Kevinator1

I have to go with Rob G on this one. The Silver Thread Excalibur is awesome. I have used this for a few years and find it hard to beat.

Guys, When the water is hot and the bite is slow, finesse is always a good choice. But even when the other finesse techniques don't work how about the pre-rigged 3 hook worm. I've use this worm for over 20 years and when things are really slow it very rarely lets me down. A couple of small split shot rigged about 12 inches ahead of the worm is all you need. The model I have used over and over again is Kellys Plow Jockey brand in purple. There is something about that corkscrew action that absolutely drives the bass crazy. When you are in a tournament and just need a couple of 2 pounders to finish a limit, this is what I go to.

A speedo and sunglasses. Just kidding. I'm not going on the lake with anyone wearing a speedo! Just wear protective clothing and sunscreen.

Boca Bearings. The Shimano stock bearings are pretty good on the citica so you will have to at least go to an ABEC 5 or probably ABEC 7 to notice much different. If you really want to trick it out use their orange seal ceramic ABEC 7.

Yeah I'm with you on this one. The oil companies are taking us all for a ride. It seems like companies use to spread the wealth a little but no more. The greed is ruining this country. And of course our politicians are apparently in their pockets since no one is doing anything about it. I think we need the truckers all around the country to completely shut down the interstates which would then shut down the whole country. Until then, the greedy idiots will continue to fill their pockets. As far as my fishing goes, it will stop me from going very far to fish. I will have to stay local to save money like a lot of other guys. Thanks for listening to my rant.

Hootie, oh no...... Here goes..... I am a tackle addict and I cannot help myself. I will never attend a tackle addict meeting either unless it has some tackle there to buy. I have enough stuff for 5 lifetimes. But yet, when something new comes out, gotta have it. I'm sick that way

I love cleaning and lubing reels. I used to do it for my fishing buddies and now I do it for some of the tournament guys in Indiana. I'm not satisfied until they are smoother than when they were new. I also enjoy super tuning and trying different bearing combinations. (Ceramics, etc.) Kevin

I use the low profile reels now just because I can palm them easier but my old Abu round reels are tanks. You cannot kill them. Easy to take apart and clean and they just work. Kevin

I've used the Silver Thread Excalibur line for years and continue to use it because I feel it is the best copolymer line available. Very smooth and very strong. I highly recommend it. I am going to try the P-Line Voltage copolymer just to compare. 8-)

My wife netted my largest bass I ever caught last year, 8lbs 2oz. which for Indiana is a good bass. She likes to go fishing with me but doesn't have the patience that I have. The only negative with a woman being in the boat is that sometimes they like to talk too much! I'm in trouble now!

Yeah Rhino that Titanium Deposition finish isn't good. Trying to get that stuff to stick to the frame isn't an easy task. I was surprised when they came out with it. I clean and repair reels and have seen a lot of the JM's with the finish peeling off. Kevin Davis

Make it a key chain. Don't feel bad, at least it was a cheap one. I keep breaking the bills off of the Rapala DT cranks and they are not cheap. I hit stumps and rocks when I fish my crankbaits and the Rapala DT's are the only one I keep having trouble with. I wrote to them about it and also told a supplier who was at my favorite tackle shop but I haven't heard anything from either. They say the slim bills help the bait get deep quicker but this also makes them weak. :'(

I used it last year on my spinning rods and had good luck with it. Its memory wasn't too bad for a fluorocarbon line. I didn't break off any fish so I was impressed for the price. 8-)

Hey wsmith, I saw the HCT guys there and they did have a great selection of all of the new lures. Have you been to their tackle shop? How is it? Thanks. 8-)

I had never seen Thorne Brothers before this year at Indy. They were wanting to get rid of what they brought in. I probably should have gone the last day of the show to see what other deals they had.

DVT is correct. Just adding to the old grease/oil won't improve the performance much. You have to perform a deep cleaning first before adding fresh lube. And never over lube, this will also take away from your reels' performance. One drop of oil per bearing is all you need. Kevin

Raul, glad to hear I'm not the sickest guy with his gear! Now I can show my wife so she doesn't send me to the asylum any time soon.

If they could make one out of titanium that would make it insanely light and indestructible. Bad thing is that titanium is expensive and probably harder to form into a reel frame. :-/

I take the reels off, disassemble each one, clean and lube, put on neoprene reel covers and put them in the top drawer of my tool chest. I wash the rods with soap and water and put a coat of UV resistant wax on them to try and protect them during the year. Then I put them in my rod racks. I'm probably the sickest guy on here as far as keeping everything neat and clean. Kevin Davis

I've got 2 of them. They have been flawless after 2 years and I would recommend them especially at the sale/reel trade in price. 8-)

Thanks guys. You're right, right place at the right time. Hopefully my luck will continue!

Had to brag since I usually don't hit sales at the right time but I hit it big yesterday. At the Indianapolis Boat Sport and Travel Show, vendor Thorn Brothers were selling the Abu Garcia Veritas rods for $67 each. (If you bought 3 which I did) Woo hoo. More stuff, that's all I need.

I have upgraded the bearings on the pro qualifiers and have seen a decent improvement. I believe you would need sizes 3x10x4mm and 5x11x4m. Whatever you do make sure that the upgrade is at least ABEC 5 or 7. Otherwise the upgrade will not show much improvement. Kevin

Must be using the banjo minnow! ;D

Some guy named Van Dam. Must be new. LOL. Can you believe that guy? No one is in the same league. He is all alone. Reminds me of myself except he wins the tournaments he enters. ;D