MichBassMan

For me T.rig is 1/8 to 5/16 but 90% of the time it's a 3/16

Bass fishing forums,Bassresource.com for example. No where else you can tap into so many years of knowledge and experiance from other likeminded fisherman; who are so eager to help each other learn.

Just one rod is tuff. 2 or three set-ups can cover almost everything. But the question was one rod that feels like an extension of your arm. Choosing only one rod would greatly restrict many of my bass fishing techniques. But if I HAD to choose one rod that fit me and my style the best it would be my St.Croix Avid 6' 3" MXF. However that would put an end to my planer board trolling for walleye and my downrigger fishing for Salmon. I guess it's kind of like asking a mechanic to just pick one tool to do everything with. I'd rather fish with only one set-up than not fish though.

"Have you used them and do you like them?" Yes I have and no I don't. I've tryed them several times. Personaly, and in a most humble opinion, I don't care for them. Yes they are sharp,very sharp in fact when new. My issue with them is the shape or the geometry of the hook point. In soft plastics the trokar hook cuts a triangle hole in the soft plastic much like a sharp broadhead does in a deer. Unlike a gammy point that pokes a hole in a soft plastic, the trokar cut in the bait grows and the life of the bait (again in my opinion) is significantly reduced because they won't stay in position on the hook.

If $350 is sticker shock buy an Avid and experiance the St.Croix feel before you leap to the legend. You will not be disapointed.

When someone pulls up WAY too close or cuts me off on a shoreline or a dock "are you ##*&!~g kidding me? grrrrrrrr" Then I ussually move.

I never double up on a hookset, I've seen too many others do it and lose fish. If I feel a hookset is weak because of rod position or a fish moving toward me I just reel faster and try and keep extra pressure on the fish. With smallies, regardless of the hookset, as soon as he's hooked up my rod tip goes down into the water as deep as possible. Jumping smallies often can cause cussing.

I did dissasemble the reel, it still looks new inside, not used much for obvious reasons. I did find a large rubber "O" ring that was intact and looked new. I found no burrs on anything, but it did apear that it was (perhaps) possible for the oscillating slider and the drive lug on the oscillating gear to bind at the extreme ends of their toggle cycles. I cleaned it ,relubed everything, and only time will tell. Again thank you all.

Mite be a long shot, but I've seen spinning reels with line wrapped under the spool that caused all kinds of havoc.

1st let me say in no way manner shape or form is this a shimano complaint. I have used these reels for decades, both spinning and baitcasters and I like them. I'm also not looking to switch brands or buy a new reel. That being said; I have 4 symetre 2500FI spinning reels. 3 of them perhaps 4 to 8 yrs old and they work as good or better than when new. However the 4th one, about 2 or 3 yrs old and the fancyer,darker colored one with more gold rings on it has always had a problem since it was new. SOME times, not always when reeling it in, both with or without a fish on it, the handle will just stop dead (locked up). It will start working again almost instantly but I avoid using it in tournaments because it has this issue. It seems like maybe, not for sure, but it might be more prone to lock up when fishing in wet weather. Can someone suggest perhaps a fix for this issue ? Has anyone else encountered this behavior from a symetre? Thanks you all for any help --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though I usually use craw or chunk type trailers there are two lakes I fish, (both have bigger than average largemouth for a northern lake), where I use creature baits like a brush hog or berkley power hawg with about one inch missing from the head end. Generally I have a good supply of these because the head end is torn up from T.Rign em. In these two lakes they eat jigs with these oversized trailers like candy.

When hooks get even a little dull I sharpen them. Hooks or knifes makes no differance to me if I can sharpen them I do. I may toss a worm hook if it's badly damaged but everything else gets sharpened. Many spinnerbaits are dull when new, I sharpen them too.

I keep all of mine in the original bags. That way they stay fresh, and I know the brand, size, and color when I run out of something. I use soft side six-pack coolers (of differant colors) and label the coolers with permanent marker to keep the types of bait seperated. By using differant color soft side coolers you will soon remember whats in each color bag. This keeps them handy, protects them from the weather, makes storage easy, and allows me to bring only the type baits that are appropriate for that trip.

I have a 1996 crestliner fish hawk 1750, thats the slightly shallower little brother of the Pro Am. A freind of mine bought the Pro Am the same time I bought the fish hawk (in 1996). You won't be disapointed, it's an awesome boat. But, I think it's gonna be a handful for your small truck. Pulling may not be a problem, but stopping will. They are very heavy for an aluminum boat. I think they have the thickest hull of all aluminum boats. I built removable front and back casting decks for mine with plywood. Bass boat with them in, walleye and salmon boat with them out. You should run in the high 40s and get about 2 miles a gallon.

What Bass-Fanatic said

In my experiance with red hooks I did not see an increase in the amount of bites I or anyone else got. Several times a fishing partner and myself have tryed using same baits with only differance being one using a red hook . The differance we did notice is that the red hooks are consistently not as sharp as the regualar hooks are. I suspect the plating process to make the hooks red compromises the sharpness.

Easy answer for me if I can only have one. StCroix avid 6'3" mxf, Curado 200E7 spooled with #15 seguar invizex.

Gander mtn 6'6" mh fast tip, 200E citica , 14# trilene XT

Flourocarbon line + backlash, will eventually = heartbreak. Try to be gentle fixing your backlashes, but eventually you will get a kink that will break quite easily.

Hooti, Getting back to the context and implication of your original post "short rod guys are being weeded out of the market." I agree with your observation. For those of us who (for whatever reason) prefer rods 6' 6" or shorter the selections are fewer every year.

I know some of you guys must use them. So for those of you who hunt the big dogs, what size and brand hook do you like to use for the 7" sencos? I use 5/0 for both 5" and 6" but the 7" is a pretty big bait. I'll be fishing them in and around some very thick timber so I'll be Texas riggin' um weightless. Thanks for all your help

Send it to me I'll decide whats best for it.

I'd like to try this also. I have a motorguide digital tour model 82# thrust. Does anyone know the minkota model prop I'd need ?

Welcome to the forum. Although I love the spooks in general, I much prefer a pop-r or a chug-bug in clear water. I also prefer mono over braid for any topwater except a frog. Good luck, let us know how you make out.

I hope they save their old recipie for xt !