Jason Penn

i just don't get along with braid on any kind of bottom contact baits. i'm wanting to try some of the tuf line hevicore to see how the sink rate is on it. if it works, it could definitely be a great spinning line

when i got old enough to ride my bike to a pond by myself to fish, i started with a spincast set up. when i got into fishing again as an adult, baitcasters were just much more comfortable for me to use. i do have a couple of spinning setups for ds & jigheads, but may try and replace them with a bfs-type rig. i have no problems with the spinning gear, but casters are still more comfortable to me.

i don't think it matters what the cost of the gear is, it's who's using it. i've always used good to hi-end gear because i don't carry a lot with me, normally 4 casting & 1 spinning. i just fish the things that i like fishing and stick pretty much to the techniques i have confidence in and have gotten fairly good at. i'm also a believer in the rod being more important for jig/worms than the reel. i would (and have) use a bps reel on hi-end rods for these techniques

not on your list, but an abu veritas 7' m mod-fast makes a fine 3/8-1/2oz spinnerbait rod. i'm sure they can be had pretty reasonable used.

i would imagine, if you actually tore a cl rod down, it's pretty much a 2 pc rod anyway. i believe most of the rods in that $100 range, the handle assembly is built on 1 line, and the blank is wrapped on another. then the handle and blank are epoxied together and finished. i could be wrong about this though. the reason i believe it is from the abu veritas. in front of the reel seat the blank is 2 different sizes. i would like to try some of the jdm 2 pc rods, where they join in-front/thru the reel seat. the daiwa steez 8' flip stick is like this. it would make transport on the long rods easier.

i've got a couple of the 7:1 cl's and notice the same thing everyone else does, a little grind at a certain spot on every turn. i use them for plastics and jigs, so it's not really that big of a deal to me. i changed out the gears for 7:1 in an older cl before the new model was ever released, and had exactly the same thing with it. this was a pq pinion, and revo 7:1 drive gear. i'm thinking it's gotta be something with the pinion gear

so where's the rest with the hawgs?

any cranks deeper than 10-12' and the ol c-rig. i have never had a single bite on a carolina rig! i don't do as well on spinnerbaits and cranks as i used to, but that is due to my eyesight more than those lures. i have problems with depth perception now, and my casting ability has suffered because of it. i can fish with guys that can get closer to cover than i can and watch them do well with these techniques. because of this, jigs and plastics have become what i am most confident in now

i pretty much live in mod-action land for all moving baits. my hook up ratio greatly increased with spinnerbaits when i switched over to a mh-power crank rod from fast action rods. the only time i had problems hooking fish with this type rod is when using terminator spinnerbaits. the titanium wire would flex so much that i needed a faster action rod to offset it. to me, the slower action rod pierces the fish rather yank it in, and it's harder for the fish to actually throw the bait. this was the same thing i experienced when i first started fishing a jighead/finesse worm on spinning tackle. i tried to set the hook like i normally do with a worm or a jig, and i was actually ripping a large hole in the fishes mouth, giving plenty of room for the hook to come out. when i started just kinda reeling and letting the rod load up, the hook would just pierce in there, and it was actually difficult for me to get out. i started losing lots less fish. now, in saying all of this, i actually have a fast action rod that i really like using for spinnerbaits. it's a daiwa ballistic 6'9 mh worm/jig rod. i hated it for fishing plastics because it bends deep, but it is fantastic for spinnerbaits. it has a fast tip, but it really loads up with a fish on. i'm pretty sure it might make an excellent topwater and jerkbait rod, but i haven't tried it for those yet.

if it's clean water, try them again. i've eaten plenty of dinks that came out of a clear water lake, and they are indeed good. even out of this lake, i always released anything probably 14" up and only kept the small fish. it would probably help the size of the other fish in that lake if there was a harvest.

call bps/outdoor world rod & reel repair. you won't have to have part numbers, they'll hook you up.

maybe that is what's replacing the current revo line-up. i'm sure the price wouldn't be dropping if they weren't planning on having something new at icast.

i've had steez reels before and sold them, but i'm kinda back on a steez kick again. i think what i would like is a 100hsa with a 103 handle. as for the rod, i would love to wrap my own that has all the detail of the megabass rods. i'm just getting into the rod building, but i can tell it's gonna take me years (if ever) to be able to that!

i've got the new carbonlite spinner and like it. there has been some bad reports here, but mine is fine. i'm using 8# vicious elite fluorocarbon on it and don't have anymore problems than i did with my older daiwa spinners, but i don't really notice the big spool helping that much either.

wow!! and here i am just trying to get clean guide wraps

any crank that runs deeper than 10'

i've had 3 carbonlites in the past few months and now have 0. i got 2 of the 7' mh micro guide combos with the 7:1 reels at bps in memphis back in feb. 1 of the rods was fantastic and the other felt like you were draggin a sock thru the water. i ordered a h powered replacement online, and sent the mh back. i got the 7' h in and it was just the same way. during this time the 1 good rod that i had developed a problem with the guides. i would have little nicks in my line after catching a good sized fish. i read on bps' site where other people were having problems with this as well, so i've sent them back and am waiting for bps to replace them with 2 of the daiwa ballistic rods. hopefully they will work out for me. i really liked the lightness and the feel of the rods, and i really wish they had worked for me. i may try another 1 with the regular guides and see if they work out for me.

i've got to replace 1 of the 7:1 reels i've got. i greased the main gear but it's still got that hump. i had changed out the gears in an older model carbonlite last year with a pq pinion gear and a revo premier 7:1 drive gear and it basically did the same thing. i don't know what's up there. maybe switching out for a set of pq gears would work, and it'll still be just over 6 oz with the brass gears, if they will work. i'm actually thinking about returning both of these 7:1's for 6:1 and just dealing with it. the 5:1 i have has no problems at all.

i've had a few of the reels, and just sold off 3 of the rods. i do really miss the 7' mh svf & 7'1" comp x, but i didn't ever really get attached to the flexlites. the 7'1" comp x really was a special rod to me, and i will end up with 2 more of these when finances permit. i bought all of these rods used for a fair price, used them for a couple of years, and got most of my money back when selling. if i could purchase something used for $350 (random figure), use it for a couple of years, and still get $300, then it wasn't necessarily overpriced in my opinion. i don't think i would give $600 for a new one though.

i ordered another 7:1 while the price was $20 off. the one i've got now definitely makes a grind per rotation, i thought i had taken care of it with some grease, but i guess that was just wishful thinking. the 5:1 i have is smooth as can be though. hopefully this 7:1 i have coming will be the same way!

i have one of the 5:1 and it's smooth as can be. the 7:1 i have was a little rough the 1st time i fished it. i broke it down and put a little grease on the drive gear and it helped out a lot. i noticed this past saturday, it still has a little bit of noise, so i may have to grease it a tad bit more. i planned to order another 7:1 online this weekend, but they were only available in the left hand retrieve. i'll probably try another and see if it's the same way. if it works good, i might just return the 1st 7:1 i got.

i've only got to use my new carbonlite 750 once, but i'm pretty happy with it

hi ben, welcome!! i can understand exactly what you're saying, i got my wife into fishing last year. i think she might be as nuts about it as i am!! i've never fished frierson, but i've been by there a bunch while working. good luck!!!

that is pretty manly!!!! i tried crankin with braid last year. i only tried it with a squarebill but it just about rattled every tooth in my head loose. and that was with an old daiwa glass rod!

i've got 14# vanish on my new 5:1 carbonlite. i had planned on putting 12# vicious elite on there, but didn't want to have to order it. my local wal-mart carries the vanish, so i just grabbed it. the diameter of it is the same as the 12# elite