Iowa Matt

I wish they would quite advertising that 10lb braid has the diameter of 2lb mono............because it just isn't so. I wonder if this scares some folks away thinking it will be too small. I will go out to the garage in a minute with my micrometer and find out some real numbers. Matt

It seems to have become the rage lately for everyone to use crazy heavy line (50lb+)............am I the only guy that uses 8-20lb line for all my fishing? I fish about 90% of the time with 10lb powerpro. I don't even own a rod (for bass anyway) with line heavier than 20lb and its been years since I broke off a fish. People always talk about "breaking fish off on the hookset", but they seem to forget that you don't have to try and rip a fishes lips off with braid like you do with mono to get the hooks in. It seems to me like the strike of the fish is often enough to get the hooks in on baits like spinnerbaits and cranks. On plastics a simple pop is all it takes with braid............there is no need to rear back try and bust your rod on every hook set. I know I'm no pro (obviously), but do we really all need to use 65lb test to catch 2lb bass? I cast the heavy line often enough on my musky tackle, but its a lot more fun to fish with the lighter stuff. I can't fathom how people break off so much with the heavy line.........it just isn't needed to set the hook that hard unless you are trying to look like the guys on BASSmasters..........which I suppose is the point for a lot of people........its more dramatic and exciting. Am I alone? Crazy? matt p.s. maybe this is the reason that I see so many "I broke my new XYZ brand rod" threads on the various fishing sites. I have never broken a rod while fishing ever............

I use braid for all my spinnerbait and buzzbait fishing. I feel like the number of fish that I don't stick (because I am prone to setting the hook too soon) is more than offset by the number of fish that don't get off because I got a better set. It also helps me IMHO lose fewer lures because I can retrieve snags better than with mono. Matt

I use a 6' 8" ML Shimano Cumara/Stradic MgFB 1000/6lb flouro for most of my drop shotting. I use this where cover is not an issue. If cover or weeds are an issue (common in bank fishing), I use a St. Croix 6' 9" LTB "drop shot"/Stradic FI 1000/8lb power prop with a 4-6 foot flouro leader. Point is that both rods are rated Xfast, thought the LTB is faster than the Cumara, both are faster than most of the other rods I own. seems to me this is crucial to dropshottting. Its easier to cast and feel bites with light, fast rods. Matt

I do it all the time as there are a few lakes around here that were old gravel pits and have been converted into emergency water supply for the city and as such we can't take boats on them. I think as long as you can cast into some deeper water it works just as well from shore as it does from a boat, but like has been said already if you don't have deeper water it is not really any big advantage over other rigs. Here is one from a couple weeks ago caught about 18ft deep from shore on a drop shot rig. This was the first time I tried circle hooks on my drop shot rigs and am convinced it is a huge improvement. matt

I have the exact same reel. My dad got it for me as my first casting reel. Mine still is in good shape and I take it out once in a while for old times sake. Let me tell ya, you don't want to accidentally flip that switch and then try to set a hook.........because its just like the AR switch on a spinning reel. The handle goes backwards and a massive nest results! Mine is actually pretty smooth and casts light baits better than any of my other reels did at that time. Matt

Isn't this the second time around for this bait? I have one in an old tackle box that I bought in the late 80's or very early 90's that is the exact same bait as the Dancing Eel. I think it was a Strike King or Manns product and that Bill was pimping it at that time too. I never caught a whole lot on it other than when I was fishing ponds where they would bite anything. Matt

I have the 8/1 Power Pro on three different spinning combos and would not even think about changing until I see a good reason to. I have never used a line so perfect for spinning and I use spinning for about 75% of my bass since its mostly dropshotting and shakey head. I have the PP on three different Shimano Stradics (MgFB, FI, and one old white one) and all work the same. I do agree that you can see the line twists with PP, but imagine if you could see the twists in mono...........i'm sure it would be scary. As far as casting, I have never had anything except maybe 6lb Fireline that cast even anywhere near as far as 8lb PP. Not sure what went wrong with yours as I a believe that its as close to perfect as it gets for light spinning. Matt p.s. I always use a 3-6 foot flouro leader, not sure if it makes a difference or not in how the line fishes.

When I was a kid most of my dads casting rods sported pistol grips and I thought it was cool on TV the way Jimmy and Hank also had sweet looing pistol grip rods..................so what happened? It seems like they have mostly gone the way of the dinosaur, especially on high end rods. I kinda like them for short spinnerbait rods and such. Why did they die out? Don't get me wrong, I love the longer handles and split grips on my 6'+ rods, but on short rods (very useful for spinnerbait sniping and docks) the old style pistol grip was pretty copmfortable and easier (IMHO) to cast one handed. maybe I will have to get someone to build me one on a St. Croix LTB blank........... matt

I am looking to get a new boat (likely early next year) and after reading the responses here and on other forums about the good and bad on fiberglass boats in my price range I have decided (95%) to go with another alluminum. I do fish gravelly rivers quite a bit and we don't have any really big lakes around here, so I am thinking about a mod V hull instead of the deep V like the boat I have and the previous 2 we had. Never bought a new boat before.........so its an exciting and yet worrying process not wanting to get something that I won't be completely happy with. I really like the looks of the Eagle series from G3; particularly the 165 and 175. Anyone ever seen one in person or fished out of one? The nearest dealer is several hours away and doesn't have an Eagle in stock anyway..........but this boat seems like everything I want. How much worse will the Mod V hull be in rougher water than my deeper V is now? One lake I fish a lot has a lot of power boat traffic and they get up a pretty good chop.........will this hull handle that without dumping me in the drink? Also, they are seemingly only available with Yamaha..........never owned one...........we have always had Mercs. Friends Allumacraft came with a new Yamaha and it seems nice........what do you think of the them? Thanks Matt

If thats the case, why would you ever fish for bass in that lake? If there are 30+ lb pike all over, break out the big baits and catch them.........way more fun when available than any bass that ever lived IMHO. Matt

Thats what I don't understand.........why there is so much secrecy about prices..........I think most folks understand that the dealer needs to make a buck and will do so. At our store we are upfront with people about things like this and a lot of our regulars respect us for it. Guess I'm weird matt

I guess I didn't realize I was going to offend folks............ Burley, I am in the retail tackle trade. I won't "spout off" any more. Matt

I am in the market for a new boat (likely an early 2010 purchase) and I have a couple of questions for folks with experience with both glass and alluminum boats. I have zero experience with glass boats. We have had an early 80's Starcraft, an early 90's Lund, and an '89 Tracker.........so thats three alluminum deep/mod V hulls and no glass. I am, however, intrigued by glass boats because I have heard that they ride and fish with less up and down movement. My only concern is that the glass boat will be a poor choice for some of the fishing I do. I fish a lot on the Des Moines River here in Iowa and it has a gravel bottom that (despite my best efforts) does come into contact with the hull from time to time (never at speed, just dragging). My alluminum boats don't give a darn when this happens. Will a glass boat not like this treatment? Also, which one drafts more? Given the same hull length, which boat will require more water to float it? I am looking in the 16k to 20k range of prices and so far I like the following: Nitro X4/X5 Stratos 176XT/186XT Lund Rebel 1625 XL SS Allumacraft Classic 165 Any others I should look at? Any experience with any of these? Any sites where I might get an UNBIASED review of some boats? Sorry, lots of questions, but its a big decision for us. Thanks Matt

First off, 20# seems pretty stout for most spinning applications. It has been my experience that 8# or 10# fireline/braid is more than I will ever need (more is not warranted as 10# fireline will overpower about any normal bass spinning rod). I suspect this is why your casting isn't as good as you had hoped. I have found that nothing I have used will out cast 8# powerpro. As far as your question is concerned: I have had super luck with 3 to 4 feet of Flourocarbon as a leader tied on with a back to back uni knot. With this knot you can wind it right through the guides and cast with no problem..........so if the water is clear I will go with up to 8ft and still cast with no problem. Normally though 4 ft will be plenty IMHO. I like the Berkely Tournament 100% flouro, tried a few and this is my favorite for knot strength and easy availability. matt

I guess I will list them in order of how important they are to my day to day bass fishing as we don't use a lot of the "power tactics" like flipping or pitching a lot up here. Drop shot/shakey head: Shimano 6' 8" Cumara ML/Stradic Mgfb 1000/6lb flouro Small jerkbaits/small T-rigs: St. Croix 6' 9" LTB ML/ Stradic FI/8lb Powerpro Small cranks/small spinnerbaits/topwater: St. Croix 6' 9" LTB ML/Curado E7/8lb Powerpro Carolina rigs/smaller swimbaits: St. Croix 8' LTW M/Sustain 2500/10lb Powerpro Spinnerbaits/most cranks: Carrot Stix Gold 7' M/Revo SX/10lb Powerpro Football jigs/hollow bodies: St. Croix 6' 6" MH Avid/Revo SX/20 lb Spiderwire Stealth Big Swimbaits: St. Croix 7' 9" XH Mojo/Calcutta/50lb Powerpro I use the two ML spinning outfits and the ML casting rod about 90% of the time. I like drop shotting and shakey heads the best.

I use the 6' 9" MLXF for all my jerkbait fishing (don't typically use bigger than #7, mostly #5 raps). I like the way this rod casts, further than any other rod I have owned. I actually own two now, one is spinning, the other casting.........built on the same blank. St. Croix calls it a "drop shot" rod, but man its awesome for small jerks and topwaters too. Matt

Most of my reels are in the $170-220 range and I find that while they won't catch more fish by themselves.............they do let me catch more fish than I might otherwise for a couple reasons. First, you can cast farther with a nice reel all else (line, rod, lure, wind) being equal. This means that your lures spend more time in the strike zone and less time in the air..............that equals more fish. Second, they are less prone to tangling when properly set up. This means that I get more time in the water and less time picking out a birds nest. So for me, it comes down to that fact that better reels help me spend my time on the water more efficiently...........thats worth it to me. In the range of prices you mentioned I can suggest the Shimano Curado 200E and the Revo SX/STX as being excellent from lots of personal use. Matt

Caught a grass carp over 50lb last year on a Mulberry! Saw them feeding on the berries that were falling into the water from the tree so I gathered some up and skewered one on a Mosquito hook on my UL with 4lb fireline and cast it under the tree. Had a hit immediatly and had to follow the fish with the trolling motor for a while before landing it. Bottomed out my 50lb scale easily. Shallow sandy lake with no structure for him to get into was the only reason I landed him on such light line. Matt

Hey guys, new to the site, but I do use light stuff like 1/8 oz spinnerbaits and similar weight dropshot rigs. My LW combo is a 6' 9" St Croix LTB ML with a Curado 200E7 and 8lb powerpro. Casts about anything down to 1/16 oz very well. Matt