Goose52

That's new to me. I've ordered a LOT of rods from BPS and they all have come in the heavy cardboard tubes - I've got an attic full of them... ;D With the heavy tubes, I wonder if they eat some of the shipping cost even with the regular shipping charge plus $6.00 for rods over 6' ? Similar topic - I ordered a rod today from Amazon of all places - there you get free shipping (for Amazon-stocked products) on orders over $25...even on 6'6" 1-pc rods !

Yikes, that's close to 3 times the Tennessee rate... Plus, with all that hard water you have, you don't even get a full year worth of boating... :-?

Yep - we got those in my part of Tennessee too! ;D

Lol, It's seriously just a matter of time until this happens to me. I can only imagine your reaction when you saw a gator on your line, haha. When I lived in SoFla, I hooked-up with a little 3ft gator and got him close to the bank before he started thrashing and broke free. I didn't officially "land" him though so he doesn't count.... ;D

Wow, this thead drifted overnight... The question posed by the OP was: "On your rods and reels, and even fishing line, what are the little things that bother you? That would make that certain product go from exceptional to perfect in your eyes?." We went from little things that could create perfection, to hate - hating equipment and hating people. Sheesh - sounds like a lot of pent-up emotion here - I guess it's good to let it all out though.... :-?

A 3 ft watersnake - it grabbed my grub and wouldn't let go. Pulled it all the way in to the bank and lifted it out of the water and it was still grabbing the grub. Banged it into the bank about 3 times before it would let go...

GREAT photos - perhaps better than fish pics! I guess you're not using a "point and shoot" camera, huh!

Sam - the question was: "How many rods do you like to carry with you while fishing?" So, do you tow a "rod barge" behind your boat? ;D

Hook keeper design. When will all the rod companies adopt a design similar to what's used on the upper-end BPS rods (and some others)? One that will accommodate all types of baits/rigs including tex-posed baits (without "de-posing") and drop-shot weights. My best rods are Loomis GLX and St. Croix Avid, and they have the same hook keeper design as on my 45 year old rods... :-/

Thanks for all the replies. I will put one of the 3600 SB boxes on my shopping list. No hurry, now I have to wait for someone to have a sale...

Looks good. Another example of assessing your needs and finding a good solution to get on the water. AND, Jacques Cousteau was out in the open ocean with those things so they should work for bass fishing... ;D

I think this is the best response and certainly a good goal for everyone. Having said that, I use a two-handed overhead cast probably 80% of the time. The rest of the time, I use some variation of a sidearm or roll-cast. I need to get better at skipping. And I rarely pitch and it's my weakest cast. I have no application for flipping and don't use it at all. As SirSnookalot said, I also watch the wind. If I'm casting into the wind, I'll use a sidearm cast for a lower trajectory. If I have the wind at my back, I'll use a two-handed overhead cast, release just a bit early to get a higher trajectory, and let the wind carry the bait.

Lol, if my canoe moved the box around as much as you just did, I wouldn't have to worry about the SBs getting loose, I'd be swimming............. ;D

Thanks. Sorta mixed reviews on this box. I will probably get the 3600 box and give it a try...but these boxes are a bit spendy so I hope it works out. I don't jiggle the boxes around much so maybe I'll be OK. Like I just said, I have a pretty smooooooooth (and slow) ride with my canoe (although there was that one time when I was out too long and had a lot of whitecaps on the water as I was trying to get back to my launch point... ). ;D

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. There was one review on the BPS web site that was similar to yours, but other reviews that were positive. I would be mostly using this box on the water, not on the bank.........but my canoe tops out at about 5.5mph with the trolling motor and it's a pretty smooth ride so maybe I'll be OK.... ;D

VERY cool. Do you just stick that in the back of a truck or do you disassemble/deflate for transport?

Sounds like you got it wired - you cruise around the lake like the Pied Piper, all those hawgs just follow your boat back to the beach, then you stick 'em. Maybe you're just not beaching the boat often enough... ;D

You got some great fish on that trip!

Quote of the Tennessee requirements below. My 11'6" canoe must be registered since I run a trolling motor. Tennessee law requires that all mechanically powered vessels (including federally documented recreational vessels) and all sailboats which are principally used in Tennessee must be registered. (Boats are not titled in Tennessee.) Mechanical propulsion includes electric trolling motors but does not include boats powered only by oars or paddles. Boats which require registration must be properly registered before using them upon any public water of Tennessee.

Jigs - a versatile, proven bait that I just don't use much and have little confidence in. Why? Well, specifically, one 48 acre lake that is very deep, with lots of ledges, and some submerged timber here and there. I don't fish that lake much...but I should...the bass are down there...laughing... ;D

Thanks for the feedback.

Pflueger Supreme 8030MG - 7.4oz - $100 - comes with a spare aluminum spool

Well, as an adult that used to have a blood lead level of 47 micrograms/deciliter, I can take exception to that remark. After handling lead, it's always a good idea to wash your hands before eating or otherwise getting your hands near your mouth. Now, if you only handle a lead weight a couple times a day while tying up a Texas rig, you will probably die of old age before feeling any effects from lead poisoning. The point is, that lead does present a danger to adults in some scenarios, but lead use in fishing, meaning handling the weights, may indeed present little risk. However, if you are casting your own weights, jig head, etc., you MUST take precautions to prevent excessive lead exposure - gloves, cross ventilation across your furnace, thorough washing of your hands and face after a casting session (and a shower is good idea as well), washing the clothes worn during casting, etc.

Thanks O H I O, looks like you're the only one so far that has one. I've standardized on 3600 boxes and that's the model I'm considering - it holds 18 SBs which should be enough for me.

Ah - I understand about the molded seats. Mine are wood & webbing seats and are flat so you can sit either way (or remove them completely).