Hooligan

That Zillion for $179 is a killer deal, even if it does have Cabela's written all over it. The BPS reels aren't a Shimano, but they're not bad reels for the money.

Exactly. We started doing it for pike on big swimbaits, and noticed that we were catching more big green fish rigging them that way. Works wonders. RoLo, the only point that I might disagree on is that the body roll, or shimmy, is un-natural. If you see injured baitfish or bluegills in the water, they will hunch up and swim with a rolling action. Unless I'm misunderstanding you, that same action is what most paddle tails will do. For that matter, those baits that we have found that have no body rocking we've caught far fewer fish on side x side comparison to those that do. I'm not going to name the swimbait I use because it's relatively unknown and already hard to get my hands on; perfectly snobbish and self-serving, I know. That said, I really dislike most paddle tail style baits. I don't like Hollow-bellies at all, usually. They're hard to get hooks through, and they're usually multiple layer laminates that tend to get torn up relatively easy. Worthless to me when I've got to re-rig after every fish. The most readily available bait that I fish with any consistency is the Bass Pro Shops XPS bait. It's got a great action and you can easily modify it to sink at better rates. It also has a relatively strong internal harness that will last through multiple fish. The Rago Line are all great baits as are the Trash Fish. The Trash Fish aren't terribly durable but you will get multiple fish from them.

Aruku Shad and Xcalibur XR50 for almost all of mine. I fish Traps on a couple lakes, but it's under pretty specific conditions.

Oh I'm laughing all right. Laughing at the absurdity of your continued response on something you have NO firsthand knowledge of, when in the past you've gotten on people about the very same thing. If there were a problem with the Cumara, I'd have seen it by now, I will guarantee you that. Do the math, Rooster, average the time I fish the rods and the number of them I fish and I'd have, according to your statistics, broken at least every rod three times. It's positively absurd, what you're suggesting. Newsflash! I've broken 3 NRX this year on fish. One was the first time I fished the rod! There's something wrong with the NRX because I read that some guy broke three of them in a year... Your anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal evidence, of which, again, you have zero firsthand knowledge. You don't own any of the rods in question yet you're freely forming an opinion of their quality. Pure absurdity. Shane, like the guys above said, the Teramar would likely be a really good candidate for it. The West Coast 8' H would be a stellar rod for plugging snakehead, it's wicked powerful with a really, really nice feel for how powerful the rod is. It will also turn a fish with no hesitation at all. The only rod better might be a Calcutta if you can find it. They're getting hard to come by.

That's laughable at best. I have yet to break one in all of my time fishing, and I fish a lot, averaging in excess of 200 days a year. I've fished Cumara rods since their release and have had zero issue. I fish several of them in choice over my NRX. If you're breaking Cumaras under normal fishing circumstances, it's pilot error, guaranteed. When YOU PERSONALLY have owned and fished them, you're free to offer your opinion, but it seems to me you don't own a single Cumara so are going by hearsay...

My sole complaint of the Duckett rods is that their warranty process is... lacking, let's say. They're not terribly forgiving in the damage department and aren't terribly willing to replace a rod that is not deemed to be "defective." I have had a couple issues with them, both guide and blank, and the process is a pain. I sold those that I had earlier this year. I think they're a fine rod for the money, sensitive primarily because of the weight, the graphite itself is not of super quality. For the rod, at its highest price, that doesn't break the $170 mark I really think they're a pretty good value for the average budget minded angler looking for higher performance without breaking the bank. You get a fair amount of rod for the money and that's never a bad thing; if they were of higher quality graphite, I think they'd be a much better rod, as well. That said, my feeling on most of the Duckett lineup is that for as good, if not better, a rod you can spend less money on the BPS Carbonlite Micro. I continue to be impressed by the Carbonlite, with the added benefit that it isn't that ghastly white color!

That's sort of the point Catt is making, though BF. There's not a hard and fast rule as to what will work when and how. The conditions present is what dictate the lure of choice. In response to the original post, I use the same thing I'd use any other time of year with little exception. When the water is sub 60 degrees, I've got a jerkbait on. I'll be fishing the same Northstar 3/4 ounce Willow/willow that I've been throwing since February (and winning tournaments with it), I'll be fishing the same LFT Ring Fry, I'll be fishing the same swimbait, I'll be fishing the same dropshot, and the same jig. The biggest thing that changes in fall is not my baits of choice, it's my choice of location. In regards of what I do when I see massive amounts of baitfish is to fish those areas and conditions that don't require me to be at their mercy. There are still fish in areas that are not relating to those roaming pods of bait. There are still active fish on deep structure that are available to other methods without having to run and gun.

For the record, Bass Pro Shops has an across the counter policy with Shimano, including the Cumara.

I don't believe that Shimano sponsors any of the Elite Series pros. I'm not certain, but I don't think they sponsor anyone of the FLW pros either. If they do, it could be simply through the Elite Purchase program like any other pro.

I'm sorry, but I can't let that one slide. Saying any rod isn't as "brittle" as another is asinine. Graphite being brittle is a total and complete misnomer, continuing to spread from posts like the one above. As graphite increases in quality, it increases in stiffness. Think I'm wrong? Call Gary Loomis. The by-product of rods that get stiffer is that they have thinner blank walls, they don't get any more or less brittle, in fact they gain in axial strength as well as compression and strain rate. The increase in strain rate is so sufficient, in fact, that two different strains of graphite cannot be compared on the same scale. They just don't compare to one another. In the same note, Gary will tell you about a customer that he once had that broke a rod and wanted it replaced. Gary took the guy out, tried in five different ways to get a rod to break in the same fashion as the customers rod. What ended up doing it is that he had to kneel on it on the ground, scar the blank and start the splintering process by using the concrete. The guy conceded that it was his own actions, not the fault of the rod. Calling the Cumara brittle is laughable at best. It's likely one of the lightest, most superior rods in the sub-$250 range there is. Comparing the Clarus and the Compre isn't remotely apples to apples, hence the dramatic price difference. Also, the two lower rods don't have anywhere near the blank strength based simply on the graphite content. Not even the new Crucial, which is an IM10 blank with different resins than the Cumara, is close to the Cumara in terms of strength and sensitivity.

I used Japan as the instance because of it's stand on natural fisheries. Much as in the original post, that's all.

Announced at Icast in July. It won't replace the entire series, but it will take place of the great majority as well as bring new sizes.

I disagree heartily, Sam. They may have their favorites, but I know of not one pro on the Elite Series, or that is a FLW contender that will disregard their sponsorship in that manner. For that matter, as long as I've been around it (and as others will attest to) I have known only one BASS pro that eschewed his sponsors gear to fish with that of his preference. In very simple terms, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. You may see it from a local or even regional pro, and there's probably a reason they're local or regional regardless of how they could fish with "the big boys".

The 7-8 glass is very, very forgiving. It's, surprisingly, a very good rod for the money. It's not as heavy as one might expect, it has high quality components, and it will power through deep cranks all day long with no issue. Great rod for the money.

The only reels I've seen him use for swimbaits are either the Calcutta or Curado 300, that's why I said it. The D series reels look green in the right light, too. It's that goofy Silver green, though.

Let me clarify, I fish 6# Fluoro on the Pixy and the 783 is powerful but a light enough tip that it's more along the lines of today's "M" rods.

I don't deny that the RC series is one of the very best, but there is one exception: it doesn't fish well in timber. The bait has too much roll and yaw, it gets hung up so much more often than the other baits I fish. I love the bait for grass and rock, but not in wood. My favorite is the Spro Little John, as well I've done very well on the KVD 1.5 and more recently the 1.0. I also like the XCS series of baits.

I fish a few old mine pits in CA around the Snelling Area and then Clear and Shasta a lot. The Rooster is one of my very best baits for that area. I have consistently done well on the bait in the mine pits fished on deep rock edges, and on a TX rig in deep weed edges.

I'm told there is, indeed, no intended changes, just a lower price on the baits.

I disagree! I fish them on a Pixy/MBR 783CGLX, and I luuuurve it for that.

I agree, wholly. The KVD hook is next to the VMC in my book, but for the money I'll buy the Owner ST-36. Now, too, you can get it in a size five for jerkbaits.

That wasn't a B series, Rooster, sorry. Kennedy fishes swimbaits on a Curado 300DSV. I know the show in question and the particular clip, I thought it was initially, too. Alas, I was wrong.

I owned a later model of the TR20 and have nothing but good to say of it. It was a great boat with more than adequate storage and excellent handling. While I had the 250, the 225 is more than enough to power that ride. My singular complaint is that the hull is heavy, I believe it weights in at 1900 and change. The only problem I had was that I had to replace the pump-outs because of the location a couple times. No issues other than that. It handles well, mine was a 77MPH boat with tournament load and just me. Fill the livewells and the gas and it would push 72 still. I could have gotten faster if I changed the jackplate and prop, but it was enough. The TR20 WILL chine walk, not just waver, but WALK if your trimmed loose, it isn't a situation of driving through it, either. The pad setback is far enough that if there is enough weight right or left of center the upper sponson will catch and start you to walking; just beware of it. I hit it only one time and feared ever hitting it again, it was that much a scare.

You mean, like most of Japan?

From that description, it sounds entirely like a brainer. We used to see it a lot in trout, with a specific kind of hook.