Bayou Bass

The frustration is understandable gentleman. I belong to several fishing forums and certain topics tend to elevate my blood pressure. At the same time, I know that if we only posted stuff that is new and innovative we wouldn't have much to talk about ;D

I certainly appreciate your attempt at composing a witty and somewhat articulate post. However, you and I both know that almost ALL of the threads on this particular section of the board are repeats in one way or another. There is only so much that can be said about fishing equipment so it is only natural that this stuff becomes a bit redundant after a while. That being said, if you would read what I wrote I simply asked what is the "quietest" and "smoothest" braid out there. You might have interpreted this as me asking what is the "best" braid, but I am not concerned about that. I simply would like to know which one makes the least amount of noise coming through the guides

Like the topic says I am wondering what is the quietest and smoothest braided line? Right now I am using 50lb Powerpro and I find it to be rather rough and loud coming through the guides. As the line "breaks in" it seems to get better, but I was wondering if there are any braided lines that are quieter then powerpro? Thanks folks

A bunch of folks down here use 6'6" rods for almost all their rods. We fish skinny bayous with lots of overhanging cypress tress and it can get tight at times. I prefer 7ft rods or longer but I pitch or flip 95% of the time when I fish skinny water. Most the folks I know who use shorter rods tend to cast sidearm in these situations.

This will be my third spiral wrap casting rod, but my first with micro guides. I am pumped!!

I had this happen really bad one time with moss green powerpro. However, I emailed them and they replaced the spool for me. I have been using powerpro for years and never had it bleed like this. In my experience brand new line, especially larger test, will leave some color on my hands but it goes away after a few uses.

Thats good to hear as my local rod guy is putting the finishing touches on a 7'6" heavy fast micro guide spiral wrap rod Should have it early next week!!

I use backing on every single one of my reels. I typically fill 1/4-1/2 of the spool with 12 or 15 lb mono. Normally I use big game or whatever cheap mono I have lying around. The main reason I do this is because I normally only use 50-75 yards of line on my bass fishing setups. When I want to respool I keep the backing and throw another 50-75 yards on top. I used to fill almost the entire spool with my main line but realized how much line I threw out every time I respooled. This can get quite costly when using fluro or braid.

I have mainly been using the Curado 200E7 and the Citica 200E so whatever breaks they have is what I am used to. Thats not to say I prefer that type of breaking system, I am simply accustomed to it.

I have the 6'10" medium heavy carrot stix gold I like it more then the other carrot stixs I have tried. It seems to balance better and has a faster tip. Plus I prefer the cork grips. You might be able to find one on the boards for 150 if you look.

Have a chance to get a steez for a good price, but I was wondering if I should keep it or sell for a Core. This is my first venture into the high-end reel arena. Up to this point I have been using curados and citicas almost exclusively. I guess this is why I am considering the core also. What are your thoughts on these reels? How do they compare to each other? I will be using it for fishing texas rigged plastics (normally 1/4oz tungsten) with 15lb fluorocarbon. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I use curados for inshore fishing and they hold up great. I have two that I purchased right when the 200E7 came out and they are still doing great. This includes ton of rigorous use, lots of fish like the one in my avatar.

I have the XPS flouro in 17lb and it is pretty nice. I saw that red label stuff, but I haven't heard anything about it.

How do these two lines compare to each other? I really like the invizx, but don't like the cost > I am most concerned with sensitivity, visibility, and memory. Thanks folks

What type of cover will you be fishing?

To me it is all about confidence and I am more confident using split grip rods. I like the way they feel in my hand and I like having more fingers on the blank. Whether this is all psychological or whatever I don't care. Bottom line, if I am more confident in any lure, line, rod, or reel I tend to catch more fish. I make committed casts where I pay attention to everything rather then just pitching out there and halfheartedly reeling back in. Just my .02

Here are my setups.... Carrot Stix Gold 6'10" MH w/Curado 200E7 15lb invizix T-Rig Plastics Dobyns 704C w/Citica 17lb XPS fluoro Jigs Kajun Limb 7ft Heavy w/Citica 50lb powerpro frogs and jigs Powell 683c w/Curado 20lb powerpro small spinnerbaits and senkos BPS Rick Clunn Heavy w/old Quantum reel 50lb powerpro punching mats I have a few other casting rods and spinning rods that I rotate in and out but the above are my most frequently used.

I like 1 1/4- 1 1/2 oz tungsten weights for punching. I peg em and use some kind of beaver or craw bait.

I have heard various explanations for why split grips are good. I like the comfort of the grips and I really like the no foregrip feature which enables constant contact with the blank. A rod builder recently told me he prefers using split grips because he likes to cut away any excess stuff on the blank. He thinks more grip material causes a dampening effect on the blank, and essentially limits the blank's ability to transmit vibration to your hand. Whether this is true or not I have no clue, but sounds good to me

The core 50mg is my dream pitching reel. Buddy of mine has one and it does great pitching. I personally use a Curado 200E7 and like this setup. I use 15-20lb fluoro or 50lb braid and this reel does great with all of those lines. I say go with whatever feels good in your palm and has a high speed gear ratio.

New Citica or used Curado. I would definitely go with a Shimano. I find their anti-backlash mechanisms to be quite forgiving. This was of critical importance to me when I was learning to throw a baitcaster.

I tend to use green, but I don't really have a preference. Really whatever I have on hand will work.

I would say 30-50lb braid or 15-20lb fluoro. I run 17lb fluoro for this application, but could stand to go up to 20lb. I fish murky water down here too, but I still think Flouro gets me more bites. Whether it really does or not I am not sure, but I am more confident with it.

I would say 15lb or more Fluoro and 30lb or more braid. I am spooled with 17lb Bass Pro XPS Fluro on my jig rod (Dobyns 704C). I am eventually going to try 20lb Invizix. I like 50lb moss green PowerPro for braid. I throw 3/8oz jigs 90% of the time.