Ineedanewscreenname20170204

St Croix AVC66MF with Curado 200e7. Doubles as a great spook rod with 14# mono.

I'd suggest going straight FC in 8# (I like Seagar Red Label or InvisX) and skipping the braid altogether. Great reel choice in the Pflueger. Lots of rods could work. I'd recommend a used high quality spinning rod. I prefer a 7' Med power Extra Fast action. Keep an eye on the flea market and other sites and you'll find a great rod for $100. I can say that my experience with carbonlites has been very positive.

Get an A-Rig with no weighted head - http://www.trendsettertackle.com/page17/page17.html

Well I've only used the A-Rig for a few casts into a cold deep gravel pit that I fish fairly often. It's a tough place to catch fish but I did manage 2 bass on the A-Rig so that's enough proof for me to invest some more time in the technique. I went with a Trendsetter rig since it isn't weighted. That helps keep the overall weight down because the thing can get heavy real quick. I figure with 1/8 oz jigs it weighs in around an ounce so it's not that bad to toss around on stout equipment. I'm using a Avid 7' Heavy (AVC70HF) and it handles the weight fine. I set a goal to catch at least 5 tourny bass on the rig before I pass judgement...

Love me some Bandits (200 and 300 series). I normally change out at least the rear hook for a #4 Gammy Round Bend though. The stock hoocks are too small and rust very quickly.

I love the KVD Square bills! I bounce them off rocks and stumps pretty aggressively and yes they do chip eventually but you usually get plenty of use out of them before they give up the ghost. Good new is they can be had for $5 or less on sale. Square bills are best used bouncing off hard objects so wouldn't be my first choice in grass. Lipless or swim jig would be better choices IMHO.

I'm looking for a landing net that stows easily in my 18' Triton. I'm thinking something that collapses but it HAS to be hook-free. I'll use it mainly for tournaments. Would like to keep the cost down but will go as high as $60. What do you guys use? Regards, Bryan

Well now that I read it...it does sound funny. But I'm kind of hard on stuff and it's nice for me to know that if I need to replace a bearing or a handle nut I can easily find one. It may also be the case with the BPS reel but I'm guessing not so much so.

Used St. Croix Avid

Although both are very nice reels for the money I give the nod to the Citica. Parts are very readily available for the Shimanos and the Citica has a proven history of durability and performance.

Fishing with my small bass club in a 2 day bass tournament out of Star Point Resort March 31 - Apr 1 with a couple days of pre-fishing planned. Only been on DHL once prior and didn't do well. Anyone have any tips for that time of year. I'm guessing the brown bass will be real close to spawning around that time? I'm figuring green pumpkin tubes, hair jigs and jerks on rocky banks near shallow bays. Am I on the right track? I hear the Wolf River warms quicker than say the narrow section of the Obey river? Would appreciate any tips. Bryan

Wise guy...

I fished a 2 day tourney this summer. We camped in East Bay Harbor and fished the islands for smallies. Kind of a long idle out of the bay but then a 5 mile run to the islands. We did best drifting tubes (4" poor boys in green pumpking) on the north side of middle bass. I only ended up with 4 smallies each day but they were decent fish weighing in a bit over 22 pounds. Watch the weather and make sure you have all you coast guard equipment like flares. I have a 18' Triton and it was ok. You really do have to watch the waves - they can get nasty real quick. I caught about 40 sheephead - I think that's just part of the gig up there... A drift sock would have been nice to have so keep that in mind. I know a lot of people catch the smallies on drop shot (poor boys gobies) up there as well. The bays are excellent for largemouth but you need the fat smallies for weight. Have fun and be safe.

I'm the boss in my house so I don't have to hide anything from my wife. Ooops here she comes gotta go.

While charter boat fishing in San Diego I caught a California Sea Lion (cut the line naturally as it was like 800 pounds and not happy) and a big white bird that dove 20+ feet down to munch on the live fish I was using. Also reeled in a condom once - yuck...

As far as the reel trade-in - unless you're looking at a BPS brand you may find a better price online. That said I don't mind spending a few extra bucks supporting my local BPS store. It's the baits that usually make the classic a good deal for me.

If I had $250 to spend on my only combo this would be my choice - great for worm/jig/spinnerbaits/jerks, ok for some cranks/traps: Rod: $160 MBR783 IMX (used) Reel: $90 Citica (new online)

For me it's an easy choice - Curado 200e all the way. Or two Citicas...

Yeah that looks a lot like a culprit. Great worms...

Uhhh.....There's neighborhoods in South Philadelphia where 3 out of 5 houses will have that... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A5FL9OIazeA/RyFbL9kGuQI/AAAAAAAAAio/xxchbZJMUCY/s400/plastic%2Bcovers.jpg I just don't get it. People buy such nice stuff they scared to death to use it. I've seen fabric slipcovers but plastic on the sofa is a new one on me though.

Shop around for a Citica 200e for around $85 TYD and pair it with a used rod - a St. Croix Premier (7' MHF) would be a great choice and can be had for less than $85. Another great choice is the Mojo Bass line. Spend the rest on some Yozuri 12# hybrid ultrasoft. You will love this setup.

Just shipped rods three separate times within the last week - all through UPS and right at $21. USPS gets you a few different ways shipping rods. UPS and Fedex are better but get the length as short as possible and the diameter as small as possible. And add packing material so the rods can't shift around because they toss these things like bails of hay. Secure multiple rods butt to tip to protect fragile tips.

Rods are meant to be used so go ahead and dirty up that cork on that new Loomis. It'll clean up. You don't put plastic on the sofa do you?

I've used YoZuri Hybrid Ultrasoft on BC and Trilene Xl on spinning almost exclusively in the last couple years but I'm adding some braid (jig) and floro (plastics) to the mix this year.

- Line with memory when I'm fishing unweighted plastics. - Light braid that ties itself into an impossible knot on the tip of my rod. - Casting into they wind with light lures on BC - Having to be careful tying knots in Floro - Not being able to cut braid with my teeth - Smart bass - Jet skis - Trash in the lake - Carp accidentally snagged on my expensive LC