flechero

Lots of people use a medium for weightless plastics. All that matters is that you like it. Much of what you hear people referring to a soft plastics rod means t-rigs and many (or most) also do use them for pitchin and/or flipping. I like a med heavy for my weightless stuff, but when I throw weightless plastic it's usually a Fat Ika or a 5", 6" or 7" Senko, and I often fish them in or around heavy cover.

September 15, 2006 I stopped cold turkey after over 20 years... and I was a chain smoker equivalent. I put in a dip as I woke up and had them in all day until bed time. (most times didn't even take it out when I ate) The nicotine part wasn't bad for me at all for some crazy reason, in fact by the end of the 2nd day, I just needed something to take up space in my lip. (don't laugh) I bought a can of the shredded beef jerky and that really took care of the mental side. I had tried to quit before and it wasn't so easy- the difference between now and then was that I decided that I wanted to quit as opposed to my wife asking me to. I checked life insurance rates for tobacco users and realized it was up to 10 times the rates. And since my work doesn't provide life insurance I was going to have to pay it. Combine that savings with the cost of 3-4 cans a week and I am saving a bunch of money now!! I do use smokey mountain now when I fish. (tobacco and nicotine free) I seem to still have the cravings for something in my lip while fishing and hunting. And just fyi smokey mountain flavors are bad... the only one I could even stand was the fine cut wintergreen, and now that I'm used to it, I like it. If you go to smokey mountain's website http://www.smokeysnuff.com/ you can get a couple cans free to try out, they will mail them directly to you. The only problem I'm having now is that I started getting heartburn after I quit... since i swallowed the spit, it was very acidic and now my stomach thinks it has to produce a bunch of extra acid. Dr. said just take a pepcid each morning for a few months and that will subside. I did have an incredible appetite for about 2 months, now along with not dipping, I have joined a club and am working that extra 20 lbs off. I wish you the best of luck in quitting!! Stay strong, you can work the weight gain off pretty easily. I only ever met 1 person who beat throat cancer... in fact he is the only one I have heard of that beat it. I pray that I stopped in time.

I agree with ReelMech but also like Alpster's choice! One other consideration is that if you use braided line, you might consider a mod-fast... it'll be a tad easier on the big cranks and will do all the rest just fine. A good portion of your 7'6" "flippin' sticks" will fit that description. I use 6'6" - 7' for all that stuff but that's purely a personal preference thing. As for trolling... you can only use the rods you have so if this rod has to fit the bill for everything just know up front that the "weakness" so to speak is trolling the crankbaits but shoudl do fine in the rest.

ReelMech uses U40 cork seal, I have only used Tru-Oil by Birchwood Casey (sold for gunstocks) I like tru-oil becasue I can get it locally (wal-mart, academy or most any sporting goods store) for only a couple dollars. The look will be very similar and protection is about equal. I have heard that tru oil is a hair darker (or more amber) than the U40 but I haven't seen the two side by side. You can use 1 coat and it won't change the appearance too much or multiple coats to build gloss and darken a little more. (gloss will be slicker when wet but if you want the extra protection, you can use multiple coats and then rub lightly with scotch brite or 0000 steel wool to matte the look and increase wet traction. As far as cleaning, warm water and a mild oil/grease cutting detergent like a dishwashing liquid works well with a light brush... the only trouble is that you will most likely remove all the cork filler when you clean them with a brush. You can always re-fill it and then seal or if it's not too bad just seal. Like most things in fishing, it comes down to preference and nothing more. I don't like sealing them, but most of my friends do.

LBH, If you decide Fork again, remember there will be fish on beds into early May so if you make the trip a little later you can actually fish your choice of prespawn, spawn and postspawn (which is topwater) all on the same trip. And the later you wait the better chances of stable weather. Just food for thought. Maybe for next year (although I like Tx) you could field some options of warmer weather destinations and then we could make a thread of it with a poll for location. Again, just thinking out loud... this year is easy for me, just 1 full tank of gas to get there but a hefty price for some of you. I'd certainly entertain the idea of a number of places in the southern part of the country.

LBH started it, when his vacation time was locked in he announced a return to Fork and offered an open invitation for anyone to join him... it just snowballed from there. Just don't look into that envelope about mid summer and decide that you'd rather have a new reel or GLX rod! ...lol

This is just a friendly reminder for those traveling in from other parts of the country... It is spring time in Texas, and allergy season is already here. If you have seasonal allergies, please get your prescriptions or over the counter meds before leaving... or it could be a miserable trip. East Tx is HORRIBLE for spring time allergies. (and crazy weather extremes.) Claritin is over the counter and the generic version is dirt cheap. I'm typing this with itchy watery eyes and I took Claritin today! ...lol

How limited? I started off with hand-me-downs then to Lightning rods then Series ones and BPS rods and then some All Stars and on and on... what they now call the All Star Classics are great rods for the money, they retail about $45 but go on sale at Academy all the time... I still keep a couple of them around as loaners for family/friends, and even use one myself sometimes. Work within your budget, there are good rods at every (almost) price point.

For that price, I would buy an IMX (783/784 , 843/844 depending on your likes of length and power) from fatfishfarmer and pair it with a Revo SX or a Citica 100DSV. Any combination of those rods and reels will be spectacular! Of course, if you skimped on the reel a little, you might be able to buy a GLX from fatfish... :

You have just past the point of no return. ...lol Welcome to t-rig Heaven!

2 different animals.... the revo may handle fairly light weight stuff but it's far from a finess reel. (I haven't tried anything really light with mine) Should be an easy decision between those two... I think you will be fine with the Revo as long as you don't try to use it like a pixy. ...lol If you mean soft plastics, as in t-rig, c-rig, senkos, flukes, etc., I'd go revo with absolutely no hesitation.

In addition, it will reduce the felt torque and you will feel a big difference after a day of throwing spinnerbaits or crankbaits.

Open invite?? If I take the long way, I could swing through Memphis on my way up from central Texas.... It only changes from a 3 hour drive to a 20 hour drive if I make the "pre-party" ...lol

I'd go with a 7' heavy, fast with a light tip, to cover those 3 things. And if you do a lot of close in work, I wouldn't be afraid to go with a mod-fast either. I used to use an MBR844IMX with an Abu 4600CI for c-rig and flipping and some heavy pitching , then changed to an All Star Classic c-rig rod with same reel and then finally to a custom 5C70HF with a TD-Z BBS... all 3 versions worked great. The point is that the all star/abu combo was under $100 total and a fish catching machine... the TD-Z on the custom is more like a $700 combo. It's light, unique, and comfortable to fish all day but it really doesn't catch that many more fish. As for reels, I like something in the 25" - 27" IPT range but get something you are comfortable with for "regular" usage. If it's in the budget, you might consider a Revo... they are light, easy handling and they are built tough. Just for the record, I prefer a 6'6" rod for pitching.

To say that you did an incredible job would be an understatement! I'm just not sure what the next adjective is. ...lol I would be afraid to fish a rod that I had over 100 hours in. (It would be the one I stepped on!) Truely inspiring!!

+2 For what it's worth, I do pefer 1 pc. in my bass rods, however, I own some 2 pc. (and 4 & 5 pc. fly rods). I have never once in 30 years of fishing had one fly apart on me. (even the cheap zebco combos I keep for the nephew and nieces) Maybe those who have had troubles, do not put them together correctly. I don't check the ferrule(s) while fishing... if connected properly, they will not come apart without help.

According to Loomis in the press releases and quotes from the original show release, the Mossyback is actually a different grahpite and is in between the GL-3 and IMX. (but there was no technical explanation offered as to the actual differences so we don't know if it's a material, scrim or both) So by popular thinking, the IMX might be a hair "better" if you had same models,but as was stated, you can't get the same models in mossyback as IMX so for now, you can't compare them head to head. The IMX is less expensive. If you search back several (not sure how many) months, there were links posted to the articles with quotes from Loomis staff members, describing them with some comparisons.

The IMX rods come with Alconites, which are perfectly fine with braid... You are thinking of the Recoil guides on the BCR and BCFR rods. The problems you heard about are only with Recoil tip tops and Loomis doesn't use the Recoil tip tops.

I've had the old 4600 Power 4's changed to 5.3:1 I don't know about the new ones... you can call or email Southwestern Parts and Service on Mockingbird Ln. in Dallas and ask since they are an Abu service center for the southwestern USA. (that is where I had my gear swaps done in the past.) If Reelmech reads this he will probably be able to say for sure just out of memory.

I hate to argue with a Loomis rep but... I had the 784 and 844 (new and old styles) in factory rods and currently have both blanks in front of me- the tips are close to identical. I think the only difference in casting will come from the extra 6" generating a little more lure speed. I do however, agree with GMAN in that they fish like 2 completely different rods. Just curious... if you are having trouble with 3/16-1/4 oz, something is probably out of whack... Is there a chance your reel needs cleaning or service? Or maybe the line is old, stiff and full of memory?

Great looking work, TJ!!

I'd suggest starting with Reelmech's link and Kirkman's book, after that you will have way fewer questions. I think everyone is a little overwhelmed on the first rod or two... order a few extra guides on the first spinning rod, or else you'll eat up a week and a half waiting for the 1 size you didn't order!

The Weber Kettle... a true American classic!!!!

Hawgin, the 100DSV is plenty strong for what you want it for. It will handle heavy line, hard hooksets and big fish just as well as the 200 size. If you have any specific technical questions, PM me, I have the name and email address of a very helpful source at Shimano.

The reel debates are entertaining sometimes but lately they have been going overboard and bordering on ridiculous... All manufacturers make a junk reel now and then, some more than others but they ALL do. I would go so far as to say most brands have made at least one good model so any brand can be good if you happen to buy a certain reel. One person's experience is just that, no more, no less. No matter how good a fisherman you are, even if you are a pro angler- your experience doesn't make my reel good or bad. I'm glad it's almost spring time!