SirSnookalot

Didn't buy the Sargossa, the 18000 is a little big for the 15-30 boat rod I was planning on using, a 40 or 50# class rod would be a better match I think. I did buy, after much research and looking at reels, a Penn Conquer 7000, 18.1 oz with 32 max drag, extremely smooth, the Sargossa of the same class was heavier with 27 max drag, also very smooth, an excellent reel as well.

The Islamic mind set is different than ours, they have all the time in the world, whether it takes 1 year or a 1000 years. This is great news, however Bin Laden at this point was a figure head, cells located everywhere to carry on his agenda. Nice time to celebrate and pat ourselves on the back hopefully without a cocky attitude, the job is never finished.

Regarding the premise of the original post, the fisherman was already there and fishing. Is the time and effort the boater took to pilot his boat to the same area worth more than the bank fisherman? I say, like in basketball, the bank fisherman had position and the boater is guilty of " charging", bank fisherman gets 2 free casts with a 3 oz. pyramid sinker......lol j/k. The boater is mobile , can go anywhere and should have showed some consideration.

Hot water will not take line twist, it will make your line limper and manage better. You need to troll the twist, behind a boat, or a running stream,hooking 1 end to a fence and reeling back while holding the line tight between your fingers, some do it by walking it thru the grass, I never tried that. I do see lots of twist in the photo. Once you have no twist try a good quality swivel and leader, that may help for the future. The difference in drag setting between 8 and 6# test is very slight. Hand closing the bail is a good idea just from a wear and tear standpoint and prevent the line to loop before reeling, it has nothing to with line twist, the twist is caused by reeling and a bait like a fluke or spoon spinning around, normal on spinning gear.

Larry Dahlberg pushes nothing but Shimano rods and reels, so I think his opinions are biased. Not saying Shimano isn't good, but there are certainly other choices. The fi is a super reel, but I don't think I would buy one again for saltwater. In reference to what 0119 says, I used my supreme 35 ( not xt) in saltwater for snook for maybe 18 months before moving it over to freshwater, with no ill effects whatsoever, I know some are negative on the mg construction.

10# should cast a bit further than 20#. A snap cast ( freshwater style ) does not cast as far as a flowing smooth easy arc letting the rod tip do the work ( saltwater surf style). Having my roots in freshwater I tend to snap cast myself and I've received comments about it, they seem to be right. Only certain fishing venues and weather conditions that make me want extra distance on my casts, for the most part I don't think I need mega casting distance, 20 -30 yds seems to sufficient.

I just bought another Star this morning, will have a Soron 60 on it's back.

I wouldn't over complicate things, keep your mind clear, a tight line and with a little practice you will own them. As Chris said big bass are not the strongest, biggest, jumpingest fish out there. You won't get runs of 100 yards or more, I got spooled with over 250 yds of line the other day, only wished I would have a jumper. When they are jumping they aren't pulling line out, gives you a split second to put pressure on them. I think the jump is a blessing. Catching a 6-8-10# fish of any species is a lot of fun, but what makes bass fishing exciting is the jump, if you lose it so what, just go catch another.

Pencil in a drill

The Star does have a stiffer tip but I can cast as far or further than anything else I own. The Tsunami is probably more sensitive and very light. My kind of fishing and my target species do not require overly sensitive rods, the fish here rip the rod out of your hands and refuse to give it back. Kidding aside I have caught 1/2 pound mangrove snappers on jigs with no problem of not being able to feel the bite, same goes for freshwater bass....I for one don't put as much stock in the sensitivty issue as others do.

Try tipping your jig, sometimes if I have leftover shrimp or squid I'll stick in on a jig, salami will work too.

For most fishing nothing but braid is considered. I use P line floroclear on 1 rig, an Avet mxj, the reel calls for 300 yds of 20# line and I have quite a bit more on the reel. The line has performed well for med size fish, like kings, tuna, sailfish, holds a good knot and joins nicely with a blood knot. It's a good open water line.

I only have 1 split handle rod, not really all that crazy for it. All of my freshwater and inshore equipment is spinning and I would not consider any rod without an ample foregrip. Catch powerful fish and you may learn to appreciate it, many times my hand is several inches on to the shaft for leverage.

Jumping is not exclusive to bass, many species will put on an acrobatic display. Keeping the rod tip as low as possible will help keep them on the hook better. I will say that if certain species are hooked and don't jump like they should you will be disappointed. The jumping show is everything, I just try to keep a tight line.

The Tsnunami for one..........Star rods and they make rods suitable for bass as well. Imo the spine is a bit underrated, much stronger. I recently bought a Star stellar lite ($99) 7' 10/20 2 oz lure weight, incredible casting distance and really handles the fish well. I am going to get another, I'm really enjoying this rod. Star is really not under the radar, but I don't think most freshwater fisherman know much about them.

For maybe the first time in my life I might have to agree with RW, probably the last too.....lol. As much as I like Pflueger and I think the supremes have one of the better crank handles for small reels, the drags don't match up to a stradic. I think the Pflueger is fine for bass, but the stradic is better all around reel, also I do not care for any EVA knob, a deal breaker for me from the git go.

Appeared to be a day not for light tackle, as I was waiting for my buds to show up at the marina I saw some jack crevelles swimming near the dock, 5 pounders. I toss out a jig and to my surprise I get slammed hard by snook, maybe 10 or so, fish landed within seconds. Head offshore to about 100', I get hit using the same 4000 spinning reel and get spooled of 200+ yds of braid in less than 45 seconds on full drag, my guess a wahoo based on the speed. I have caught countless tarpon 50# or so on this outfit as well as big kingfish. My buddy Howard, using a Shimano TLD, stout rod and 40# mono, gets hit, nearly spooled with maybe a 2-300 yds of line, gets cut off after a long fight. He then gets hit by another, we have to run this fish down, winds up being a jack crevelle around 35#. Wasn't the last, Howard who is the luckiest fisherman I have ever met, gets one more on the line, this one even more powerful. gets his fighting belt on and one of the guys holds him so he doesn't get pulled into the water, this is bull shark time of the year. We chased this fish down after what seemed an eternity and still nearly spooled on that TLD, Howard ran out of steam, being 75 years old, handed the rod to another guy. As I expected the guy lost the fish for Howard. Probably was a good sized Amberjack, no way to know. Didn't catch many fish, all came home sore fighting 4' waves and some good fish, but had good time, back out Monday, hopefully for a repeat performance. Thinking about getting a Sargossa 18000 with 44# of drag and using more conventional gear, can't stop them with anything less.

Wasn't Rob Lowe's name in Coppola's " The outsiders, Sodapop? We called it pop in Michigan, when I lived NY it was called soda.

My suggestion to anyone that is working as an employee is never to over rate yourself and the value you bring to the company, your position can change in an eye blink. New department head coming in, a merger and your job is a duplicate, the list is endless of situations that can cause a change in your job description or employment, don't be over confident as " you are the man "......you are not. The only " man" is the one writing the checks. Many of the old guard are retired, we have already done what many younger people are aspiring to do. I'm sure down the list each one of us has both extremely high moments as well as hitting rock bottom and would agree that when cockiness sets in that is the time one can get humbled in a moment, don't take anything for granted.

I agree with Rhino 100%. As a business owner for over 35 years I would never have tolerated internet surfing or more so taking job time to moderate a forum, even if one thinks they are on their own time and are exceptionally productive. No one is above replacement and the good times last just so long, maybe a new boss comes in or your present boss is getting pressure and develops a wild hair up his..... If one is getting a good salary with good benefits plus healthcare, they are doing their family a disservice by taking risks to jeopardize that position. Owning a business isn't easy and to be successful it takes real devotion, no time to "play" around, probably why most employees could never make it as owners, they lack what it takes.

I'm laughing so hard I have tears running down my cheeks and my stomach hurts.

Lake Worth Lagoon is the intra coastal waterway in Palm beach county, about 20 miles long.

Nailclippers work fine and they pack in your pocket real small. I never fish without a pliers in a sheath on my belt, cuts mono and braid....

There are other excellent rods that fly under the radar, little or no advertising. The people I know that use these rods spend little or no time on any type of online forum, so there is very little word of mouth. If anyone ever has a chance to try a Tsunami Airwave, I would have no doubt that you'd be impressed.

You won't be sorry, I'd stack it up against anything twice it's price.