The_Natural

Lots of folks in Texas use them....kind of a 'workin' man' rod.

I like Daiwa Spinning reels, but I use Shimano and Daiwa baitcasters. What ever brand you go with; I will emphasize the importance of an aluminum frame. An aluminum frame won't flex, and will keep your gears aligned for many years. The Exceler is probably the least expensive reel I know of with an aluminum frame. There have been a lot of good reviews of it. It runs between $60 and $70....

You don't need the golf club excuse. Just head down a bank that has multiple situations. Chunk rock bank...sweet! I'll work my crankbait. Oh hey...there's a log up by the bank. I'll pitch a flappin' hog up there real quick. Oh hey...check out that deep brushpile! Let me grab my football jig before I lose it on my sonar. Hmmm...they didn't want my football...that brush is too good not to have a fish...it's a good thing I have a Junor D tied on. I can't tell you how many times my backup bait struck gold when my first choice failed to produce a strike. You can retie your asss off and catch some fish....it just all boils down to how serious you are about your bass fishing. More rods on deck is an advantage...period.

Who said its coming here? And if it does our version will have a warranty and the JDM version will not. I did...and I'm always right! I will wager a Steez rod on it...

Like Brozefly said, the 874 adds an extra 1 or 1.5" to the trigger handle. Due to this; I think it is one of the better balancing BCR's in that power range, and I bought mine for pitching as well. 2" at the tip will add extra distance on your pitches.

Yes, the Aldebaran will be here next summer as the new Mg50. I just want to know from Bantam why we should wait until the US version comes out. Will it be different? That is the question...

As far as the Trout vs. Tilapia, it is my understanding that trout are significantly slower and easier for bass to catch. This why bass are able to gorge themselves on them. As far as fighting a big fish, I've never fought a 'teener, but my biggest fish have all come up rather easily...only to see the boat and make a massive surge towards the bottom.

The 1/8oz Speed Trap is in the minority, while the 1/4oz bait is the most widely thrown. The Speed Trap is one of the top 5 cold water crankbaits you can throw. It is a staple in pros' tackle boxes, and has surfaced several times during 'A Day on the Lake' articles in Bassmaster magazine by non-sponsored pros. This means a lot to me in bait selection...the day on the lake articles represent bragging rights, and you see the pros digging for the bait that will get it done versus a sponsor's bait. Mike Iaconelli catching hogs on the L/C Pointer 100 during his lake trip comes to mind. He isn't sponsored by Lucky Craft.

Highly pressured fish won't aggressively hit anything you throw on the nest; they will try and fan it off with their tail along with nosing it off the nest. They aren't hungry and won't put it in their mouth unless they must. In a tournament, you can easily distinguish the ones that will bite by turning your trolling motor on high and breezing down the bank. The fish that leave and don't immediately come back are harder to catch, but the fish that reappear almost immediately are easily caught. The 'harder to catch' fish are not caught due to a special technique an angler implores on the fish, but rather patience.

Wrong? Not really. We all inadvertently bed fish while fishing during the spawn. However, I only truly 'bed fish' during tournaments, even though I prefer not to fish tournaments that are won during the draw. In these tournaments you will lose if you don't draw early, and it's the reason for the highly publicized 'defensive fishing' we saw on the Elite Series last year when David Dudley sore lipped every bed fish he saw because he got a late draw. He knew somebody would capitalize on the easily caught bedding fish, and if he didn't get there before someone else...he'd lose. I first bed fished on Table Rock Lake in Missouri; it was my second tournament ever (a club tournament), and I didn't know anything about bass spawning. In practice, my uncle showed me the easily discernible circles on the bottom to which I would flip my jig. I thought it was dynamite....it was a guarantee...I just had to wait and wiggle my jig in place. Now days I realize the biggest challenge fish represent is because they are an unseen target. It's hard enough to find them...much less trying to decipher which ones are feeding. You don't have to do either while bed fishing. They are easily seen and are vulnerable to anything you place on their nest. It's like golfing with a few muligans....

My wife is dealing with this at the ripe old age of 29. She was diagnosed with arthritis/fibromayalgia at age 22, and she has constant back and neck pain. I have to rethink everything we do activity wise to account for her back. She is on Celebrex, which is generally a senior medication for athritis. Every night a different spot hurts. Her shoulder, neck, wrist (from being on the computer) or lower back (from sitting). She takes Ultram daily for pain, but this relief only goes so far. Unfortunately, we are leading up to the day she has to be on opiates daily.

The CBR845 is in my opinion the best crankbait blank ever invented. Custom rod builders are fond of it as well...consider it the 'Seeker' of the graphite blanks. It can handle a very wide range of baits. It is capable of throwing 1/4oz BDS 1's, yet will also throw a DD22 (its limit). The Quantum Superlite medium/moderate is giving it a run for my all time favorite cranking blank believe it or not. Both are comparable in action and power. As far as jerkbaits; even though I am tall (6'3"); I prefer a 6'-6'6" rod for topwaters and jerkbaits. I just feel like I can give my baits more action...and it is easier to walk the dog with the shorter rod.

It is definitely a sweet reel; but I still don't understand why folks are buying it instead of the Core.

I've tried owning a glass rod twice...I just can't do it. I owned one a while back, and it was too 'floppy'. Recently (October), I bought a Lamiglas 705R...'The Yellow Zonker' as I called it. Still couldn't get used to it. The aforementioned Skeet Reese stick is probably the best glass rod on the market, and it convinced me I'm just a 'graphite man'. I am too accustomed to the light weight and sensitivity of graphite. It's all preference....

I'll add that if you strip your bearings and relube them with low-viscosity oil like Yellow Rocket Fuel or Hot Sauce; you really need to perform a quick clean and relube once a month during the fishing season. The factory packs them with grease because it lasts significantly longer than oil, and the 'average Joe' will not strip his reel and maintain the bearings. You can experience all the benefits of using a thin oil on your bearings, but they will require more maintenance to ensure a good lifespan. Trust me...it's worth it.

Haha...that's awesome. Someone hasn't had their asss handed to them with a 1/8oz slider like I have. You might rethink that.

I had two premiers for about 3 weeks. I purchased them solely to resell, but I did get to fish with them. Premier Advantages: Significantly lighter(helps that wrist when fishing tip-up baits all day) Smaller frame (you will appreciate this if you have small hands) Zillion Avantages: Made in Japan (This is apparent in the extremely tight tolerances the Zillion displays, and reflects a superior build quality) Better brakes (Daiwa invented the magnetic brake, and they are still unrivaled.) Looks (this is subjective...it really doesn't matter) The Zillion's larger frame is better for me; I have XXL hands, but I realize the Premier will palm easier for people with not-so-huge hands.

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Thanks for the info. To add to that...I read the Core's spool is 12grams. The most important thing this shows anglers is how much line weighs. A spool's line capacity affects casting more than the weight of the spool itself.

Unfortunately, high quality goods with strict quality control are the exception when manufactured in countries such as China, and the rule when manufactured in countries like Japan.

As said...get the Falcon box!

Looks great! The brand really doesn't matter; anything is cheaper than the 'rod wrap' brand.

It's bad to the bone. There is one that has apparently been used once or twice that I can buy for $250. I'm really trying not to give in.

Great baits...it proves you can make a quality bait for $3.99. Sharp VMC 2x hooks...good paint...great action. They are made in China, and Lucky Crafts are made in Japan, but that is why we are able to buy them for $3.99. I feel sorry for people that don't live near an academy!

Tackle Warehouse has no information on it; only a price. No weight, length, etc.