Mike Z

I don't think I am or would be upset at the charge, just how they use the term "Warranty". Its not really a true warranty when you have to pay part of the replacement unless they offer something like a 5 year free replacement and then the charge after that. It's more of a breakage coverage program or rod replacement program than anything.

Sorry, but if you are towing a boat behind you and you "don't notice it is there" then you aren't paying attention to your vehicle when you are normally in it. there is no way that a vehicle towing an extra 2,000 lbs doesn't take longer to accelerate or use more gas, or take longer to stop, or use more pedal pressure to stop. Once on the highway then maybe the ride would seem the same if you put the cruise on, but going up and down hills there would be a difference. I have a full size GMC and notice even 400lbs in the back of my truck and friends have Fords that you can tell the same thing. (even driving an E-350 you can tell when you have a small load) Once you get to know the characteristics of how your truck handles during day to day driving, you can ALWAYS tell if there is something abnormal, even feeling like you have to apply more pedal to stop or go.

Personally, what someone said about the walleye boat would be a good idea if you indeed are going to have 4 people in it at all times. That said, the older kid is probably going to discover girls soon, if he hasn't already and he woun't be going that much. Plus it's only about 4 years till college and then you'll be down to 3 anyway. For that reason I would just suggest finding a good used bass boat. Many will seat three normally along the regular seats and you won't need to worry about being over weight. I don't know how big you or your kids are, but I have been looking at some different boats and have found that many would be near or over capacity with 4 people. Plus if you get a bass boat you will be able to really enjoy those 2 man trips where it is just you and a friend or you and one son for some one on one time. Good luck.

To me these warranties are crap. I bought a Powell rod about a month ago with a supposed "lifetime warranty" Only after reading the warranty, the warranty isn't a warranty at all because if the rod does fail you still have to pay almost half the price for a new replacement, even if it was defective. To me this isn't a warranty at all, but more like an exchange program. And even then it says they will inspect it and if they determine a defect then they will send you a new rod. > To me, a warranty is something that covers the replacement. They should advertise it as a deductable warranty or something that isn't so misleading.

I like my Powell rod but notice that at 7' long and with the reel that most of the weight balances about 4" in front of the reel. I would like to know if I can add some weight to the butt end so that the rod balances a lot more toward the reel like my old spinning rod setup. As far as I can tell, there is no plug to remove to add weight. Thanks

Got my son a 33 rod and reel combo for his first rod based on what everyone told me. To be honest it doesn't feel smooth and seems like its all plastic. If I could have paid $10 more for a much smoother feeling spincaster I would have.

Be careful on those red ones. The few packs I picked up used a thinner wire than the comparable size black finish ones. (Superline are even thicker) While at Gander Mountain today I also noticed some red ones that seemed comparable in thickness. The original red ones I picked up that were thinner I was able to bend while tying a knot on one day. Now I let my kids use those and I only use the black metal ones. Until I land a huge one, I see no reason to pay the premium for a superline hook.

+1 on using the hook based on the thickness of plastic. I would also say that the selection is based on type of cover you are fishing. I have been lucky enough to have only been able to fish from the bank and most ponds have lots of seaweed and fallen limbs or submerged trees. For that reason, anything I can use an EWG hook for I do in order to make it as weedless as possible. All the bass I have caught this year so far have hit hard enough that the hook type didn't matter and I landed them all. I wish I could say I caught more then I have.

According to my State's laws, some of the state park or operated lakes have 300 foot no wake zones or 100' no wake zones from the shore. There are rules that would govern narrow channels to keep people from flying by, but in general, no rules saying that someone can't fly by you when out in the water. (specific rules apply to specific lakes and rivers) So here on a wide lake or a lake without this 100' no wake zone, someone would be legally entitled to go by as fast as they wanted. That's not to say they couldn't be cited for unsafe operation, but common courtesy is not a law. This is just one more reason to know the specific laws regarding that particular lake you are heading to.

I live on Lake Erie and unless you are behind the safety of a break wall I wouldn't go out on any of the great lakes in anything under a 19' boat. Even on the nicest days the smaller boats do get pitched quite a bit and I have seen plenty of bass boats take rolling waves over the top from ferrys or other large ships. One year I was at Put in Bay on Erie and out in a 16' rowboat with a 25 horse engine. I was never so glad to be back on land. Thought I was going to die! And this was with a larger V type hull. Waves and weather change fast on the lakes and every year we have dozens of people killed because they didn't have the right equipment.

I think it depends on how thick your baits are. I tried using the straight shank with the offset eye with my Senkos and noticed that the shank wound up very close to the worm, so that if the fish took the bait, there was very little chance of the hook actually doing anything other than pulling straight back out the mouth. The offset EWG hooks have a much roundr profile and if the fish grabs the bait, the force will push the hook out of the worm much further and almost right into a hookset. I also noticed the EWG hooks do the same withg with the Fat Ikas, so last night I changed the hook to one of the G Lock hooks. It has a wider profile and should pop out of the bait much further.

Or the floor kit just keeps him from seeing more leaks and bad looking repairs while the boat is still under warranty ;D ;D ;D

OK, I'm at a loss here as to what I need to do to get more bites. Fishing a few acre pond where I know there are lots of decent sized fish. Half the pond seems to have seaweed and most likely 3-4' deep in those areas or maybe a bit more. The water is fairly clear and I can see down a few feet to the bottom where I am standing at shore. I have been at this particular pond 2x a week now for the last 3 weeks. Each time I catch a bass on some different color Senko and once on a craw colored craw. For example I have caught on chart/brown lam, metholiate, brown, silver with glitter. Mostly brighter colors to be honest with the exception of the brown craw. This morning I was there at 7am and there were fish all over the place either jumping or actively feeding off whatever was on the top. I tried tossing each color I had for about 15 minutes each time with the only bite coming off a watermelon beaver/craw. I even tried a watermelon fat ika and senko without success. My choice of lures and techniques is limited because of the amount of seaweed where I can fish from as there is wetlands around the pond which make many areas of the bank inaccessable. So anyway, I am trying to figure out how you guys determine what the best color for success is that particular day without standing there for two hours playing with different baits. Having the fish grab different colors is fairly frustrating to be honest because I am so confused as to what colors to go to.

Thanks for the heads up on the Sufix. The power Pro was on sale for $5 off and cost me $10. The Sufix brand is about $16 and has a $6 rebate on a 150 yard spool of performance braid, making the final cost roughly the same or within a buck or two. For that price I'll give it a shot on the next reel I pick up, hopefully soon. In any event, I am 100% pleased with the braided line. 8-) Thanks.

I was on the phone with the Abu Garcia rebate department. Shipping and sales tax do not count. The reel itself must be above the $159.95 amount they set. Now here is the good news. If you go to their website and look at the reels, each one will have a cost at the bottom. As long as you get one of those reels showing a price of more than the $159.95 you will be fine. The rebate is not limited to the Revo products as their website says on some pages, but rather any Abu reel over $159.95. If you get the reel on sale and pay less than $159.95 you will be fine as long as they say $159.95 or more as the cost on their website.

The promotion makes no sense at all. If I overpay for a reel at one place I get the glasses but if I get a reel on sale at the next place I am SOL. They don't even state models other than just plain "Revo". And I thought rebates from Best Buy and other stores were tough... Even the wording on the rebate form is odd as it just says purchase any Abu Garcia reel over $159.95. Is that list price? Revo? On the web it says Revo. On the rebate form it makes no mention. :

Blue mirror with gray/smoke lens also works perfect for me too. Colors are the same with or without the glasses on. My pair is a prescription Oakley glasses I got about 6 years back. Never knew they were polarized until I took them fishing a few weeks back. Now I won't go to a pond without them. Whatever you get make sure the glasses fit snugly around the contours of your face and start to wrap around. You don't want a glare coming from the side. I always wear a hat when I have my glasses on. Just seems to help reduce glare even further.

Hardens up when you leave it sit in your house for the winter or on the water? It doesn't harden up at all. It become more solid with lower temperatures. When I purchased my tube about a month ago it was in the 50s here mostly. I had to squeeze like heck to get a little dab out. I made a post about it and the majority of the responses were to put the tube in your front pocket. I did just that and it worked like a charm. The tube was far easier to squeeze. This past weekend it was mid 80s and sunny and leaving the tube in the box got me an even more liquid form.

lol, it figures... out of stock. I also like the idea above about the army surplus backpack. Not necessarily made to certain specifications, but might be a lot more durable than anything else.

stasher1, my Plano box has 2 -3700 boxes in it plus a worm binder I have stashed where a thrid box can go. Then i have all my hooks and a few odd tools on the top of the box. By no means will I be able to fill either of these things up, or even want to carry that much weight. However, why buy small and then realize you want to stuff some clothing or a jacket in there, or maybe even another box for a new lake? I'd rather go bigger with something I can sling over my shoulders. And to be honest I still haven't figured out what colors work. I've fished half a dozen or more ponds this year. Caught bass at one and even then there was no one color. Craw brown crayfish, brown and chart lam Senko, Metholiate Senko, silver glitter Senko.... Well you get the picture. Everyone keeps saying pumpkin and watermelon but those two colors haven't caught me SH$ anywhere yet.

OK, didn't know exactly what the appeal was of the braided line since I have used regular Stren all my life. Since Dick's had it on sale last week for $10 a spool, I figured I would give it a try. All I can say is WOW!!! I picked up the green line in the 40lb test. It is far easier to make your fishing knots, even if pulling the knot tight takes a little more force. When I made my first cast, the line came off the spool easily and it hit the water and laid flat. Not even a hint of memory in the line. Then I started feeling things in the rod that I hadn't felt before. I could feel the lure going through the grass and seasweed or whatever else it would go through. Every little nibble was felt. I think this might be a great byproduct of the no line memory. Whatever it is, it felt great having the feedback. From now on, no regular old line on my rods. I'll let my kids use that stuff. Only Power Pro for me now on my setups.

You asked if we soaked or sprayed and he said it wasn't a spray. That was an answer to your question. More specifically, it is a jelly in a tube that gets thinner as it heats up. The same force I use to squeeze out a small drop when it's 60 out got me a whole finger full yesterday at 80 and sunny. LOL Anyway, Some people squeeze a little into their bait bags and ork the bag to distribute the stuff around. Me, I just rub some on the worm or whatever when I put it on the line. I don't tournament fish, so the 1 minute extra it takes for the step of applying it when i put the bait on is no big deal for me.

I need some input on the quality and what you goys like about the Bass Pro tackle bags? Specifically I am looking at the Extreme Qualifier 370 tackle bag and the Extreme Qualifier 360 Backpack. ANY INPUT IS APPRECIATED! I don't have a BPS near me to see in person. The 370 tackle bag to me would seem like a good choice because it would hold the large plano boxes I currently have in my plano box. It would also seem to have more storage pckets for a poweraid or other refreshments, plus tools and whatnot. The downside is that it is a shoulder strap not a backpack and I am not sure how my stuff would look after I tipped every 3700 box I have on its side repeatedly. The backpack would seem to be better suited for longer walks to the pond and for carrying more boxes. They also sit horizontal so no extra mixing of baits that you might have sorted however. The downside I see is that I would need to buy more boxes instead of just grabbing boxes out of my Plano box. I also don't see as many side pockets for storing other stuff. Either way, a shoulder strap or backpack has to be easier on my arms than trying to continue carrying my loaded Plano guide series box on my 1/2- 1 mile trek to the ponds that I fish.

Also check out golf stores like Golf Galaxy at the end of the golf season. $200 jackets become $75 jackets really quick. I have a Dryjoys jacket with removable sleeves that I love and I also have an Adidas jacket and pants set. Last year I wore the Dryjoys jacket and Adidas pants to an Ohio state football game. Rained 3+ quarters of the entire game, sometimes in a huge downpour. Only place my clothing got wet was at my waist because of how I was seated and at my shoulders because I didn't have a hood on. golfers like pockets and access to pants and shirt pockets too, so you'll always have plenty of storage. I agree with everyone else here though, you get what you pay for. Invest in a nice jacket and pants and you will have them for years. (oh, and rainwear helps keep you incredibly dry and warm during blizzard conditions at football games too. the same technology that keeps rain out also keeps wind out!!)

ian515, don't feel bad. I went out today and tossed a 5" Senko (weightless) a mile with a new spool of braid I just put on last night. I figured no problem, a 3" Senko shouldn't be so hard... Well lets just say that I was able to cast the 3" Senko about 20 feet and if I tried to cast further I just got a birds nest that took 5-10 minutes to clear out each time. I gave up on the 3" and will let my kids us them on their spincast rods. Put the 5" Senko back on and was able to cast out there. Anyway, I'm also looking for tips and tricks.