Fat-G

From what I've heard, they should be incredible. Lots and lots of really good reviews. I say swing it and try one!

Rage Tail for sure! Yamamoto, specifically the Flappin' Hawg Zoom lizards, brush hogs, trick worms, etc.

:D

I was just watching the Greg Hackney video where he is flipping his Hack Attack jig, and he was talking about how a jig is different from a soft plastic. One of his points was that a jig tends to catch better fish than a soft plastic, which I think most of us agree on. He also said that when the fish are not active and won't eat a soft plastic, he finds that if he lands a jig on their head, that fish will bite, even though that fish may not have bitten a tube, beaver, etc. I agree with him, but I also think there are some stipulations to his theory. If you throw a jig with a trailer that has a lot of action, I think you have less of a chance to catch that fish, but a trailer such as a Flappin' Hawg or a Super Hawg might be subtle enough to entice the bite. I also think that several other factors play into this, such as season, conditions, color, retrieve, etc. This goes back to my theory that if you are in the right place at the right time, and drop the right lure right on her head, she'll bite almost 100% of the time. But, if the conditions are less than ideal, and you drop a jig with a big, bulky, zero-action trailer right in front of her and let it sit for a while, I also think she will bite. What are your thoughts?

No, I rarely fish... I have heard of Gary Loomis. Have not fished one of his rods.

Over the past two years. Right now I have two Dobyns Champion Extreme rods, and plan on getting a Zombie soon.

This is good stuff Chris. I have tried many different methods and ways. First off, it completely BLOWS to be out fishing, catch a big one, and not have anything to prop it up on. It's not the worst thing as you at least have a camera so you can get some kind of picture, but the pictures of a fish laying next to your rod and reel don't cut it with me, though I have had to resort to that on several occasions. Let me just get this out there as well, it is 100% necessary in my opinion to ALWAYS make sure you have a real digital camera with fully loaded batteries before you even pack your rods and reels. I have been that kid that is caught holding a seven pounder with my cell phone being the only camera on me. It sucks. I'm the kind of person that likes to take lots of pictures, usually from 4 pounds up. I also like to post them on here. For me, a four pound fish is a good fish, and anything above six is noteworthy and picture material. I think that is because of where I live, if I was in Texas I probably wouldn't take pictures of anything under 6, but in Michigan a 4 pounder would most definitely get to smile and say cheese. Anyway, I have taken pictures of them lying next to my rod, holding them out at arms length, arm out with my face and the fish, and propped a camera up on a lot of different things. If you have nothing to prop it up on, I think the arms length technique is the best way to go. Otherwise, always have at least a small tripod with you. A couple of other things I have learned is to stand close® to the camera and hold the fish out with a slight bend in your arm. If the picture shows you 10 feet away holding the 6 pounder you caught right up on your chest, depending on your body size, there is no way that fish is going to look like a six pounder. Also, if you can, have the camera at a lower height, say waist high, aiming slightly upwards. I'll add a few examples to show what I mean about all of the techniques I talked about. This fish was 6.2, and probably the worst fish pic I have of myself. Arm straight out, 6.4. IMO, this is probably the 2nd best fish pic I have. I think this is #1, camera angled up, fish held out. This of course is just for a "good" picture that does justice to the fish. I'm still trying to get crystal-clear pics, LOL.

Nitroman77 did it, AKA Trey Harpel. He did a wonderful job. Calfish did the painting.

I knew you would say something about the reel, LOL. I'm pretty impressed with it myself, as well. From what I understand it's basically an upgraded Lew's TP, and very similar to the Patriarch XT. I'm not sold on the handle, which will be replaced with a 4BB one complete with corks very soon. I was more concerned with the rod and getting the "perfect" jig rod for me, and I did!

They were scheduled for a bout in the ring today until I slammed my Accord into the back of a Jeep.

I really wanna get my hands on an Alphas Type R soon. Also, a Steez 100HA, Zillion PE, and an SPR. Hopefully soon!

Jig combo Custom Revo Premier Fully polished internals, all bearings upgraded to ABEC 7's, drag, etc. Blue/Purple shifting paint on the frame, gloss black sideplates. Took a couple of parts out of the cast control cap so now there is zero spool tension. This thing is buttery smooth and pitches a MILE. Sunline FX2 60# Dobyns Champion Extreme DX745-FH. The absolute perfect jig rod! Sensitivity is out of this world and balances perfectly. Perfect action for the way I fish jigs.

Excellent - I'm looking for an extremely low stretch flouro, so I'll give the Shooter a try.

I like Toray Superhard Upgrade a lot, specifically the 20# on a jig rod. Sniper is great line as well. I'll try Shooter next!

I agree with the ugly green color. That and the small knobs are the only things I find wrong with the reel. I really do not like the small knobs. I wish it came with a 4BB handle with the Power Grips, and a much different color. Anything but green!

Yep, I recently fished a 50E next to a Core 50MG7. The only difference (to me), was that the Core was a tiny bit smoother on the retrieve. Certainly not enough to justify the price difference. Like I said, the Curado 50E is a special reel.

Catfish can breath through their skin and can survive out of water for over an hour. Keeping him out of the water is not a concern.

And I couldn't stand the 200E. Felt really wide in my hands and wasn't smooth at all on the retrieve. It was a great reel, honestly, and if I fished tourney's for a living you can bet the new Chronarch's would occupy my rod lockers, but for recreational fishing it just wasn't for me. Traded it for a 50E and will never look back. The 50 is a very, very special reel.

4# XL

The Hank Jr. thing was hilarious!

Their yard was fenced in, and the deer just flew over it. I doubt he would run from me, but I'm not stupid enough to test that theory, LOL.

Went down to Appalachian State for a campus tour this weekend. My aunt, who lives in Greensville, SC, met us there. She brought one of her many dogs she has on her land for us to bring home. His name is Lucky, and he is a Pointer/Hound mix. She picked him up when he was 6 months old shivering in a ditch with bleeding paw pads. This dog is a natural-born coon dog. He trees everything with legs that can climb. Last time we went to my aunts farm they had a deer in the middle of their property. She let him out and he almost caught it! Up until Lucky we've always had girl dogs, mainly because of my mom. Not the "puntables" that walk around the mall in sweaters, (hound and a Golden), but they've never really been "outdoorsy". Let me tell you, Lucky is my boy. He follows me around the house and cries when I leave. I love this pup so much already! He's had no formal training whatsoever but doesn't pull at all on the leash and sits and lays down when told. We went on a 2 mile trail run today and it was like running with my old pal. I'm working on taking him fishing soon. Hopefully we will have many years ahead of us enjoying the outdoors!

I agree about the Savvy rods. They're nothing "special" in my opinion sensitivity wise. However, for techniques where sensitivity is not paramount, like spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swimjigs, lipless cranks, and frogs, there is probably nothing I would rather buy. The cork isn't up to Dobyns standards for me. Don't get me wrong, I have a 734 and it is a sweet rod! I would just rather have a Champion Extreme. The jump from Savvy to Champion is pretty big, but the jump from Champion to DX is outstanding.

Cliff, I have a couple. I'll send you a PM in a little bit.

AVC66MF