flippin and pitchin

My favorite popper for smallmouth. I like the XZ207 Ghost color.

Welcome ! Longview Wa. here ! Raised in Eugene, GO DUCKS. Lots of bassers in my local area. I want to get in touch with bassattackerdad and pick his brain about Green Peter.

I too would like to hear any opinions on this model. Looks like it masks the US Reel large diameter spool principle. ?????

Lots of good replys and info so far. Glass rods are great for cranking because the flex is transferred well down the length of the blank and glass is slower to react or rebound that graphite. That translates to an action that allows for the use of lighter test lines and more forgiveness when a fish surges with those smaller treble hooks. Glass is less expensive but also heavier. The wall thickness is generally thinner than graphite so the tube diameters are larger. The brands mentioned are all top shelf. I use a Lamiglas XCC 725 which is a graphite glass composite. It provides the best features of both materials. I throw deep Normans and Hot Lips all day long. It will handle the weights you mentioned. I hardly use my Skeet Reece model anymore and it is a super stick as well. The Loomis CBR783 is very popular in my area but are a bit pricier than most sticks. Good luck !

I used Owner screw lock hooks for the first time last year when I saw how well they secure some of the creature baits I pitch. They had a tendency to slide down the hook, even with the G-Lok which I really like. They are a quality hook and stick em' well.

I prefer the Platinum. It is a bit softer and doesn't have the memory issue that comes with XXX. I have not broken off a fish with either formula. This brand is gaining some popularity in my neck of the woods because of abrasion resistance and knot strength. 8-)

Z-Man products are made of a material that is NOT compatible with the main stream brands of plastic baits. The chemicals act as a solvent and essentially broke down the material in your rage tail products. Other manufactures that use the Elastik (spelling)Strike King, Terminator and so on will also break down your other plastics. Keep them in their original bags! Tackle sales people should warn customers not to mix these baits. Hope that helps.

1) Not treating each fishing day as brand new and relying too much on past experiences. 2) Clear water. I have yet to understand how far a smallmouth will move to hit a bait. My buddy will throw top waters in 50 feet of water and it, at times works.

Lucky Craft products are High Quality. I too had a difficult time justifying the high prices but put it into perspective. Tubes sell 10 for four bucks. Add the jig heads and your at 65 cents apiece and expect to go through a bunch where I fish. I consider them and any plastics a consumable. Like toilet paper....you use it up and it's gone. Hard baits can last a long time if you don't break them off and the cost of fish per bait is much less than a consumable plastics so get quality get quality up front.

Just another result of a tough economy. It's " safe. " You guys don't remember the days when the whole BPS catalog was about 30 pages. Those were days.

Mihitachi Pro flip 4/0, G-Mag, 3/0, 4/0, Owner Twist Lock 3/0, 4/0 depending on bait and size.

Take a look at the Abu Garcia Max line up. My local tackle dealer had a special on them: $29.97 for the Black Max and $39.97 for the Silver Max. That's one you could try and if you don't like BC reels you didn't break your bank.

What applications do you plan to use it for ?

Influential to What? The retail market ? Productivity as a lure ? It's tie, The SENKO and the SWEET BEAVER have been two of the most, if not the most copied baits in the past ten years. Every manufacture has their version. Andre Moore and Gary Yomamoto have had a huge impact on the " plastic's market. It's hard to find many derivations of the original Senko but look at the dozens for the Sweet Beaver. Creature baits abound. They both have had similar impact like the original Bobby Garland Gitzit. That established a new lure category, the " tube."

Anyone out there used the Norman's Top Dollar ? I'm interested it your opinion..action, casting, colors etc. F n P

I like the YUM chunk. 3.5 inch for the Booyah 3/8 oz jig in water below 60 degrees. The Rage Tail chunk for 60 plus.

Same bait as Goose52 only mine was white. 1963. 39 cents at Bi-Mart. My first real bass bait was an Arbogast Hula Popper in frog color. If I take my pill I might remember when that was. :-/

Anyone out there still using Lew's Speed Spool casting reels (BB1,BB1N) ?

Has anyone used the Parasite clips ? I'm curious as to what size you used and was it affective ? Thanks F n P

BRUSHHOGGIN, They are a great bait, one of my favorites. With that ribbed body, fish hold on to em'. The material is a little soft and the body is thin so a traditional EWG hook didn't work as well as I would have liked. I tried the Gammi skippin hook and it holds the body from sliding down. That match has been effective for me. The LPT seems to work. The tiny version can be a decent drop shot bait. Happy 2010 !

RobE is right on. Good quality rods will last 10 years if they are taken care of and not abused. Failures normally come from handles that come loose, guide wraps that deteriorate and other wear on components that are added to the blank. The quality of high modulus graphite and the material used to bond the graphite is usually proportionate to the price. Blanks that snap have most likely been " bruised " or taken an impact or the stress was placed on a confined section of the blank. I remember when Boron was going to be the next miracle material in rods. That was a bust. Good question !

I too was skeptical at first but tried a pack. That and flourocarbon will make you think you have a new high end super sensitive rod. If you shop hard you can find some bulk buys that make them more affordable. Split the order with buddies and you are good to go.

Number one complaint with the SX is how hard it is to set the cast control knob and magnets. I bought one for my son-in-law and he struggles with it for that very reason. I bought him the S and adjusted the brakes and he hasn't had a problem since. The S is the place to start and if you choose to add another, and can afford one, the STX is a very very fine reel.

Take a look at the clear plasic shoe boxes at most discount stores. They have a snap on lid. I put my bags in by brand, leaving the baits in the original ziplock bags most manufactures package in these days. I label the top of the lid so if I choose to put one of the boxes in the boat, I can look straight down at the lid and grab the box I need. If I run with another buddy's boat I grab the bag of what I need and it goes in one of my soft tackle bags. Organization is good until the cost of organizing becomes more than the value of what you are organizing.

Here's a thought. Teach yourself to pitch with your left hand so your reels are all righties. It's not that hard. I am very right hand dominated, can't even eat with my left but I learned to pitch left handed. You have 2 1/2 months left to practice. Try it.