flechero

Pick him out a new girl and "take the old one off his hands" ....lol Seriously, though... you have to let them be- until it ends. If she was that into you, she'd already be finished with him.

Dink- I think you'll like the batson blanks... they are heavier tipped and rated similar to the St. Croix bass rods. I have a 843 RX7 and an 844 RX8. The 844 is definitely like a St. Croix Heavy. And the 843 like the MH. (In Loomis speak, that would be a [5 power]mag heavy and a [4power] heavy.)

I agree with you completely on using other blanks for bass applications, which is why i wanted to clarify that I wasn't set on the MB blanks. Sounds like we're pretty much on the same page. -keith

That's great! They'll be there early!

Not sure if the mag bass comments were directed at me or a general observation but let me clarify my position anyway. The EBT series is an entire line up, there are only 9 "mag bass" models currently models. (out of 35 or so) I'm actually fishing 3 EBT blanks (none are the mag bass models) at this time.

I have 2 very different scenarios... most trips only require long enough to change clothes and get to boat storage- about 15 minutes. But every 4-5 trips I re-line reels and re-organize the boat/tackle. In those instances, it can take upwards of several hours, depending on how much organizing I need. ..lol I voted 0-1 since the majority fall into that category.

and the cardiff isn't very smooth by shimano standards.

The CTS blanks are nice. I build on them as well. The EBT series is what you want to look at. They are also offered in your choice of paint colors... http://www.ctsfishing.com/colors.htm The ratings are different than we are used to but tell me what are you looking to have built and I can help translate it to a rod rating you are familiar with. Just to add some price perspective, the retail price of the EBT series blanks are on par with the Loomis IMX blanks.

worst case, put those little mud/gravel flaps on the back of you truck and trailer. You'll know in a couple days of listening while driving in the truck, whether or not you need to do this. Either you'll hear the pings and knocks of gravel on sheet metal or you won't. in the grand scheme of things, a 1/2 mile of slow driving won't cost you much time at all.

I have them... some subtle differences, maybe but you get that in any brand comparison. One day I sat down and divided out the cost per weight in several sizes and brands... the conquistador was the better price/unit in most sizes.

Bobby, I hope you know that I was only poking fun at roadwarrior, not megastrike. Wayne- not bored, just procrastinating (lots of work to do, once I find my motivation!)

Exactly what I did. Yak rack with 2 tie downs across the middle, on the rack and one on each corner of the boat, to the bumpers. No issues,ever, and even took many road trips of hundreds of miles.

Go with your gut. In my case, it's when I second guess myself or look to save a few bucks that I start making bad decisions.

If that was your true belief, you would cook in a skillet on an electric range. ;D So do you use any seasonings or spices? I mean, you are a purist, right? : even gas grills season after a couple uses. Some would argue that natural wood coals/or even briquettes bring out the best flavor the meat has to offer. I think if God had wanted you to use gas, he would have created a propane tree, but that's just me.

Maybe you guys could give us a smear by smear update on Megastrike usage? I know this is very different from the JJ's thread so I'll be hanging on by a thread. : (I am a megastrike user so no accusations, please.)

Too many friends and relatives to list here... sufficed to say, I am forever grateful and proud of each one.

Charcoal. I'm also a weber kettle man. Don't feel bad, I have 3 weber kettles and my patio is smaller than that! The wife make2 me keep 2 of them behind the garage with the smoker until they are needed. ...lol She refers to the sideyard as the weber showroom. ...lol

Great work, as usual, Eddie!!

Very cool pics, thanks!

can't miss with good ol' white super flukes. (I also like White Ice, and baby bass) I use 2/0 or 3/0 owner xxx offset wide gaps, but any quality offset in the 2/0 - 4/0 size will work fine. Super flukes are plenty heavy to cast w/o weight. Just give them a few twitches and kill it. most bites come on the pause... unless there are smallies there then they kill it on a fast retrieve. ...lol

you are probably getting the line nicked up in the rocks... in addition to whatever you do, start checking and retying more often. That will probably solve most of your trouble. The other thing is to be sure your knots are tied correctly. I've been using XT since about 1985. I try a new lines or two each year and keep going back to XT. It has its drawbacks (memory, if you don't respool very often) but there isn't a stronger, more abrasion resistant mono to try... I use a couple other for certain applications but as an all around- it's still XT.

That's $71.99 off of a Steez reel.... : :-X

Put me down as another unhappy softcase owner and yup, it's a real pain in the butt to use... I usually don't use it. That hard case looks great and looks like it would do exactly what you want. But I don't have it either... (wish I did) $100 is a little steep but it should last a lifetime and save your rods. You could make one for about $20 but by the time you spent the hours making it just right, you'd be out $100 in your time. RW, He wants to carry them assembled and ready to roll...

There are BC reels that handle light weights pretty well.... but they are expensive, by most standards. I think you are better off (in the wallet and frustration level) by using spinning gear for light weight baits like those mentioned.

Looks to me like someone tried to "out Whataburger" the sweet beaver. ...lol Always liked that commercial...