Dave P

I use them exclusively. They don't hamper the action at all, but I use the smallest and lightest ones I can find. I've never had one fail.

Have they been cleaned recently? Had a similar situation a week ago when we lost 4 of 5 during a tourney. We noticed a strong ammonia almost like cat pee smell. The live well got cleaned and had some baking soda water recirculated through it and this weekend all was well.

I have not. The ones I have actually lace like shoes and are not slip ons. If you are walking on a lot of underwater rocks, ESPECIALLY if they are algae covered, I would suggest you look for a closeout pair of wading boots or shoes with felt soles. Studded if you can find them. They will grip the slick rocks like nothing else. They can be had very cheaply since they are being phased out. That is what I use late in the summer when the concrete on the ramps gets snotty and slick if I need to get wet to trailer the boat up.

Definitely have used them. Muddy water. Maybe somebody clear coated it and touched it too soon?

They fit pretty big, yes. You won't notice it by the end of the day.

I wear them and the only thing that's been said to me was "where did you get those?" and I fish with a pretty tough bunch. As far as comfort, I haven't worn anything better.

It's light, has good backbone but a soft tip. I VERY seldom have one come unbuttoned on it. Casts very well and comfortable to fish. I have used everything from a square bill to a 6XD on it. It's my primary cranking stick. Like I said, if it broke, I would replace it immediately.

I have the Diesel. If it breaks tomorrow, I will have another on the way tomorrow night. Haven't used a Daiwa rod for several years.

No problems coming off the light lines. If you are not careful when you pull it "tight" in the crimp you can break it easy enough though (mostly Floro), just FYI.

Down by Powersite from the looks of it.

I have had two sets. I use them fishing and will always have a pair for warm weather use. I use the same jacket and bibs at work. My first pair I got about 8 years of use out of. The original jacket now has a small hole in the left forearm. The pants are fine, they just look ratty. They have been used for fishing, working on racecars in the rain and my real job which includes wearing web gear and carrying a weapon every day. I have had no issues with rips or tears or leaks.

I've had one for a couple of years. It's nice, small, palms well. Casts decent. It's handled several fish up to 5 pounds or so. My gripe is that the gears make a lot of noise when you reel it in. I have taken it down and greased them with no change. I'm not really impressed with the bearings either. I clean and lube them a lot more than my other reels and they still make a little noise. I paid full retail for mine and wanted a Lews, but they were sold out. I needed a reel right then, so...if I had to do it all over, I'd have gotten something else.

I use one for cranks when I'm solo because it might be hard to get the hooks out by myself. I use one all the time in tourneys...except for dinks. They get swung on board.

I've got the RC. Yes, it's heavier. Can't beat the price and I like it for deep baits.

Chartreuse black back, blue gizzard shad, green gizzard shad and sexy shad are my favorite colors. I use the first two the most and I also use the rattlers. I also use 10 pound mono.

I bought mine earlier in the year (deep crankbait model) and used the crap out of it this weekend. It is a little heavy but not grossly so. I feel the deep cranbait model would excel with 6XDs and other really deep diving baits. It seemed a little too much for 5XDs, but they are at the lower end of the weight rating for the rod. They have a nice limber tip and a ton of backbone. Maybe a little too much backbone for 5xds. It just didn't feel like it really loaded the rod on the cast. So far the biggest fish it has handled has been a 3.5 and did it with ease.

Clean your bearings out and use lighter oil OR use it for more than 10 minutes and break it in (all that heavy duty lube) before you decide that it doesn't work. It may take more than one trip. I can easily make nice long crankbait casts with my 5.2 and the only thing I did was take it out of the box and start using it. It took 2-3 trips before it started to really "loosen up".

Call his boss.

Flambeau Bigmouth Spinnerbait Box. It fits under my seat.

Welcome fellow Hoosier!

I use 5. My ultimate goal is to have 5 more to replace my other reels.

BPS Bionic Blades and Tourney series. Maybe some others. Good for the price.

Find someone experienced who is willing to take you under their wing and teach you the ropes. That is absolutely the best way to learn. And pay attention!

Gulp minnows in the smaller sizes. Black and silver and chartreuse and white do well for me. Last year I caught bluegills, redear, crappies, bass and a five pound channel cat.

I'll bite: 1. do you feel tournament fishing has made you a better angler than you would have been without fishing them? Yes because it teaches you the difference between fishing for fun and fishing for money. I am a lot more efficient as an angler and I also have learned a lot about where, when, why and how. Most importantly I learned that they'll be where they want to be and they'll eat what they want to eat. 2. were you good before you started fishing tournaments or were you a novice hoping to get better? Good is a relative term. Could I catch bass? Certainly. Could I catch big bass? Of course, once and a while, just like everyone else. I did tournaments initially just for fun with little weeknight and weekend 20 dollar opens. Now I do it because I enjoy it and I like the competition. I also learn something every time I'm out.