Joe Boss

BLR's are great rods for the money. I find them lighter and more sensitive than the Ugly Sticks that most people choose as their starter poles. I have a 6',6" one piece medium action that I pair up with a Shimano Slade. I like to take that combo with me as a back up rig.

I have several Ugly Sticks plus the Lite and Lite pro models. Its the first rod I ever fished with. I don't use them much anymore though. Its like you wrote in your response once I had another rod to compare to, the ugly stick I realized I liked that one better. I had lots of fun fishing with my Ugly Sticks but I am having a better time with my St Croix's. If you want to start out in the St Croix line of rods try getting a Triumph ($70) you will never look back at your Ugly Stick days.

I have to agree with the others in the thread who have suggested adding some plants for cover. Without somewhere to hide the fish will be stressed, that could lead to an early demise. I think it will help in the long run to change the white gravel in the tank to something darker. Natural river stone shades would be great. Light color gravel has a tendency to wash out the fishes colors.

This reel is a Dick's exclusive. I bought it in a combo paired with a St. Croix Triumph and it is my favorite all around reel. Its a workhorse with Hardbodyz aluminum design, it can really take a beating. Very smooth with 7+1 bearings.

The price increase is for the new models coming out in the fall. You can get the Symetre and the Sahara right now for $60 and $50 on sale as they clear out the old models for the new line-up.

For $50 your best bets are the Daiwa Regal XiA, Pflueger President or the Shimano Sahara.

I have that exact rod (2 piece) and love it. I take it on every fishing trip with me and if I am not fishing with it, then its there as my backup rod. The rod is quality enough to enjoy fishing with it and cheap enough that I don't stress over it getting beat up from extreme use. I tend to baby my equipment that costs over $100 So it is hard for me to enjoy them like I do my Triumph.

I know that some Shimano and Daiwa reels have treated bearings that are supposed to be rust and corrosion resistant. My low end Daiwa and Shimano's that have 3 bearings are better quality than other brands that have 5 to 7 bearings. I think those other companies add a lot of bearings on their low end stuff but sacrifice on other parts of the reel. More plastic parts, cheap springs, gears and drag, etc. Give me Daiwa and Shimano with less bearings any day. ;D

Those are some pretty fish, congratulations on the catch. The Red Devil is the meanest fish I ever had in my aquarium. It used to smack the glass when I went by my fishtank trying to attack me. The only thing that could survive in the tank with him was a Pleco and only because he was armored. I can only imagine what catching one must be like.

For the same money as the Lightning Rod I suggest getting a Shimano Convergence. It's lighter, more sensitive, way better guides and has a better warranty.

The Quantum Grigsby combo from Dick's is a great deal. Its normally $80 they marked it down to $60 and now for this week its $50. Its an 11 bearing reel paired with an IM8 rod. I am not a big Quantum fan but even I had to put a leash on the bait monkey when I saw that combo price.

Even fishermen need love Whats distracting to me is she looks exactly like one of my employees. I brought her into the office to show her the ad and ask if it was her ;D It wasn't.

X2 on the Procaster Rojo. 9 bearings and aluminum frame for $60! I have a love of all things Daiwa.

I prefer spinning when fishing from shore and casting when fishing from a boat. As my Bass Fishing Forum name suggests I do 95% of my fishing from shore so I prefer spinning reels. I do however love my baitcasters and bring them on the few days there is no wind. I like spinning reels that take 6, 8 and 10lb line.

Congratulations that is a beauty of a peacock. It has been my dream to take a trip south to try catching Peacocks and Oscars for a long time. I really had a good laugh at your baitfish. I used to keep cichlasoma salvini in my fishtank. They are a great looking fish in a tropical aquarium.

I'm seeing a trend here. That is the 3rd PB that has come off of an old Lightning Rod. I did break my PB in '06 on a Loomis GLX, but I've only caught 4 fish over 7lbs in my life, and 3 of those were back in '89-'92, on my old trusty 6' M Berkley Lightning rod (black foam baby!) spinning combo. . Those rods were the crap back in the day. I remember those black foam handle Lightning Rods from the early 90's I caught my PB Chain Pickerel and Rainbow Trout on one of those paired with a Shimano Syncopate. Its still hard for me to beat the cast I used to get from that combo.

Cabelas has the 9 bearing Procaster Rojo on sale for $59.95. Thats a steal and if its not the best baitcaster for under $100 its pretty dang close.

My favorite 2 set-ups for Smallmouth fishing are my 6'6" ML St Croix Premier which I pair up with a Pflueger President 6730 spooled with 100 yds of 8lb line. And my 6'6" M St Croix Triumph paired with a Daiwa Capricorn. I have 2 spools for that reel one with 8lb line and the other with 10lb line.

I fish for sport so I practice catch and release. I don't think I could follow those lake management company rules and throw a fish on the banks to die. Seems like such a cruel way to treat an animal. When I am in the mood to eat fish, I go to the supermarket. When I want fresh fish I go Fluke and Flounder fishing with my Father-in-Law. I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating what you catch following all the rules and regulations.

Welcome to the wonderful world of editing. The hours they spend not catching are on the cutting room floor. In real life even the best fishing spots sometimes run dry. I can visit my favorite spots and catch fish after fish all day long. A week later a change in water temp or weather can mean I might catch one if I am lucky.

Mitchell 300x and a ML 6'6" Berkley Lightning rod

That Cardinal/Fenwick combo is pretty sweet. I held it in my hands at my local Wal-Mart and it had great balance. If I had $60 at the time I would have picked it up. The deal Dick's is running right now is $44.98 for a Sedona/Convergence combo. Thats pretty hard to believe since the rod is usually $40 and the Sedona runs $50. I checked out Dick's online flyer and from the picture and description I don't think thats a Sedona. Different handle and only 3 ball berrings. It might be worth taking a trip to the store to see the combo.

I took my Plueger Intensity baitcaster on a charter my Dad and I booked this weekend (love charters, hate using anything but my own equipment) I had used the Intensity once before from shore with no luck but this weekend I couldn't be happier with it. We caught over 100 smallmouth bass in 5 hours half of which were mine. The Intensity worked well with no problems. It is so smooth and quiet.

Back when I used to make the mistake of bringing too many rods and reels with me on a trip I had a bad day with a rented boat. First someone who failed to get their sea legs stepped on one of my rods and snapped it in half. Then I put two of the reels I brought with me (an expensive Shimano and a Penn) in the unused livewell. When we brought the boat back I forgot to take them out and didn't realize my mistake till I was back home unpacking after the 5 hour drive back. I called and asked if they found my reels and I would pay for having them mailed to me but no luck. No one honest found them.

Thats showing your age! Mine is the "Snakes" Talking about showing your age, I have the Fishin Magician somewhere in my basement.