lightsout

My main concern is whether tthe nucleus of the team the past 3 years has reached their peak and that team has missed their chance somewhat. Newman, Witten, Davis, James, columbo, kosar, Gurode, barber, etc all arent going to get any better. Ratliff had a pretty bad year. We have GOT to get a Free safety and a new kicker, for the past 4 seasons we've lost games because of those posistions. The game is more vertical than it used to be, and the back end of secondary continually gets burnt.

I've exstensively used #12 and have a days worth experience w/#6. 12- Very strong, I hooked a 26'' fish in wood cover with the drag really tight (forgot I had it all the way tight) with less than 12' of line out and it held like a champ. I purposely casted into wood about a dozen times and didnt feel any abrasion on the line. Its also quite sensitive as well. The problem I had was the way it handled. Now for what it's worth the reel it was spooled on is a first gen. revo sx, which isnt the most forgiving brake system in the world. However once its set right I can use any other line with minimal issues. There was alot of memory and the last 3 or 4 wraps on the spool wanted to coil up. This isnt a deal breaker for me as I feel the pros outweigh the cons. #6 I spooled it on a spinning reel for a trip and havent picked it up since. Despite trying a few diffrent well lubed knots, the knot strength wasnt what I was looking for.

Spool your rod with #10 or 12 yozuri hybrid and never look back.

I have had a similar experience. I have used and enjoyed many abu's for years. Santa brought me an E7 last year and I have to say I find myself using that outfit more (even if its not rigged with the lure I'd prefer at the time) just because of the reel.

MS American shad is the best topwater color Ive used.

BPS pro qualifier tournament edition with either a Abu veritas or Falcon bucoo. Both combos will weigh in the 12oz range and cost $180ish. Cant go wrong.

Generally I like to trim the skirt in a "v" shape, with the strands getting shorter towards the hook. This really helps showcase the trailer. For the standard silicone skirts, I like to go about a 1/4'' beyond the hook. For living rubber skirts, were the strands flare out more, I usually let them be a bit longer. Diffrent jigs and diffrent trailers demand diffrent setups. You also have to consider a bigger longer skirt will sink slower than a trimmed one. Sometimes you may want a smaller profile, sometimes larger. Theres a ton variables to consider, but for now keep it simple. Get a few diffrent jigs in some earthtone or black and blue color patterns. Some trailers that match, and go fishing.

Its sad what the media has done to this country. I truly believe the media is to blame for our recession as anyone. By scaring everyone into not investing into our companies (global investors as well as domestic) out of fear, they made things a billion times worse. The fact of the matter is everyone has an agenda these days and you cannot put stock in anything you hear. News that SHOULD be reported isnt, news that SHOULDNT be reported is.

Your gonna love it man. Burley did a great writeup on these reels thats worth a look. Mine responded amazingly well to a complete tear down and cleaning/relubing.

Pawn stars is a decent show. Theres another one out now, I think "hardcore pawn" or something like that, on the other hand... The only episode i saw the jake the snake looking character agrees to a deal on an item, shakes hands and the guy goes to the payment window. At this point one of the guys looks it up on the PC and figures they over paid. Jake the snake then walks out and says he no longer will pay the agreed amount. Really shady, I felt like taking a shower after watching 15 minutes of it.

Arent both of the main/worm gears on the CL and PQT duraluminum?

I picked one up and intial impressions are good. Its more a carbonlite than a regular Pro Q. As near as I can tell the diffrences between it and the CL are: -The handle knobs are foam on the CL, the PQT has the reel grips looking knobs. - CL has a clicking cast control knob - CL has more holes in the spool, so it may be a lighter spool but I cant confirm that.

IN addition to high speed, smooth/strong drag, build quality mentioned above, overall lightweight and a quick spool start up (helps pitching lightrer baits). I have revos, bps, etc, etc. And a tuned E7 is just about perfect for what I want in a flip/pitch reel. The light weight and palmabilty are big pluses.Factor in price and its very tough to beat.

Robert, was it a german short haired dachshund? They are awesome dogs. The germans are more intelligent than their american counterparts. We had them on the farm growing up. They're one of the few breeds that is an awesome family dog/hunting dog. Seeing them go at it with a black snake was a riot!

X2 on everything John said. I'd never heard of anyone else using the thumb method, lol. I had an older Johnny morris years ago with a weak drag, lets just say I used my thumb alot to stop a fish when needed.

I got a chuckle when I saw the add for the spro dawg in bassin'. I have really good luck with L.C.'s sammy in MS "american shad" so my eye was drawn to spro's "old glory" color. ;D

Awesome! I've been holding off on a 7'3'' veritas until I could put my hands on one of these. With the vengence-vendetta-veritas, abu has done a great job incrementally improving the rods at diffrent price points. The veritas feels amazing in hand, so my expectations are pretty high for this stick. I really like the adjustable handle idea. I prefer a shorter handle for spinnerbaits and topwaters and a slightly longer handle for jigs, plastics and rattlebaits.

For the minimal diffrence in price go ahead and get the veritas. You'll be glad you did.

Spro phat fly, also doubles as a great bait to cast. Ive had really good luck using a loop knot and a little rod tip english.

hybrid

Braid is the ONLY line I use on spinning reels. Power pro 15/4 or 20/6. I've caught huge fish on the 15 and even been drug through heavy cover with 0 breakoffs. I hate wind knots and very rarely get them with braid. Manageability and durability are my favorite benefits. The sensitivity, strength, and casting distance are just icing on the cake.

John is the bantam oil diffrent than what comes with shimano reels standard?

This all for fun, just trying to gather info and determine what I'm going to do this winter. I did a few things to an E7 and a 08' revo Sx and was really pleased with the results. With the PQT, I'm thinking about going to a longer handle, carbontex drag, flushing and relubing the bearings with a lighter oil, put a clicking cast control knob on it ( donated from a revo premier/ carbonlite???), polish a few things, and see where it gets me.

Guys, Does the bearing on the end of the wormshaft contribute to smoothness on the reel, or is it more for durability? My new Pro qualifier tournament doesnt have one and I'm considering putting one in, in addition to some other mods. Would it be worth it?

You made the right choice. I think the president XT wasnt necessary in flueger's lineup. Ive have used regular presidents for years HEAVILY, with little to no maintence. Done evrything from catfishing to stripers but mostly bass fishing and they've handled it all with 0 issues. The XT just doesnt justify the extra coin. If it were lighter, perhaps. But it isnt.