Goose52

Yup - a Curado 50E weighs 6.9oz - a Conquest 50 weighs 7.3oz. If you want to call .4oz "much heavier" - have at it. If I wanted it as light as possible, I'd put one of my 5oz-class reels on it...but I don't get too concerned about fractions of an ounce...

I received the 7'mhxf LTB yesterday, took it out today. Nice rod, it works, catches fish...

Thanks again to all... Before this 9.5 pounder, the biggest bass I had caught in this lake was a 5 - but I knew there were MUCH bigger bass in there - I have a couple of "one that got away" stories from this lake. Let's see what next year brings! (Hopefully, she'll still be around - there are a number of "catch-n-keep" anglers around ) I went back to Lake "X" last night - no more 9 pounders for me...but the lake did give me a nice 20"/3.52lb fish - much nicer than the 10" to 13" fish I was catching earlier in the morning at another lake... This 3 1/2 pounder was my 1000th bass of this season (the 9 1/2 pounder was number 985)

I don't think L&L would have any effect either way...but don't know for sure - I don't use it. Sure - having tight line on the spool is a good thing - it doesn't have to be to extreme - just nicely tight...

I love value-based logic!

That's a Conquest 50...not a 200GTB...

On a normal retrieve, with only the resistance of the bait, most line, even thin diameter line, will lay evenly on the spool as the line guide goes back and forth across the worm gear (on a BC reel), or as the spool oscillates in and out (on a spinning reel). Each "layer" of line will be oriented somewhat diagonally across the spool, in opposite directions for each layer - this diagonal orientation is what keeps each successive layer neatly above the lower layer. Now, on a hook set, a fish pulling drag, or any other time when a lot of force is applied to the line on the spool, a thin diameter line is more likely to "dig-in" - have a coil of line bury into a lower layer of line somewhat locking it there, requiring considerable extra force to pull that dug-in line off the spool. This extra effort can be enough to cause a backlash on a BC reel, the line to snap on either a BC or spinning reel, and other nasty stuff. As a result, many folks just avoid the problem by not using thinner line. The problem seems to be especially prevalent with braid. Having said the above, there are a number of members on this board that successfully use 20lb braid on BC reels...

It's a Radisson - 12 foot - VERY thin aluminum hull - 38" beam - 34 pounds. Good for still water, no good for streams or rocky places at all. Wide beam, but short - doesn't track very well, doesn't paddle very well. None of that mattered to me since I knew I was going to motor it. I thought the 38" beam was going to make it stable enough for me...but after a couple times on the water, I ordered the outriggers. From the time I pull up to the lake, it takes me about 13 minutes to fully rig it - I was particularly efficient this morning and it only took 11 minutes. Modular - everything clamps, straps, buckles, and bungees in place relatively quickly. Canoe purists mostly hate it. It's not really meant to be a traditional canoe...but a bass boat you can car top.... I stand up nearly the entire time I'm on the water - my back can tolerate that better than sitting for hours. Usually the only time I sit down is when motoring from place to place, changing baits, landing fish, eating lunch, etc...

Thanks everyone. It was a great fish. Like Big-O said, I hope I meet her in the spring...when she has that belly that "deep" mentioned. MEANWHILE, I spent a few hours this morning in the canoe in one of the smallest ponds I fish...got 12 bass...nothing bigger than 13 inches...I guess I'm back in the real world... BUT - guess which lake I'll be fishing this evening! A-Jay - that 11 acre lake is the only lake I fish that has timber in the middle (at between 10 to 14 FOW). Max depth is 18ft. Plus, there's no boat ramp so the bass boaters can't get in there. It gets LOTS of fishing pressure from casual anglers...but they mostly fish where the fish aren't. I can get my canoe in no problem. Plus, I fish it a lot from the bank. I'm not sure it's any more fertile than my other lakes, but with no boat ramp, the timber, enough depth but not too much, conditions are about as good as it gets in my little lakes for big bass. I'd bet there's a 10 pounder in there. Not sure about anything 11 or bigger. I'll keep trying to find out... That framed photo is already planned. I've also got to print out the photos and send off for another TN Recognition certificate. It's only a 9.5..but the TN record is only 14.5 so it's a nice fish...

Fishing from the bank on the dam of one of my small (11 acre) neighborhood lakes this evening. It was that "magic time" - about 15 minutes after sunset, moon up, and three nights before full-moon. Cast a lipless crank diagonal to the bank, splashed down in about 10-12 FOW, counted it down about 5 seconds, then started a rip-n-pause retrieve, trying to parallel the dam. On the second fall - BAM. Probably in less than 8 FOW by then. Drag pulled, fish jumps, HUGE bass, she heads for deep water, pulls more drag, she jumps again, HUGE bass - gills flared on the jump - head shake, dives, pulls drag for last time, makes a run to the right, got her stopped, she runs to the left, got her stopped, then a few seconds later, at the bank, lipped, and it's over. Quick photo (doesn't do her justice), measure length at 25 3/4", weight on the scale - 9.54. Back in the water, she swims right into a thick mat of slop and gets stuck. Off with my shoes and socks, into calf-high water, pull her out, had to clean snotgrass out of her mouth and gill slits. Not looking good - she's laboring. Held her upright for a LONG time. Three other anglers come over, one offers to eat her if she doesn't make it. No way, says I - keep holding her upright. She's breathing. Time goes by. Full dark by now - mosquitos out - getting bit. Lift her head out of the water for another quick photo - HUGE mouth and gills. Then, she lets me know that she's ready to go. Point her to deep water. Let her go and touch her tail. FLASH - she's gone. Hope she's OK. I want to catch her again when she's over 10. Got home and prepared a known weight to perform a test pull on my scale. Test weight was 9.574 pounds - scale read 9.59 pounds. Scary accurate. Tackle was a St. Croix Premier 7'mf, BPS PQ (the PQ Five-Year Challenge test reel) w/10lb YZ Ultrasoft, and a 5/8oz Academy H2O lipless crank - blue over chrome. My old PB was 9.06 - upped it by 1/2 pound. Still jazzed...

Thanks Dwight - it IS sorta purdy - huh. This will be one of the "princess" combos that gets to live in my den/office instead of out in the garage...

Well, I guess it pays to live close to Wisconsin. Ordered the 6'9"mlxf very late Thursday night and FedEx was at my door today. Last Friday, I also ordered (per marching orders from .ghoti. ) the LTB 7'mhxf - that should be here tomorrow. Interesting that, just using the 'ole shake the rod tip test, this LTB seems to be a bit stouter than the equivalent Avid 6'9"mlxf which I already had. Could be my imagination though. For now, I've taken the round reel off the Avid and put it on the new LTB. I have a NIB Curado 50E I can put on the Avid. After I fish them for a while, I'll decide which reel ends up on which rod...

I originally posted this photo in the Top Three Baits of 2010 thread - I could still go with these and do well enough in my water...

If you can only have two BC rods - and you plan on doing some cranking - then you can break it down to one rod for single hook applications, the other for treble hook. For single hook - a medium or medium-heavy power, depending on how open your water is and what weight of baits you want to throw. For treble hooks, same thing - medium or medium-heavy power, depending on how big of cranks you think you might use. On rod length, you might want to consider somewhat shorter rods - like 6 1/2' - if you will always be sitting down when you cast. Depending on your torso height, maybe you can go to 7' without hitting the water or parts of the canoe on the back-cast. Another factor is if you plan on taking the canoe into tight areas with lots of overhanging trees and brush on the banks, you might even consider going down to 6' rods - all depends on what you want to do. I stand in my canoe all day so I use the same rods I would use from the bank or another boat - but, when I know I'm going to the back of creek channels and such, I usually have some shorter rods with me. BTW, I take 4 to 6 rods in my canoe... Have fun!

Yep - a great guy; fished 'till the end of his time, then passed quickly - not a bad way to go... BTW - we had another thread back in June on this topic - that's why you're not getting a lot of posts on your thread. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/103886-rip-homer-circle-aka-uncle-homer/

It's great that some of the kayaks with elevated seats, and the new hybrids, are now giving more seating options than the traditional kayak "L-shape." I've had back issues for the past 25 years or so and can't handle that feet straight out position for very long. That put me in a canoe that has a more traditional "chair" seating position with knees bent. I've been on the water as long as 9 hours, seated, in my canoe. Once I put the outriggers on it, I now stand nearly the whole time I'm on the water - my back handles standing a lot better than sitting. As far as getting in and out of the canoe, I push the canoe into the water, leave the bow beached a bit, and using my paddle for stability, step over the foredeck and into the bow of the canoe - then another step to the standing/seating area. Egress is mostly the reverse but if the bow is pretty steady on the bank, I'll step up on the foredeck, then onto the bank. Depending on where I launch and land, I usually stay completely dry for the whole trip. At least for now (I'm 60) I still have good enough balance so ingress/s/egress is not a problem. Anyway, the good thing is whether it's a yak, hybrid, or canoe, there's now lots of options for the "back-challenged" folks out there...

I fish whenever I have soft water. However, for my safety, I put the canoe away and fish only from the bank when the water temp goes much below 50 deg and/or there is a combined air/water temp lower than 120. I fish alone and don't want to take any chances. The bite can be tough in the winter, especially fishing from the bank. BUT, when you do get a bite, it's usually a quality fish - for some reason, the dinks seem to disappear with the cold water. My two biggest bass since moving to Tennessee (9.06 and 8.39) were both caught in water temps below 50 degrees, and in air temps in the high 30s with me wearing a parka and one or two pairs of gloves...

Dang - can't beat that recommendation...so I got the 7'mhxf too! Good thing I recently "unretired" with a little gig that puts some extra coin in the coffers!

Looks like I'm sold... BTW - the tiger finally scored - the Purple Tiger color BPS Egg that is. Nothing would hit it during the day - couldn't find a color-blind bass...but I got a few fish on it at night.......

Hmmm, looks like I might be getting that 6'8" CL on the next sale...I already have a NIB Pflueger SupremeXT (last model) laying around that can go on it....

I'd put a Curado 50E on it...

Yeah - I was eyeballing that 7'mhxf too....but resisted....for now....

Yeah - great rod - and I got a steal at only $39. I keep thinking I will replace it with an Avid 6'8"mxf...but then I think, hey, this rod does everything I need it to, why replace it? Although, I've been eyeballing the Carbonlite 6'8"mxf - if the CLs go on sale for $80 again..........

I have 20 rods from BPS. They're mostly good, servicable rods. They are at their "best value" when on sale. At full price, however, there are often rods from other companies that will equal or exceed their performance. Of all the BPS rods that I have - most fall into these four rod series: Bionic Blade (previous, full-grip model): I have 4 of these - 2 spinning, 2 BC; all are two-piece. I use them as my travel rods and they are also in the rotation for occasional use at home. Servicable rods, I bought them all on sale in the $45-$55 price range. I don't think I would buy the current-model Bionic Blade however - at today's price, I think there are better options. Crankin' Stick: I have 4 of these - bought 3 when on sale for $59, 1 at the full price (then) of $69. Great cranking rods at their price. I would buy these again (on sale). Extreme (previous, full-grip models with the green-weave wrap above the grip): I have 6 of these, all bought on sale from $70 down to one (a nifty 6'8" mxf spinning) that was on closeout for $39. Great workhorse rods, heavier that they probably should be, fine for any moving bait, and will work for bottom contact but there are obviously better choices for bottom work. Like the Bionic Blade, I would not personally buy the current model Extremes at their full price, and probably wouldn't consider them at a sale price either. I actually can't see why anyone would buy the current Extreme when the Carbonlite is the same price (see next para.). JM Carbonlite: Formerly known as just the "Carbonlite", the newer models have the "Johnny Morris" label added. I only have 1 of these - a 7'mf BC rod. At 104.4 grams, it is one of the lightest rods that I own. Compare that 104.4 to 122.2 grams for my 7'mf Avid, and 124.9 grams for my Loomis GLX MBR842C 7'mf. The Carbonlite seems to be really sensitive for it's price, appears to be fairly well made, and since I got it on sale for $80, I think is a tremendous bargain. Having said that, the $100 price point is very competitive right now and there are many on this board that have their favorites in that price range. I haven't tried any of those other $100 rod models so I can't compare the Carbonlite to them. I will say that if I needed to replace the "value rod" end of my fishing battery, I could very well see replacing them with a bunch of Carbonlites. This is the only BPS rod that I have that I would gladly pay full price...BUT why - just be patient and wait for the eventual sale... Just my thoughts on BPS rods - YMMV...

I thought the same thing - that we were going backwards. Anyway, .ghoti. and others on this board have that rod and most speak very highly of it as I recall. I have the Avid version of that rod and it's a nice stick. I love bargains, sometimes to excess, and a LTB for $128 shipped is not to be ignored. Until last night, I had 7 BC rods rated as light or medium-light power...now (when the long tube arrives) I will have 8 ! Good thing I like light tackle...