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I like it too, once in a while. Super hot peanut oil is the way to go for frying fish. Have you guys ever tried soaking bass fillets in ice water with some baking soda overnight in the fridge before cooking them? This helps a lot. If you rinse them off super well and then do this, the soda will take care of that "weedy" taste that bass are known for, and the ice water will firm the fillets and make them flaky when cooked. Wrapped in tinfoil with a little sparkling wine(Asti), butter, finely minced garlic and onion, and some fresh rosemary and thin lemon slices on top of the fillet. Toss it on the grill or broil it, and let it steam in the wine. This is a modified stream trout recipe, but I cook almost all my freshwater fish like this. Its the best.

Not a problem. Rods with whippy tips will make small casting troubles worse. You're on the right track with the Champion, I must say.

Not a bass, I know... It was a 15 lb+ carp that I caught while bobber fishing for pumpkinseeds on my old Zebco spincast setup as an 8 y/o kid. I was alone on a small, plastic paddle boat at the old lakeside family "cabin"/trailer in Northern MN up near Canada. I remember just letting the fish pull that boat around for 15-20 minutes and having a blast with it. I think I had 20 lb mono on that thing, and if I wasn't fishing sunnies with it, I was tossing 1.5 oz Daredevils. lol

Game on is right! That wind pushes cool, oxygen rich water into the warm shallows in Summer and displaces small inverts from the sand and weeds, which brings the forage, which bring the bass. It also creates current, which create ambush points for the already amped-up bass. Good times. I love fishing in the wind. It opens up so many possibilities, and limits a few as well.

BTW, the wait is d**n near KILLING me as well. I live in MN, and after 3 months of snow, cabin fever and boredom, I would do just about anything to get on the water. Even on this late opener, there are still tons of nests that are active, and when you snag the males from them, you leave them to the bluegills, who never miss the opportunity to gorge themselves. You can easily watch the bluegills invade the nest, which soon turns into a cloud of sediment because the gills are shredding the eggs and kicking up dust. I try to get my fix by flyfishing for bluegills before the May 15th multi -species opener, and then go after northerns for two weeks before the May 29th bass opener. I get by, so can you. :

+1. These will keep you occupied while you wait for May 29th.

Good point, Tbird. I was thinking the same this when I was reading Eaker's bio. This is nothing new, Headhunter. Pros fish with whatever gives them the best chance to win. They fish with one rod, then plug another because that's what pays their mortgage. There are staged photo ops with guys holding fish with lures hanging suspiciously from the fishes mouth, right next to that lures sponsor patch. Frankly, it doesn't bother me. I ignore that stuff. Thats the business.

These are helpful, specifically to get a feel for what length, power, and action rods people are using for their technique specific combos, if you're interesting in maybe going that route: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1267390133/7 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1266193584/13

Here's your thread. I think you're casting too jerky, with too much wrist. You want to try to load the rod and make it do the work for you. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1267145472/3#3 After trying 20# once, I strongly recommend against using braid under 30# on a baitcasting reel because the diameter is too small to wrap itself properly on the spool, and when tightened down with a snag or a fish, it cuts into the line on the spool too easily and damages the line. 30# might even be too thin, after all it's only the equivalent of 8# mono. I starting to think that 50#+ is the best way to go, even though it sounds excessive. I would respool that Fireline on a spinning reel. Thats the perfect size for them. Some new braid has that dye on it that you saw on your hands. No worries, just keep it off your clothes. For Senkos, I use 15 and 17# fluoro because I fish them on jig and worm rods. The fluoro makes the Senko sink a little faster, which some say is not a good thing. Some opt to use mono on dedicated Senko rods, because it does not drag the Senko down like heavy fluoro will. I intend to compare this year because I'm curious how much of a difference it will make when using mono vs. fluoro for Senkos.

Thanks a lot for the advice on Argons. I appreciate it. But I chose to jump on a used Dobyns instead.

I think we're pretty much on the same page, dodgeguy. I misspoke, and should clarify. With a reel on, the rods fulcrum is generally around the foregrip area, where an angler's index finger sits while palming the reel. Some rods are so tip heavy, even with a reel on, that the fulcrum is farther up the rod blank than the index finger point I mentioned. This constitutes an excessively tip heavy rod IMO, and one that will feel funny and cause fatigue. Some flipping sticks are like this, and this is what I'm trying to avoid.

If you like Abu and may want to stick with it, look into the Revo series reels. Not to say there's anything wrong with the Citica, it's a fine reel and excellent value IMO.

Yes, most rod are tip heavy to an extent, some more than others, because not all rods balance perfectly at the reel seat. Most seem to balance around the middle of the foregrip where the anglers index finger sits. For those, since the foregrip is the balance point and not the reel seat, the reel's weight acts as a counter balance, and has very much to do with the balance and feel of the combo. Try swapping a 200 sized reel with a 300 size, and you'll see what I mean.

Hmmm, I was hoping to hear that it was significantly more sensitive, considering the MSRP's of the rods are $160, 190, and 230.

They were discontinued. Only one year on the market. This is true. "We could only stock so many rods lines this year due to limited capital, slow economy", says Trey Kistler a.k.a. Kistlero on the company website forum. The prices are cut in half on remaining stock from certain places, with some useful sticks still remaining. http://www.kistlerrods.com/fishing-rod/plugins/forum/about6587.html

I'm interested in a Kistler Argon TS worm rod - AFW72C - 7'2" MH/F. It's intended to bridge the gap between a GL Mossyback BCFR892 and a Dobyns Champion 766, and to be used for mostly casting, but also pitching mid sized worms and brush hogs/beavers, 3/8 - 1/2 oz jigs, and 6" Senkos around moderate cover. Does anybody have experience with this rod or with Kistler Argon TS rods in general that they would like to share? I would particularly like to know how they balance and if they are tip heavy, and also how they compare in sensitivity to the Shimano Crucial and St. Croix Avid lines. If I don't get this rod I will be using a Avid 7' MH/F to fit the bill, but I would prefer to keep using that for large spinnerbaits. I'm shaking up and expanding my technique specific lineup and I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks, Joe

I was going to give this a try this year when slop pitching. I've heard a lot of good thing about it as well, how the knot causes the hook point to pivot towards the fish, increasing hook-up ratio. I practiced with some #50 braid and it's a lot easier to get the knot to lay right with braid than it is with the light fluoro I sometimes use for tying walleye spinners.

For most jig fishing, I prefer 15# fluoro over braid. 90% of my jig fishing is around deeper weedlines, rocks, and docks. If I fished them around shallow, heavy weed cover more often, I would use #50 braid thats blacked out with a marker as I do for frogs and heavy flipping. It slices through the weeds better, and it's visibility disadvantage isn't as big of a deal in the shade of a heavy weed bed.

You can find brand new Citicas on Ebay for about $90-95 shipped from a few retailers with the Buy It Now option. BTW, the same stores are likely to have Curados for $145 as well. That's where I get mine. Your bet for rods is to look for a used one on sites like this one, among others. Plenty of very solid performers quickly come and go for around $100 shipped with signs of light to moderate use(cork staining, scratches around the hook holder), like the St Croix Avid, Loomis G3, or Kistler Magnesium. That's the best way to aquire quality equipment on a budget. New reels on sale + used rods.

+1

That looks great. The attention to detail is excellent. I'm sure there are enough BR members that would buy one of those that it would keep you working around the clock making them.

Never, I'd gladly take another 6lb bass which I have near a hundred of instead of that ugly thing. Haha, I wouldn't either.

That's a steal. Too bad they don't come that cheap in heavier tests.

That's what I was thinking. Wouldn't be half bad for tossing balsa poppers and twitchbaits, either, although it is a little long. I would personally put 8 lb. mono on it and use it for just that, Rapala Skitterpops and Floating Minnows

Cheap spinnerbaits work just fine as long as they have a sharp hook and good swivel.