Big Bait Fishing

when drop shotting from shore , i feel you can do just as good if not better , cast it out far and instead of a vertical presentation , you reel it in super slow and give action to the bait . you can fan cast from shore like you would a texas rigged worm , but you will have your bait a little off the bottom and can cover water good .

Izorline XXX is an outstanding line also !!! i use it for my swimbait rod (25 lb. line) i have 10 lb. on one of my other setups

it depends on the size of the crankbait , get 2 , 4, and 6 sizes of trebles ....

sorry to hear that , Gamma co-poly is one of if not THE best co-poly out there !!

With the exception of a VERY VERY few (St Croix maybe ???) who else makes their own blanks, reel seats, guides etc...???? I'm pretty sure that most just assemble other manufactures parts and then put a sticker with their name on the rod and call themselves a rod company... most rod companies have some one else build their rods to their specs , they don't just pick a random blank and slap a sticker on it : : anyhow , enjoy the rod , ya bought it cause you like it , don't let our dislikes of kistler for making that ridiculous warranty stop you from having a good time

Thanks for the suggestion! Do you have any opinion on dobyns second gen rods? I just heard we get a club discount. And he is also coming to speak at one our meetings soon. if you are looking at a Dobyns , check out the Dobyns Mike Long SB Rod 7'9" Med Hvy 795 a very nice rod !!!

give custom rod builder Mike at Delaware Valley Tackle (one of our site sponsors) , he can make you one off of a rainshadow blank ISWB945 (2-6 oz. lures ) i have one built by Gblanks) and it throws hudds (rof 16) perfectly and will throw lighter baits great also . i use it for frogs and deep diving crankbaits sometimes !! a very versatile rod . i am sure Mike can build it for you just how you want and it will come in under your budget

found a place selling this outstanding line , looks to be priced right http://www.shoplonglines.com/gammatech-copolymer-refill.html

try tighting the spool tensioner a click or two , and maybe let out enough line on the spool till it feels packed on the spool ( the line remaining) then spool the let out line and apply pressure on the line as you wind it on . when praticing casting , if you keep the cast control (spool knob) a little loose , you are gonna have to keep your thumb on the spool as you cast . how many brakes to do you have set on the centifugal brakes ?? if you have two , maybe set three . keep practicing casting and as soon as you get it set up right , you will be good to go , also , maybe practice with some cheap line . alot of times continued backlashes will damage the line so to save your good line , practice with some cheap line like berkley big game or some stuff from the bargain bins ...

yeah , i don't care if god himself designed and turned these blanks , that warranty is worthless . here is the explanation of their 90 day warranty - All Z bone rods carry our 90 Day limited warranty guarantee! After that, if you take care of your rod and don't treat it like a winch, a net or a snagged bait remover...you will experience a lifetime of performance from your custom Z bone rod i think we all take care of are rods , i guess no one needs a warranty :

by putting the upgraded bearings and upgraded drag , that is part of the super tunning process and also polishing friction points on the reels , Mike , who owns Delaware Valley Tackle (our site sponsor ) does this , i will be sending him a Revo SX to have this done shortly , followed by my Inshore and Toro 51 !!!!!

Stainless steel is a nickel alloy and not all stainless products will be equal in ni content and corrosion resistance, I agree that many stainless pliers do not hold up well. For my freshwater I use a $2.00 pair that work fine, lose em just buy a new pair. Saltwater different story, I was in the tackle shop yesterday and the clerk showed me his personal pair of aluminum pliers, most impressive I have seen to date, they don't sell them in that store and I missed the brand name but I will get the name........only $30, these I want. Extreme light weight, on a lanyard, side cutting tool for braid and replaceable blades. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64226?pi=1067876&subrnd=0&qs=3021021 Wouldn't happen to be those would it? I've heard super things about the Slicks but have yet to get my hands on them. At that price, they're worth another couple pair. The thing I like about my Ross (and others like them) is that the carbide cutter will cut absolutely anything I fish with(in terms of line.) Most cheaper pliers won't cut braid with any consistency, particularly not small diameter. for braid , i use fiskars kid scissors , been cutting braid on the pair i currently use for over a year . and they only cost about $4.00 !!!!

the best treble hook made . i use them on every thing from small crank baits to big swim baits , the ST-36 hooks are good , but i love the "cutting points" on the ST-41's . the shanks on the hooks are a little thicer cause they are a extra strong hook but they don't affect action on the bait , tho might cause it to dive/sink a little farther , a good thing in my book especially with deep diving crankbaits

i used that handle on my Revo SX but then took it off cause it would work it self loose , not really the handle nut , but the handle it self was getting rounded out where the crankshaft goes thru it , didn't actually fit good like a stock handle did , plus the handle flexes way too much . i took it off and am gonna replace it with the skeet reese handle , already got all the parts , gonna have Mike from Delaware valley Tackle , our site sponsor , put it on after he does some upgrades to the reel

micro guides are great , i don't know about buying anything boyd duckett is selling , seems like he puts his foot in his mouth on these rods he is selling , first badmouthing E21 (carrot stix) about them making products that didn't meet "his standards" , but then makes his own rods that so far can't hold a candle to E21's rods , plus the gimmicky sales pitches are ridiculous !! they should be selling them at wal-mart ..... just my opinion

x2 , especially if your using 4-8 lb. lines for spinning rods !!

just don't get anything Mustad !!! cause if you your looking for corrosion resistance , these don't hold up at all , they are advertised as being "stainless steel" , maybe a little , but not 100% , mine are all rusty , don't even use them any more > as far as plier shopping , i now buy them at harbor freight for as little as $1.99 , when they get bad , i just buy new ones . i am not gonna buy good ones because it seems these are the first tool to go over board

let the fish tell you , there is a time and place for BOTH !!

you didn't specify what topwater type bait you are asking about but for most of my top water presentations with treble hooks i use shad colored baits . the only time i use something different is when i throw trout patterned waking swimbaits .

here is a place that sells them http://www.lurenet.com/productdetail.aspx?id=N501&DCMP=KAC-froogle&att=N501

Are you sure it is the Bill Dance Hook remover? I did check the BPS online and could not find it! It is the orange tool.I am also looking to buy one! looks like they don't carry it anymore , probably cause they have their own which is very similar http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10213376_100011005_100000000_100011000_100-11-5

Mattlures soft and hard gills !!! with the soft gills since they have a top hook , you can slow roll them on the bottom or a few feet off of it . with the hard gills just fish thru out the water column , fished slow also but with small twitches thrown in to elicit strikes . another bait to use is suspending jerk baits , try matching the forage id possible or go with greens and slight oranges , mimicing sunfish and blue gills

there have been a few posts already on these rods.

telescoping rods don't detract from sensitivity , certainly not with the upper end rods like a St.croix legend tournament !!!!

if you want some stiff braid that won't be succeptible to wind knots try Cortland master braid http://www.cortlandline.com/products/default.asp?id=517