areas where the other is lacking. My curados can definitely toss 1/8 oz lures with out backlashes, no doubt, BUT it takes more effort to dial in the reel, and strong winds make this even more challenging. With a spinning reel, a strong wind might curb casting distance but it won't end in a bird's nest and the casting takes far less effort to make the same if not farther casts, AND with no need to dial in the reel. In addition, for this light of a weight range, I just like the more vertical fall I get with a spinning reel. When I use casting gear, I dislike the fact that I have to strip line off just to get a vertical fall when dealing with lighter weights. It's just a peeve of mine. Now if I had a Pixy, shoot, I'd probably use it as much as my spinning gear. This indeed is a reel capable of tossing those light weights with ease. My preference for spinning gear is more a function of the convenience a spinning set up offers for these lighter weight presentation. Less time spent dealing with hassles means more time spent fishing.

here's a second vote for it. I have the same rod. The only that makes it sweeter for me is that I got it for $59.00! You'll cry tears of joy wielding this baby.

All I can say is wow!!! Never had my jaw dropped and hit the ground from looking at fishing reels ever. Definitely beyond addition. Looks like I'm going to have to search for the Bass Art web page, assuming that there is one. Back! Back in you cage, Bait monkey, get thee behind thy cage!! ;D

An air brush is probably best, but I don't have one so I hand brush all of my lures. Done correctly, there will not be any line strikes as you fear. I use water based acrylic paints that you can get at WalMart or any other craft store. Just go to the arts and crafts section. You might be the only guy there, but don't let that stop you from checking out the paints.