MichBassMan

Favorites? Smallies=Pop-r Largies=Zara Spook

Braid works great for some bait casting applications, mainly fishing jigs for me. One sugestion is go heavyer than 25lb test. The thin 25 lb line will dig into its self on a good hook-set and cause you problems. I learned the hard way, and now use 50 lb and no more line digging and binding in the spool. The bigger diameter line is also easyer to untangle if you have a mishap. Good luck, enjoy the feel of braid.

High end, St.Croix Avid spinning and casting( as far high end as I can afford) Low end, Gander Mt tournament series (Great rods for the money)

I want to expand my arsenal to include soft body swim baits this year. I'm looking for sugestions on brands and sizes and also what type and size hooks to use. Fishing northern largemouths,mostly in woody resivors. I appreciate all your feedback. Thanks

$50 rod. Gander mtn. if you have a store close by it's a very nice rod. Lite, sensitive, strong and a great waranty, and it's fun to fish with.

Your right, 30 lb is plenty strong. However 50lb or even 65lb digs into your spool way less on hooksets I use green power pro 50lb. and still love it after many years.

For years and years BPS was my "go to place" for on line or catalog shopping. I perhaps averaged $1000 a year there for 10 or 15 years. They USED to have fast shipping and reasonable prices. Now partially do to their slow shipping and higher prices it's more like $60 bucks a year. I doubt I'm the only one who has wised up.

I have not used the weights but I have used the clips. The clips do a good job of keeping your soft plastics from slipping down. Unfortunatly, at least for me, the trade off of baits not slipping is a much lower hook-up rate. For me all the fish I missed was enough reason to quit using them after several outtings.

No question is dumb. Bait caster, eyes up. Spinning gear eyes down. Carolina rig or circle hook, sweep sidways regardless of rod type. This should get you started. Good luck.

They do look dorky and they are a little cumbersome. I used them for a couple years and they did work,but they did cause irritation and sorness,with the added bulk caused by having to fit over my glasses. Now I use Wallmart clip on with the little clips on the corners of the lens. NOT the cheap "flip up" style. They sell them in the optical dept. I've also gotten some from shopko optical. They are about $18 bucks but well worth it. I'd pay three times that much for the use I get from them. Like most older guys, contacts arn't the answer when you need bi-focals.

Berkley Vanish is the 2nd worse worse line I have perhaps used in 50 years of fishing. Kinky, excess memory, poor knot strenght, and inconsistent with weak spots. Berkley "Transition" is even worse. And this comes from a guy (me) who used Berkley Trilene lines almost exclusively for 20 yrs. Now beacause of the Vanish and transition lines I no longer trust or use any berkley line.

I have 4 of them. 2 ultra lite and 2 med lite "P" series spinning rods. I also have and fish with Avids, Premiers, Berkly, BPS extremes and Prp Qualifiers, Shimano rods, and Gander Mtn rods. For the money, in my opinion, they are great rods. A friend of mine did break one of mine abusing it while snagged. I called Acadia service, told them what happened and they sent me a new one for the cost of shipping. No need to send them the broken rod. I had the new one in 4 days. No they are not as light or as sensitive as a $100 dollar or more rod, but it's a dang good bang for your buck and very nice folks to deal with. Nice looking rods too.

I have an older round model, perhaps 10yrs old and small, a series 3600 maybe. It's been a very good, solid, dependable reel. As "smooth" as the $100 reels? um probley not, but then few of the older reels are as smooth as the new generation ones are.

Power Pro

Stretch your chug bug supply by feeding um a few pop-r's too.

I seen this about a week ago and posted a question, "had anyone ever ordered from them?' but there was no response. It seems like a good deal.

white/chart. is a good color up here in MI. X2

Has any of you bought from "all-american outdoors" on line? I'd sure appreciate input from anyone who has done bussiness with them in the past. Either a reply post or a privite message would be great. Thanks

I'm amazed at anyone who can skip any bait any distance with any baitcaster. For me it's a spinning gear application exclusivly. I love all my baitcaster set-ups but this is one place they take a backseat.

I use paca chunks and the rage tail chunks quite a bit. The claws get bit and torn off the pacas and rage tails. However I also like the strike king craw chunks, (not sure of the name) they are softer and also much more durable, allmost indestructable.

Because I'm on the short side, and also because I like the added casting accuracy of a shorter rod; I use the AC62MXF for soft plastics and lighter jigs.

Last week I recieved 2 of them from cabelas on line for $99 each.

Detroit 1, the bait your refering too was made by "MANNS". It was much like the Manns Maniac but as you said the line went thru the bait and tied to a hook. I havent seen them in 10 years or more.

Less fatigue and better speed control for "lipped" crankbaits.

For multi-use I'd use yozuri copoly in #12 or #15