Goose52

Yikes - do you have Saturday package delivery or do you have to wait until Monday? Let us know what you think of it when it comes in ...

Just to announce a good deal for those that are so inclined, and NOT to begin another pro-con thread on BPS reels... The 2009 model Rick Clunn reel retailed for $109.99 last year. It was reduced on clearance in December to $89.77. Just yesterday, they reduced it again to $71.82 This reel is a great deal at this price - 8 bearings, dual-braking, etc. This price is now cheaper than what an Extreme BC reel currently sells for. The 2009 RC reel is essentially the same as the "new" RCX reel that BPS is selling for $109.99. The reel is a bit heavy at 9.45 oz but that's only about a half-ounce heavier than the ProQualifier or Extreme. As of right now, they still have 7.1 and 6.4 ratios in RH and LH but are sold out of the 5.4 ratios. I just bought a 7.1 to go with the 6.4 I already had 8-) FWIW... ;D

I guess it depends on the fish you're after and the technique you're using. Sometimes, it's all about the sensitivity of the rod and less the reel. Sometimes, it's more about the reel - drag strength and smoothness, line capacity, etc. Sometimes it's both. As it turns out, I actually have a baitcasting rig right now that almost matches your thread title - I have a Loomis GLX MBR842 ... with a BPS ProQualifier reel. The big bucks are for the sensitivity of the rod - the reel will do the job I need it to do OK as well...

Not that you're counting ... ;D

Good tips on the hands - thanks. I wish I had moving water here. I fish small man-made lakes - 4 acres to 204 acres. I'm fishing off the earthen dams and there is no cover, and very little structure. Then I have a small ice-free area to toss baits into without being able to target any cover/structure. My only hope is some fish MIGHT be suspended there... but logic says they're probably somewhere else. I did have 2 very nice rainbows follow my spinner back to the bank the other day but they didn't hit and I haven't seen any sign of a bass here in over a month. How much longer until spring ? :-/

I think so too - looks like a live brim that just got pulled from the water and is still wet ... but without a slimecoat !

I bought my fly rod in 1967 and my first bass was a little guy - probably around a pound or less. But I still remember twitching that popper and then seeing the bulge in the water as he was coming up to hit it - like all topwater, just a rush. Great stuff. I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

Does anyone know if TW is publicly traded? If so, I wonder if this would be the right time to buy their stock - with Raul getting ready to go shopping and all...;D

Wow - details please! What bait, depth, etc. ALSO - how do you keep your hands warm enough to work the reel? It was in the 20s when I went out fishing and I had on latex gloves, with UnderArmour glove liners over them, and thin wool gloves over that, with a chemical handwarmer between the glove layers... and still had the fingers go numb.

I wish I had that problem since I haven't caught anything since the water starting getting hard. Anyway, I've been fishing little spots of open water that extend to the bank so if I had a fish on I could land them easy enough. However, some of these ice-free areas are irregularaly shaped and I was thinking about what I was going to do if I DID get a fish on an he made a run back into a little "bay" where my line would be extending over the ice. Guess I figured I would worry about that when the time came. I'm just about done anyway - I was fishing one of the last remaining open areas yesterday and was watching the water freeze near the shoreline right where I was fishing... This cold front coming through Tennessee will be moving out in about a week and we have some mid-40s weather coming up - maybe the thin spots in the ice will melt and I can reach the water again...

I'm not quite beaten yet ... but the time is coming soon! Then the long wait until spring...

Maybe I'll pull that old WF8F off the reel and stretch it out - if it doesn't look like a Slinky .... maybe I'll try to fish it Still, I think I will be getting a bit more modern 6wt or so rig to play with as well. I think 6 will be enough for the little fish in my lakes...

I have a feeling that with Raul - it's not a "bait monkey" ... it's a "bait gorilla" - look out !

Thanks for the info. It's becoming a moot point now anyway as I went out today and the open patch of water that I had in one lake was starting to shrink down to swimming pool size ;D Still, I made about 15-20 casts until the line guides iced up and my fingers went numb - then I called it a day!

Wow - hang in there big guy...it will get better. I went fishing today. It was 28 degrees, I was tossing a spoon in an open piece of water that looked like a swimming pool - the surface water temp was 33 degrees in the open patch. The rest of the lake surface is frozen. I was watching the water surface start to freeze right where I was standing on the bank. Then my line guides on the rod kept icing up and I kept having to clear them. Then my fingers went from stinging to numb so I decided to call it a day. Didn't catch a thing... But at least I got to go fishing! ;D ;D

Will do! Now, do you think I will need to replace the 42 year-old WF8F line I have on my reel ? ;D ;D

Well - I learned something new. You're right - I just went to Browning.com, found that they have a link to their fishing licensee, clicked the link, and got Basspro! Now I know why Browning equipment has their own section in the BPS catalog, right after the BPS product line. It also probably explains why the Browning Midas reel ended up with dual braking...

Most of my local lakes have now frozen over however, several lakes still have some open areas that are ice-free (for now). QUESTION for experienced cold-weather anglers - do fish have any tendency to hold under or adjacent to the open water areas - better oxygenation there or something? Or does the open water have no relation to fish position. I'm just wondering if it would do any good to toss a lipless crank or perhaps a spoon into those open water areas that I can reach from the bank....

5 weight is sorta a panfish, medium stream trout, small bass kinda weight. If you are specifically targeting larger bass, then most would recommend a 7 to 9 weight rig. If you search the web on something like "selecting fly line weight" you'll come up with a bunch of hits for sites that discuss the various fly line weights and their applications. On your older rod - is there any markings left on it? Do you know the manufacturer? Have you tried the manufacturers web site for info? (For instance, I just found that the Shakespeare web site has a listing of their old rods introduction dates...but unfortunately no line rating for the fly rod). I don't know of a way to determine the line rating of a rod by just looking at it. Perhaps one of the long-term fly fisherman will come by with some suggestions...

Funny you should mention that ... since that's what I fished with in the '60s and I still have it. It hasn't seen water more than once or twice since the late '60s...

That would be yes ! (and I just moved from SoCal to TN last year so I used to be one of ya...)

Most of my little lakes near me here in TN froze over several days ago. The three largest lakes still have some open water. QUESTION for experienced cold-weather anglers - do fish have any tendency to hold under or adjacent to the open water areas - better oxygenation there or something? Or does the open water have no relation to fish position. I'm just wondering if it would do any good to toss a lipless crank or perhaps some spoons into those open water areas that I can reach from the bank....

I've never seen a Revo manual but I'm curious - is there a separate section regarding use of the reel in salt water? I've never seen a recommendation to rinse a reel in fresh water unless it was fished in salt water - in that case, it's a VERY good suggestion (practically mandatory). Otherwise, if this is not a specific salt-water use section, I'm puzzled why they would recommend a fresh-water rinse unless the reel had been dropped in the dirt, sand, etc.......

Ain't it the truth - when I was a kid, I had ONE spinning rod and a little single-tray tackle box with a couple of lures, some in-line spinners, hooks, bobbers, etc. Had great fun and caught quite a few fish. We seem to have made the whole experience very complicated and very scientific now with $$$ investments in rigs for all possible presentations. I guess it results in more fish caught ... but I'm not sure I'm having any more fun. I guess it helps if you're a tackle junkie and get enjoyment out of just having all that gear ....

I don't know - but I just brought home two of them from WalMart !