Bassyak

I've used several Compres and have an Extreme travel rod. I like the Extreme OK as a travel rod, but if I could find a reasonably priced travel rod I would probably upgrade. On the other hand, I've really enjoyed my Compres (the older brown blank models), but they're all 6'6" and I prefer 7' or longer, plus I've been whittling down my collection to just a few higher-end combos. So all my baitcasting Compres are for sale. I have a 6'6" M/F and 6'6" MH/XF left. PM me if you're interested.

I like Yo-Zuri Hybrid in 12 or 15lb test for an "all-around" line. It does well at almost any task. I also like BPS Flourocarbon, but the sinking characteristic doesn't perform well for topwaters. I pretty much reserve braid (50lb Sufix or Power Pro) for my flipping and frog combos right now (as far as baitcasters go, anyway). I haven't found a mono that I really like more than the rest, but I have been using Stren Magnathin with pretty good success lately.

I finally broke down and bought an Optima Blue Top for my trolling motor battery after going through two standard lead-acid deep cycles that I couldn't keep sufficiently watered. After each trip (and sometimes even in the middle of it) the old batteries would be dry or almost so, enough that they wouldn't hold a charge anymore. I never figured out if it was the jostling around while trailering and running that was sloshing the water out, or it was just being boiled off by the usage, but since switching to the Optima, I've had absolutely no problems. It holds a charge for months and months. I've taken it out for the first trip of the season without charging it in the past 5 months and it ran all day. I highly recommend the Optimas.

I bought a new E7 from an retailer on eBay last week and had it in 3 days (already used it twice). I paid $179.95 with free shipping. I don't know what the aversion some folks have toward using eBay. For the most part, I've had nothing but good things to say about those I've bought from and those that have bought from me. Certainly no worse than dealing with some "regular" online retailers.

I have two Quantum spinning reels, a Catalyst PT and Energy PT, both a couple years old now. I've never had an ounce of trouble with them. Very smooth and well built reels (and good looking, if that matters to you). I also have four Shimanos, two Saharas (2-3 yrs old), a Symetre (2yrs old), and a Saros (6mo old) and have never had any trouble with them either and they were less expensive new than the Quantums were. Currently, the Shimanos get more usage, but I think that's just because of the rods that I've paired them with. I still use and enjoy my Quantums. The only Quantum reel I've had a bad experience with was a Code baitcaster that I bought earlier this year. It was very rough right out of the box, so I didn't hesitate to get rid of it.

I really like the Sahara at it's price point, though some others have said the Symetre is as low end as they would go. I have 2 Saharas--a 4000 that I used for inshore saltwater when I lived in SC and GA, and a 1500 that I paired with a 6'6" Compre MH/XF a spooled with 10lb Power Pro braid for bass. This combo probably sees the most action of all my spinning combos at the moment. Personally, I would have gone with a little bit better rod--probably a Clarus for a little more sensitivity (IM7 Graphite) and better reel seat and guides. But all in all, not a bad choice at all.

I would have to say Shimano Clarus too, though they list for $59 I think. But I know of several places where you can find them for less than $50 on clearance.

I use a Shimano Curado 100DSV on a G Loomis CBR781C for small topwater baits and crankbaits and it does a fantastic job. Very lightweight and the moderate action of the rod helps keep me hooked up. I don't like fishing baits like poppers and spooks on spinning gear as the jerking and trying to reel up slack tends to cause loops to form in my line as it lays on the spool.

I'm here in Bremerton on Kitsap Peninsula for another year or so, and then hopefully back in the south (Texas, if I have my wish)!

I agree....I found a older model (but brand new) 6'6" MH Compre spinning rod at Sportsman's Warehouse for $29. Didn't really need it, but I couldn't pass it up. It probably gets as much or more use as my Crucial spinning rods.

I recommend Powell. I have a 704C that I use as a frog rod (sometimes jigs and heavy T-rigs, too) and I love it. I had two Kistler Magnesiums and just didn't like the feel and on the baitcast rod, the reel seat would not hold my reel firmly in place. Besides, I had a poor experience with Kistler's customer service on a broken rod, and will never buy one of them again.

Got mine tonight...thanks Bobby...you run a class act there. I'll post a pic when I tag a fish on it.

While cleaning my gear, I noticed that one of my rods has some extra epoxy on one of the guides that actually covers part of the inside of the Alconite insert. When I looked closer, I saw little grooves in this epoxy from where my line has been rubbing on it (at least that's my opinion of what I saw). Is there anyway to safely remove this excess epoxy without damaging the guide? It's an expensive rod, so definitely don't want to do any unnecessary damage, but I'm afraid that as the rubbing gets worse it might eventually start to compromise my line and might result in lost fish and baits. Any suggestions for solutions I can try without having the guide replaced professionally? Thanks in advance.

I use a Shimano Curado 100DSV on a G Loomis CBR781C for all my shallow crankin' and I throw around and in all kinds of vegetation. The rod is a ML Mod Fast and it still drags those cranks through there fine. A nice fish on will sure put a bow in the rod, but the Mod Fast action keeps them hooked up too.

I'm not sure what the big deal is, because I know I'm not the best operator of a baitcast reel on this forum (though I've been doing it for several years now), but I regularly use a Rapala Floating Minnow in the size 7 (1/8oz) or 11 (3/16oz) and had no problem casting it on my previous cranking combo. This consisted of an old-school Quantum Energy E640PT spooled with 10lb mono on a BPS Bassmaster Professional 7' M/F rod. I could easily 25-30 yds with the cast control set to 3 of 9 brakes on. I recently upgraded my light cranking combo to a Curado 100DSV (spooled with 10lb Yozuri Hybrid) on a Loomis CBR781 and can still chunk these light lures 30yds all day long (a little less into the wind. In fact, I caught a 2.75 lb LM bass on a 1/8oz Storm Sub Wart last night. I don't think you need to spend that much to get a super specialized reel for light weight work. A quality rod with a flexible tip and light line contribute just as much to the equation.

Both my Powell Max casting rods have Fuji ECS reels seats and Alconite guides.

I typically use Mustad UltraPoint Wide Gap hooks T-rigged with no weight. I "Tex-pose" the hook by bringing it all the way thru the worm and then slipping the point just under the skin and I've been really successful with it. Usually a 1/0 or 2/0, depending on how fast I want it to sink. Hooks bigger than 2/0 tend to affect the action as it sinks, in my opinion.

I've always been fond of the Zoom Brush Hogs as they were the first creature bait I ever used, primarily green pumpkin or watermelon-red on T-rigs with a 1/4 to 3/8 tungsten bullet weight. Last time I ordered some baits from ***, though, they threw in some of their version in watermelon-red and I finally got to try them out while I was in CT on vacation last week. I paired them with a 3/16 tungsten wieght and a 4/0 Mustad hook and worked them T-rigged around submerged vegetation and wood in 4-8 feet of water. I caught 4 fish weighing almost 20 pounds in an hour (including the 7# hawg in my avatar) on the same Big Boy Brush Bug. One my best hours bass fishing ever. 8-) They are definitely quality baits that can take some punishment (not to mention cheaper than the original).

Black has produced the most and biggest fish for me, even in the clear waters of Washington lakes and on sunny days. They haven't gone for any other colors up here for some reason. I also like the *** Floaters. They're very similar in size and shape, but will float tail up when rigged weightless on the Mustad 2/0 wide gap hooks I use. Very tantalizing. But the color selection is limited.

Muddy....I haven't really noticed any major performance difference between the Summit and Patriarch, but I've only used them for a couple months and unfortunately with my job, I don't get to fish as much as I would like. I'll let the forum know as I break them in. The Patriarch does feel a little more solid than the Summit, maybe just because of the materials it's made out of or it may be something else I can't put my finger on yet. But the handles are the same, they both have the clicking drag and spool tension knob, nice coloring...all around good reels. Dodgeguy...I don't really need to stop the spool with my thumb, though I usually have it hovering above the spool, feathering the cast. At the point that I engage the spool, the line has essentially stopped coming out and spool has just about stopped. I certainly don't engage the spool while it's spinning freely.

When I started seriously bass fishing a few years ago, BPS rods were my starting point and I've had several BPS rods over the years, but I've since sold them all (except for three 3+ piece travel rods, 2 Extreme and one MicroLite). Though I thought the Powerhump was comfortable, the rods tended to be heavier and less sensitive than other rods of similar price and with comparable components. I've held onto the travel rods (and will probably get another Extreme baitcaster) because I can't seem to find any other decent travel rods (3 or more pieces) for less than a $100.

I picked up a Summit and Patriarch rather recently and must say I'm pretty impressed so far. Small, lightweight reels...very smooth and good looking to boot. Consmetically, the Summit had a couple small flaws in the finish when I received it (new) that I was somewhat disappointed about, and the Patriarch's finish is beautiful, but as soon as you touch it, it's covered with fingerprints. Operationally,no complaints, but when I was using the Summit to cast a buzzbait the other day, I noticed that it didn't seem as solid as my Curado 200DHSV when I would engage the spool while the buzzbait was still in the air. I usually start reeling just before the bait hits the water so it's already moving forward when it lands, but I didn't like the way it felt on the Summit, so I stopped doing it. I don't know there was anything wrong with doing that with that reel, but I like the way the Curado handled it better. :-?

I have several old Terminator T-1 titanium arm SBs that had a quick-change system with a little rubber stopper on the arm that slid up and down to allow the main blade to be swapped out. They even came with a different blade. I haven't seen any of these in awhile, but I don't make it to BPS (where I bought them) very often so I don't know if they're still available. The only ones I've seen recently just come with a couple different skirts to interchange.

Simon...yes, the PVC pieces are horizontal rod holders. I was tired of having to adjust my casting to avoid rods in the vertical holders that are molded into the yak, so I made these from PVC lined with a piece of foam pipe insulation to protect my rod handles and hold them tight. Then I just strapped them to an eyelet already on the yak with some small bungee cords. They work like a champ and I can cast without worrying about snagging my lure on another rod and damaging it or causing a major backlash (which I learned the hard way). As far as standing my kayak, it's simply not an option. It's not near stable enough without adding some kind of outrigger system. I've thought about doing this, but the Sport is so small as it is, there's just not that much room for them and I've learned how to compensate in other ways so that I don't have to stand. I've gotten pretty good at sidearming very short casts into tight spots, so that I don't really need to stand to pitch/flip. I can also do some modified pitching and flipping, but it's difficult being that close to the water. All things considered, I'd rather have the Mirage drive than be able to stand, though I do miss being able to sight fish. But that's when I pull out my Bass Tracker.

I've had the 15lb Boga Grip for about 3 years now and it's still like the day I got it. I've used it in both fresh and salt water with bass, redfish, sea trout, and other toothy critters and it's been flawless. No signs of rust or any other defects. Solid gear made of quality materials.