scrutch

I fish in Seal Skinz gloves. Love 'em. Check it out here. http://www.sealskinz.com/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/KJ751||~@c~@b|0|user|1,0,0,1|56|

I have a Gen 2 Champion Extreme. I love that rod. Second fish I caught on it was a 5.5 pound LM in some dense cover. Pulled him out with no trouble. Everybody here will know it if I break it! (You'll be able to hear me scream!) There's definitely another one in my future. My arsenal will someday be all Avid's and Dobyn's.

Hmmmm.... You got me thinking... There's this new Z21 that I've been looking at... "I dunno honey, It just sank!"

Come on!? Keep it simple... Compare a casting and a spinning of the same model. For example: Cumara casting and Cumara Spinning. Jeez You're out smarting yourself. Best post in this thread. Classic. K.I.S.S. :

Small rubber band around the wire right after the snap fixes this.

What you can't see is the tattoo on the bass that reads "Berkley Power bait is number 1 for me". ;D ;D I'd never get a Berkley tattoo, especially on my "bass"!

IMHO this is key to setting yourself apart from the crowd. I think throwing something new on pressured waters can be a huge factor, among many other small factors, that you have to get right in order to catch fish. I recently "introduced" a Rage Tail Space Monkey to a 10 acre private lake that I fish exclusively with 10 other guys. I arrived one day last week to find four of them already there. They'd been there for four hours and were almost skunked (2 dinks). All these guys fish this lake frequently and I would consider two of the four of them to be more skilled fishermen than me. It didn't take me long to figure out that this was a day that would require a slow presentation and I switched to a t-rigged RT Space Monkey. I was there just about one hour and had 4 fish with the largest being 5.5 lbs. I'm convinced it was the "new" presentation that day as all four guys told me they'd never used any Rage Tail products before...that's since changed I'm sure. I'm considering getting some hand pours from someone, or pouring my own someday soon to add to my arsenal.

I only use scent (JJ's magic) when I have to slow down the presentation on a tough day (ie. after a major cold front for instance). I think it makes that last little difference in turning on a fish that normally wouldn't bite. There have been a few of these days recently and I didn't start catching fish until I added the scent to the mix.

Was it shipped express mail? Insured? Maybe at least you can get something out of it. I'm thinking that suddenly you bought a brand new Loomis NRX!

Can't help you with the Loomis, but the first thing I noticed with my my DX 743C SH was the greater sensitivity. Fishing with any other rod in my arsenal feels like wearing a pair of thick winter gloves. Check this recent link out about full or split grip http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1287455069

they finally got it right. mo delivered and I got my rod on the same day. next time its fed ex or ups.

six span bridge in elkhart is a great pike spot. put in just east of there and from there to the bridge, and a mile west of the bridge is great pike fishing.

Thank God the seller was patient with me. I could have lost one heck of a deal because of it.

I agreed on a price for a lightly used Dobyn's DX743C SH. Sent the MO via certified mail the very next morning (10/16/2010). The Post Office never friggin delivered it! kept checking the tracking, and it never showed it as being delivered. Man this is killing me! I had to stop payment on the old MO, and reissue a new one. This time I sent it express mail. If it doesn't get there this time I think I'll go postal!

My DX743C SH should be here by next weekend. I'll letcha know what I think. (I'll bet I like it)

Suprise! I think I'll add another Avid to the collection this weekend. Nuff said? How'd I know.

Where at on the St. Joe? I've caught a lot of pike (and largemouth) at six span.

As a kid, I'd sit on the pier and drop in a BARE shiny gold colored hook and watch the gills attack it.

I've eaten bluegills from our farm pond for 30 years. IMHO, there's no better tasting fish. Melts in your mouth when fresh. Size (for fish) doesn't matter. I've cleaned many that were very small. You don't get much meat, but it's the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth nugget of fish that you'll ever eat. We have to keep all bluegills caught in our pond cause they multiply too fast. Cleaning is a breeze. A razor sharp fillet knife is a must! Don't even attempt this with a regular "kinda sharp" knife. 1. Start behind the pectoral fin, cut to the backbone, turn your knife towards the tail, and cut along the backbone all the way to the tail. Be careful not to cut thru the skin when you get to the tail. 2. Flop the fillet over (meat side up) and continue cutting the fillet off the skin. 3. Then take the fillet and trim the ribcage off to finish. Rinse fillet. 4.Repeat steps for other side of the fish. Deep fry in the batter of your choice. I drop the fillets in a ziplock bag of pancake mix first, then roll it in a mixture of salt, pepper and cornmeal. MY favorite!

Is it possible to somehow touch up a prop that has some minor dings on the leading edge of the blades?

This is exactly what I experience right now with a paper lake map. I've marked a few steep drops close to a shallow flat where a creekbed and an old roadbed all converge. When I got out there, it was a gentle slope to the road and creek, with no shallow flat. No fish there, a total waste of time.

I have a variety as well. And as others, putting it together was mainly by getting a good deal on a particular reel. It includes STX's, and 50mg's. Spinning gear is all over the map. I have a buddy that's a guide and he has all calcuttas. I really like the idea of having all the same and I might very well end up that way. Who knows.

Before I go fishing I study a lake map to identify where I want to go (as most of you do I'm sure). What I find is rampant inaccuracy with most of the maps I'm studying. I'm targeting the spring for a major electronics upgrade. I would like to know if any of you guys that have these Lakemaps Premium cards (or others) installed in your electronics notice how accurate they are. If they're inaccurate, to what degree? Is one card better than the others?

Perfectly stated.

Why bother posting then? I do agree that grip type isn't a MAJOR factor when purchasing a rod. But it is a factor, otherwise rod manufacturers would not offer the exact same rod in two different grip styles. It's simply a preference and I'm interested in hearing what others' preferences are.