bigfruits

sexy shad has worked for me in a crankbait version. haven't tried a sexy lipless yet... from my own experimentation, i do believe that color sometimes matters.

nothing beats fighting a fat smallie on light line for me.

that annoying guy on the "infomercials" is enough to keep me away from any of his products.

dont like using: senko - boring cranks - too many hooks my low confidence bait: buzzbait

most everything. i use baitcasting gear for the following: jigs and t-rig over 5/16oz cranks and spinners over 5/16oz swimbaits carolina rig frogs

So let me get this straight...... Piece of mind for you is buying a quality product and having to pay 50$ to get a replacement if it breaks or is defective. WOW. Funny how I see it diffrerently. I buy a quality rod and if it breaks I get a new one for FREE, no shipping and no extra charges. SHIMANO RULES!!! where did i say i had to pay $50 if it was defective? the tip of my rod breaking off in a car door does not mean the rod was defective. shimano will replace a rod you snapped in half for free? if thats true then thats a better warranty than loomis and st. croix have. can you post that info? all i can find is this: http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/Warrenty_Services.html i wouldnt have the same peace of mind though. cause id be getting a shimano rod in exchange

i think warranties like loomis' expeditor service are the best way to go. all my broken rods have been my fault. mostly broken rod tips from the car door. i like the piece of mind knowing that if i break any of my loomis rods, $50 will get me a new one shipped to my door.

ive owned both and id get the symetre without a doubt. you should go to ohya.com and log in with the following: username: customer password: preferred get the stradic FI for $119 shipped

i figured i'd ask here as i know alot of you NoVA guys fish from kayaks. i need a good cold weather glove for kayak fishing this spring. i dont mind paying more for a thin, good quality glove. my main concern is sensitivity and dexterity in the fingers. what do you recommend? thanks in advance. -Z

def get the 1 piece.

moderate for cranks

hello all. im looking to buy some spinnerbaits (3/8-3/4oz) with smaller blades than the norm for burning and also to be able to fish a smaller profile at moderate depths. what brand/model of spinnerbaits would you recommend to me?

i second the bitsy bug jigs. 1/4 oz green craw color with a 3" craw trailer they are cheap and i have good hook up ratios using these baits if you are new to jigs i definately recommend these as ive caught bass smaller than my palm all the way up to a 6lber on them. great confidence building bait.

go with the light for 1/16 oz weight. just curious, why were you talked out of ultralight? ul with 1/16oz spinners is a great time!

Free Willy! seriously though. i think the whale is trying to tell us something.

i always get blazed before i fish. maybe thats more of a habit than a superstition though.

buy a st. croix avid. med or med/light fast or extra fast action. the avid 6'9" ml xf is alot of fun.

id use the most moderate one for cranks. tie your line to a table leg, tighten the drag and pull back. the rod that bends closest to the middle has the most moderate action. i'd use the heavier powers for cover, the more sensitive rods for bottom baits. edit: reels - fastest retrieve id put on my jig and plastic rods (to pick up slack faster) and spinnerbait rod if you like to burn them. slowest retrieve would go on my crankbait rod.

im not familiar with those rods but i'll tell you how i choose what to use individual rods for: mod or mod fast action - cranks, treble hook lures fast action - good all around action for most anything (except cranks) extra fast action - bottom baits, shakey jig, dropshot when choosing power i look at lure weight and cover.

X-2 x3 good stuff

i think the first time i saw someone do that was several years ago in one of KVD's videos (pitchin to heavy hitters?) i upgraded all of my old baitcast reels last year and went with lefty reels. i wont go back to switching hands. i can work the bait better when im holding the rod in my right hand. being the genius that i am, i decided to switch after buying a righty curado 200e7. pm me if you want a good deal on a brand new reel.

unfortunately, alot of the summertime females look more like males (shot put, javelin). the winter females seem to be more aerodynamic and streamlined (skiing,skating). im going with winter

if im using a chunk or if im fishing heavily stained water i usually dont trim. with a nice sized craw trailer or clear water i sometimes trim to the hook bend. most of the time the amt i trim (if any at all) depends on the profile size i want to present. i think trimming the weed guard is a little more important. i usually trim it the way described in the posts above, sometimes remove a few of the guard strands in sparse cover. splitting the guard into a V will sometimes help if youre getting too many snags.

id get both rods at a length of 6'6" to 7'. the rod for plastic worms/jigs i would get extra-fast. the spinnerbait/crankbait rod i would get a fast action. the power would depend on the weight of the lures you plan on using and the cover. whats your budget on reels? this is what i recommend depending on they amt you want to spend. get the 2500 size. shimano sahara shimano symetre daiwa tierra shimano stradic you want bottom bait rods to be as sensitive as possible. if i were you, id keep the rod you are using now and use it for spinners/cranks and i'd take the $200 you want to spend and buy a st. croix avid 6'8" med xf. check out the warranty and reviews on these rods. you can prob find one for under $150 new.

This would hold water except where talking KVD here. He could use whatever brand he wants, be sponsored by any company on the planet and yet he choses Quantum. In fact I am willing to bet he's been offered more by other companies and has turned them down. I use and have used and is all I use now, Quantum reels for over 15 years and have only had one problem on one reel thats over 10 years old. To counter that I also use to have 3 Shimano's of which two bit the dust the first year I had them. For rods I mainly use G-Loomis Rods, however I do have a few Quantum Tour PT rods and have beat the heck out of them and there still kicking. The 6"10 heavy action rod I own is the toughest rod I have ever owned. It's also one of the most sensitive rods I have ever used and believe it or not I per-fur to use it for pitching jigs and worms over any of the twenty G-Loomis rods I own. It may not be as light as a G-Loomis, but it's not that much heavier, but that's the only thing the Loomis has over it. Not to mention the hook sets I have put on this rod with 40lb plus braid locked down would send that Loomis cracking into a million pieces, the quantum just laughs and says "is that all u got". In fact if I would have known what I know now, I would have 20 Quantum's Tour PT's and a few Loomis rods instead of the other way around. All can bash Quantum all they want, but while you bash them I will be bringing in the hawgs with them. Sorry for the rant all. it just gets my goat how closed minded people are some times. I understand brand loyalty and all, but just bashing a product just to bash it drives me nuts sometimes. All companies have a few lemons, my example of Shimano proves that, I know they make good stuff even though I had a couple lemons. im not bashing quantum. i owned a quantum spinning reel many yrs ago and i liked it just fine. sure you can bring in the hawgs with your quantum. and i bet you KVD can bring them in on a zebco/ugly stick combo. what i was trying to convey was that just because a pro uses a certain brand, it doesnt mean its the best thing around. i think that would be "close minded". wouldnt you? i mean look what happened to Boyd Duckett (that was a bash)