Jrob78

That actually sounds about right. I have the factory rudder on my 135. If I think about it tomorrow I will measure it for you.

Thanks, I'll start with the 9"

This........and they're called guides. If you actually want to get anywhere with your tests, you need to use rods with metallic rings/inserts and get the braid dirty first.

I'm planning on picking up a Slammer also. Do you guys prefer the 7" or the 9"? I have tackle to handle both sizes.

Occasionally used, returned reels get put back on the shelf. I had it happen to me with a Citica at Academy once. I made them get me a new one but had I not inspected the reel in the store, I would have bought the used one without knowing. They will make it right if you take it back.

I like the Owner ST 36's on my topwater baits.

LC RC 0.5 LC Bevy Crank LC Clutch

I like Pline CX, good blend of strength and manageability.

That is one of major downsides to fluorocarbon. If it backlashes and gets any kinks in the spool it creates a weak spot that will break. I would definitely recommend mono or copoly until you get the hang of casting.

That's a tough one. If money were no object, I would probably have a couple of Megabass rods and a couple of the new Loomis GLX's. For reels, it would be a mixture of Daiwa's top end reels. I would love to have a Ryoga a Steez EX, a Pixy Type R and Zillion J Dream. It would probably take me a month to decide which 4 combos I wanted.

I don't put a whole lot of stock in line visibility scaring fish either. The only exception to that might be highly pressured, super clear water. I've never personally used yellow braid but if you're worried about it, try a leader and see if you notice a difference.

x2

You can also fish them on a weightless hook and use a tungsten bullet weight, like you would a regular tx rig.

Frogs are some of the best casting baits you will find. You can launch them a long way with a heavy powered baitcasting rod and braid. I wouldn't even consider fishing one on spinning gear.

Cleaning is the easy part. It's disassembly/reassembly that gets people in trouble. You need to pay careful attention to the order the parts came off in and the direction they came off. Keep the schematics handy and use a white towel to work on. There is no "quick clean," if your reel needs to be cleaned, it needs to be cleaned completely. I use an ultra sonic cleaner.

Not to confuse things more but if you like the Curado 200e platform, you can get a Chronarch 200e in a 6.5:1 ratio. It is basically the same reel as the Curado 200e. It will cost a bit more though.

This is what I do as well, it becomes 2nd nature with some practice.

After today, A-Mart is the only guy in the finals tomorrow, KVD fell back to 14th and only made up 11 points on EE. Martens is firmly in 2nd place but it's Edwin's to lose. If he does well in the next event, no one can catch him. The question is, can Aaron Martens catch Edwin Evers? Or, Will Edwin Evers slip?

It's definitely possible but I don't think it's going to happen. If this tournament ended today, EE would have to finish 30 places or so behind KVD and/or A-Mart in the next one to lose it. St. Clair really suits all 3 guys pretty well though. I don't expect any of them to struggle. KVD cut his teeth fishing for smallies in Michigan, EE won a smallie event on Erie a few years ago and Aaron is thought to be one the best drop shot fishermen in the world. Plus, all 3 are very good with their electronics. It wouldn't surprise me at all if all 3 guys finish in the top 12 in the next tourney, which would ultimately seal the deal for Edwin. I'm really pulling for EE to win AOY but I like all 3 guys .

Nice try. I'm sorry about that, I wasn't trying to pick on you, just trying to illustrate a point. A lot of people think they know what IM means and what high modulus means and how that relates to fishing rods. The reality is, "IM" is a term used by one company, (Hexcel) that manufactures carbon fiber, not fishing rods, just carbon fiber. Not only is IM not an industry standard for grading/describing graphite, it's only used by one company that produces graphite. Within Hexcel's products, a higher IM number doesn't even mean a higher modulus. These days, rod company's that use the term IM may or may not even use Hexcel graphite. The other "ingredients" used in creating a blank are just as important. The resin and scrim used, the pattern that is used to determine how the materials are put together, the mandrel that the blank is rolled on...all these things make a blank what they are. My long, rambling point is that "IM" is purely a meaningless marketing term meant to sell fishing rods. It has pretty much no bearing on the finished product. It uses arbitrary numbers that give you the sense of quality. "I mean IM8 has to be better than IM6, right?" It isn't an industry standard and even if it were, it doesn't describe what people think it does. Nor does it take into consideration what actually goes into making a blank. It would be kind of like comparing cakes by the brand of flour used in the mix.

So what does IM mean? Why is an IM8 blank better than an IM6 blank? Why can't you use an IM rating to compare blanks from different manufacturers?

Also, make sure and check your state regulations. In TX, a trolling motor on a kayak requires registration and the GW's will write you a ticket.

I so wish IM "ratings" would go away. It's one of the most meaningless buzzwords in the fishing industry.

Nobody has them in stock yet. I read on TW's forum yesterday that they have an order placed with RI but they are now not sure when it will be filled, if at all. If TW doesn't know if they will end up being released, that's a bad sign.

They are bringing the Swamp Donkey and the Vixen back. I don't know when they are being released but there are a few online tackle shops taking pre-orders for them. The Tackle Trap has had them on their site for about 2 months now.