fish-fighting-illini

I had some trouble in the past with landing a fish after hooking it. I had a fair amount of trouble with the fish unhooking while in the air out of the water. I decided to try to keep tension and wind but to keep the rod tip low on the retrieve forcing the fish back down to the water right away. I also concentrated setting the hook better beforehand. Next step I want to try is when the fish does jump I want to concentrate on continuing reeling during the jump. I fig'd this is least resistance time and can make up a lot of easy ground up during the jump. I for one tend to freeze when the fish jumps ( I think). I had some success with the keeping low when I remembered to do it, hard to break old habits. Has anyone else tried this? What do yo think of the technique?

Man Va that is a lot like it looks here. I am sick of winter. Now get that gear covered up so as not to ruin motors and such. To make matters worse late March should be getting nicer...now my boss tells me he's sending me to Buffalo NY for a week at the end of March!!!! lol I can't win for losin!

These stories are sad and funny at the same time. I love night fishing prefer it for the lack of crowds. As far as losses this isn't in the same league as your losses but on one particular day my buddie and I went to thow out my only real anchor. It came untied and pfft $16 anchor gone. 20 mins later he went to throw his fish basket over the side and pfft untied and lost the fish basket full of bluegill. Not major stuff but was still recovering from 1st and only job layoff it hurt just the same.

As far as the Walmart clearance I just picked up a Mann's deep diver for .10. They had some Roadrunners on clearance as well as some boat accesories. They also had a Mitchell 308x for $11.88 ( not a great reel but for crappie or bluegill maybe). Their reel selection is pretty lame for nicer stuff. They do have a Symetre spinning but god knows how long it (or they) has been their. Maybe if they have some decent ones at your place to put the $50 with some more to get something a step up fom what you have. From what I've seen I wouldn't waste money on Wallyworld combo's they are all pretty low-end.

You have a point about the rods and I think that is prob the smart way to go. I'm still somewhat new at fishing myself and have never owned a high end rod (yet! lol). Thus I tend to lean more toward what I know about reels. Also I could live with a few less fish maybe if I didn't have to deal with a piece of crap reel. All the extra time I spend worrying about the reel and straightening out problems with it is time I'm not catching fish. Not to mention it just plain isn't fun fishing with a problem reel. I think I've only read one negative on the Symetre on this site and tons of positive feedback. Several people on here swear by the Pflueger President and the Medalist but they've had a dtractor or 2 as well. Not sure what was up with the reel at your dealer. I own both the Symetre and the President and both are smooth but I haven't owned either one long enough to judge. I can only go by what I've read and how they feel to me so far.

Hey LAO I can't vouch for the rod but here is a choice from Cabelas combo that has a symetre and rod for $109 http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20287&rid=&indexId=cat20287&navAction=push&masterpathid=&navCount=6&parentType=index&parentId=cat20287&id=0030874 Another decent brand of reel is the Pflueger. This combo has a Pflueger rod which is nothing fantastic but it has a Pflueger Medalist reel which is nice and is in your price range. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20287_TGP&id=0029728119154a&navCount=8&podId=0029728&parentId=cat20287&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20287&hasJS=true One other thing I thought of was to buy one of the nicer rods you have been talking about. My local Wallyworld has Mitchell 308 golds on clearance for $11.88 What the heck for that price how could you go wrong. Mitchell's aren't great but sometimes they make decent ones. I've had some trouble with one of mine but some people swear by them. Another thought would be to buy a Pflueger President for $59, BPS had Berkley Lightning rods on sale for $19. buy another lightning rod for $19 and put a Mitchell on it for the 9 yr old so she can have "one of her own" when she visits dad Good luck and let us know how you come out

Or those that are sure of their lack of!!!

Sorry guys they may be great reels but some things are just not meant to be. Real men just don't do certain things or use certain words. Dainty is not a word spoken amongst men much Beano comes to mind if I'm going to eat chilli it won't be with Beano! Brightly colored reels with Pixy written on them isn't going to happen! No offense just having some fun! LOL

Sorry I was prob confusing. I did see the Crappie version in person they just didn't have the bass version. I loved the crappie boat. Both decks were huge and the front one was monsterous.

I'm not sure about the 12' version but I had one of those basshunter's in maybe a smaller length. Their is more than meets the eye to these. First they are much heavier than you think and mine might have been the short one.! If always fishing with 2 people that would be one thing but by myself it was all I could do to get it in the back of my pickup truck. I used 2- 2x4's as a ramp and had a pulley in each corner with ropes attached to the boat. It was still a struggle with the weight and the water etc. Having to empty all your gear ea time was a pain. Due to the seating I would get bad charlie horses in the back of my thighs. It was hard to do anything about it as their is no room, nor stable to stand up. Had to hurry up to the bank several times to get rid of the Charlie only to get it back a shot time later. The charlie horse problem at times would be borderline dangerous! If cost, towing, space etc are not a huge issue I would highly recommend a john boat 14' extra wide & deep if poss. I bought mine with gas motor for about what they list those plastic boats for new w/o motor. All things being said the Basshunter still beat fishing from a crowded bank I used trolling motor only and it was fine for my very small lakes. Geear for 1 was tough for 2 would be an adventure.

Went to a fishing show over the weekend and liked the setup of this boat. Thye didn't have the bass version of this boat only the crappie version but from pictures I almost liked the storage on this boat setup better. I absolutely loved the amount of fishing room on the decks. Does anyone know anything about these boats pro or con? Bass or Crappie version is fine.

Man I never would have envisioned either of those 2 responses. That is why this site is a great learning tool.

During what season do yo or don't you use buzzbaits? IE mid summer or late summer not in spring etc. I figured months or dates were irrelevent because of the different areas of the country.

I don't know about NC but I noticed very few boats even for sale here in the Midwest. I think I'd wait a month until the spring starts and try whatever again. I use something in my area called trdin post ( that's where I bought my boat from very handy to look through). Have you tried the flea market here? If you do make sure you put your location. so many people on this site don't put where they are located which seems pretty dumb. A guy from Ca prob not going to NC to buy unless some awesome deal. Maybe put something in your ads like " high(est) quality not riveted" maybe? Maybe make sure yoou put what a brand new one would sell for so they can see the deal instead of guessing and comparing to the wrong style. Use pricing for today's new not what you paid so the price looks sweeter. They can do the math for themselves. Good luck

It went for $13 bucks while I was tied up on the phone with someone. Dang it

Thanks Cart right now its at $5 and has a couple of hours to go + $15 shipping figured I'd max at $25 + ship

If I can buy this used rod for $25 is it worth it assuming it is in good shape? Here is the description. Bass Pro Shops Extreme baitcast rod. Model # ETX60MHT. This rod is 6ft long and is medium-heavy action. It is made of HM54 graphite. The rod is in great shape but does have some wear on the handle. The tip and eyelets are in good shape. I have a Bass Pro Shops weight balancing kit that I am leaving on the rod.

I took at glance at the site listed by doc, they looked to be cheaper on the Revo's by $20 but were $20 higher on a Symetre for instance. Man I'm starting to talk like a posse member and I've only owned the Symetre reel for a few weeks. Must be voodoo fishing gear lol! It's a cult all in its own!

I think we agree pretty well I'll pm you so as not to hi-jack the thread I had the one bad experience with E-bay but did get the following decent deals #1 Brand new Shimano Symetre still in the box $60.52 + $6 ship =$66.52 came new just like it said retail would be $80 + tax = $88 if online add $8 ship = $96 #2 used Shimano Symetre older style Aero $35 + $6 shipping came used as advertised but in very nice condition

Hate to contradict you Castaway but Rosewalt, don't take the E-bay thing full bore in my opinion without some consideration. Do your homework. I've seen $80 reels go for $75 bucks plus $10 shipping when they could go local for less and KNOW what they are getting. Like they said don't try to win the auction try to get the reel for what you want to pay. Make sure that the shipping is listed don't let it be open ended. Make sure the seller sells a lot and has good feedback. I did all my homework and still almost got burned. Seller said brand new in box. When I got it the reel had scum under the spool lip ( like from being used), had line on it and had cuts from the line in the frame of the reel. Hadto fight but got my money back - return shipping. Probably 75% of the stuff goes for within $5 of what you can pick it up for. If you go for used same rules apply. Also know your exact model #'s well an XYZ-FA might not be the same as an XYZ-FB etc. I did buy 2 other reels via E-bay 1 new and 1 used and they were nice reels. Like RW said flea market here is probably good people I'd make sure they have posts in addition to their selling post.

I've got one other option for you. I own 2 Quantum SS3 Snapshot spinning reels with line on them. They are probably a little better quality than a Mitchell 300 reel. I've been upgrading lately and will sell you one of the reels for $15 and as long as you don't live in Canada or something I'll throw in the shipping. In my opinion it would cost you about $40 plus tax to buy the same quality reel. You'll end up with a reel for about $8 (after shipping) that I think you would be happy with. Then you can spend maybe $50 - $60 on a nicer rod from BPS If you don't like it or if it doesn't last all year just pm me and I'll send your money back and you keep the reel. If you want it pm me with your mailing address. If you want to see the reel send me your parents e-mail address and I'll send pictures. If you want it I'll send you my mailing address for you to send the check.

Buy the reel below for $59.95 at BPS store to save on shipping. I own one and it is nice. I would buy the 6735 size if you are fishing for bass the 6730 is a litle small either wait & save up and watch as Berkley lightning rods are usualy $29 but always go on sale for $19 ( might be 39-29 or 49-29) that would meet your price. Remember if you buy junk, 6mos from now you will spend another $70 end total $140 vs spending $90- $100 now and have a reel that will probably last for years. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=51666&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

Never thought this post would go this far. Made for great reading. Do remember though it was about bed fishing during spawning and high volume ( possibly tny's ) NON catch and release. IE the fish being taken possibly very far away from its bed. Just catch and release at the bed is a whole different matter. Why couldn't tny's have a radio system where someone catches a spawner and has to radio in to have a - right then and their weigh in? Did I just hi-jack my own thread?

After looking again I have heard some decent stuff about Diawa procasters but I think it was in baitcaster's. If you go with one of your 2 choices go with the Diawa the Shakepere stuff is junk in my opinion. If you want to spend more but it is a stretch you can save the only shipping charges ( plus the extra fee for long rods if A) by picking up what you want at Basspro, Cabela's, Gander Mountain or you local sports or tackle places. I've never seen a great buy at the big boys except when they put on a special sale.

If you can invest a little more it would be worth it. I've bought a few reels probably better quality than what you have listed and I regretted it. Some only lasted a month some only 1/2 a fishing season. The Sahara's that people are recommending are maybe ok. If you can afford the Shimano Symetre the guys on this site say it is best value reel for the money. I know less about rods but enough to know that the ones I have listed are probably no worse and prob better than the ones in your post. Here is the symetre coupled with rods the 2500 size reel is prob a good size depending on what you are fishing for. www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0030874119342a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=symetre&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=symetre&noImage=0 A minor step down from the Symetre would be the Pflueger President http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0037131120705a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=president&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=president&noImage=0 Here's another President choice http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=59170&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults Important note: Money is an issue for all of us. Make sure you save your receipt; especially if you decide to buy cheaper that way if your reel craps out you can take it back. I leanrned that lesson the hard way twice!