Hooligan

Oh, man, that reminds me- You gotta get your hands on some of the new Bomber Deep Fat Frees. They're a 22' bait at only 3/4 ounce. I'm very, very impressed with them.

Best answer ever to this oft asked question. Being truly ambidextrous, I have both left and right casting reels for different purposes.

That a micro is a sub size six guide is somewhat debatable, but we won't get into semantics. I'm going off of what I was told BY the folks from Fuji at ICAST this year, and what they had to say made a lot of sense, as well as backed up by quite a lot of data. They had some pretty interesting thoughts on it, Mike, you should check into it sometime. (I'm pretty sure they're referencing a micro as being size 4 and 3. The load characteristics they show on a variety of blanks changes dramatically when using standard versus micro, the weight savings of micro being eliminated by the necessity of additional guides to adequately support the blank... All kinds of cool stuff.) You do, however, make a very valid point about the stripper guide, which is the same I was attempting to make, albeit poorly worded.

Try that with 15lb on a 3/0 EWG, see how far it gets you.

Another vote for the Pitzen.

Then the store manager doesn't know what he's talking about. That's simply not the case anymore. Pure fishing DOES NOT make BPS reels. Pure fishing doesn't make any of their own reels, except Swedish made Abu Garcia. Revo reels are made in China, the vast majority of Pflooger reels are made in China. Almost all of BPS reels are made in Korea, with very few exceptions.

Why Micro? I've seen enough, now, to have a better understanding of it and I'm really not sure I buy in to the micro rage. When you consider that Fuji, arguably the finest guides on the planet, doesn't make a micro, there's got to be something behind it. They've done the research and have concluded that you just don't gain anything. From my experience, too, a Micro Spinning reduces your casting distance because in most cases you have to have a 1000 size reel so the line flows into the first guide efficiently, otherwise the loop is too large and you lose distance. For the same money as you're spending on a mediocre rod, you can get a Crucial, you can get a St. Croix, you can get a Loomis if you pay attention. IMO a lot better rods can be had for the money than what you're intending to spend it on. I wouldn't purchase any of the rods you've listed. My opinion, your mileage may vary.

1. Anyone has tried this rig and what are the results? I fished the A rig on Wheeler, on Gunts, and on Lay this past year. The results were very mixed to very good. In the situation that fish are actively on schooling shad, it's a killer bait. It's far more successful than a single crank. 2. Is a 7 foot or longer heavy cating rod necessary? Is it necessary? I suppose that, no, you could throw the rig on a 6-6 glas rod, but why? I've been throwing it on a Crucial Swimbait rod. 7-11 MH. The casting distance is sometimes key, the 7-11 also makes it very manageable when you set the hook with the big rig, you get more tip speed to drive the hooks home. 3. What ratio reel are you using? I currently have a Calcutta TE 200GT that is 5:1, I'd actually prefer a 6.4:1 for a bit more speed sometimes. 4. What line test are you using? 20lb Tatsu, I've also used 60lb Kanzen Braid and it worked adequately. I just prefer fluorocarbon for the application. 5. If you have used the rig does it make you tired after using it and if so, how long did it take to get you tired? No, it's actually a relatively easy rig to throw once you get the lob cast down. It's no different than chuck and wind swimbait fishing for a day. It's far less tiring than fishing... Say a Mann's 30+ all day. I'd probably equate it to fishing a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait all day, same sort of drag, same sort of feel. 6. Have you used the original Alabama Rig or another version, and if another version, where did you get it? I've used the original and I've used a Picasso and Sworming Hornet. All were purchased in AL at a shop I frequent. 7. I know you can use the rig on lakes. Has anyone used it on rivers? It works excellent in current. That's all I'm going to say about that. The rig does have it's ups and downs. It's a fun way to fish, one that makes a lot of sense. I've fished it in areas that the five baits aren't legal, which meant I had to either clip wires or go with dummies. I had many instances that I had fish eath the dummies once I had another fish on. It's amazing how Spots will wolf-pack it. When they're on it, they're on it!

Really like the Zoom Ol' Monster and the LFT 10" Worm. I fish the Berkley and Culprit 10" as well.

Typically Weightless T Rig. If I need to get down, I'll throw up to a 3/16 tungsten in front of it.

All I have is, and I quote, "Unbearably boring." They're not that super, in terms of catching fish. I can dropshot a Rage Craw with more effect than these jigs, and I have. I've got a few I'd send you FOC, you pay the shipping, actually, strike that, gimme your addy and I'll send them to you to be rid of them!

LFT Live Magic Shad. Fluke Robo Worm

HA! I've got 6, too. Of the old green monster 3.8:1. A dozen E7s, a dozen E5's... Throw in some Cores, Curado 51, Chronarch 51MGs, 101s. Add some Alphas, Sols, a couple Pixies here and there, top it with a few Zillions, and you get the idea that I have a few reels. (Keep in mind I have a set of gear in TX, one in CA, and one in my rig; almost all have spares here at home, as well....) I just really like the CI4 in the 2500 size, it's one of my standard spinning reels. I currently have 7, and another 10-12 reels that are older Stradics and Sustains; it's just time to upgrade some of them and at that price, how can I not.

XF has greater recovery and will move the bait more effectively. XF doesn't mean inflexible, it just means you have more control over the bait. With the right XF, it will give plenty and you'll FEEL it faster, get better hooksets, and be able to feel everything without delay. Typically, XF is going to have slightly more tip flexibility than a Fast rod. The Fast will bend further into the blank, not just at the tip, which presents a whole different set of issues.

I want an XF on my dropshot rods, without a doubt. If you can get your mits on one the Rage 6-8 Medium XF is a good rod, or if you want a little heavier rod, the Crucial Dropshot 7-2 MH XF (CRSDX72MHA) is a very, very good rod. Spend a little more if you're not absolutely firm and get a Cumara Dropshot and the only thing better is an NRX.

Rapala Rippin Rap; I believe they're new to you this year. They've been VERY successful when a rattlebait isn't getting it done.

Heh, we emptied my rig before a tournament on Wheeler last year and decided to weigh what I had in there. I had 65 pounds of deep cranks, compared to a total of 120 pounds of everything else including plastics, spoons, and spinnerbaits.

You gotta hide your secret baits better, Goose. I see what you've been throwin*!!

8 CI4 2500 ordered. Should be good on spinning reels for a while...

I gotta agree with JF, there's something about the plastic in that bait and the mold. I've seen "Similar" molds and they just don't do it justice. They're an entirely different bait, it's sort of like Highlander... There can be only one.

You got the good ones front and center, brother. If I could fish only one deep cranak, it would be a Little John DD in Spooky Nasty. Oh, and you're boned. A friend I fish with a lot made a comment the other day that when he was looking through pictures the other day, he only found five or six that I didn't have a crank-stick in my hands.

I've never, never had the tape work. The entire premise for backing is that braid has zero stretch and cannot grab on the spool as a result of it. I've always had braid come lose of the tape, more so with large diameter braids. I always back with mono/fluoro/copoly. Whether it's Muskies and five turns then filling the spool with braid, or bass with 2/3s the sppol then fill with braid. All of my saltwater reels have a post for a braid loop, so they get spooled full on.

Texas Tackle, without a doubt. I have a pair in front of me, now, on my desk; I just changed 150 baits worth of rings and hooks and I wouldn't use any other.

I was that way, too, Vinny until I broke away from my "norm." When I started fishing high action baits in cold water, I started catching noticeably more fish. Not just jig fish mind you, but T-rigging a Lobster or Monkey. I used to believe that creature baits were for warm water, let alone high action baits like the Space Monkey. I've even been catching fish (and our water temps are 34-32 here now) on Eeliminators.

I've switched to a Rage Craw as a standby in cold water. The more movement and flash a bait has in warm water, and I believe this firmly, only leads to the illusion of being alive in cold water as well. I've caught more jig fish in cold water as a result of this one thing than any other thing. I've become a complete convert and believer in "life" versus subtlety.