flechero

He said the quality has slipped... so maybe he did think they were great previously. I can't say. As with ANY spokesman or pitchman, and that's in part what a paid user is, you have to read between the lines. A rod may be great, great for him, the best for him (which can mean if also comes with a check) or whatever. And as always, best for you and best for me aren't necessarily the same. Best for either of us and best for a paid pro is often different as well.

Length is your preference, but most (almost all) cranking rods are moderate or mod-fast action. For 1/4 oz baits, you're probably wanting a med power.... possibly a med-hvy if you also use bigger baits.

Funny, that also drew my eye right away. ....lol

Nice, that's almost chilly by comparison!

What kind of temps did you have up by the alpine lakes?

Great fish and pretty country!!! Wish I was there! (our "cold" front dropped it to 99 degrees... :-/ )

I'll second George Welcome's post. However, it's a salty fish, regardless of the actual weight!

Had you paid for this membership, you'd have a right to demand such. When you cool off, you'll probably change your mind so don't sweat it. I don't think you can be removed anymore, anyway... you can be banned but your profile is etched in stone...

It's all preference. For example, I used to use all Loomis. Like Muddy said, those rods fit all my preferences. Even if the "frog rod" might not be perfect, the MBR845 or 785, will do the job great, as will a couple of the newer BCR's and a flipping rod or two. Don't pigeonhole yourself into thinking that a technique specific rod label is anything close to all inclusive. They never are. These days, I carry several brands, all specifically built for different things... that's my current preference.

The other cheap and easy fix might be electrical tape. The sell it in about 10 colors available at depot of lowes for under a buck a roll. Just make a wrap or two where you want it and in some weeks when it comes loos, make another wrap. Plus it's not permanent so if you change your mind or sell the rods, you can just take it off and clean any residue. And there is always the colored zip tie. If you are just ID'ing the rod by a color mark, that might be as good as anything. Stain may work for a while, but you won't get much penetration into the cork... which is why I suggested the sharpie. Consider the mess, smell, drying times and ease of reapplication and color selection and I think sharpies are a much more friendly solution. Try a search on rbo- they've discussed painting and staining cork in the past.

Not sure if any units are still compatible... but pulling wires and changing a transducer just isn't that tough. It's worth your time and effort to get the unit(s) you want.

It's open all day if I'm at work... I try to only look at it when I'm not busy, but occasionally I'll push some work aside. The flip side is it may be open all day but if I'm busy I might never get to open a thread.

That only $20 more than the original core... and it's 1/2 oz lighter and 3 bearings more. That's got to be worth $20, huh?

while break strengths are much higher than ratings, most people's knot are not so good, and probably fail about at the rated strength.

What makes you think the cumara is the better choice? You haven't even used the LTB. You might find it extremely sensitive, if you actually fished it. This would have been a good thread a few months ago, before you bought it.

Hmm... sounds like a new curado to me. :

There should be a tracking number... if not, it probably never shipped. Ask him to track it. If it never shipped, ask for a refund. (or ask when it will ship) Just be nice, if the guy had no intention of ripping you off, he'll want to know that the item never arrived. If he wanted to rip you of, then a claim isn't a big deal.

It's in the top 2 or 3 best "sub $100" rods made.

I don't think paint will last on cork. If you are actually coloring the cork (and not a plastic butt cap) buy a 5 pack of sharpies in colors. (about $4) and you'll have no mess, easy touch up with little to no drying time required. You can also get the metallic sharpies, and the writing will show up on the caps. just a thought

John... let me help you out... ;D http://tinyurl.com/log3pg I figured no one would appreciate that more than you!

No, I didn't mean that... David is only building on St. Croix blanks! (When we last spoke about it)

I bet he does, the day Loomis consults for St. Croix!!

Considering the announcement was only a few day old and that all the models currently on the site are travel rods... and that the press release said the new ones are all 1 & 2 piece, yes... I think it's safe to assume the new models are yet to be listed.

For big, deep diving crankbaits, absolutely.

No matter the gear ratio, the rod does all the heavy work. Give me a 5:1 or an 8:1 and I'll move the weight the same rate... with the rod, not the reel. If you actually use the reel for the fighting, then you will get the fish in slower than anyone using the rod, regardless of the ratios you both have. The only time the reel is doing the "heavy work" is with little to no weight... and in that case the higher ratio wins.