Goose52

The lake this fish came from was frozen-over 2 days ago. Yesterday (New Years eve), with some ice floes still on the lake I got a little 13" bass in 40deg water on a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw. Today (New Years day) I got this 20" 3.76 pound bass in 45 degree water on the same bait. For me, a GREAT start to 2011! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

My catch rate dropped dramatically when the water temp went below 50deg, but I still caught some fish. Sub-50deg. baits that I've used so far this winter include t-rigged baits, spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, jigs, and jerkbaits. Caught my last fish of 2010 yesterday on a t-rigged plastic craw in 40deg surface temp water (the lake was iced over the day before).

I have a CL and it's my favorite BC reel. 6.7oz, DBS, aluminum frame, 7 bearings, has been on sale before for $100, smooth, casts far, what's not to like. I would have more CLs if I didn't already have 6 PQs. As to who makes BPS reels - a frequent question - with many wrong answers probably. ALSO, the answer would be different depending on the particular reel model. The most informed opinions that I have read were in the below thread. Pay close attention to posts # 14 and 17 from informed board members who work and live in Korea... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1288744378/0

When I saw it, I thought that the name was appropriate - it's an Enigma (def.: a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation). I haven't a clue as to whether this is the start of something that will catch on or is a flash in the pan. My first impression, however, is that it seems like a pretty complicated system. :-? A negative is that, to bring it in at this price point, BPS went with a graphite frame which will be a turn-off to many. I have to give credit to BPS for the innovation though...and I guess time will tell as to whether this system presents any advantages to the current dual-braking systems having both centrifugal and magnetic components. However, if this reel will introduce more new anglers to bait-casting equipment, by reducing the learning-curve, then that's a good thing and helps expand the potential customer base for all the BC reel manufacturers. Now, the "experts" will come along and say that all dual-braking systems (or in this case a "dual-centrifugal" system!) are unnecessary and that all you need is an "educated thumb." That's all well and good to say, but there are probably thousands of anglers out there that stick to spinning tackle due to the intimidation factor of BC gear that can really benefit from anything that will shorten the learning curve of using BC reels. Dual-braking is also helpful for experienced casters as well - especially in the wind. AND - sometimes the 'ole thumb ain't quite as educated as we like - when it's numb from cold, is stiff with arthritis, you have gloves on, etc. ;D Anyway, I just hope that this reel works well enough to bring more anglers into the BC reel world...and not be a dog that will drive these same people back to spinning gear forever!

When I fish from my canoe, I have room for quite a bit of tackle - I'll usually have three to five 3600 boxes in the boat and 6 rods. When fishing from the bank, I am much leaner and only take what will fit in a medium-sized fanny pack. I usually have two rods - one in my hand, another stuck in my belt behind my back. I actually carry more "stuff" than I do baits. In the photo below: Fanny pack Cheap digital camera Hat light Digital scale Piece of broom handle for breaking-off Multi-tool Forceps Water thermometer Nail Clippers Tape measure Small plastic container with a few hard-baits, terminal tackle, some grubs. Then, if I'm fishing soft plastics, I'll stick a bag of those in my pocket. EDIT - I just added spare batteries for the camera to the fanny pack today................after having the camera batteries die before I got a good photo of a nice bass I caught today... ;D ;D ;D

I often say that I don't think that the bass have read the same books as I have ... ;D ;D I have sitting on my desk right now, waiting to the read or re-read during the cold winter days when the water is hard: In Pursuit of Giant Bass - Bill Murphy Spoonplugging - Buck Perry Knowing Bass - Keith Jones Largemouth Bass - Fundamentals (In-Fisherman) Largemouth Bass - Location (In-Fisherman) Now, I just got to knuckle down and knock-off these 1300 pages before spring ...

Marty - do you take that Large-size bag in your canoe?

I use braid on a Loomis GLX rod with Recoil guides - noisy as heck - but no grooving...

With baits, there is very little originality and lots of knock-offs. How many Senko knock-offs are there? On litigation related to knock-offs, did the original bait manufacturer patent their design? If not, ... :

Me too - the Knoxville Gander Mountain is about a 50-60 minute drive from our house and we don't go to the "big city" that often! I was there earlier this week and checked the clearance bins and didn't see any Yo-Zuris - I didn't check the rest of the fishing section to see if they were on the regular racks but marked down to $2.95 price. :-?

I also have a 6'6" m-f BC rod that I call my "topwater" rod (although it's also a general purpose rod that can do lots of stuff) and I make a point to always have mono on the reel on this rod. I also use spinning gear for topwater - depending on the weight of the bait, and the time of day. If I'm fishing after dark, I sometimes switch to spinning gear (usually a 6'8" m-xf) as I'm more comfortable casting "by feel" in the dark with spinning than with BC gear, especially if there's no moon or it's cloudy.

Wow - I'm anti-baitmonkey and I still would have had to buy at least $100 worth - perhaps more. If I didn't end up using them all, I could always turn them over for a profit! They seem like good, well made, effective baits and have a good reputation. Since I'm pretty frugal, I wouldn't pay $8 on up for them...but at $2.95 - you bet! Here's the perch-color Rattl'N Vibe that I got - great looking bait.

The Gander Mountain in Knoxville TN put their Yo-Zuri baits in the clearance bin - I bought all they had for $2.95ea...unfortuneately, there were only 3 left. :-? There were no crankbaits left - I ended up with two Rattl'N Vibe lipless cranks and one Hardcore suspending minnow. If they would have had more, I would have bought every one! Oh, they work too. The photo below was a nice 16" fish that grabbed a Rattl'N Vibe the first time it was used. 8-)

I've had it down to about 22-24 on 10lb test. Haven't tried to fish it below that and don't know if it will really make 30ft. Takes a long cast to get it down and have some cranking time left before you get it back to the boat. I imagine you'd get another foot or two with 8lb, plus you can stick the rod down in the water.... I only fished my Mann's 20+ and 30+ a few times at the end of the season. Most of my deeper cranking was with a 1/2oz Luhr-Jensen Hot Lips Express - good for 15-17 feet or so and a smaller profile than the big plugs like the DD22s and Mann's. Got my biggest bass of the year (only 4.73) on the Hot Lips right at 15ft depth.

Hmmm - the bait monkey says you have a hole in your arsenal... ;D ;D Keep looking at the photo I posted, don't you really want to get a Mann's 30+ and go deep !

I haven't a clue of the percentage of what I throw, but I have very good records of what I've caught: Of the 1174 fish I've caught so far this year, 76.6% were caught on soft plastics (worms, grubs), and 23.4% were caught on "hard baits" that includes crankbaits, jerkbaits, lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, in-line spinners, and some topwater baits.

Everyone has their own opinion on this, and sometimes the opinion is based on what gear ratios their favorite reel is available in, not necessarily what the ideal ratio is for cranking! : You might want to review this recent thread where cranking reels were discussed: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1293145256 In general, many people think that a low 6.x reel works well for cranking, even up to a 7.1. However, I think most of those people are only cranking down to 10 feet or so. You want 12-20 feet and IMO a low 5.x or even high 4.x reel will work better for that (in IPT terms, say 19 to 22 or so). Your wrists will appreciate the lower ratios for sure. I posted this photo on the other referenced thread. If you are cranking something like the Bomber 6A (bottom lure in photo - rated at 6-8ft) you can use almost anything - I crank this kind of plug with a 6.4 with no problems. However, if you want to go deep, like with the top plug, you probably want a lower ratio. Another consideration that was mentioned on the other thread is that with a faster ratio, you may end up cranking too fast, and may not get the best presentation - it takes a bit of discipline to slow down from your regular cranking rate used for lipless cranks, etc. Most lipped crankbaits are not "burned" and probably favor a slower retrieve, which can be delivered perhaps better with a lower-ratio reel which sorta gives you a built-in speed limit. Good luck! (BTW - the mods will end up moving this thread to the Reels forum so if you notice it "missing" - that's where it will be!)

These bags have been recommended by a number of people on the board so you've got company! Since I standardized on 3600 boxes, I've been looking at the "Large" bag and I should probably get it during this sale. I keep holding back though since I already have several bags that hold 3600 boxes and I fish from the bank or from my canoe and I typically only take with me what I need for that outing so I don't really NEED another bag - but these sure look good!

X2 - I'm going through it right now !

I'd also want to have the deck lowered a bit so I have an inch or two of gunwale above the deck - I can just imagine how many rods I'd kick overboard with that flush deck.

WOW - those Swift boats look good! The 12' Adirondack Pack canoe is 18lbs in carbon fiber, 20lbs in kevlar ... makes my aluminum 12' canoe seem portly at 34lbs. Of course, the Swift costs 2.5 times what my Radisson cost! I keep checking out the various powered kayaks - they look pretty good but don't meet my needs for boat weight and inboard storage. Pretty slick though for those that like yaks.

Another photo of this boat below. The specs are approx 12ft length with a 57" beam. That sure is a handy size for a single angler but for over $1000/ft. length I think there are better options! When I get a bit older and my back finally gets to the point that I can't take sitting in the canoe for hours - I'd like to get something like this. I fish small lakes so I don't need a big bass boat - I will probably end up getting the widest 14ft jon that I can find and mod it from there. My dad used to have a pretty nifty little glass bass boat (a Stott Craft) that was only 14ft and had all that you needed - it moved out pretty good with only 40hp too. Just doesn't seem to be anything like that made anymore... :-?

Still haven't got mine yet - perhaps today. So far, I'm not hearing about anything new that's gonna get my money - but it's always nice to have that big catalog available to browse...

I'll work backwards on the highlighted comments - and I'll mention that I'm talking about BPS higher-end BC reels, not all BPS-branded product lines. You bet, time will tell and a bunch of us are the field-test crew I guess. I have 6 PQs (and 2 RCs, a CL and a ProLite). All great reels. However, I have so many, that I may be able to fish them for many years without putting a lot of mileage on any one reel so I may never have any problems (if indeed any problems ever develop). On reels falling apart after several seasons - I wonder if that is from earlier BPS product lines? The current line-up of the higher-end BPS reels (PQ on up) seem to be well made, quality reels. Several folks on this board have conducted tear-downs of the PQ in particular and haven't noticed any shortcuts on quality of materials or any shoddy assembly. I heard one unsubstantiated comment on this board that the PQ used some "pot-metal" parts, but examples weren't given. It would be interesting to hear if you, DVT, RM, etc. ever do get a PQ in for service that you find any significant quality or construction issues... For me, I DO have one PQ that I have used the most, that certainly has thousands of casts on it, and the only problems so far are are that half the numbers for the mag brake setting have worn off from palming, and I had a grip/handle bushing start to click a bit - it had moved a bit out of position inside the grip - I pushed it back in place, stuck some grease in there, and it's been OK since. On BPS copying others, perhaps. But in some cases they have been the product innovators, or at least been there with competitive product at the same time as the mainstream reel companies. All the buzz about the Curado 50 - the BPS ProLite was there a few years earlier. Other lightweight reels - the Carbonlite at 6.7oz seems pretty light - who else offers an aluminum frame reel with that weight, at a $120 price point. Whether folks think it's necessary or not - DBS on their higher-end reels, at a value price-point, sounds good to me. Lots of product choices? - yep, at least on the bread-and-butter PQ line - 8 models. The other reel companies seem to want to tell the purchaser what they can use by having limited choices of ratios (how many threads have we had on gear swaps for Citicas and Curados?). BPS has provided competitive products, with either leading-edge or matching features, at value price points. There may or may not be parts issues in the future (but aren't we hearing about the mainstream reel companies not having parts for some of their older models?). So, we still have the issue of longivity. And I guess only time will tell !

Looks great! I wonder what the beam is? Looks like it's a bit short of rod storage though... ;D