Big Tom

The first two numbers indicate the rod length in inches.

I live in Salyersville, KY which got absolutely leveled in some places. At 6:45 pm Friday evening the police was out telling everyone to find a safe place. The tornado came through at exactly 7 pm. It missed my house and neighborhood by less than 1/4 mile. My family and neighbors took refuge in the basement just before it came through. It really did sound like a freight train just as people say and I felt the pressure from the tornado in my ears and chest. I only heard and felt the tornado for about 10 seconds. The power and cell signal failed right after the storm passed so we had no way to track following storms. We all stayed in the basement for about 45 minutes after the storm passed. The next day my fishing buddy and I drove around the town to his aunts house which was almost completely gone. The entire neighborhood they were in was completely flattened and unrecognizable. We saw trailers and houses that were just crushed and scattered through the hills. My wife and I only have to deal with the inconvenience of not having electricity but so many of my neighbors have lost everything. You guys be sure to keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers. They sure need it.

Hey guys! Its been a long time since I have posted anything on here and I have a few questions about Kentucky Lake. My buddy and I plan on heading to KY lake sometime in mid to late June for a week of fishing. We have never been to Kentucky lake and I assume there were be plenty of ledge fishing to take part in during our stay. My first question is which boat friendly motels can you guys recommend for us? Which boat ramp/ramps do you guys prefer to launch from? What are the bass typically doing on KY lake in mid June? As I mentioned earlier, I assume they are typically finished spawning and have started relating to main lake structure by this time. Any info/personal stories/advice about Kentucky lake is much appreciated. Thanks guys!!!

I don't think a Curado looks too bad on a Champion. I have a 2009 Premier on my Champion (703C) and it looks as good as it feels. I got the Premier for 130 bucks off ebay.

LOL!!! ;D I can only go as fast as my bank account will allow. You are correct about the casting rods. Very comfortable.

If you are anything like me it won't be your last. I have bought four since December. I want three more real bad.

Nope. It's a liquid.

I don't think I can pick one brand for each category. This is what I use and like the most. Rods: Dobyns and Powell Reels: Shimano, Abu, Daiwa Line: P-Line and Seaguar Hardbaits: Lucky Craft, Norman, Rapala and Bomber Softbaits: Yamamoto and Zoom Storage: Plano

And now I'm going to be the guy that pops in and says that Fluoroclear has never given me trouble in 2+ years of fishing it. I only use it in 15 lb. test though. I have loved all the P-Line products I have tried. CX Premium, Fluoroclear, and CXX. The Silver thread ain't too shabby either. I don't have a ton of experience with it though. Never tried Yo-Zuri. I would pick up a spool of 12 lb. CXX. It has some memory but I have yet to find a stronger line per lb. test.

Got a 51e in the mail myself today. After playing with it in the yard, I want more.

Once spring rolls around mine stay on my buddies boat until winter. I roll the drags off if I know it will be a while between trips. I don't separate the reels from the rods until winter boredom really kicks in.

The Wal-Mart here had a great assortment of hooks from Owner. They quit carrying them a couple years ago but they are stocked again now. Well, they were before I got hold of them.

The Powell's balance nicely with 7.5 - 9 oz. reels. I have an advantage on one now and it feels pretty nice. Revos and Curados balance them nicely as well.

26

I loved every awesome second of that. ;D

We don't hate the bait. The senko catches a lot of flack on here because there are billions of threads about the bait and those who have been here a long time are tired of reading about them.

This will be a lesser forum without him. I didn't know him personally but he was a hell of a man to talk to on here.

I have had the Patriarchs and I currently have a dual braking model STX. Really, you aren't missing much by not using a dual braking reel. They are pretty nice but after a couple seasons using them I have found that dual brakes are just not needed in a reel. If a reel uses a high quality brake one way or another, its all (actually more than) you will ever need. Those Curados with the VBS are just about the easiest casting reels I have ever used and if I were you, I would just grab another one of those. Thats not saying that the Patriarchs and the Revos aren't great reels either. I just wouldn't base buying a reel solely on its braking characteristics.

90 lbs. of food in two hours = not possible.

I keep my JJ's containers in a Plano 3730. This is where I do all my bait dipping and when I am done, I just throw the dipped plastic on the lid until I get the containers closed up. Then I wipe any excess JJ's on the lid and close it all back up. The entire lid of the Plano is died chartreuse and smells real nice. ;D The Plano lid bends a little bit around the JJs but it still closes and holds the bottles perfectly in place. I have been doing this for two seasons and the Plano box is still holding up just fine. I don't think JJ's will bother the plastic boxes.

I think you will be fine. I have a medium heavy cranking rod that is rated for .5 - 1.5 oz baits and it slings lures much lighter (~1/4 oz.) than its minimum suggested rating pretty decently (and thats with a Quantum Energy which does not excel with the light stuff). I think cranking rods are a little more forgiving on the low end of the weight spectrum because of how the tips are designed. I rarely go over a rods maximum weight rating though. Just to be safe.

I love CXX. It is really freakin' tough line. I have pulled some good sized fish out of the thick stuff using 17lb. CXX. Thats the line I flip/pitch with. I have also broken a couple jig hooks trying to free them from snags. The line is also really abrasion resistant which drastically cuts down on how often you have to retie. That said, it does have some memory but after a few casts it straightens itself out and becomes easy to fish. Pick up a spool and see for yourself. Its actually pretty cheap.

This has been a great Christmas if I'm allowed to count the things I have bought myself. ;D Dobyns Champion 766 Flippin' Rod. Dobyns Champion 703C Dobyns Savvy 7'ML Spinning Rod Lucky Craft 7'MH Cranking Rod Damiki Dark Angel 7'M Casting Rod

In my thoughts. Get better, Burley.

I have had a couple. They are quality reels that will last a long time if you take care of them.