Ern

Sorry you have had such bad luck with the Shimano brand. I for one only use their spinning reels. I wish you and I could get together and I would show you why to avoid other spinning reels. I also believe that you got a lemon through BPS. Ern

Glad I just got my Symetre 750 for $50.

Evening fishing. Rebel Teeny Wee and Wee Craw. Heddon Torpedo. Flukes.

I will second the Triumph 5'. I have it. Fantastic Rod.

I don't think you will go wrong with the St Croix either. The loomis is nice but for the price the St Croix's are a better value. I have a Symetre 2000 on a 6' Light that is my Smallmouth rod and LOVE IT! I can say the same for a Symtre 750 on a 5' St Croix that I been using for trout this year.

Looking at getting a new baitcast this month. I want something to throw while wading for smallmouth. Lures will be in the neighborhood of 3/16 and up. Looking light. I am waiting on the new Curados to put big bucks in this reel. Just something to get a feel for fishing a baitcaster for river smallmouths. Anyone using this reel?? Thanks, Ern

I agree. Confidence is a HUGE part of what you do. You have to have faith in something to stick with it. Red line have been around since I was a teen. Anyone remember the old TC Two Color Line. Sections of red and clear mono. Most of the Camo lines have a red in them. I looked at the Crappie Line that BPS sells last night and could make out a red in it. What depth, would be the better question in regards to RED. The deeper you fish, Darker the water, the less light, and the less visible RED. Red shallow is to mimic the red flash of the flaring baitfish gills. Red in low light is disappearing. Those Hannon Videos on YouTube are awsome. If you could find them Hannon did a number of articles in the InFisherman Magazine in the late '80's and early '90's one minnow fishing, his fishing set-up, and plastics. They are EXCELLENT reads and I wish I still had them. Speaking of old.....Remember the Burke Fishing SnakeBait that Hannon designed in the 1980's. I had a few of those. :-X

Cajun Red Line is translucent so the light is able to pass through it. Daiichi Bleeding Bait hooks are not translucent so the light refracts and causes it to be visible. JT Bagwell Spoken like someone without any knowledge of physics. Colors that you see are the colors that are refracted back. All other colors of the spectrum are absorbed. Hence red is RED. Now he invisible part. Water is a different medium than air therefore light behaves different. The stuff in the water is absorbing wavelenghts too. Visible Light Deminishes. The longer wavelelengths in the red spectrum are absorbed more rapidly. Hence RED Disappears. RED HOOKS Catch fisherman. ;D Fish see Red hooks and Red line About the same. Red does a disappearing act in the water. Has nothing to do with "They Bite Red Better" but you will beleive the Marketing.

Not really a CASTING reel. Goes on the Long Crappie rods for Rigging a boat for crappie fishing. Just Holds line basically.

Ton of great info on this one in the thread. Equipment I like a little longer rod that has a TON of Backbone. I don't care if it is Spinning or Casting and actually like spinning better as I keep the line on my index finger. I have become a LINE WATCHER using the worm too. Generally I see the strike way before feeling the tap. When you see something happen that YOU didn't do: Count to three, Tighten up the slack lowering the rod and reeling in SLOWLY, and when you feel the fish set the hook HARD. Try-to-Break-the-Rod-on-the-SET HARD. One thing I did learn fast was tat I much perfer mono over the Braids for shallow T-rigs. Braid works the same on both ends. They can feel you too.

;D ;D ;D And I thought I was the only one that coud do that.

Never seen a Texas rig with a bead or heard of it 'til this am....Then found this post. I saw Scott Martin using it on his show this A.M. for the first time. May give it a try though. The Carolina Rig uses it. I had never seen it with a Texas Rig.

No Brainer. KEEP IT and take my advice............BRAG ON JUST HOW GOOD IT IS!! My wife got me a pistol one time that Scared me. Old, Rusted on the surface, had been a overseas trainer from S&W. Smith wanted Twice what she gave for it to fix it. I cleaned it up as best I could and sold it. I GOT NOTHING Since!!!!! :'( :'(

lures I would Try: Small Spinerbait: I have a stash of the old BlueFox Big Crappies in 1/16 oz that I rig a trailer hook for using a saltwater (big eye) hook. Makes a Great finesse/River spinnnerbait. Spinnner baits are awsome but PUT ON THE TRAILER HOOK!!! #5 Rapala fish this like a jerk and fast. Twitch, twitch, twitch, ... to the rod tip. Imitates one of the small minnow feeing. #9 or #11 Rapala: This one on top. Slow back to the rod in twitches. Should be on top most of the time. 1/8 oz white buzz. Don't forget the trailer hook and a Big bodied white grub on the trailer. I like this one at about dark. Tesas rigged worm: I like the PowerBait stuff for this one. I rig with a Little heavier than usual hook in the Gama. line. I will put a 3/0 to 5/0 in a 4" Powerworm. I like irregular banks and toss this unweighted down the bank. Really Great if their are undercuts on the bank. I can't count the bass I have pulled like this. Lots of other but ta wll get you goin'

I use a Uniknot on everything but topwater and use a Rapala knot for that.

2x!!

A Fast moving reaction bait like a Crankbait, Spinnerbait, or Buzzbait, I think it is a waste of time. For slow presentations like soft plastic and jigs I think it works. Good enough that I put 100 percent faith in Powerbait plastics. They work for me. ;D

one thing I do know about Rapala stuff after fishing it for some 25 years and selling it about 10 of those.....If it is from Rapala it will catch fish.

FWIW, Shimano did Buy GLoomis years ago. My understanding was to access the technology and expand their market. As far as loomis blank on the Shimano .....I doubt it.

I would say the outfit would depend on WHAT you want to put in there too. If you want to stick to the spinning stuff go with a 4000 size or bigger reel and a Extra Fast MH or Heavy rod. I like a 7" Rod for this. For the line I would go with a Something abrasion resistant. Your cast should be short as possible too. Not because you cant pull the fish but because of controlling the lure. This is the same setup that I use to thow a weightless Texas rigged worm into a pond with reeds and beaverdams. I know it works. The worm mimics the lizards the bass are feeding on to perfection. Watch the line. Very important. If it moves and you didn't do it. Set the hook. BASS ON!!!