Goose52

Like many folks above, I'm leaning more and more to St. Croix: they have a rod series to fit every budget, each rod series is reasonably competitive in its class in quality, components, and performance, lots of models in each series, still have rod series with full-grips, upper-level models are made in the USA which is sorta nice, it's an established company that will be around for a while, and they have good warranties in general and their Gold Star Service Plan and upgrade option are great deals. There are certainly lots of good rods out there...but if you had to one-stop shop, St. Croix is a good pick.

We usually have a couple threads each winter about gloves; if you search (including archived threads accessed via the advanced search function), you'll find quite a few threads with lots of recommendations. For me, I use thinner gloves in milder weather and still have reasonable sensitivity. The gloves shown, Seirus on the left, Under-Armor glove liner on the right, both are thin, but provide some warmth and keep the wind off your hands. Both work OK (for me) down to about the 40 deg range, depending on wind. Once it gets in the 30s or lower, I usually have to add an outer glove over the thin gloves. For an outer glove, I have been using the inexpensive White River fleece gloves that BPS sells in the winter season. These gloves work for both BC and spinning gear. On the Seirus gloves, I did remove the pads on the index finger and thumb from the right glove (I'm right-handed) as they interfered with operation of the reels.

Yep, I know this stuff. Like the first fish was caught on this rod on June 19, 2010 - the last fish was caught on August 22, 2013 - just over 3 years, 2 months in service. It was sorta only a "year" old as it caught fish on 389 days - and might have been skunked a few days as well. For the days that it did catch fish, it averaged 5.7 fish caught. It's all in Excel...

A 5" grub with a 1/0 EWG hook only weighs about 3/16 oz. About the heaviest bait I would throw would be a 4" stickworm and that's only a bit over 1/4 oz with a hook so the ML weight rating isn't really a problem. Re Dobyns, thanks for the tip but I think I'll stick with looking at St. Croix. While this would be my first St. Croix spinning rod, I have 11 of their casting rods and am familiar with the brand...and have already had occasion to use their nifty Gold Star Service Plan .Thanks, but I think I'll be sticking with St. Croix (see above!). Yeah, they also have a Legend Elite 7'6" ML-XF that I looked at. Unfortunately, the "grub rod" is a must-have rod that I always have with me and one of my cars has about a 7' length limitation. The 7'1" BSR852 fit (just) but a 7'6" won't.

Thanks to all for the helpful and detailed comments. Unfortunately, the current Loomis GLX and NRX rods are out of consideration - they are split grip, and while I have a number of split grip rods now...I absolutely DON'T want a split grip rod for this application. I use my grub rod to catch 25 to 40% of all the fish I catch, and I want it to be a full grip. Sam: the BSR852 could only be repaired by replacing the blank - you can't really repair a tip break like this one. I will call Loomis sometime next week to chat about options...but I really don't think I have any options with Loomis. The Expeditor program is no longer available since it's a discontinued rod. It didn't break due to manufacturing defect (it would be hard to argue that anyway after more than two thousand fish caught ). Even if Loomis offered me a deal on a current production rod, they are split grip so I would not be inclined unless it was a killer deal. Still, I'll give them a ring. A custom-built rod is an option as well. Since this is my number ONE rod, I could go that route. However, there's something to be said for the St. Croix warranty and Gold Star Service Plan. So, I'm still thinking it will be a Legend Elite - but still kicking around the 7' ML-F....or the 7' M-F. I'm still leaning toward the ML. The ML should give me some casting distance with the weightless grubs, and since I use braid most of the time on the grub rod, I should have no problem on hook-sets. Well, time to think about it and hopefully there will be some Labor Day sales coming up.

I broke 11" off the tip of my beloved Loomis GLX BSR852 spinning rod while in the boat yesterday. Completely my fault (with contributing factors of a snag, a drifting boat, and braided line). I bought this rod used (but as-new) here in our flea market back in 2010 for only $275. Loomis calls this a Senko rod and I tossed a few stick worms with it, but I mostly used it to toss weightless 5" grubs. In four seasons it brought in a total of 2,226 fish of which 2,186 were bass; It brought in 799 fish so far this season alone. Nothing real big, LMB up to the 5-pound class, and hundreds and hundreds of dinks. A 4.5lb channel cat that hit with about 8ft. of line out - that was fun. Lots of memories - it was a great rod. If you do the math, this rod gave me 2226 fish at a cost of only about 12 cents a fish - lots of value delivered... Replacement Question: Time to move on and I have been shopping for a replacement "grub rod." The BSR852 was a beast of a rod for only a 2-power, having an XF action, and was really overpowered for my little 5" grubs. I'm thinking I'm going to replace it with a St. Croix Legend Elite 7' medium light-fast (I want a full cork grip). Anyone have an ML spinning rod in the Elite or Extreme series? Are they typical St. Croix and a bit underrated on power? I have ML-powered casting rods in the St. Croix Premier, Avid, and LTB series and they all have plenty of power for light soft-plastics so I'm hoping the spinning rods are similar. Here's the BSR852 with a 4 1/2 pounder in "happier days" - farewell old friend...

It's been a "numbers" kind of year so far. According to my trusty "catching" log (I don't keep a "fishing" log ), as of today I'm at 1537 fish of all species; of those, 1511 were largemouth bass...

I jot down some basic details while fishing, and enter the data in an Excel spreadsheet at the end of the day. The spreadsheet has columns for: Date Place Catch - species, quantity, length, weight (for LMB - 14" or over) Rod Reel Line Bait Type / Bait Specifics Surface Water Temp Notes I use it mostly to "keep score" but do refer to it for year to year patterns of where I was catching fish the previous year (I fish mostly 13 lakes/ponds). Since I don't record environmental factors other than water temp, it is less useful for identifying patterns based on weather.

Indeed, casting past your hook-setting range can be an issue. I thought of that when I was trying to put together some long-range combinations. However, if you're stuck on the bank, and the fish are WAY out there - better to have the range to get to the fish and maybe lose some...than to not be able to reach the fish at all...

The Calais 200DC is probably my farthest casting reel. While other reels might match its distance on a perfect cast, the Calais DC makes it easier to consistently reach those distances. I bought the 200DC specifically for achieving maximum range with lipless cranks while fishing from the bank. However, the 200DC only comes in a 7:1 gear ratio - OK for lipless, not so good for lipped cranks if that was your intention. DC reels are a bit spendy however...

Search Amazon for that model number - you'll see pics of the reel.

Norman Deep Little N - in any color I pull out of the box....

Thanks guys - a lot of capability there for not many bucks (not counting that GLX rod).... On getting a ProLite "C" - I think the word is out on them as they're getting a bit spendy when they show up on eBay. I paid $80 for one of my PLs (new) when BPS was clearing them out. The other two I got on eBay - one for $41, the other for $50. You can't usually win an auction for a "C" model at those types of prices anymore...

Carbonlites are fine reels and great values. I already had two CLs but bought two more when BPS was closing out their final batch at $60 each. I'm still waiting for some reels to wear out so I can put those last two CLs to work... The ProLite reels are a favorite of mine, in particular the 3rd (and last) generation - the "C" model (PRL05HC) - VERY nifty reels. On whether the PL or CL are better at tossing lighter baits - there is probably a slight edge to the PL. The spool weights between the models are close, but the PL has a reduced line capacity (rated at 100/10lb) so the overall spool/line weight would probably be slightly lighter on the PL. Both models of reel work, catch fish...

I get my UL spinning rod out every once in a while (not as often as I should probably). It's a nearly 30 year-old Shimano 5' rod rated for 1-4 lb test with a modern Pflueger President size "20" reel with 4lb mono. I usually toss a Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow plug. It works, catches fish...

Another thing that can help is using a lower-power, softer action rod. When my elbow is bad, I can't really use an MH or heavier, fast action rod - just can't get enough force into the cast to get any distance and it just kills my elbow - all pain - no gain. Using "M" power, fast action rods or lower, OR, using MH power, moderate action rods or lower, are much easier for me to cast on the "bad" days... Here's a link to a pretty informative thread on this topic from a while back: Fishing Elbow/Tennis Elbow

I have a system like Bankbeater. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to record all my fishing data. One worksheet in that file lists all the rods & reels. The reel data includes the type of line, pound test, and month/year it was installed on the reel. I have line on 46 reels at present so I can't do it by memory...

I've done both. The rods and reels that I still have from the late 1950s to mid-1960s I keep around as keepsakes and also fish them occasionally. In the mid-1980s I bought a bunch of rods and reels - of those, some of the reels have been moved on eBay but many of them are on display in my den/office. Most of the 1980s rods are gone but I still fish one (an ultralight). Just depends on how much emotional attachment you have with the gear I guess...

I waited for the winter rush to be over and then sent Mike four of my reels. Super fast turnaround. I always tell him to take a breath, go fishing, then work on my reels when he gets a chance but he always turns them around at warp 9. For folks that have been thinking of it - now might be a good time to get your reels cleaned or have a rod built....

I decided that I would only get ONE NRX and I chose the .................................................................... 893C. A rep sample rod that was in perfect condition - it is a GREAT rod...

Yup - I put a near-new Norman Deep Little N up in a tree just yesterday - and it's still there......

The connector in the first link you posted looks just like (except the color) a connector that Cabelas sells (cheaper) - check it out here: Cabelas connector I use the Cabelas connector as a quick dis-connect for the trolling motor on my canoe. Works great - a solid connection. Unfortunately, the BR watermark covers part of the connector in this file photo....

I haven't used any of the modern MirrOlures but I do have several of their topwater baits (the two on the top left of the photo). The top one is the twin prop - perhaps similar to yours; the one below it is a floating twitchbait. I used both in saltwater back in the 60s. You bet! I bought a number of these in the mid-60s and thought they were great. The photo below shows my remaining baits - all were bought prior to 1967. The two on the top-left are surface, the three on the top-right are sinkers, and of course the rest are divers. I haven't fished any of them in 45 years EXCEPT for the ultralight baits and I've caught fish on them recently. I lost one of the ultralight jointed plugs a couple years ago - broke my heart. I need to fish these guys - at least to catch one fish each then put 'em back in the box. Those medium-size jointed plugs (model 15LS) have great actions and were my favorites back in the day.

If another angler was in a spot first, I consider all the water that they can reach with a long cast to be theirs (their space). Same with me, all the water I can reach on a long cast is mine. Obviously, those two spaces may have to be somewhat altered if I'm working in a narrow space - say I'm working one bank, and another angler is working the opposite bank. Or, if fishing from the bank, and there are lots of anglers, then the "space" gets compressed. If I 'm working a shoreline or other cover/structure and proceeding in a certain direction, the water ahead of me is mine - another angler shouldn't come in right in front of me and cut me off. They can work behind me, or go quite a ways ahead of me. The distance ahead of me that is acceptable for them to cut in is of course open to different views between them and me... Edit - Felix - you posted while I was typing. I can't give any examples for two people in a boat as I always fish alone...

Sure - I have braid on several freshwater spinning reels - it's not my favorite line - but it has it's place. One reel, a Pflueger Supreme 8025 (near-ultralight size) has had mostly 20lb braid on it since new; as of today - 2,109 fish caught with that reel with no damage so far..................but then I adjust the drag to have a little give on the hookset..... Edit - there has been some damage - the spool clicker is broken on the primary spool...