Evans

Well guys, I really appreciate all of the information. Just got my w-2's today and hopefully tax return pretty soon because I have a list of Abus to buy! I finally found me a new 2010 premier under $200(not much under but enough to buy it!). And after looking through a lot of different prices, I have found I can get a STX for only $19.90 more than a SX so I will definately be buying a few of them and a few of the S models as well. Thanks again for all the help and once I get them spooled up and on the water, I will let you know what I think of them. If they are on same level as a Winch, then I will definately not be disappointed!!! ;D

I have 2 of the older blue rick clunn reels, I think the 07 or 08 models. I have nothing but good things to say about them! If the new ones are just an upgraded version then I would think they would be an excellent reel. I also bought both of mine on year end clearance, think I paid about the same Goose did for them. Well worth the money in my opinion. Compared to the Extremes, they are a little bit smoother and seem to cast just a tad better. Both reels are excellent for their price range. My problem is that I bought a Revo Winch last year and now I'm addicted to the revos!

I was looking at getting a pro qualifier or carbonlite as well, but then noticed the max drag on carbonlite was only 8lbs, not sure about pro qualifier. Never used one but I will pay the little extra for a revo. I have 2 extremes and 2 rick clunns from bass pro and never had a problem from either one, but I want a little bit more than 8lbs of max drag. With all the small fish I catch, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell the difference, but if I do happen to hook into a big one, I want to know I have the power to get him out of whatever he's in with no slip. I honestly think you will be happy with any of the choices you listed if you do your homework on them.

Jeb, thanks for the info. I noticed that the new ones are better and it would be great to have something in the model number to identify the specific model. Hopefully I can find those Premiers for $200 like you're talking about. So far I've only found them for $220 but plan on at least getting one of them. Like I said, once I got my Winch....I was hooked on the Abu Garcias! I was really nervous about the centrifugal braking, but after a day on the lake with it, I loved it!

Not trying to hi-jack this thread, but no use starting a new thread for my questions. I'm thinking about getting one of the new Premier's also and trying to switch to all Abu's as well. The reason for this is because right now I have BPS Extremes,Rick Clunns, and Quantum Accurist(2 of each one mentioned) and I have a Winch that I put on my crankbait rod......I thought before that the BPS were excellent reels until I used the Winch and fell in love with it! So now to my question, whats the opinions on the new Revos? I have been looking at a lot of reviews on the internet and the consensus seems that the SX is not that great of a reel. Anybody else seem to think this or am I just reading too much into the reviews? I'm definately wanting to get a new Premier, but can't afford more than one or two because they are so expensive. What's everyones views on the S,SX, and STX's? Thanks in advance for any information.

Yeah it does look like the HPH. I've got 2 of them and got my dad one for christmas. Back in November I had a hold of a big fish on the HPH on Lake Chatuge that I would have loved to see what it weighed!?!?! I threw it just in front of a tree laydown and was letting it sink some, looked back over my head to check on my buddy, eased the rod and it felt like it was hung up. I jerked the rod to try and dislodge it and thats when the fight was on!! Even with a 7'6" swimbait rod and 30lb test P-Line, I couldn't do nothing with him. I seen him come up to the surface just once but he never broke surface, just a big swirl on top. All I could see was a big head, no idea what he would have weighed but he was definately a monster. I got him right under the boat(lifted my line up and there was like 7 feet of line out!) and the hooks just came out :'( :'( Felt like it was 10+ but I could be wrong, I know it felt HUGE! First fish that I have lost that I knew was well over 8lbs. Can't wait to throw it this spring! ;D So theres my biggest fish on a swimbait and the story about the biggest one that got away! lol

9lbs 1oz caught on 6" Castaic Platinum Blue Shad on 4/27/2007 Lake Nantahala, NC

Only technique I use in winter, is the float n fly. Guess I should try other stuff as well but I've just had too much success with it to try anything else! I fished Lake Burton in GA back in December when water temps were 43 all around the lake, didn't do great but did manage 3 spots for 8.5lbs and enough to win our club tournament. Fished Hiwassee Lake here in NC this past week and caught limits both days, even on a 4 hour trip. Biggest so far has been a little over 3lbs, but I have too much confidence on it to throw anything else when the water is below 50! Plus it's a lot of fun to tie your own flies

Excellent choice on the 7'6" honeycomb, I molested one at the fishing store today. Can't wait to get one! I also use Pflueger Presidents and love them. Only have 2 but plan on getting more soon. Haven't tried the reels from W&M and don't plan on it. Why would I pay $99 for a reel like that when I can get Pfluger Presidents cheaper, a Shiman Caenan(also molested one of these today, love it), or a BPS Extreme Reel? Plus I have heard nothing but negative about the W&M reels! Love the rods though!!!

So far I have 6 Skeet rods, all the Tesseras, 7' Crank, 7'10" crank, 7' Spinnerbait, 7'2" Jig, 7'6" swimbait, and the 6'11" Shaky Head. I plan on getting some more soon to change over to all Skeet rods. I use the 7'2" Jig for flipping a power drop shot and anything under 1/2 oz. I don't really like the feel of a 1/2oz jig on it. One of the rods I have felt and will not own is the 8' flipping stick. The rod is just too heavy and feels really awkward to me. I felt of the 7'6" Honeycomb and I think it will be the one for flipping the heavier jigs, for me anyway. I can understand why everyone has a problem with the Skeet rods, the spinnerbait rod is a wet noodle and I would never throw a worm on it....but I love it! I have yet to lose a fish on it throwing a 1/2 oz Roland Martin Big Bass Spinnerbait! However, the biggest I caught was a 6lber and it was a fight on that rod. But it seems that the rod has enough give in it to really hook the fish when they bite. The swimbait rod is an awesome rod in my opinion too. I throw the High Power Herring and Shad on it all the time. Biggest I have caught so far on it was a little over 5lbs, but can't wait to change that this spring. I also throw a buzzbait on it as well and sometimes a spinnebait, the rod handles them all very well. I definately wouldn't throw a 2oz or bigger swimbait on it, it's just not designed for it. The 7' crankbait rod is probably the best out of all the Skeets. I paired it with a Revo Winch and it has handled everything I have thrown with it so far. The 7'10" also works great but it's just not as versatile as the 7' rod. The 7'10" gets used for DD22s and 3/4oz+ cranks only. I've actually put some bigger line on it and used it for smaller swimbaits as well and it handled them very well. So to answer your question, I would definately go with the 7'6" Honeycomb rod, that's the one I also plan on getting for the same application. It's all a matter of personal preference and obviously the Skeet rods are not as high quality as say a Dobyns or Kistler, but I have found that by using mostly Skeet rods has really helped my fishing because I'm not changing different rods everytime I want to throw a different lure. I can't wait to change all of my rods over to the Skeets and only use them(except for a Float n' Fly....doubt he will make one for that) so that the feel of the rod will not change no matter which rod I pick up. Each rod has the same feel and same overall characteristics at a price that I can afford. Not to mention my boat is yellow as well 8-) haha

Anybody know why Jackall stopped selling them in the US? I want one of the Inch Wacky rods so bad I can't stand it. Seen that one sold on ebay for $200 back in November, wish I would have seen it!

Not to undercut anyone's price or anything but my friend bought this same kit a few months ago. *** has it for a little cheaper and that is the same kit that they sell on all the sites, do-itmold, fishingskirts,tw. The kit is awesome but I prefer the expander skirt maker. It seems to be a lot easier to add a lot of different colors into a skirt. Best of luck to you!

I have a 8.5' BPS Micro Lite and it is a very nice rod. I used it for a long time until I went to a FnF seminar and bought a Silstar Vertex(I think it's made by Pinnacle, can't remember and I'm not close to it at this time). It's 10' long, has the action of a trout fly rod and I picked it up at Nature's Tacklebox in Hiram, GA for a little over $30. I threw a $30 Quantum spinning reel on it and I couldn't be happier with it! After using it, the 8.5' BPS Micro Lite rod feels like a medium heavy spinning rod! I can cast a lot further with the Silstar and the action on it doesn't hurt any at all when fighting the fish to the boat. Plus I can throw leaders all the way up to around 15'-17' pretty easily although I usually stick to around 10'12'. The longer the better is my opinion on a float n fly rod because I can definately tell a difference in casting distance into the wind with the 10 footer! Now finding one might be a little difficult. Punisher has one on their website for $45.95, but I picked mine up for around $30(think it was like $33 or so). My friend and I both picked one up when we went to the seminar, he ended up breaking his on the second trip(he's really rough on equipment!) but I have not had the first problem with mine at all. The only issue I have with it, is the first guide on it is pretty far away from the reel and I have to sometime make sure the braid goes on the reel correctly. Other than that I am very pleased with it and you can't beat the price!

Wacky jiggin with a flick shake! Very very deadly right now for numbers and bigger bass.