JohnFromLisbon

Thanks! Flukes are another thing I'd like a good rod for. I'm throwing them on the 7' MH, and even fishing the double fluke rig (or the... ugh... "donkey rig" ?) I feel it's too stout. I guess I'm getting another Loomis then!

Yeah, chatterbaits would be another thing I'd like covered. For bottom contact lures I have a 7'3 MossyBack and a cheaper 7' MH Shimano that have almost everything of that nature covered ? The issue here is that this specific rod is a 2 power, and that's Loomis-talk for Medium at best, since their old spinnerbait rod range went from a 1 power to a 4.

Hey guys, I came across someone who's looking to sell their Loomis 812C spinnerbait rod for a really good price (and it comes with a Curado 51E, so it's a steal!). The thing is, although I do occasionally throw spinnerbaits, I was hoping I could use the rod with other types of lures, like medium sized jerkbaits and small(ish) poppers and walkers - think no. 8 and 10 X-Raps, and Skitter Pops and V's. On paper, the 812 is long enough that I'd make decent casts, but short enough to jerk the tip down without risking any damage. Does anyone who own this model use it for stuff other than spinnerbaits? What's your experience with it? Thanks! John

It's just a piece of red electrical tape holding the line on the spool. But you're on to something with the red braid, I might give it a go ?

Ain't that the truth. It's the only possible explanation for buying old Chronarchs and Curados at *new* Curado prices. Man, those things shot up in value, at least around here.

Here we go. Just got these this week. The G. Loomis GLX 785 crank bait rod and the Shimano Chronarch 201E5. I've wanted this combo since it came out. At the time I was working an entry level job and living alone, so it was pretty much out of the question. I never really gave up on the idea, and about 7 years and a lot of Facebook "for sale" posts on local groups later, here it is! Now I know what you're going to say. "But that's just a Curado E painted white!" and "that particular GLX wasn't as good as the current one, the gloss finish added weight to it. And a GLX for cranking is just overkill!". I agree. But look how awesome it looks! ?

Update: you were all right, I was worrying about nothing. Ripley loves water and she's a great fishing buddy! We managed to go fishing today and both of us had a great time. Merry Christmas, everyone!

So it's a case of - as the Who said - "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"

She sure looks like the best fishing buddy a man could ask for

Thanks. I guess I'm just worrying about it too much. I'm really hoping she'll become my fishing buddy

Hey everyone, We adopted a puppy, she's turning 5 months next week, and I want to take her fishing with me every time I can. She's small, weighs about 11 or 12 lbs right now, and is at that stage where she's very curious about everything. I want to take her and make sure she enjoys being out on the water. I'll be bank fishing, no canoe rides for now ... Any tips to help getting her accustomed to going fishing? I grew up with a dog that was terrified of water and I really want her to enjoy it. Here's Ripley, the wee devil

Thanks I think of him especially when I'm on the water. We had a great time.

I have two favorite pics. The first one is of my grandad, who taught me how to fish. It was taken on the last fishing trip we did together, he just took it easy and threw a bobber catching sunfish while I fished for bass. He passed away on Thanksgiving Day 2015. The other one is the first pre-spawn bass I ever caught, she weighed in at over 4 lbs. Got her on a Scatter Rap Crank. I have both these photos framed on top of my desk.

I know. Somehow that just makes it look better, it adds character The XJ is getting really expensive over here, some I've seen are going for 7 grand. Granted, most of them are later models, come stock and with dealer warranty, but still... The same happened with the Land Rover Defender about 10 years ago, and more recently with old Toyota (Hilux) trucks. That being said, that Etch-a-Sketch design can't be beat

That is one good looking Cherokee!

Right now I drive a little '04 Mazda Demio (called the Mazda 2 over here in Europe, but really it's just a fat Ford Fiesta). It's not gonna win any beauty contests, but it's small and boxy and I can carry 4 or 5 rods, two tote bags full of lure boxes and a cooler with ease. Although I have finally convinced the missus that we *need* something like an XJ Cherokee if we want to travel comfortably with two dogs and a canoe Now all I need to do is find one at a reasonable price - which easier said than done...

We're going back this Saturday and if they're not biting I'll give these tips a try! Thanks eveyone.

Thanks for the tips. I'm in Portugal and the spawn in this specific area happened somewhere in March/April. We usually fish a farm pond about 5 miles away and went there a few times during that time to watch it (it's forbidden to fish during the spawn here - as long as it falls between March 16th and May 15th). BigBlock496 I actually did that - when eventually I started getting frustrated - and they just... Stood there. Hit him right in the face with a wacky rigged worm and got no reaction whatsoever. PS.: Here's the one that was right beside them. Not bad, but nowhere near as big as that one.

Hi guys Yesterday we went fishing in a small creek. It's not that pressured so it holds some larger fish (by European standards anyway). We got there and saw at least four fish right near the bank - one of them was well over 5 lbs - near some trees that were touching the water. We started casting further from where they were and reeling in the bait so it would pass in front of them. We could not get them to bite. No matter what we did. Hard baits, soft baits, texas rigged or weightless plastics, loud or silent baits - nothing. The weather was clear by then (having had some cloud coverage in the morning) and the water was warming up. We had a warm day - in the upper 70's - and the water was clear. In one situation where I was casting a texas rigged worm out past them I actually caught another fish, and a couple of others actually took both the worm and a jig, but I couldn't make the big one bite. We were using light and subtle colors because of how clear the water was. What would you have tried in this situation? I went through the whole tackle box and couldn't find something they'd bite! Thanks! John

I was cranking them like I do with the DTs and I had to slow down. The thing would turn on its side and come up. You have to get used to reeling in slower, after that they work like a charm.

This is my cranking setup: G Loomis 783 cranking rod with a Core 101Mg. It's setup for shallow to medium crankbaits, from Scatter Raps to DT4s and 6s.

Portuguese guy here. Most people who start out fishing will begin with spinning gear. Spincasting tackle is virtually non-existent here, and odds are those people will have fished inshore or some other type of saltwater fishing so it's easier. When it comes to baitcasters, the main difference is that most of us use left hand retrieve reels. Dunno why, but you'll struggle to find someone who uses right hand retrieve. I've used it a couple of times and I'm okay with switching hands, but I always come back to my '01 Shimanos...

Well, that explains why after all the hype no one ever caught Florida strain bass down south. But we've seen very impressive sizes for northern strain fish these last few years.

I've heard some rumours about that too but I was there last weekend and everything we caught was northern strain. So was every other bass caught by friends or other fishermen on local FB groups. I'll definitely post a pic if I catch a Florida strain LMB!