5bass

They could come in handy if you ever get stranded out on the lake with no food.....just grab your bag of 5" Food Sticks and throw down on 'em until help arrives.

BPS sells some of those wraps....may have to put 2 or 3 of them on each handle to get it as thick as a tennis raquet though! I'll see if I can get you a link on BPS. Here it is. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=44516&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults A guy in my club uses the cushion tape that you buy in the tennis section at Wal Mart.He likes the stuff,he's got about 7-8 rods wrapped with it.

I disagree. I personally like to know what other anglers think about an organization before I decide to join or fish an event. I like reading both the good and the bad. I like, as is the case right here in this thread in BR, when an angler voices a concern about an organization and an official offers a rebuttal or clarification. Yes, ultimately if I don't like the organization, the tour, the locations, the officials, the anglers, or whatever, I won't fish the event. But how do we know if we don't like an organization when anglers are unable to voice their discontent over legitimate concerns. Uhhh.....what I quoted was meant for people after they have weighed both sides.There have been several topics about the ABA/BASS topic already and there's probably not a whole lot more that can be said about it unless some new members start posting their experiences with those tournaments.

Yes,I witnessed a guy catch one in Jennings Creek In Arcadia Va.....it was stocked by the Game Dept......It was 16" long and caught on a Panther Martin. The way I understand it,the tiger trout is a cross between a brook and a brown.

Yes,for shallow and mid-depth cranks and also a topwater set-up,I'd go with a 6.2:1. Wait and try the low gear reel when you're building a deep crank set-up.

The Curado is obviously a great reel.(yeah,Shimano Posse,I said it!)Gr8wall,do you fish deep cranks alot or mainly just mid depth cranks?I wouldnt buy a slow ratio reel for medium cranks and topwater baits but if thats the set-up you're trying to make you should get something a little faster than the 4.7:1 reel.Its not meant for picking up line quickly as you will need when fishing topwater baits.The low geared reels are excellent for baits that require constant cranking,not for twitching and pausing,then picking up line.....you'll work yourself to death.Does that make sense? The deep crank set-up that I have (4.7:1 reel & 7'6" fiberglass stick) is ONLY for deep cranks and nothing else.I have different set-ups and faster reels with my shallow and medium crankbait set-ups and an even faster reel on my topwater set-up.

99% of my tackle and all of my regular use rods and reels are kept in my floating tackle box......the rest are kept in a closet in the house.

That about sums it up.

I throw deep cranks alot.DD22's,LC-CBD20's,Mann's 20+,DT16 's etc...and I use a 4.7:1 gear ratio just for them.All day deep crankin' with a high speed reel is murder on the elbows and back.I'd never even consider deep crankin' with anything faster than a 4.7:1. If you do test or buy a slow retrieve reel,dont expect to get used to it in 10 minutes.It's definitely got a different feel to it when you first try it.Be patient with it and you will most likely get used to it and like it really well for your deep cranks.My % of bites went up when I made the switch a long time ago. You should at least try one if you're serious about crankin' deep.

I hear you LBH,I've seen how UPS guys drive. ;D

I'd check out the new Revo's ....... but you cant really argue with the Mg50 like flechero mentioned.

SWEET !!

I get fired up too because nobody is wrong.Everyone has his/her own opinion.My intention in this thread was to voice my opinion on things that I have seen up close,in person.

Exactly what I said earlier in this thread......you get a generic form (pose) and most likely a generic paint job.A taxidermists work (skin mount) is original and you have more options.Thanks for expanding Rolo!

I like the guy and all but I say no.....if they keep McGwire out because of the steroid scandal,hopefully that will keep Bonds out too.

That could get ugly. Did you see the BFL Piedmont Division schedule? It's terrible unless Kerr is your home lake.

I really like the Berkley Power Hawgs.....they did real well for me this year.Only problem with the Berkley Power Bait products is you dont know if its the design of the baits that get the fish to bite or whether its the smell that gets 'em.

I always had Minn Kota's up until this past season when I saw a Motorguide on sale at BPS.....I wish I hadnt seen it,its the biggest piece of junk I have ever owned.The shaft slides thru the mount on every trip no matter how hard I tighten it,it runs on whatever speed it wants, ex. I'll have it set on 2 low and it will run on 5 high.....pure junk.Prop makes noise (clicks) when I turn it a certain way......I could go on and on.Never again.

Atta boy Randall.....that one bass is kinda freaky lookin'.

On tournament day: 5 bass over 14" Non tournament day: Doesnt really matter.....a bass is a bass.Just looking to get bit.

Casting upstream is good advice,your bait will be swept naturally downstream.The current is your friend,make it work for you. Check the articles section,there are lots of good articles about bank fishing rivers and creeks....... here's one http://bassresource.com/fishing/river_bass.html

Alpster,Reel Mech,flechero.......I know the obvious answers I'll get are Loomis and St Croix but what are some others really good ones to consider when getting rods built?

My guess would be $1300 - $1600 just going on what I see for sale around me of comparable jon boats ......looks like a good boat from where I'm sittin'.

I'd like to see Gambler get off some of that money and pick up Ike....or any other big name pro for that matter.They have Hirosky and Rogers already but they need someone that can get some real face time and promote Gambler Boats like they need to be promoted.

You will get a wide variety of answers to this question.For deep cranks (15'+) I like a 4.7:1 or lower gear reel,it really helps the fatigue factor to have a slow ratio reel.For all other cranks,I like a 5.1:1.