Fat-G

I was playing around with the Cumaras in the Richmond BPS today (No school cause I dont have any exams!) and man I loved everything about em' but the reel seat and foam. I guess the reel seat I could get used to, it was pretty comfortable, but i'd have to wrap the grips with the tape they sell at BPS. But I really like the color if the Cumaras. Under the right light they have a light blue sorta color, similar to a Crucial being green under the right light. And on the ACS, I really like that seat, its just really comfy to me I wrapped the rear grip of my Vendetta with electrical tape. I put a fabric freshener cloth (that you put in the dryer with clothes) on the grip before I taped it to avoid any peeling if I didn't like it. I think it looks kinda cool too. It actually does improve the grip a tad bit.

I use braid on all my rigs. No leader, except I might try a #12 CXX leader on my finesse jig/Ika rod this year. Alot of people use copoly or flouro for plastics, but I hate it. Zero memory, zero stretch, and it lasts an entire season, then you can flip it on the spool, and now I'm trying to see if there's a dye I can soak it in to give it a dark color again. I love braid. It improves sensitivity SO much. I also like how it just rests in the guides, also improving sensitivity. You get no-doubt hooksets, and it's much cheaper in the long run. I also mainly use ~4 different lures, year round, and that's pretty much about it. I fish ponds 90% of the time, so my lure selection includes: 1. Soft plastics- Any and all Rage Tail baits, Fat Ikas, and an occasional Trick Worm 2. Jigs- Flipping and finesse 3. Mattlures Baby Bass and now the Tournament Series 4. Frogs and Rage Shads

I like split grips, but am undecided on split grips for bottom presentations. Time will tell with the Cumara that is getting here on Thursday. That will be specifically for pitching soft plastics. I like the Soft Touch ACS reel seat that my Vendetta has. That seat paired with the shape of the Advantage HSTA is a perfect hand shape, at least for me. Either way the rod was free, so there's not much complaining to do. Looks play a major role for me. I passed on getting a Dobyns Champion because it would be horrendously ugly with a green Curado. I know this is stupid to some, but if the decision is between a Cumara and a Champion, it's a win/win either way. If it had been a Champion vs. say a Veritas, that's a different story.

Yeah I'm not the biggest fan either. I think they should be black. I know looks aren't the point, but honestly why would a BIG name company like Shimano put such a odd shade of green? It doesn'y really go with anything but black or green. Although I think I just answered my question...to promote the sales of Cumara's and GLX's. Haha. I think a matte black Curado would look sweet, or even a glossy black. Hmm...might have to look into getting it painted ;D. That reminds me of another thing, I don't like gloss finishes on rods for the most part. It just adds weight and dampens the sensitivity. I think a black Steez with a matte black split-grip rod would be a sick combo.

On your rods and reels, and even fishing line, what are the little things that bother you? That would make that certain product go from exceptional to perfect in your eyes? For example, I have a Citica 200e. I love this reel. I could argue that for $120, this reel is really hard to beat. But there are also things that bother me, for example: I think the handle is not long enough, and the grips are too small. I use(d) mine for bottom presentations, and a lot of the time wished the handle was bigger. If a fish picks up my Rage Craw and starts swimming towards me, I want to be able to pick up that line REALLY fast and set some steel. Sometimes my hand would slip or my handle rotation would be thrown off because I was trying to go in such small circles at a serious rate of speed. Maybe they should have a Citica 200e7 ;D. Another one is when a rod has a handle that is too long and not enough length in the rod part. So a 7' rod would feel like a 6'8, but there is more than enough handle, sometimes even to the point that it's annoying. Now I know a rod is made to feel as balanced as possible, but sometimes it's over the top. So what grinds your gears? Yes... that was a Family Guy reference ;D.

Honestly, that's a rather broad question. What in sports impacted your life? Well that could be many things, an underdog story, personal achievement, something you witnessed, the list goes on. Seems like a poorly-worded question. On a side note, my AP Language and Composition class is hands-down the most difficult class I've ever taken, but I've learned many lessons and am a way better writer because of it. My dad is a sports writer and my mom is the Director of PR for VCU (basically an editor/Univ. image controller/situation handler) so writing is in my blood. I'm a d**n good writer, but the AP class has humbled me. A lot. But it still really sucks. ;D

Pitching to or around standing timber with a 1/4 oz. Rage Craw or Hawg, unpegged, 50# PowerPro. Hold on man. They tear it up.

Technichally yes, in reality the water was less than 5'. In some of the ponds I fish it only gets to about 4.5', but I have caught fish up to 6 lbs pitching to timber. I like winter fishing, but I also hate it LOL. Edit: Completely misread the OP. Yes, but all of the water in my ponds is 5' or less, so I guess not.

Thanks guys. Can't wait till it warms up so I can get back on the mid-James and guide some more flathead trips My boss wants me to get a captain's license so I can run my own trips and rates, etc.

Absolutely stunning pictures. Looks like a lot of fun.

Man Eric, you really hit the jackpot. I got an itouch, ps3, Black Ops, a multitool, etc.

Senkos were killer for me two summers ago, ever since then I haven't really thrown them. They are definitley a great spring bait, however.

Nah, never really throw them. Probably a Champion 733, 734, 763, or 764.

The more I think about it, buying this rod was a bad desicion. Now my other rods aren't gonna be as good, LOL. Now I'm gonna be hooked ;D It's been called a "Gateway rod" Haha, I'm already looking for a use for a Dobyns Champion. I'm a terrible person.

They saw about 75 miles of this kind of country this year, usually with my 225 lbs plus a 35ish pound pack. They are still in excellent condition. Wow, I never realized how tall you are haha. My dad is 6'6" and my 14 year old brother is 6'4".

Speaking of over statement, if that were the case, Mr. Yamamoto would be selling three packs of senkos for $79.95. Seriously, there is no magic lure that will catch fish on every lake under all the variable conditions that fishermen faces throughout the year. In many tournaments, there are guys qualifying for the final day cut that fish something completely different than the pack. I learned long ago that I don't concern myself with what others are throwing. I simply try to look for where the fish are located, and then go through the baits that I have confidence in. Location is about 90% of the game, what bait you throw takes up a small part of what's left. I politely disagree, I believe most baits would catch a fish on any given lake in the country, given the proper presentation and time of day. Minus of course the huge trout swimbaits and things of that nature. I'm not saying you could literally ALWAYS catch fish on ONE lure anywhere in the country, but I do believe that every bait has it's time and place, and can catch many different types of fish on many different bodies of water.

What is your absolute favorite way to fish? Weather conditions, depth, lure, cover, rod/reel, casting technique, etc. Mods sorry if this is the wrong section, please move if it is. My favorite is pitching Rage Hawgs, Craws, or Space Monkeys to standing timber on an overcast/rainy day. I absolutely love fishing this way, and it's usually when I get a good'un. Edit- Forgot to mention this earlier, pitchin' around cypress trees is another one, along with frogging in matted grass.

That can happen and will with every rod company, only some of them charge a replacement fee. Years ago I had 3 Loomis IMX rods in a row do this to me. They charged me $50 a piece, Abu charged you nothing. Dont see anything to complain about. That's a good point, in a similar thread SirSnookAlot said he has had a bunch of Abu reels that he has had to send back, and Abu replaced or upgraded all of them. My brother had a terrible experience with Abu reels, so I thought I would never buy one, but after hearing how easy the customer service is to deal with I think it might be a good investment. If I ever have a problem, they would just replace or upgrade for free. Yeah, that sounds like a good investment. Might need to get an STX.

The more I think about it, buying this rod was a bad desicion. Now my other rods aren't gonna be as good, LOL. Now I'm gonna be hooked ;D

I wanna drive a Porshe Panamera and a Ford GT. In reality, if I could have one vehicle given to me payed off, gas and everything, it would be a F-250 Super Duty. Of course with AT tires and a Leer bed cover. And brushgaurd. And Magnaflow exhaust.

Nice, I'm glad they're working out for you. I was wanting to get one, but after hearing this I think I'll wait till Abu looks over them to see what the problem is. They are exceptionally light, and they feel pretty sensitive for a $100 stick. I'll probably end up with one in a couple months. Maybe Abu will change something about them.

Cumara 7'2 MHF/Curado 200e7/50# PowerPro -Bottom contacts lures; t-rigs and jigs, pitching Vendetta 7'3 HXF/Advantage HSTA/65# PowerPro (got the rod for free, makes a perfect frog rod ;D) -Frogs and toads Lowrider 7' HF/Citica 200e/50# PowerPro, 12# CXX leader -Weightless Ikas, Senkos, finesse jigs Looking to add a 7'6 MH or H for flipping.

Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous! I would be really ticked. From what I've gathered about fishing rods, a company can make an extremely light and sensitive rod, but it will have more breakage issues than other less sensitive rods. Basically, extremely light=easier to break, heavier=less likely to break but not as sensitive. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

I've seen a couple threads like this on different forums. A lot of people have broken their Veritas on the FIRST hookset, even if it was a dink.

Hahahaha I still laugh when I see your "PB wife". Hahahahahaa