ghost

Thanks guys! I was on a budget so I went w/ the Capricorn. I really don't need the waterproof drag, would be nice but have not had problems w/ my other spinning reels in regards to that. The Capricorn is about an ounce heavier, I can sure feel the difference from the 2 side by side. Besides those, I think I will enjoy the Capricorn....I wish it had a faster gear ratio though, same w/ the Tierra.

Looking at a size 2000 spinning & these 2 have my interest. I understand that the Tierra is the updated version of the Capricorn. I've checked both out & are very, very similar except in color & bail size. I think the Tierra is slightly lighter than the Capricorn. The Capricorn is the older model w/ the hardbodyz. Price wise the Capricorn is $80 (was around $120 before the Tierra came out) & the Tierra is $115. Given these, would I gain anything by getting something new like the Tierra or save some money & get the Capricorn? Both reels feel smooth, but just wanted some opinions.

What was said on BPS online catalog are for the 2007 Stradic models. It was the none mgfa models that I was looking at, don't know about the mgfa ones.

I was looking at the reviews of the Stradic on BPS online shopping. There are alot of negative reviews about the Stradic. About not the quality that it's supposed to be. Making noise & other problems. Any of you guys that do own the reel, can you comment about this? How about the Shimano Symetre? Any problems similar to the Stradic? I thought Shimano made quality stuff, what is all the negative comments then on the BPS online reviews???

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_96615_100001001_100000000_100001000_100-1-1 The Viento's younger brother, I had a chance to check one out today, a left hand model. Feels pretty good, but I don't know if it was just new & needed a breaking in, but the spool didn't spin for a long time, like the Viento. It was smooth though. I guess this is the reason for the much lower price. What I want to know is if the frame is made of graphite or aluminum. I guess for $60-70 it must be graphite, but I'm not sure. Look at the link on top via BPS, & I checked Daiwa & neither states the frame material. But the spool is aluminum.... Also the store I was at looking at the Megaforce, they also have the new Procyon baitcast & spinning rods w/ some models w/ split grips. These are IM7 graphite rods & retails for under $50. I have a 6'6" ML spinning that is wonderful, but as like the St Croix Premier, the reel seat on the spinning rod will slip. I remedy this by wrapping electrical tape after I install a spinning reel on it. Check it out on Daiwa's site, seems like a great deal if you want a split grip rod.

No it's not the backing, what you are using is good, I tend to go w/ 6 lb mono. What's causing the wind knots are the line is twisting. Either you spooled the braid w/ a twist in the line & didn't know it, or you used a lure that twisted the braid. I get wind knots especially after using certain lures, like in-line spinners. To avoid wind knots, I use a swivel & that seems to help. I would recommend that if you have access to a boat is to unspool the line in the water while the boat is moving, up to the end of the mono on the spool. Let all the line drag in the water for a while & then wind it back up w/ some finger pressure on the line. This will help get any twists out of your mono & braid.

Check this out: http://www.fishwest.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BW06FP1000BK&Category_Code=bwsports&Store_Code=flyshop I'm looking to getting one for my pontoon boat. You don't need to have the heavy battery & trolling motor on your pontoon, it is separate from it. You can then keep your gear & keep your pontoon lighter in weight.

How do you use these lures? Do you let them sink to the bottom & jig or do you crank it like a rattle trap?

I know this isn't new, I got the idea from seeing a brand called Joe's Fly's. I like what he did w/ the spinner flys, but the weights were too light for me. So I made my own, since I have an abundant supply of in-line spinners & flys. Those are on the right w/ the one in the middle I added on a 3" Lip Ripperz trout worm. The 2 on the left are 1/8 oz Chatterbaits that I put on 3" minnows, the brown colored one is from Basstrix & the other one is from Berkley Power Series. The 1/8 oz Chatterbaits & the minnows get smashed all the time. I had some luck w/ the spinner flys, I gotta try them on the river.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_90680_100001002_100000000_100001000_100-1-2 Anyone tried this reel or own it? Any good, will it hold up? Anything???

Since I learned how to skip worms under pontoon boats & docks this summer, wacky rigging a Senko, Yum Dinger style worms have been my bread & butter lately. I've been wanting to try other soft plastics, skipping them under but a 3/4/5" Senko style worm works too good to spoil a good thing. Only thing is as you all know Senkos don't last long even after one fish. As soon as the bass shakes its head that worm is flying off the hook. I wouldn't mind this if I was catching bigger bass most of the time. But as usual, I get the small ones first & that lucky day like today, I get a much better bass. 4 lbs, 17.5" LM bass. I did pretty good today, 3 SM bass & 7 LM bass & the 4 lber made my day! Funny thing is I used a knockoff Senko worm that I don't even remember who makes it, that it lasted 4 bass before it went flying off the hook. Yum Dingers last a little bit longer & you do get more worms than you do w/ Senkos & they are cheaper. I still haven't found a Senko style worm that will last after a few fish....'cept the knockoff one that I used to land the 4 lber. I just don't remember who made it...but if I do recall it was in a closeout bin, so I reckon that the company doesn't even exsist anymore. I have to break out of the "bread & butter" of a wacky rigged Senko & try a Fat Ika, tube, frog, trick worm, etc. What do you guys use for skipping soft plastic? How about hard plastic lures????

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_44690_100010002_100000000_100010000_100-10-2 This is what I use for tube hooks. The weight goes inside the tube & is hidden. You can then skin hook the tube when you run the hook on the other side. I either have the eye on top of the nose of the tube, if the area I'm fishing isn't all that weedy. Or I'll make sure the hook goes in the middle of the nose, so I get less weeds when I'm dragging the tube. another site.com also sell these hooks.

You guys seen this rod or own it? It's pretty sweet looking & around $50-60. I am interested about getting this rod, but would like comments of those that own it.

Okay, the little lake that's close to the house, the bass I've caught there are no more than 2+ lbs. I've seen bigger bass in the 5+ lb range cruise every so often. I've been trying to land one of the bigger bass, well today was that day. Let me start last Wed, I used a new Spro Bronze Eye Jr frog, used it in some weeds that is on the surface. I worked the frog & the biggest water eruption happens. I set the hook, the fish heads for deeper water & 5 seconds later the bass pops off the Spro Jr. I gotta tell ya, that bass was pulling hard, I didn't set the hook correctly, caught me off guard. I learned my lesson that day! I wasn't bummed, I was happy to see that a bigger bass will nail a lure, not just look at it at this little lake. Forward to earlier this evening. Went to the same place, casted the same Spro Jr to pretty much the same area I missed the bass earlier in the week. Worked the frog a few feet & another big water eruption. This time I made sure the bass had the frog....then I set the hook. I GOT HIM!!! The bass started heading to deeper water, but I horsed him in. It wasn't a long fight, but I sure got the attention of some teenagers fishing from shore too. I was doing an "Ike" whooping & hollerin'. Didn't mean to, but I finally had a bass worthy of this little lake. 3 lbs, 10 oz, & 19"....here's the pics: deep water w/ that hookset!!! Fished some more after that, the teenagers were congratulating me & asking if they could have the bass for dinner.....I think NOT! I told them that I catch & release....nuff said! About a half hour before the park closes, I chose a black Heddon Torpedo. I let the water settle before I worked the lure. Next thing I know it goes under, I set the hook...hmmm, not much of a fight must be a small bass. Was I wrong, it was a pretty big bluegill that hit the Heddon Torpedo. I didn't take a pic, just chuckled that a Torpedo will catch more than a bass. Now, just before I left, I went back to the same place I caught the 3 lber. I see "eyes" popping out of the weeds checking out the Spro Jr. The "eyes" gets closer to the frog, I made the frog do a little "jiggle" & WHAM! Sumthin's got the Spro Jr, I set the hook & brought this in: A frog catches a good sized bullfrog!!!! Now I'm really laughing, this little 1/2 oz Spro Jr lure is amazing! It will catch almost anything! I also bought a new Shimano Citica 201 from BPS last week & had it mounted on a 6'6" BPS Bionic Blade baitcast rod. I had 40 lb Power Pro braided line on the Citica. Nice setup, the Citica is a workhorse of a reel for its price. It's a nice replacement for the older Curado. I need to add that I got the reel cuz I had credit w/ BPS...just in case the wife reads this....Love you Honey!!! : So about a couple hours of fishing, not many bass, just one but it made up for this past week of catching dinks. Now I need to get the new float tube in the water & catch more!!!! So that's how my day ended after working all day on a Saturday. I've been waiting for a fun day like today. Good fishing to you all!!! Ghost is goin' "night, night".

Thanks Dude!!!

Mantra is a lower line baitcast reel. If you loosen the round tension knob & tighten down the star drag, when you crank the handle, you want to press the thumb spool release. The spool will stop pretty quick, when the brakes or mag brakes are turned off. It does not spin as well as other baitcast reels. This is a good thing if you're learning to use a baitcaster. The spool will not spin too fast to cause too many backlashes. Make sure you have the brakes on to max, till you get the feel of how the line comes off the spool. You'll need to use your thumb to manage the line. When you get better at using a baitcaster, look at the Shimano Citica or Abu Garcia Revo-S. Both are great reels for under $120, either one will be a great step up from the Mantra.

Yup, you want to do that, especially if you're not going to use the baitcast reel or even a spinning reel for a few days or weeks. I loosen the star drag & the round tension knob. I'll also back off the drag on my spinning reels. You see, there are washers for the drags. If you keep constant pressure, you will compress the washers for too long of a time. The washers will not perform the job of "drag" when you need it. A friend found out the hard way. He stored his baitcaster for the winter & when he first used it this year, a month ago, the drag did not hold. He cranked it down & still it slipped. When you loosen the drag, it gives the washer time to recover.

Trim the legs about 3/4 to 1 inch. When you do that, you will be able to walk the dog w/ the frog a bit easier. This is good for open water or by shore line. Trimming the legs to up to an inch, will not hinder how the frog will work in weed mats. You just have to scoot it along like a frog moving ever so slightly on top of the weeds & stopping by openings. Or you can do a quick move over the mats like a frog just got spooked & stops a couple feet away. I also like casting to shore & moving the frog onto water. Like if the lip of the bank is a couple feet from the water. The slight splash & movement will attract a bass attention....or for that matter a bullfrog that is close by. I've had that happen a few times. I also have added a glass rattle & a couple bb shots for noise. I think it helps especially when the frog is on top of weed mats. Nothing beats & getting your heart beating like a bass blasting through weed mats. You are not expecting it to happen & BAM!!! Something just busted through & your lure is not there....you set the hook on a nice size bass. I've actually had smaller bass hit the Spro & was very surprised that a small bass can inhale quite a big lure.

http://www.fishtek.com/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=32 Looks interesting, I'm a sucker for a different design buzzbait. I may have to buy a couple & try them out.

Thanks for mentioning me LBH. My thoughts on using single hooks on crankbaits.... It should work for freshwater fishing, especially bass. However, I would think that you would need to go w/ a next size hook for hook up ratios. Lets say that the trebles on a crankbait are size 4 trebles. You would need to replace w/ size 2(bigger than 4) single hooks. Also, I am thinking about why not use single hooks w/ weedguards? I know that Gamakatsu has some single hooks w/ wire weedguards. This would definately keep the lure weedless, now you just have to worry about weeds getting caught on a crankbaits lip. Obviously not a worry if you're using a rattle trap lure. Also, the single hook has to be long enough for the hook point to be past the body, if not when a fish hits the lure, the chance of the hook point hitting the lure first would be great & the fish would realize that it's not real(just guessing) & spit the lure out, before the hook has a chance to move to the side of the body. Look at the pic that LBH has posted, the single hooks used are slightly longer & the hook point is past the body. I guess if the single hook is in front, the lure swaying side to side, the hook will move away from the body, so a fish can still get hooked. Just theorizing... The front hook would have to not face away from the body while in use for freshwater fishing, as shown on the pic. That would for sure snag up more weeds, the hook point would need to face up, under the body for weedless fishing. Also, I think w/ using single hooks on saltwater lures, these guys aren't casting to areas w/ weeds like freshwater fishermen do. The lures that LBH shows, those are for trolling in open water, where hardly any weeds would affect the lure. I may have to try idea out sometimes. Chris, I think changing out to single hooks on the Aruku will solve the weed issues. But I think that w/ a single hook, the Aruku may not sit up w/ its nose down. Think about how the treble hook on the front is positioned. When the lure rests on the bottom, I would think that it would sit on the treble hook, like it was on a bi-pod. You kinda picture what I mean?

Any of you guys use a bigger hook on the back of your rattle traps or similar lure? I know the front has a size 4 & the back is a size 6. I would think you would use the same type of treble hook. Just wondering if a size 4 in the back would throw off the vibration of a rattle trap lure. Do you use regular bend trebles or wide gap trebles? How about adding a feathered treble in the back, will that throw off the lures action?

Went w/ a freind to the new BPS in Portage earlier this evening. I was going to get the Shimano Citica/BPS Extreme combo. I was just about to do the transaction when I noticed a real small looking reel. It was the new Revo-S. This one is the least expensive of the Revo lineup, it has cetrifugal brakes, instead of mags. I liked out it looked, & felt. I had both reels mounted on the combo baitcast rods. The Citica reminded me of the older Curado 201 in feel, but just more low profile. It felt big, which is not bad. Then I tried the feel of the Revo-S. This reel feels tiny like my Team Daiwa Sol. Very low profile & felt good. Both reels are mostly aluminum, but I think the Revo-S the spool tension knob is made of plastic. Both the star drag on the reels clicked, which was nice. I had a hard decision, but decided on the Revo-S. Because I already have the Curado 201, & the Citica felt just like it. I've not owned a low profile baitcaster from Abut Garcia, I do have the older round C3 reel. So just to be different, I wanted to try out the Revo-S. Now, any of you have this reel? If so what are your thoughts? I am going to try this new combo w/ a BPS 6'6" MH Bionic Blade b/c rod. I'm loading the reel up w/ half spool of 30 lb Power Pro. I hope it performs well, like the drag system is good & all. If not, I may have to go back to BPS & exchange for the Citica combo. Tomorrow will be the first time fishing for this year, can't wait!!! With a new setup to try too!!!

Senko77, I understand that this lure would catch a fisherman. But look at the swimbait craze, those lure have caught fishermen & fish alike.

This lure looks great! I can see this doing some bass & musky catching easily. It's made of wood & where the eyelet is located, it is able to bob like a duckling feeding. Or you can "walk" it in the water & make it flee too. It was debut at the ISE show in Sacrmento, CA. I like odd lures & this fits that bill.

I won tickets to the ISE show a couple years ago from Tackle Tour. I flew up from Southern Calif & met my buddy that lives around the area. We went to the show...it was spectacular! Huddleston was just coming on its own then. I did get some nice lure & okay prices. Persuader was the one I was really interested in.