islandbass

If the conditions dictated it, sure. Good luck!

100% shorebound. I usually bring 3 but might bring a fourth rod. Usually this what I bring: 7' med Cabelas magtouch 2pc casting rod 6'6" mh shimano compre spinning 7' Okuma celilo UL spinning rod These are my "trunk" rods and usually are in the car with me and hence usually get the most use. Rods are 2 piece by necessity. I'm not foolish enough to leave my one piece rods exposed in the car, not even for a second. My true "bass" rods are one piece and will usually see action on the weekend. There is some truth in the other thread about some lures working so well you could practically narrow it down to 4 top producers. It's true for me for the most part but I usually have at least one representation from the lure types that might not be the most effective for me. I love my mag touch. It's seen all and battled all, largies, smallies, trout, pan fish, pink salmon, silver salmon. If I broke this rod, I'd probably shed a tear and bury in in the backyard. My compre has also battled the same and MH power for a spinning rod? That's just awesome. Both these rods can cover a wide array of applications and when they don't work, I'll usually be able to get them switching to ultra light. Liken that to being too close for missiles so you have to switch to guns. I have so much fun with those rods that my bass rods get jealous, lol. As a shorebound angler, I arrived at being a practical minimalist (i.e., cover your bases without excess) Why? (Asking myself) Because you're the carrying the gear, dummy! Yep, I used to carry everything and the kitchen sink but wised up.

That is pretty much the ultralight lure weight range. What type of lures did you plan on tossing? I have a 7' Okuma celilo that is one of my most used and loved rods that was about $20 back in the day on sale. It is capable of casting baits in that lure range. I think that model is now about $50 or less these days. You can then splurge on the reel of your choice. With your budget however, I think Loomis has an ultra light rod somewhere in their line up that might be worth looking into. My neighbor had one and it was an awesome rod but someone got into his boat and stole it and a lot of other stuff. Update: scratch the loomis recommendation. $295 at BPS!

And you still let him fish with you, lol ?? It's funny everyone has at least one person in their life that fills that role. I'm usually that person in their lives ?

If this is going to be your one "all arounder," then I think you're good to go. With that said, that is not a reason to expand your arsenal at the right time. It is when you discover your current rod's strengths and shortcomings (sorry, for lack of a better term) are for the various types of techniques that you will know where to fine tune. As you develop your skills and gain experience, you are going to realize what your true needs and wants are in a rod different applications and thereby fill in the niches of your arsenal. For example, you might realize your MH rod does pretty well with single hook lures, t-rigs and jigs, but fair with top water and crankbaits. Maybe, you realize you yank the lure away from the fish so you start to think maybe a M powered rod with a more moderate action would do a better job... So on a so forth. So starts the journey to build a bass angler's rod and reel arsenal.

Very interesting take on rivers. In my neck of the woods, the salmonids reign in the rivers and the general rule is if your rod isn't at least 8'6", you'd be shooting yourself in the foot if only for line control. I find it fascinating what anglers around the country deem what rods and other gear is necessary to fish their local rivers and lakes. I hope others respond so that we can all get an idea of what works around the country. Regrettably, I don't have have any rod in my arsenal shorter that 6'6". Even my UL rod is a 7 footer, lol. I have a feeling that a 5'6" rod might feel to me like I'm wielding a light saber, lol.

That is good to know. Lamiglas actually suggested also using toothpaste to clean rod guides. Looks like advice already given can't be added to by me.

I'm wacky enough to wacky rig anything I think would catch a fish. I've been meaning to try a fluke wacky but haven't any flukes right now ?

Round reels definitely have s coolness factor. I have a 5500 size RH ambassadeur that isn't a C4 or C3 but it is a nice reel. It doesn't have a thumb bar but a button to press on the side that disengages the spool. As a result, there is zero chance of accidentally pressing a thumb bar. Kinda cool. I also have a shimano 301A Cardiff and pretty much use these two for saltwater fishing. Congrats on your new additions.

I don't have a pic but I caught a smallie that was considerably shorter than my robo worm. So where can I pick up my masters certificate?

Lefties 3 Righties 3 Ambies (Switch-hitters) 1 @Bluebasser86: I listed you as a switch-hitter since you can bat both ways. ?

Lefties 3 Righties 2 ?

Right on! Days Like that are the best.

He's just looking for a tally not an explanation but you're right that it comes up a lot ? So far: lefties - 3 righties - 0 but that's probably going to change quickly

For me rod in dominant hand while opposite hand cranks for spinning or casting. However, I made the mistake of buying my first BC a RH. It felt so awkward. I can fish either way now, but preference is left. The reason you see so many anglers fish the opposite way was because way back when, pretty much casting reels had cranks on the right side. It's as ingrained to them as left is to you and me. I think the inventor of the baitcast reel was most likely left hand dominant.

Thanks! I really appreciate the clarification. I definitely won't expect them to perform like a curado. This is rather embarrassing but this is how I know they're different animals. A few years ago, I was at an outdoor expo and Daiwa had a booth. To give you a time frame, this was when the viento and sol were up and coming. The rep was showing off the Viento, pitching it here and there. He approached me and asked if I knew how to use a bc reel and of course I said yes. He handed me the rig and he got called away by another customer. I familiarized myself with the weight of the casting plug going through the motions of pitching but not yet letting my thumb off the spool. I thought to myself, "Heck. I got this. I am a curado jedi master. I can cast in the dark with my thumb completely off the spool and know when to put my thumb back on with ease and eyes closed. This Daiwa reel is probably no different." Well, we all know what happens when we assume things. I proceeded with a real pitch and I started looking at the spool and it was spinning very fast. The weight landed and my thumb must have been asleep at the wheel. I managed to produced one of the worst birds nests ever. I had had mixed feelings. In my mind I was laughing so hard because for some reason I thought it was funny but on the outside I was beyond embarrassed. The rep came back and I handed him the rod surprisingly calm. I said, "Sorry. Managed to make a small overrun". That thing was beyond overrun. It was the kind of birds nest your better off cutting off the line. You should have seen the like on the rep's face as he said, "Don't worry about it. It's not that bad," but we both know full well it was. The look on face said, "Holy crxp. There's no way I will be able to undo that," as he put the rod back on the rack. I have to tip my hat to the guy for how well he handled it with great customer service and a smile. It appears that it is the SV that best matches what I'm looking for. Thanks. I plan on buying a lot of mono for practice,lol.

Most of my bc reels are Shimano, but I am not brand loyal by any stretch. With all the positive talk of Tatulas, I am seriously considering buying one. The thing that mixes me up that I need clarification on is their order from lower end to up. I hear Tatula plain, then Tatula CT, SV, R-Type and I'm think what the...? Heck, R-Type was a video game back in the day and what about the SV? A cousin to an SUV? Salt water version. I keep getting confused and mixed up. I am hoping see which model is Daiwa's response to the curado. Thanks ahead of time.

If you can, take the time to visit both stores and hold them in hand. Chances are that one might feel better than the other in your hands. No amount of testimony for either can take the place of the hands on feel. If you can't then look at the guides on both. Sometimes this is where skimping occurs to meet price points. For example, if two rods are fairly equal with regard to weight, length, action and power, but one had stainless steel guides and the other had aluminum oxide guides, I might be more inclined to choose the latter. The downside of buying site unseen, is perhaps the hassle of going through the return if you don't like the rod. The downside to you visiting the stores is realizing you like how both feel and your bait monkey is coaxing you to buy both. I can't be responsible for that.

Your questions do not detract from the topic. A member of the House or Senate might actually say your questions are indeed germane, lol. I don't know the answer to your questions, but they are worthy of further discussion.

It won't be an issue, especially as using your bc setup gets closer to being second nature as your spinning set up already is. You've got this. I switch between the two just about every time I'm fishing. You know, a little drop shot here (spinning), a t-rigged senko over there (casting), throwing the UL (spinning) with a real night crawler (if I happen to have them) because I haven't caught a fish yet, and I'm running out of fishing time and don't want to go home skunked. Finally caught a blue gill, with about 10 minutes left to fish, so I throw out a crankbait (casting), looking to hook and land one under the gun just as a 3-point shooter drains one with just seconds left in the game. So definitely no problems switching between the two reel types.

Welcome, fellow Pacific NW neighbor. I also love to drop shot with my UL rig. My "true" drop shot rod is a 7' ML Lamiglas Certified Pro "Drop Shot Special" rod. However, because it's a one-piece rod like many of my other bass rods, they only get to see usage on the weekends. That said, I honestly have to say it's just not a fair fight against the bass when I wield my Lami. Depending on your budget the 7'ML rod from those companies should fit the bill and it doesn't have to be a drop shot specific rod. I would take a look at the guides used on those rods and ensure that I will have at least aluminum oxide guides or better to handle your braid.

I've used to do that with mono and it seems to work, but I've decided to "forget about it," since the coils, other than looking ugly, does not seem to negatively affect my fishing. I don't know it that is such a good idea with fc line. While fc stretches like mono, it usually does not possess the same resilience (ability to contract back to normal). I learned this a while back so perhaps formulations have changed in fc line to improve its resilience, so my concern might no longer be a concern.

I think you're right about that which is why I thought at least for me, that I should explore it and invest time pursuing it. Thanks to everyone for their input. As a first guess, I would have tried working it like a popper and as a result probably would have never considered or realized it as an option. @John Loughlin I totally like that idea! And I didn't know a prop bait like that even existed. Thanks.

Does anyone use propeller topwater baits? And if so, what brand/models do you like to use and what are your favorite cadences when you use them? Also, do you have a preference for single (usually just one in the back) double (front and back) props and perhaps the conditions one might have excelled over the other. The two that come to mind are the ones Heddon and Smithwick make but there might be other companies that make them too that I might not know about. Fall seems to be a good time in my neck of the woods to throw poppers, and I want to throw them a couple of curve balls so to speak. I have a basswood dowel that I would like to use make a few and maybe a popper or two. Thanks ahead of time.

I agree with you 100%, but it was after midnight and I was taking a break from writing music (rather be fishing) and had nothing better to do, lol. I had passionate math teachers in my elementary and middle school years who did an excellent job such that nearly 40 years later, I don't know how I still remember what they taught, but at times I can't remember where I put my keys. Long term and short term memory are two different animals.