TrippyJai

It's okay. Only another week and you'll have the rest of the season to fish. Bass season doesn't open until the 3rd Saturday of June here. Even when the weather is nice again after 8 months of cold, we can't fish. Unless it's for other species which I have no interest in.

I would jump on that $75 deal from Cabela's if you're looking for a new spinning reel. Great reel for the price.

I am interested in the Deeper fish finder as well, but I think it's a little overpriced. Interested to see if anyone else uses it and can give a more in depth opinion.

No grease on the AR bearing. I run them dry, however, a drop of oil on q-tip is all you need.

Yup, most of the time here it's carp that make the splashes. When it's bass, they usually dart to cover quickly.

I agree with this. There is no need for violent hook sets. Reel in the slack and set the hook. Keep tight pressure and if the hook didn't penetrate pass the barb, it will eventually during the fight. Rarely does my hook sets pass the barb. Sharp hooks are more important. How many times have we've seen the hook fall right out of the fishes mouth after you land them?

Pinch the teeth closer together like this \ / not too tight and not too loose. Too tight and the reel will feel sluggish, too lose and you get that clicking noise as it rolls over each bump.

Square A and Fat Free Shads as well.

Don't know if he was ever sick. I do recall him trying to lose weight for health reasons.

I like Dave Mercer a lot. He's fun to watch and a great personality. However, I still cannot stand his stupid laugh.

I've also seen tournaments where the anglers would use their trolling motors for crankbait fishing. It was the only way to get their bait to 20+ feet and stay in the strike zone longer. It is legal because it burns a lot of time doing it.

The Medium power Avid is in between a M - MH. The Medium Heavy is in between a M/H - Heavy power rod. They are heavier in power, however the tip action on the Avid's are softer than other companies fast action.

IMO, rods are expensive unless you can find what your looking for used. The selections are pretty thin as well. Le Baron usually has the best price around and I will wait until they have a "no tax" sale as the prices are still high. Reels and all other stuff, I try to find deals online and stock up on them.

This is one of the ugliest reels from Shimano. That hood doesn't look right to me. My opinion might change when I see some better pictures though.

Even for someone like me who can break down a reel completely and clean it, I don't clean brand new reels. Fish it hard and clean it when the time comes along with whatever upgrades you want to do.

I use the Magic Eraser as well. It's like a dollar for a pack of 2. Have a bucket of water out, soak the sponge, squeeze and start scrubbing then repeat. It does a great job and on darker stains, you'll have to scrub a bit harder.

In terms of sensitivity, there isn't much of a different. The LTB is a much nicer rod though in terms of the build quality and components used. The LTB has a faster action than Avid. If you like a full cork rod, go with the Avid, split grip, choose the LTB. Never held an Avid X, but on paper it's supposed to be the same as the Avid with split grips and different guides.

My girlfriend told me the same thing. That I had too much gear and she pointed out that a lot were probably still new and never been used. She was right, which I did not acknowledge at the time until one random day, I decided to reorganize my stuff and felt overwhelmed. That's when it hit me. Over the last few years, I've sold off a ton of stuff that I wasn't going to use and only buy new lures to try out if it catches my attention. Most of the time I visit the tackle shop is to only restock what I need.

Paca Chunk.

In terms of performance the stock and Carbontex washers are pretty equal. However I still make the swap because over time, the Carbontex will out perform the stock. Give this link a read: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/127167-carbontex-vs-dartainium-in-shimano-reels/

Email Dawn at smoothdrag.

I use 10lb for cranking, but I don't crank deeper than 12 feet.

Worm - Senko Creature Bait - Baby Brush Hog Jerk Bait - LC Pointer 78 Spinner Bait - SK Premier Plus Crankbait - KVD 1.5 Lipless Crank - Spro Aruku Shad Popper - XCalibur Zell Pop Walker - LC Sammy

McCoy Mean Green is the way to go if you don't want any line management.

I prefer a 6:1 for moving baits. I tend to fish a little faster than I should so it's the perfect ratio. I don't deep crank or I would have kept my 5:1. 7:1 for everything else. I don't see a need for anything faster YET.