Jason Penn

I've got an 02 PT175 and 6 rods is about the max I can keep out on the front deck. If I used any rods shorter than 6'6" I could probably keep a couple on the console side of the deck, but all of my rods are over 6'6". That being said, I don't really need more than that. I normally have 5 casters and 1 spinning rod with me. If I fished T's I could see needing more.

Anybody using these? http://www.barlowstackle.com/Heat-resistant-Tubing--P1200.aspx I haven't quite got the paint process down. I can't seem to get the weedguards in after painting heads. I tried to scrape it out and ended up chipping paint off the head! :-[

Yea the PQT and CL are pretty much the same reel. I'm not sure the standard PQ gears and drag will work in the in the CL/PQT but I'm going to try it. I have used a lot of highend reels and I like these BPS reels as much as anything I've ever used. The only thing (other than the paint job on the Carbonlite ;D) that I want different about them is a higher IPT. Hopefully I'll have that taken care of next week. I was telling a buddy of mine earlier today something has really got to be wrong with me....I've got BPS reels on Steez rods!!

I'll have to check on it. I wouldn't think they had a 7:1 since the Carbonlite is not available in it. I've got a gear set and drag from the regular PQ on the way I'm going to try and make my own.

You could always split the difference and get the 6'9" MH if the 7' doesn't work out. If you have a BPS anywhere near you see if they have any of the Pro Qualifier Tournament reels. They only come in a 6.4:1 ratio but that may be fast enough for you. They're black with rainbow glitter in the paint, and they're basically a Carbonlite minus the clicking cast control, and with a different handle. IIRC, they're $80 and in-store only.

I'm pretty sure some folks have already done some drag upgrades to the CL. I don't know a lot about working on reels, I've only done minor things like changing out gears and handles. I don't know if you would need to change out the shaft in order to add an extra metal washer behind the gear set. I wish I knew if it wou work. I really have had good luck with these BPS reels. The are smooth, comfortable, and light weight. Another thing I like about them is there's no play in the handle when engaging the reel like there is with my Fuegos. I would love to have a couple in a 7:1 ratio.

I have 1 CL and 2 of the Pro Qualifier Tournament reels and have been very impressed with them. I do wish BPS would've followed up this year with a 7:1 ratio in the CL or similar light weight reel. The CL can be dropped down to a 5:1 but not raised to a 7:1 according to BPS rod & reel repair. The 7:1 gears uses (IIRC) 3 drag washers behing the gears and the CL only has 2.

I have no experience with the KVD rods but I personally like a M power for traps. There's not really any resistance with those baits so you don't need a stout rod. I don't think you'd need a MH for smaller jerkbaits either. Now the M could possibly be the wrong rod if you're fishing grass alot. The places I fish has very little to no grass, so I couldn't help you if that's the case.

I personally like F vs XF. I feel like it casts better, but that is just for me.

I've got two of the 7' M m/f rods and really like them. I'm using one for spinnerbaits and the other for med-deep cranks. To me it's a little too stiff & fast for small shallow crankin but it works good for the LC Clunn baits. Anything like a size 5 fat free shad is perfect range. I threw a DT16 last time out and it was almost too much. Those baits really have the most resistance of any crank I throw though, even the 10 pulls pretty hard. I really don't do much deep cranking so I should be good!

Hopefully they'll have some more reels in the weight class of the CL but with 7:1 gear ratios. I have had no problems at all with the CL/PQT reels this past year but it would be nice to have a higher speed. Found this on BPS' site. Check out the lockdown ring it looks very similar to the Verdict. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Bionic-Blade-XPS-Trigger-Rods/product/10210581/-1749640

BPS is being tight with their site this year. Normally by the middle of December they have all the new stuff posted but not this year.

Looks like a very fun day!! I love fishin this time of year because noone else is I got to go this past Sunday. 46 degrees and sunny with a calm wind. 41 degree water and I caught 5, broke off on 1, and lost another with the biggest going 4 1/4-4 1/2lbs. I only got to fish from 1-4:30 so i was very pleased.

The only rod that I own that I never think about "upgrading" is a 7' MH steez. I am completely happy with it and actually plan to get the 7'1" H this next year. I almost sold it not long after getting it and I'm glad now that I didn't. If I would just bite the bullet and buy what I'm wanting instead of trying to find something "that'll work" I would probably end up saving money! Maybe that makes the Steez worth the money right there to me. As far as the reels go, i owned 2 103HA's and a 100HA. They were very nice reels but they didn't really out perform other reels I had at the time except in pitching light baits. The 103's could pitch light lures and weightless plastics farther than any other reel I have owned. They also felt incredibly comfortable mounted on the Steez rod. I decided to sell the reels though. I've been thinking about maybe getting a couple of the Steez SHA reels for plastics & jigs. The 1st Daiwa reel I ever owned was a TDZ103H. I used it for a couple of months and sold it cuz it wasn't that much better than the Chronarchs & Curados I was using at the time. A year or so later I decided I wanted to try another and I've been on a Daiwa kick since. I haven't owned a Shimano since the Chronarch A & Curado B. The way prices have dropped off on the Steez if someone really wanted they could probably put a "lightly used" combo together from ebay for $500-$550. I seen 3 of 7'MH SVF rods go from $202.50 to $222.50 last week. That's still not cheap but what is nowdays?

My personal best came this year on a t-rigged baby brush hog and I caught a whole lot more fish on plastics than I did a jig. I probably like fishing a jig more though because you don't have to really mess with it other than the trailer. 8-) Jig = lazy man's t-rig? ;D

One suggestion I would make is try a finesse type jig to start out. The first jig fish I ever caught was on a 3/16oz Strike King bitsy bug with half a lizard as a trailer. At the time that's all I had to use. I got on 1 big laydown and caught probably 25-30 small fish off it. I found another laydown on the other end of the lake that was similar and caught another 20 fish off of it!! It was definitely a fun day. These were all small fish, but they were fish! I was fortunate enough to be fishing a place that had a large population of small fish. I could learn different techniques there because I got bites. It's hard to know if you're doing something right or wrong if you're getting no response. Once you catch a few fish you'll get a feel for fishing the lure, and then it's much easier to ramp up to the bigger jigs. I still probably fish a finesse-type jig more than full skirt jigs. This past sunday I fished from 1:00-4:30 and caught 5 fish, broke off on 1, and lost another. 4 of those 7 bites was on a Northstar 3/8oz alien head with a finesse skirt. I use a twin tail grub on all jigs.

T-rig baby brush hog jig/twin tail grub trailer jig head/4" finesse worm I'm not sure what has happened with me and moving baits. I think the last fish i caught on a spinnerbait was September!!

I agree with you. I have a friend that only uses hi-vis line Crappie fishing and he catches plenty of fish. Would he catch more if he was using FC...who knows? I emailed Spiderwire about the Fluorobraid hoping they might be coming out with a hi-vis version, but they said at this time there was no plan to. It seems pretty logical that a line that was basically made to be used for slow techniques (jigs, plastics) would also be made available in a line watching color 8-)

Normally they're blowing out their house brand rods & reels during this time but they don't seem to be doing that this year.

Prior to getting the 2 I've got I was worried about the paint job, but it's more subdued than what it appears in pictures. You put a camera flash on it though and watch out!! I'm pretty sure Pro Qualifier gears in 5.4:1 & 4.7:1 will work in these reels, they work in the Carbonlite. Both of these reels are a good option for a light weight deep crank reel. Stock (6.4:1) I measured 25" IPT. I contacted BPS R&R repair and they said the 7:1 gears won't work. The "reel grip" knobs can be replaced if you want. They don't feel bad, but they look kinda funky to me.

best of luck with your new boat!!!! I hope I'm not a disgruntled Tracker owner one of these days. I've only had my 02 PT175 for a short while, but it's soooo much nicer than the 1436 I fished out of for years.

I've got a couple of them and really like them. I've swapped the handles out for Carbonlite handles on them. I'm hoping BPS brings out a 7:1 Carbonlite next year so I can swap gears in these 2 reels. They perform well with 1/4-3/4 oz lures, they engage well after the cast, they are really smooth, light weight and are comfortable to palm. I really don't expect much more out of a reel.

I'm not positive but I think any of the knobs on BPS reels work on the XT's handle. Seems like I remember reading the Rick Clunn knobs feel more like Shimanos. If you run a search in the Maint/Supertuine section of Tackle Tour you can find out some things about that handle. I personally love the eva knobs and have Carbonlite handles on most of my reels. If you decide you would like to sell them PM me.

that's it

I gotta say I do love how the Daiwa rods stick fish. I used the 7' MH TDS rods for spinnerbaits and cranks. I don't recall ever losing a fish on them, but they're not very light and sensitive! I was using TDZ100's on them which made them a little more comfortable. The Veritas is working out good for 3/8-1/2oz dbl willow spinnerbaits, but it is pushing it with a 1/2oz single #6 colorado. In it's defense, a #6 colorado with a 6:1 reel will tax a lot of rods! I'll try it with a 5:1 reel next time I get to fish and see how that works out. I normally use a 5:1 reel and single blade baits in colder water, I just haven't got around to it yet this year.