Speed Worm

Go fish it and tell us how it performs! That's too beautiful of a reel to be so clean. Go get some fish stench on it!

Try a chatterbait, or a heavy spinnerbait with small profile skirt.

Tiny Peacock at Markham Park.

A 5" senko will catch you just about any size of bass. Don't be surprised if a 4" bass bites your 5" senko. Even this small a bass will have a pretty large mouth when compared to the worm.

That is why I hate fishing gamefish with shrimp. What I do is get very small shrimp (about the size of a quarter) and put them either on a sabiki line or a rig with a very small hook. Target very small pinfish, threadfin herrings, finger mullet, etc. and hook them in the back with a circle hook. A 3-4" finger mullet is deadly on all inshore species.

Snapper G asked for a reel under $100, not $9 over, or $20 over. For under $100, a Citica 200D is the best you'll get. There is not much discussing to do. I saw some going for $65 at Sports Authority and $75 at Dick's. I would take a Citica 200D over Revo S any day of the week (and I do own both).

Shimano Citica 200D, hands down. Great all round reel.

Do as I did. Get a little Pond Prowler and hit Loxahatchee. Don't even waste your time anywhere else.

The answer to your prayers: Rapala Shallow Shad Rap SSR05 (Perch, Firetiger, Hotsteel) http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_2850____SearchResults

I purchased a Quantum Code on a thursday night to replace a reel that was being serviced at the time. I took the reel fishing on friday morning and within 1-1/2 hrs of fishing it started screeching horribly. My fishing buddy even told me that the sound of the screeching was annoying him and I better use my other reel instead. I returned it to BPS that same day and promised never to get a Quantum again.

Not to sound like a bad person, but you can purchase a brand new 100D and 200D's for $75 at Dick's or Sports Authority. Good luck with the lefty.

I just picked up one of the new Shimano Symetre 3000FJ's from BPS this afternoon. Apparently, they just got them 3 days ago. And to tell you the truth, I am very dissapointed. As a matter of fact, I will be returning the reel tomorrow for my money back. The reel looks great, is lighter and smoother than the predecesor. However, there is an issue I just can't get past ... the bail engaging mechanism! I know most people engage their bail manually, and it is the right thing to do. And with this reel, you might just not have another option. The bail engaging mechanism is tough!!! When open, the bails grinds a half rotation before requiring a lot (LOT) of force to make the bail engage. Now, this might not seem like a problem because engaging the bail by cranking is not the appropriate thing to do ... but for a 100$ spinning reel, I expect more ... Malasyian craftmanship I guess

I have a shorter 6'3" M-F spinnerbait rod, but I've come to hate it. It is just too soft on the casting and hooksetting. Then I moved to a standard 6'6" MH-F for all my spinnerbait rollcasting. The accuracy and presentation was descent and could deal pretty well with wind and such. Then a tarpon made a slight mod to that rod by taking 5" off the tip. Since then, my accuracy and presentation has increased dramatically.

I've been on the market for a short rod, specifically for accurately rollcasting spinnerbaits at short distances (<30 yds). Yesterday I saw a St.Croix Tidemaster 6'0" MH-F at Gander Mtn for $60 and was considering whether to get it or not. I like MH backbone in short rods for more accuracy and stronger hooksets, but the tip of this rod didn't seem to bend much. It's hard to tell without trying it. Has anyone used this particular rod for the application? Would you guys recommend a tidemaster series for bass fishing?

The lake where I fish has really clear water and lots of underwater vegetation (hydrilla). I like throwing the spinnerbait out with a 7' rod, and letting it sink until it touches the top of the vegetation. Then slow roll it over the vegetation, twitching it when it touches the top of the veg. This has produced some 5+ lb bass for me. Remember: Choosing colors, blades and profile DO matter! This is my rule of thumb: Clear water/ Sunny = Small profile/ Transparent white/ silver willows Clear water/ Cloudy = Big profile/ white / white willows Muddy water/ sunny = Big profile/ chartreuse/ gold colorado Muddy water/ Cloudy = Big profile / chartreuse/ chartreuse colorado Good Luck! Spinnerbaits are a ton of fun and my favorite lure!

This morning I went fishing with my buddy to New Smyrna Beach, and while retrieving a Rapala x-rap with twitches right next to the pile cap wall under the SR 44 bridge, a Tarpon (14-16 lbs) came up and took my crankbait. I actually saw the fish coming up, and knew it was a tarpon, before it took the crankbait. I was swimming it through a school of small mullets. I set the hook and got the tarpon to the back of the boat and as I was ready to net it, it broke my bass rod (6'6" MH-F) and took my bait. Note to self: Tarpon tend to be a little bit more feisty than bass, and can ruin your gear if you are not careful! Always have that net nearby.

Is that lake Okeechobee?

Quantum Code Baitcasting reel. Bought it on a thursday night, used it on friday morning, returned it on friday morning. That thing squeeks withing 1-2 hours of fishing.

My local Sports Authority has Shimano Citica's (100D, 200D) for $65 and Shimano Curado's (100D, 200D) for $110. Other than a Citica, I would not waste my money in a real cheaper than $100.

An issue no one has brought up yet: spool access! I don't know about most people but I like having my thumb all the time when I flip and pitch. There is no way you can get the accuracy and presentation without having good spool control. Maybe you are meant to put your thumb on the spool rim?

This is America. If you love it, buy it and enjoy it! It's a beautiful and quality rod.

I went to Dick's Sporting Goods in Brandon, FL and got a Shimano Citica 200D for $74.97. Their list price is $99.99 and they've got a 25% off offer for the entire store for the 4th of July and today. I'm debating whether to take advantage of the offer and pick up another one. I've been waiting to get 200E's when they come out, but this offer is just too hard to resist! I just wanted to make sure you guys knew about this.

Thank you guys for the help. I've tried everything and gave up on the thing. I took it to a local rod and reel service center. It'll be fixed in 2 weeks. In the mean time, I need a replacement ...

Hey Micro, I've been looking around but I can't find any info. Even with the star drag tightened all the way the spool does not engage!

I purchased a new Revo S baitcaster a couple of weeks ago. I've been fishing it quite a bit with no problems. However, this last time I took it out the reel started griding! So I decided to lubricate the reel. I removed the drag star/wheel and made sure that all the little pieces inside went back in the right place. But when I put it back together, the spool will not rotate when the handle is turned. And the thumb bar will not go back up. What am I supposed to do now?