basscrusher

I did the math wrong in my head. Def not the float-n-fly. That said, still not my cup of tea. I'm with J Francho on this one. Fast or x-fast for plastics. And I really have no need for 7+ foot rods unless I'm Carolina rigging. My go-to plastics rods are a couple Legend Elites (6' med/fast and 6'8" med/xfast) and a Croix LTB (6'6" ML/fast). Those pretty much cover all my spinning needs for bass. Incidentally, i also have a Loomis smallmouth rod that I really don't use anymore (6'3" med/fast). The 6' Elite has usurped it's place in my arsenal. If that rod floats your boat though...go for it. It's all about maximizing the fun factor. That's why I often use a light action rod for bass in open water situations (non-tournament of course.)

I'm pretty sure that's the float-n-fly rod. I've never held it, but I personally wouldn't use that rod for anything other than its intended purpose.

It would be very good for tubes and shaky heads 3/8 oz or heavier. Also for bigger Senkos. That rod would see plenty of action in the grass here on the Potomac.

That's what happened to me. I had also ordered 2 packs of VMC spinshot hooks. Without the reel, shipping was added. I had to call to cancel the order. luckily the lady understood why I didn't want to pay $5.50 shipping on $7.50 worth of hooks. My tourney partner went through the same...then had to make sure the gift cards and rewards points he used were recouped.

I've tried it. Broke off several flies that were hand-tied by a master, and stopped doing it. I occasionally use a fly on a drop-shot rig, which was talked about a few years ago but never really caught on (in the mainstream, at least.) You lose fewer doing that. I'm sure the split shot method will work though.

What I'd do...is drop-shot the deeper drops with a 3" Gulp minnow in whatever color matches the local forage best. I find the smelt color matches shad pretty well. I'd also have a trick worm on a shaky head and a silver buddy tied on as well.

they're already out of stock. I placed my order around 9 pm, then in my confirmation email was informed they were "not avaliable" and not able to be backordered (for obvious reasons). even though the website hasn't been updated...this deal is done.

Really only looking for insight from those who have used these reels (not just philosophical points about cost)... Is the Scorpion 1500 (or even the 1000) $150 better than a Curado E? And yes...I know there are a million ramifications to that question. I have extensive experience with the Curados, and a friend who has the older Scorpion (comparable to the B series Curados) definitely likes it better that the US Curados (in fact he sold all of his Curado Bs but kept his older Scorpion). In short, was it worth it for those of you that took the plunge? Thanks, and I look forward to plenty of "posse" opinions! PS: Yes, I did a search, and found info on the Scorpions, but none that directly addressed the issue of whether the extra cost was justified.

Okuma got a very favorable review by Tackle Tour for some of their swimbait rods: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewokuma711mhsb.html this might be a slightly different rod, but it may help you get a sense of the brand's overall quality.

The largemouth wants a stripper? Well, who doesn't, I suppose...

since I sold a bunch of old gear, and because they were on sale for $99 at Tackle Warehouse, I splurged and got 2 of the Clark Wendlandt series falcon baitcast rods. They have the same blank (FX120) as Cara T7s, but with EVA split grips like the Bucoo series. I purchased the 6'10" MH Finesse jig stick as well as the 6'7" MH Extra Fast Weighless worm model. Since I remembered several members pondering these rods recently, thought I'd give my initial impressions after using them today. To begin with, please allow me to run down my current arsenal of baitcasters (at least the ones in heavy rotation): shimano Cumara 6'8" MH XF Shimano Cumara 6'8" M Fast Loomis IMX 783 (6'6" MH) Loomis Spinnerbait rod (6'3" Medium XF) St Croix Avid Cranking rods (6'6" M and MH) St Croix LTB Jig and Worm (6'6" MH) St Croix Premier 7' Heavy Mitchell Fulcrum 6' MH (stop laughing...makes a great topwater rod) This is just so everyone knows what class of rods I am comparing against. On to the review. When I got the rods I looked them over and found everything satisfactory -- guides looked good, no real winding or cork to check aesthetically. I used the rods today and yesterday and found them to be very nice indeed. The Weightless Worm model is very light...if it had the same skeleton reel seat as a Cumara, I'd be hard-pressed to distinguish it from my Medium Cumara if blindfolded. Because of the light tip, I don't know if I'd classify this rod as a traditional MH, but it has backbone for sure. The finesse jig model is also very light...almost as light as my MH Cumara. And this rod is a real MH...very stiff (but crisp) with LOTS of backbone. I don't know how "finesse" this rod really is. But I like it. In fact, I feel this rod could easily handle lures bigger than the 5/8 recommended. With the weightless worm rod I threw no weightless worms (wrong time of year) but threw a 1/4 oz chatterbait, 3/8 oz jerkbait, and 1/4 oz rattletrap. Handled all perfectly. Hooked a 2 pounder on the rattletrap and the rod performed just fine. As I said, I expected a more powerful MH but the rod got into its taper just as it should. I think this rod will get alot of use as an all-purpose rod for me (except around Potomac river hydrilla, maybe). As for the finesse jig rod...I did not catch any fish yet on this stick, but I do have some impressions. For one, despite my observation that this was not much of a finesse rod (in my eyes) it pitches a 3/16 oz jig with ease. I also threw a texas rigged craw on 1/8 oz and a Texas rigged 7" worm on 3/8 oz. This rod handled that range of weights just fine, and I think I will throw alot of 1/2 oz Carolina rigs with it next summer. The bottom-feeling sensitivity of this rod was clearly in the same vicinity as my Croixs and Cumaras, but more use will give me a better determination of where to rank it. Overall, my impression of these rods is VERY positive. I feel the rod ratings are a bit misleading, but these are great rods (so far, at least). The original price of these rods is somewhere in the $220 range (US made) which puts it a bit above an Avid but below an IMX. In that sense, it may be priced right, as it feels lighter (and its balanced) than my friend's Avids. For the sale price of $99 at TW...I'm still in awethat I got these 2 rods for right at $200 total. If i sell more old gear, I may have to go back and get a Crankbait rod. My tournament partner is in the market for a spinning rod and I may be steering him in this direction. I know I have ALOT of fishing to do before the final verdict on these rods is in, so take this review for what it is...an initial impression. However, if I were in the market for one of those $100 dollar rods everyone is pushing now (Mojo, Veritas, Bucoo, Compre, Bass Pro, etc) I'd give these rods a long look while they are on sale.

Like everyone said, knowledgeis key. BUT I will go ahead just for the fun of it and say the new VMC Spinshot hooks (or the Gammy equivalents that debuted at icast) will help my frustration level when dropshotting. at least they look like they'll help. We'll see.

There has been a thread on here recently about these rods (I am interested too -- you might recognize my username from another site): a search will also bring up some info in other threads about Fenwick in particular, and there are some threads on the closely-related river runner series.

Classic trout lures include all of what you mentioned, plus a few others. Mirr-o-lures are a must. And grubs work well in a multitude of colors, not just the basic whites and chartreuse (smoke, rootbeer and watermelon are good ones for saltwater). You may want to try Gulp grubs. and I would not hesitate for a second to throw a Gulp shrimp, especially around shallow grass. people use those in alot of places outside Texas, with success. My best speck ever (on artificial, that is) came on a 3" Storm Wildeye Shad swimbait (in the natural shad color). So I'd throw whatever your favorite bass swimbait is. (by the way, I still have that swimbait and it has a big bite taken out of the belly. It looks like that Mighty Bite swimbait they sell in the infomercials, but mine got like that the hard way...)

an 18" crappie is a monster anywhere on this planet. In VA, 15" is a citation (trophy) for crappie. If I were you, I'd milk that honeyhole and keep it secret.

Max water temps should occur from 3-5 pm. The problem may just be that the bass are gorging on the real thing. There are about a million lures I could suggest here, but I'll stick to a couple: the Koppers or Bagley cranks that look super-realistic like bluegill (I believe you mentioned 'gills as a main forage). it's funny you mentioned the chatterbait. 2 years ago the chatterbait was a guaranteed producer in my best local pond. Some people saw me slaying them on the chatterbait, and threw them relentlessly (with little success I might add) for months, and now the bass in that pond won't touch a chatterbait.

I've used 10-lb braid for perch/crappie fishing the past 2 winters on the Potomac, and have not seen a decline in number of bites. If anything, it may be better since I feel those cold-water nibbles even more clearly. And I, too, fish alot around docks.

I prefer shorter rods for spinnerbaits as well. If you can find one, the St Croix LTB Sniper Spinnerbait rod is sweet. 6'3" medium and can handle normal size baits as well as the smaller 3/16 oz models (my preference, quite frankly). I think this rod was discontinued in Croix's lineup reboot, so you may have to look for a closeout sale or maybe a used one.

Several people had it right...this is often (not always) the toughest condition you can face. The bass are gorging on the real thing, so how can your artificial compete? The best strategy is often to have lots of options at the ready -- fluke, popper, shallow crank, spinnerbait and swimbait burned to run shallow. One of my local lakes has ungodly amounts of bait every evening from july through september and it can be humbling and frustrating. Also, J Francho had good advice...often your best bet is to try to pick off the scavengers waiting beneath the maelstrom, which means having a senko or worm (in addition to all those aforementioned baits) ready to go, too. But that's why we buy 30 rods, right? On that same lake I referenced, I've sometimes dropped a simple 3" grub through the schools, let it drop down nearly to the bottom, and then felt that telltale tap. an exposed hook plastic bait is useful in this scenario, when you might need to swing fast at the slightest little tick, lest the fish drop it and move on to real morsels. And believe me, they'll do this when the feed is in high gear.

I'll be looking for your review!

start your search here: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/trout/area-maps/ click on the area of the map closest to you (either 1 or 2 I'd say) and it should list both natural and managed streams (some of those overlap). The best place I know from my fly-fishing friends is Mossy Creek near Harrisonburg, but I believe it is mostly bordered by private land. That site should have several other options. Keep in mind, however, that many trout streams are meant to be waded (with waders on...trout water is cold) so you often may find bank fishing tough due to overhanging obstacles on the shoreline.

Hey Snook -- what class (power) of rod do you use for your beach fishing? Do you use different rigs for snook, jacks, etc., or do you have one that covers most (if not all) of the bases?

Really wish there was a black grub in the mix...that omission likely will not stop me from getting some.

Somebody said this is just another mystery, but I'm pretty sure we've actually SOLVED a mystery. Perhaps you've heard of the Loch Ness Monster...?

That review helps ALOT, so thank you. May I ask what lures you generally throw with this rod? Obviously I'm looking to toss a bunch of exposed hook presentations (3" and 4" wacky senkos, grubs etc) but also wondering if it has the backbone to set the hook on a slim shaky head worm with the hook point buried or just slightly exposed. Probably not as issue, as I've gotten good at doing this even with true light action rods. Also, I'd assume it casts 1/16 oz plastics fairly well?