SirSnookalot

For the most part I need no information from a rod company, I know what I want. However I did need want some info on a boat rod I purchased, many boat rods do not list the lure weights. I called one of the most popular companies on this site and the rep knew less than me, IMO most of them are just order takers. I have never broken a rod by accident (watch me do it today with my big mouth, lol) and my rods don't break from use, I'm real cautious with the way I take them in and out of my vehicle. My rods are never on the deck of a boat, they are in rod holders when not in use, however I do not fish from a bass boat. Fishing from a center console offshore it's the norm to have a fish on that takes you 360 around the boat, last thing you want is to trip over something. A good rod for me is never needing customer service, but what ever floats yer boat, go4it.

This is true, considering the new rods and reels are usually at MSRP at BPS it isn't worth the 80 mile round trip for me, especially if I can find a better deal on line someplace. I have plenty of needy people around me, I just give my stuff away.

Use your drag and the line won't break, 30# PP breaks some where around 40-45#. I'd be more concerned with your knots than the line.

14# is a lot of drag, try pulling it out by hand. My Avet which is used for kingfish, cobia, amberjack, has a max drag of 14#, using 20 or 30 lb mono my drag is never set more than about 7 lb. Drag IMO should never be locked down for any fish for any reason.

I never use backing, to me it doesn't make any difference if the reel is low line capacity or takes 300 yds. Do I add line, sometimes when I'm fishing for small fish, but I usually do a fresh respool. Nothing wrong with backing, not being on a budget I don't care to use it.

In the canal behind my home, which is wider, debris and palm leaves accumulate quite often, especially after a storm. I see no difference in catch, the bass are resident and always there.

From what little bass fishing I'm doing now, nothing is really clicking in my neck of the woods. Inshore fishing is on fire, but that will be ending very soon. Had tarpon close to 40# and 37" snook, plus jacks, lady fish and bluefish to the point where I'm sore, but still out there everyday.

How does one declare one company as having the best customer service, if they haven't used the customer service from the dozens of companies that make rods. A good rod is one where customer service is never needed. If I happen to own rods, and thankfully I do not, from 1 company where customer service has been needed several times for whatever reason, that's a company I'd be staying away from for the future.

$50 is probably very conservative once tackle and line replacement, new combos, boat maintenance, insurance and number of other things are factored in.

IMO a large heavy duty spinning would not be more versatile unless your everyday target were fish that required it, a 3 or 4000 reel can handle most inshore fish you will run into. A good portion of those reels are well under 11oz, pretty light by our standards, I do use a cabo that is 14 oz and it's very comfortable, by no means am I saying spinning is the only way to go, it's just the more popular. I think some of the posts have gotten a little carried away with a 100# tarpon, that's a big powerful fish and the likelyhood of an amateur pulling one in with 1000, 2500 or even a 4000 reel is remote. From personal experience and I've caught a lots of tarpon, 50# or so is pretty much the limit on light tackle on foot from shore. A couple of weeks ago a big young guy about 300# hooked one about 80# with a heavy convention outfit, must have taken him 45 minutes and that tarpon took him all over the jettie, back and forth quite a few times. Not a chance in the world could I have done with a mh rod and 4000 reel.

I c&r and no where do I see the system abused more than in saltwater, it does annoy me but nothing I can do about as the people are lawful. I've got a good hunch on many need the fish to survive so, if you're fishing with tip broken off be my guess, I just mind my own business. We have one guy that comes out, must have 15 different outfits, nothing less than a stella and st croix or loomis, he doesn't need the fish to survive, yet takes everything and "begs" others, I don't give him crap.

I have no doubt about that. I wouldn't overfill a spinning reel with any kind of line.

Just glad it worked out for Stafford, he'd look like a fool it it didn't, a fine line between a champ and a chump.

I wouldn't eat anything from those canals either, the ones in that area are some of the most disgusting, I don't even want to fish there.

Big difference in the way tarpon and shark fight and not all shark species fight the same either. Whether tarpon or shark of that size using a small reel like bantam or even a small spinning reel the fish is most likely chased after with the boat, those small reels don't have enough line. Since it's a tv show, how many takes does it get for that footage, how often do they show failure. Larry Dahlberg is not the average fisherman, he's a professional with a professional helmsman. Even weekend warriors are successful at times whether it's b/c or spinning, but landing fish that size is usually a team effort, angler, driver and sometimes a mate. Big fish can be caught with anything, mako hunters using fly rods these days. The people doing it have experience handling those kinds of fish, a person that targets smaller fish has much less chance of success, just doesn't have the expertise.

Jolly Green summed it up well concerning the reel, nothing really needs to be added. You won't hurt a decent quality rod by using a lure just a bit heavier than the guidelines on the rod. I really never had the need to do so for bass fishing, I do however in other venues all the time.

The people I've observed with a spinning reel upside down are reeling backwards.

I absolutely agree, a stradic 5000 or sustain 5000 would be light enough. A wide spool reel in 3000 or 4000 could work too, like a pflueger arbor. I'd go 10# braid with a f/c leader myself.

I'd suggest 80 lb

I'm finding this topic getting real interesting. Posts, screen names, quotes in the signature area are not uncommon here, yet they have not been removed. The explanation is simple, the majority of the people on this site are male, not a minority and share the same religion, for the most part they just not been exposed to others. Case in point, every Xmas the well wishes go out for a happy holiday season, during the Jewish New Year a thread was made wishing people of that faith a happy new year, not one single post in response to that. I don't have to imagine what discrimination is, I've been living it for 68 years. I'm sure this post will be deleted, as the thrust is not intended for the use of a sweet beaver.

Not being a PETA member of any plans of joining the organization, I'm looking at the use of drones as being positive. I'm sure many people have read news articles and seen documentaries on TV depicting poaching and other illegal acts. Being a fisherman I don't care how many wardens are hiding in the bushes or a drone up in the sky, as I'm doing everything legal with nothing to hide. Why would someone be fearful of getting caught on "candid camera" if they are obeying the law, it's the ones breaking the law with the worries. I've seen many posts on this site alone that view poaching and illegal acts in a very negative way, I would think what ever methods are employed and if were successful would be welcomed by outdoorsmen. Yes I do think PETA goes overboard it some areas, but this one has piqued my interest.

I agree with much of what KyakR has to say. Many people that feel PC has gone overboard probably are not women, or a minority that has received verbal assaults or have been discriminated against, no need to list them all. As far as a lure name goes I don't pay too much attention, but I do pay attention to people and their feelings.

IMO it depends on the intent of use and size. I know many are pleased with them and Alan Hawk reviews it well. I own a Penn conquer 7000, others love them and I don't, perhaps a lemon. Fishing saltwater everyday, I see no reel represented more than Penn reels, period. If I were to use a reel for double duty in both fresh and salt I may be looking at something else. Quite honestly there is a criteria difference in fresh and salt, salt fishermen do not seem to be quite as concerned with overall smoothness, it's cranking power and drag performance, especially in the reels 4-5-6000 and bigger. I don't own a battle but I do own reels that are 150-200 used in saltwater exclusively, one of the more popular brands seems to always need some kind of minor repairs, despite being approved for saltwater. In fairness many many snook, tarpon, and jacks have been caught, any reel is going to wear out in time.

Never broke or wore out a rod. I suppose if you hooked a 150 lb fish on a ml rod it might break, I have hooked and landed 2 150lb lemon shark back to back on a 25lb rod almost doubling in half, rod was just fine, spinning of course, would I use anything else, lol Although this was in the days of my youth, I was only 63 yo old at the time. I gave that $50 Penn pursuit to a friend, it still may be going strong, I haven't seen him in years.

Can't say that I'm totally in agreement. I'll preface my statement by saying what someone else chooses to use is up to them, I use what I like the best. I've been using the same spinning reel for close to 5 years with no signs of any kind of wear, a drop of oil every 6 months and that's it, I fish it 12 months of the year too. Before I moved this reel to freshwater bass I used it for about 18 months for snook, IMO it's weathered the test of both time and fish, for me it's been the right tool.