Darren.

I use 1/0 Gamakatsu split/drop shot hooks now, and I tie my own weedless guard using 20lb coated malin line. They work fantastically. The other hook that has been a mainstay is the Gammy Wide Gap Finesse hook. But like I said, the split/drop hook is fav for now. Has a thin diameter, but is very strong. Thin means easy penetration into fish mouth, and they stick well. Like ww2farmer said, tho, it's all subjective.

Agreed on needing more info. And welcome to the forums!

Ditto that. Have experienced similar at my fishing spots. Caught some absolute beasts with gaping maws but were strangely thin, while catching heavier fish with smaller maws.

That was awesome!

I will say that finish is in the top 10 or 5 or 3 of all time. And I'm not even a college football follower/fan. Almost any finish that is a last-seconds dagger in the heart of the opposing team is a tremendous finish. Steelers over Rams last second tippy toe catch in the end zone by Santonio Holmes. That was a dagger. Christian Laettner's last second fade away jumper... Etc. I've seen some unbelievable soccer finishes at last second that were spectacular.

I dread BF if there's something I want on sale and it is only available during specific hours. Typically, the dread is the fact I won't be getting that item, LOL!! I was happy this year that BF sales were stretched out over 5 days or so. I got the one item I wanted at BPS on Wed. before ThanksGiving. This year's BF seemed anticlimactic to me. I saw deals everywhere that simply were items on regular sales, or slightly more discounted. Not a lot of gotta have it stuff on our lists. The Carbonlite I bought will be discounted again at the Spring Classic, for likely the same $$ as it was at BF, and the Classic the year before. So I grabbed it. No TW or such for me. I stocked up on my worms and such during other sales this fall which were NOT offered on BF.

Holy cow, that's a hog!! What a great trip! Chart I was looking at puts that square in the 7.9 - 8.1 range. I'd say + as she's looking well fed.

I used to throw a 1/32 oz jighead (lunker city) with a panfish assassin, usually a chartreuse variety. It was absolutely deadly when I was primarily a dock fisherman. Caught me everything from 24" pickerel to 2 pound bass. So it was my trump card then. Not so much anymore with me out in a kayak. I still throw them but just don't have the same success rate I did. My trump bait during the summer is a tiny fluke, wacky rigged on spinning gear, or split-shot rigged, watermelon red. Haven't found a trump bait for the fall yet, LOL.

14 lb, 32.25" striper at my favorite reservoir... Where they don't stock the fish. So it was a super special catch for me, and probably my all time most memorable at this point. But I did have fun on a deep sea trip back in the 90s catching 4' King Macks. Besides not keeping my stomach contents down....

Excellent catch!

Well done, mate! My PB and many of my best bass have come off of the wacky rig, but I have caught some nice ones on jigs.

Right. The prequels were done with 1, 2, 3. This is after 4, 5, 6. Gonna be awesome.

I'm stoked. I LOVE what JJ did with Star Trek, can't wait to see what he does with Star WARS!!

It is not the go-to for me, but it is part of my arsenal. Go-to is wacky rigged. I probably jika-rig a little more than Texas rigging these days. But I'd put the split-shot rig higher.

I did not go inside the gears for any super cleaning. I merely cleaned the surface, inside the spool areas, the bearings, etc. Out of the box, both of my 50es were spotless and super smooth and quiet. Never had them in saltwater and, to my knowledge, never dunked them. Spent a lot of time (pre-ABEC7) tuning them so I could cast light baits w/o *needing* spinning gear with me. After the bearings, these things are absolutely amazing. I'm really shocked at how smoothly and effortlessly they cast. For fun I had a 1/32 oz shad head jig with a 2" tiny shad (crappie bait) on it. So hardly much over 1/32 oz. I was able to cast it about 25 feet on the water. Not bad. If I had an L action, I'd have casted further. So yeah, for me there was a big difference from stock.

50e absolutely brilliant

All I can attest to is my experience upgrading the bearings. Was the least expensive route for me, and in my humble experience, the difference is *very* noticeable. I would love to have a complete deep clean, carbontex drag, and so on. Eventually I will probably send my reels to you for that

That is awful news, so sorry for the tragic accident. All the best to him, his wife and family and co-workers. Speedy recovery and strength to his mind and body.

I don't see GB holding off the Pats this weekend. Whether it is a dominant win by the Pats remains to be seen, but I don't see any team right now that can beat them. And GB could be facing them in the Super Bowl, so unless Gronk gets a major injury, or Brady goes down, it's the Pats to lose (IMHO, and spoken as a Bills fan who has to go wash his fingers off for typing such blasphemy).

Not only that, but they've changed what Carbonlite blank, apparently. Unless it is the same thing, just renamed. I hope they keep the lightness. I always find something I like just before it is discontinued. Compres were the same thing...

I've got a Lexa 100 (7.1:1) and it's a fine reel other than an issue I have where during a cast the thumb bar engages causing an abrupt halt to the cast. It ended up mangling the anti-reverse pawl, but I straightened it out and the reel works fine now. I may have a unique issue. That's a great price. The Tatula gets major thumbs-up, but it is a larger reel, some prefer palming the Lexa. I'm one of those.

Well, it's official. I got an email reply just now from Bass Pro. White replaces black in 2015. Bassin28 is correct. Darren, Thank you for contacting Bass Pro Shops. I received a notice from our Contact Center regarding the Carbonlite Rods. Once we sell through the black the white will replace the black rods for 2015. Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you. Best Regards, Audrie Bass Pro Shops Customer Service

Nice!

Spinning: 10# braid Casting: 20# braid Leaders: Copoly from 6-15 lbs (Yo-zuri Hybrid or P-Line Floroclear) Also will use fluorocarbon for leader in 8-12 lb but copoly most of the time.

I always use a leader. But for me it is mainly 1) to save braid mainline - yes I take off lengths incrementally when changing leaders but that's acceptable. 2) Shock and abrasion 3) Confidence in using a leader as opposed to straight braid. Knots are not an issue. I have full confidence in the Albright and uni-to-uni knots.