flechero

Deadsticking is usually a great way to "work" a Fat Ika... In heavily pressured ponds- go slower, smaller or both.

Now there is a solution I can use at work!! Have I mentioned that I work with my wife and in-laws? ;D ;D

You guys got rewarded for doing it legally! Great fish.

Your hooksets being better than another guy's, is not a function of the rod.

I'm not trying to steer you, just wanted to throw out a small carrot in case you were torn. You are way ahead of me either way and I admire your dedication.

Muddy, Congrats!! You are on the right track! I can't tell you how many times I wish I had gone back to finish my degree. As things turned out, I don't need it now but it is still the single biggest regret in my life. I can recall 15-20 opportunities that I missed out on due to the lack of that one little piece of paper... If you go back and get the BA... send me the specs to your dream rod- I'd be honored to build it for you as a graduation gift.

Fisher of Men, Just for you... the P.O. in Flat, Tx. is an old run down, small mobile home that's been converted to a P.O. Does that help at all? ;D

With that budget you have a few options... I would look at the lightning rods for sure... also if you have an All Star dealer in the area (most big retailers carry some All Stars) look at the "Classic" line of rods.... they are some of the best economy rods available. Lastly, there are a few BPS and Cabela's rods that fall in that price range.

I've waited as long as 4 months for them before... you'll get it, eventually. >

You are lucky it showed back up. I had to quit using USPS for shipping rods. A large percentage of them end up broken inside of a PVC pipe, or just plain missing!! Insurance claims take about 12 weeks to get paid out and they require ridiculous amounts of documentation and paperwork. I have yet to have UPS or Fedex break or lose one... I think usps used the tubes as parking bumpers for trucks. ...lol Just fyi- insurance is cheap considering how likely it is you will need it with USPS.

I firmly believe that stretch is a good quality. The whole marketing campaign of braid being no stretch was a marketing campaign. However, I do see that braid could be a good choice in certain matted grass or similar situations. or If you have no feeling left in your hands and want to be a deep water worm/jig fisherman with a cheap rod, braid would be a great choice. ;D All in fun.

I have a Samsung 42" plasma, and it has a great picture. (KU- the brightness is adjustable) My only complaint is that after it's been on a while, it gets super hot. (much hotter than a regular tv.)

The better question is: why would you want to use a lure that is about 3 times as heavy as the rod is rated for? Just going "a little" over the rating is usually not a big deal but you are way beyond that... that would be the equivalent of using a 1/2 ton Chevy to tow a 30,000 lb trailer - nothing good will come from it. Think of it this way, even if you only slightly screw up you will end up replacing your good rod and still having to buy another. Why not just buy 1 rod and it will be able to serve other purposes down the road... like a flipping/swimbait/matted grass/striper/musky rod/etc..

How can you know they are high quality? The site give no information of value. For that kind of money, you could buy Loomis or St. Croix crankbait rods... or All Star or Falcon or you name it. I read the info and all I know is they use flex coat finish. The finish is about the 8th ot 9th thing on my list of what matters in a rod. They could be awesome rods but there is no information, which makes me very suspicious. Sorry,bhb14

Cliff, I grew up on a 5 acre pond that would occasionally get swallowed up by a flooded creek, it always seemed to lower the population of smaller fish immediately but the pond always rebounded awesome. As if Mother Nature needed to thin it out a little for the general health of the pond. We always got bigger fish out of what remained. And then after a few years it seemed overpopulated again and then came another flood... repeating the process. Seemed like a 3 - 5 year cycle. I hope you have the same experience we did, it always got better. (edited for spelling)

That response was when I thought you meant $120 total... with $120 each I would opt for sale priced Avids, but if no luck there, probably go back to a higher level All Stars. (and still have money left over for other stuff)

Winter time means lots of rodbuilding when weather is bad... and power plant lake fishing when the weather is good!! Almost all of you guys (especially those up north with longer winters) could learn how to build a rod and make yourself one or more in the off season. Depending on your level of patience, woodworking and finish skills, you could make something from "ugly but functional" up to a real work of art. There is a lot of free info out there and some real talented builders willing to share info with anyone interested in the craft. It beats dreaming about fishing and a well designed rod will improve your catch as well as the enjoyment level...

My brother and 2 of the guys I hunt with have used them. Depending on your expectations they can be great. You can't tune them as precise as some other rests but for most bowhunting (20 yds and less) they work great. IMO, not having to hold the arrow with your finger while napping in your favorite tree would be worth using it.

You could buy a nice pair of All Star rods, and have a little tackle money left over.

Muddy, Your post wasn't really removed, LBH copied it to the other thread since both were addressing kind of the same thing. I had sent him a PM asking the same thing. No worries, friend.

PLEASE DO NOT CUT THE ROD IN HALF Anyone who suggested it should be fired from Shimano. What a waste of time and money.. both yours and theirs. It will cost you 5-10 times as much to send a broken rod in than it will to replace the tip. (not to mention the hassle factor of shipping) 99% of the tackle shope will replace a tip for free if you buy the $2-$5 replacement from them. I'm sorry but this is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of and I am embarrassed to be a Shimano customer if this is how they think. Geeze :-/ Please note my frustration is ONLY with shimano, not the poster. Just a real big waste of time & money

Glad you had such a fun trip! Also glad to have you back!

Congrats! I'm starting to think that a pool guy is not so expensive when I figure in my own time and frustration... I bet you aren't far behind me! ...lol

I'm right there with you, justfishin... I grew up fishing Fork and some other east Texas lakes where heavy grass and wood are the norm. We always used XT, without trouble. Now that I fish the rocky, clearer waters of central Texas, I still use XT without trouble... I tried braid but never found a scenario that it worked better for me. Yes it is more sensitive, but unfortunately, that only made it easier to confirm that I was getting fewer bites with it. I can see why people would want use it in matted grass and a few other specific scenarios but I just never shared the need. No offense intended, but I think braid is too often used as a crutch, not a tool, for some people. If you "need" it for this or that then something else is probably missing.

Muddy, I wasn't in on the shirt order but if you have extras or are short on cash to send to servicemen/women, PM me and I'll PayPal you or send a check. Happy to buy a few for those serving our country.