The_Natural

I'll agree that you should upgrade your jig/worm rod first, but $100 will buy you a nice crankin' stick. I'm with Raul...gotta go with the new Shimano Compre. The crankbait model has the TC4 construction only found on the higher end sticks from Shimano. Good looking rods, too.

That's the nature of the beast. Most of the guys with several links in their signature aren't winning tournaments...they just play the part. In every tournament I fish, there are guys with starched tournament shirts and nice boats that never finish well. They do look the part though, and inside a boat show that's all a company needs unfortunately.

You are correct...inane could actually be considered the antonym of innate. BS Verbiage? So you would make it sound more simple/elementary? The fact is, this resume is the only thing a potential sponsor has to go by, and a less educated person simply couldn't have composed that. I could rewrite it and show you BS verbiage if you like . Let's face it...a resume is simply bragging about yourself illustrated on paper. I agree. BS verbiage wasn't meant as an insult to you, just a common euphemism I use. Working as an IT consultant gives me ample opportunity to exercise my own creative writing, LOL. Personally, I take the professionally written resume with a grain of salt. Its too hard to judge a person by words on a sheet of paper. Put the whole package together with a little fact checking and an in person interview, and you may come close to scratching the surface of that person's character. I agree. I guess no one actually speaks like a resume reads...it's just a front.

I actually think BPS has the worst customer service when dealing with returns (worse than Cabelas or Academy anyway). Not terrible, but not as good as others I deal with. Cabelas and Academy have a no questions asked return policy. ANY product, used or unused, is returned with or without a receipt. The Bass Pro's here in Texas (and Oklahoma when I lived there) will not will not take back a rod without a receipt, unless it is one of their house brands. They also also will not return Loomis or St. Croix rods unless they are brand new, and recently purchased. You could use a Loomis for a year and just 'decide' that you didn't like it...and cabelas will return it without a receipt with a smile. I recently returned a reel to BPS, and it was quite a fiasco. I went to Customer Service, and they proceded to tell me I had to go back to the fishing department to have the reel inspected. After waiting around at the reel counter for the employee to get free...he took a looong look at it. "Have you used it?" he asked. No. "Why are you returning it?" he continued. Ummm...because I want to?! Anyway, he got on the computer and typed in the UPC checking something. I finally got the OK to return to customer service where I got back in line. When I got back up to the counter, she asked me who I talked to, and had to radio him and get conformation before she would go ahead and give me my money back. It just seems like exceptional large and profitable organizations wouldn't scrutinize every single return.

You are correct...inane could actually be considered the antonym of innate. BS Verbiage? So you would make it sound more simple/elementary? The fact is, this resume is the only thing a potential sponsor has to go by, and a less educated person simply couldn't have composed that. I could rewrite it and show you BS verbiage if you like . Let's face it...a resume is simply bragging about yourself illustrated on paper.

Well...I think it could be better written. I realize that is blunt, but you need to flex your education. At the risk of sounding pompous; I want to relay in my resume that I have a degree, and show some college level writing. Your objective Instead of.... 'To form a long term partnership with a reputable company in order to increase their sales and product exposure.' Go with... 'To obtain a position with a results-oriented company as a pro-staffer, forming a mutually beneficial relationship in product promotion.' Instead of... Summary of Qualifications Professional appearance Good communication and public speaking skills Knowledge of fishing techniques and equipment Go with... Profile: -Advanced knowledge of fishing disciplines highlighted by a successful tournament angling career. -Innate ability to capitalize on client needs through product knowledge and demonstration. -Extensive relationship marketing experience with exemplary client retention values. -Sound judgement...Resourceful...Effective Communicator.

My gut says Texas stomps Missouri. They are just flat-out better than I thought. Texas has maybe the best D-line in the country, and will have Chase running around all day. The X factor in the game is whether Texas is just worn out after playing us. I know my Sooners are bruised.

Fluorocarbon: Less Visible Sinks More Sensitive Impervious to UV and the elements Does not absorb water Mono: Generally more manageable Generally stronger per diameter Generally more abrasion resistant Generally has better knot strength Floats (topwaters)

I've never tried McCoys, but I've never heard anything bad about it. A lot of anglers on the Texas Fishing Forum use it.

Pline CX Premium.

I use Shimano's and Daiwa's (I just bought 8 Citicas), but on the Spinning reel side I like Daiwa. I think the Exceler is the best reel for that dollar, and a better and more feature laden reel versus the older Symetre.

That's weird; all the walmarts in Oklahoma and Texas carry the S.

I'm not a Revo man, but I thought this was a great deal. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5439149

Just use what you like...

The BCR's are quite a bit fast. 'Stiff' comes to mind. A good comparison would be the 2 power Mag Bass (842) versus the 2 power bcr (852). There is no way I would use the quite limber 842 for throwing any sort of plastic, but the 852 bcr is uber fast, and has the power to get a great hookset when throwing plastic/jigs 3/8oz and under. The BCR's are noticeable more powerful; at least a 1/2 power heavier than the mbr's. Hope that helps.

I took 7 tonight: 4 crankbait setups (BDS 1, Moonsault cb100, RC2.5DD, and a trap)\ 1 spinnerbait 1 football jig 1 spinning rod rigged with a slider I did not end up using my spinning rod, and used the spinnerbait only a couple of times. The deep crank (RC2.5DD) did not produce a fish the times I threw it. I did catch two fish on the trap, but mainly the jig and two shallow cranks dominated. Cranks should highlight your game plan when fish start to go into a fall pattern, with the football jig backing you up when the fish aren't chasing baitfish. The football jig worked in the heat of the day, and the shallow cranks worked as it went into the evening. The moonsault cleaned up when there was activity around me in open water, and the BDS 1 pulled a few fish hanging out by trees and stumps. No hogs tonight, but a few good fish on the jig (only a few bites), but the two shallow runners produced quite a few fish (4-5 keepers...7 or 8 dinks). I had a blast. Heading out again in the morning...

Doesn't the North Face go against your low budget principals? You could probably use the same argument for preferring The North Face as you could for preferring high-end tackle. I have and love my North Face 2004 Limited Edition down jacket, but my brother (a dedicated hiker/climber) scoffed at it and claims that The North Face isn't the same as the old company that gained their reputation over a decade ago. He told me that all the North Face stuff is now mass produced in China, and if I want the old North Face quality, I need to buy Mountain Hardwear (something about one of the founders opened mountain hardwear or something). Maybe OT, but I was just curious.

If you have a piece of aluminum that is anodized...can you have it anodized a different color? Does it have to be stripped somehow?

I didn't like my Revo SX's. They didn't like anything under 3/8oz that has any body to it. The SX's brakes adjust from 'No Brakes' to 'Very Little Brakes'. I like the centrifugal cast control much better.

In my experience; wide wobbling baits are ideal when the fish are more active. Today was a great example. Heavy pressure form 4pm to 6pm. The only thing active were the jet skis and other anglers, which were numerous. I managed 2 keepers and missed 2 more behind someone working the same stretch of bank/docks on a Flat Mini DR (this bait has a nice tight action). Then about 7pm with the sun starting to fade away; the surface started coming around with some activity. A quick change-up to a BDS 2 yielded two more keepers before I loaded up. Could I have caught a few on a trap? Probably. Don't traps have a tight wiggle? Yes. Don't ask...it gets very complicated from here

Good info, but it will benefit you to know those stats are based on Sunline Shooter, which is a rather stiff fluoro, and why it shuns the palomar (pinches a little in the fold). If you look at the Trilene 100% review, you will notice it actually preferred the Palomar over the Trilene and Improved Clinch knots. This is another area where an angler just needs to use good judgement; if you are using a stiffer fluoro/line...go with a non-pinching knot such as the Trilene Knot or Improved Clinch. Softer fluoros such as Trilene 100% and Seaguar Inviz-X actually prefer the palomar.

If you are using Trilene 100% and breaking off you might want to stick to mono. My experience as well as others (and Tackle Tour's tests) have the Trilene Pro Grade as well as the BPS branded Toray as the Fluoro kings (the most well-rounded fluoros available). No matter the fluoro brand; you will no doubt get a line that actually has a breaking strength true to the rating (or below in several brands). I recommend going up one lb test when switching to fluoro; i.e. if you use 12lb CXX for a certain technique and want to make the switch to fluoro...go with 15lb. Hope that helps....

Pline CXX has Zero water absorbtion. The silicone enriched abrasion coating repels water like Gore Tex. I'm a clear line guy, which makes it easy to distinguish when my line is absorbing water and UV rays are rendering it weathered. It turns white. I can leave CXX on my reels as long or longer than fluoro and it stays as clear as a window pane. Fluoro is impervious to UV rays; but more susceptible to abrasion. CXX actually lasts longer than any line I have used...even fluorocarbon. Lines succumb to abrasion long before UV has the opportunity to damage them. You've gotta love the anglers that say they leave fluoro on for 'months'. They must be fishing zero cover/structure for their lines to avoid nicks in that kind of time frame.

I don't own one, but I have played around with one at BPS. Seems very smooth and solid...just like the Tierra. Either of those two would be a good bet. Several anglers here have and love the Tierra. I've gone to the Daiwa TD Advantage. It's similar, but has a sealed drag.

Wow...you sure keep a lot of soft plastics rigged up! They get one or two rods of mine on a good day.