.ghoti.

LMAO

I have a Zillion mounted on a Cumara, and used to have a Curado mounted on a Daiwa L&T rod. Never got hit by lightning.

Here's your solution. A 2/0 or 3/0 Owner Rig-N hook, and an HP Quick Clip internal tube weight. You'll get the same action on the fall as an inside jighead, and the weedless property of a t-rigged bait. I tried to find the HP weight at both TW and BPS, to provide you with a link, and couldn't find them. They may be out of production. As an alternative, you can use what's called a bass casting sinker. They're a little harder to get rigged, but just as effective. You can also use a drop-shot weight by spreading out the line eye.

I've had this happen. I used to have seven Quantum PT baitcasters, two of which exhibited the same problem. The other five never had this wear pattern appear. One can only conclude that something got in there and caused the wear. After replacing the drums, I started paying more attention to this area. The brake block assembly on your PG is very similar to the PT version I had. I soaked the end of the spool in a diluted Simple Green solution, scrubbed with a fine brush, hit it with a hair dryer, then gave them a spritz of light silicone spray. The drum was scrubbed, dried, and lubed with the same oil used for bearings; applied with a q-tip. Never had the problem again.

I bought two rods from St Croix's bargain room this year. No problems, their shipping was very fast, the rods were perfect; not seconds, so put your mind at ease. I've had to force myself to stay away. I don't really need any more rods. Really. AH, ^$#@%^&^$# I'm gonna have to go look again.

Just to add to your dream list: http://japantackle.com/Daiwa/Daiwa_castings.htm Enjoy.

No one gets left out. I'll be getting a bigger cabin than the one we had last time at Pickwick. Sort of ran out of room. Won't happen next time.

With this trip starting on Wednesday, I'll probably be able to do the whole trip for once. Looks like the Saturday Night Wine & Cheese Soiree will need a new name. You can't have a soiree in the middle of the week, can you? How about the Mid-week Mingle & Munch?

Jeff Beck Steve Morse Carlos Santana

I've never had a problem. They've just opened the reel case, seen what what was in it, and handed it back to me. The line was no threat in their eyes.

I went from mid-February through Labor Day without a day off; about fifteen years ago. Don't know how days that is, but they were 12 - 16 hour days, on salary. No overtime. I had to quit to get a day off.

I've taken mine on flights. The last time it cost me $20 to have them on the plane with the rest of the luggage. Get the best travel rod case you can afford, pad the ends, use stick jackets on the rods, and you will be fine. Pack your reels in a small case and carry it on the plane. A lot cheaper than shipping them, and you will have a nice travel case for your next trip.

May I suggest you send a pm to Maltese Falcon. I fished with him a couple of summers ago, and he's a great guy who fishes St Clair all the time. He lives right on it.

Look at the very top of the page for a Fishing Articles tab. There's enough information there to keep you occupied for months, maybe years, depending on how much free time you have on your hands.

OH, heck yeah, we can teach a Greg to fish. Now, a Mike; that's a different story indeed.

LOL. When I traded in the vehicle that the JJ's had spilled in, it cost me several hundred bucks. When they asked what the smell was, I told them. They deducted the price for a new piece of carpet and installation from my trade-in.

Yes Sir, done it twice, with those two products. They leave an indelible impression.

Happy bass live in grass. Just peg your weight tight to the bait, and go for it. It may be a thick mat on top, but there's open water under the mat, and the bass love these places. If you don't get bit bouncing the bait on the bottom after punching through, reel it up slowly and bounce it gently off the top.

Try Chompers and the BPS version. Just don't leave an open bag of chompers in your vehicle when it's warm out.

Earlier this year I bought a 7' M-F LTB from St Croix's clearance sale. Last year's LTB rods on sale for pretty good prices. I have an older version of the same rod, with a full rear grip, and wanted to try the split-grip version. Great rod. Good enough I decided to buy another, this being a very versatile rod. They were sold out of that model. Bummer. I went back later thinking about a 7' MHF version. My real question was, do I need another heavy power rod? I have two, and don't really see a need for another. The reason I say heavy power is St Croix's penchant for under-rating their rods. A St Croix MH has about the same backbone as most other manufacturer's heavy. The clearance page doesn't list the line and lure weight ratings, and the current LTBs are different rods. I wasn't sure I could compare them. So, I found an old catalog that listed last year's version. In last year's LTB line, they made a 7' MHF and a 7' MHXF. The XF has a lighter line and lure weight rating than the F, so I decided to go with that one. I've used it twice now, and I am pleasantly surprised. This is not a heavy power rod; not in character for St Croix. It seems to be what everybody else would call a MH. The power seems to be just a tiny bit more than the 7' MF and it has a softer tip. I didn't catch anything over two pounds, so I can't truly comment on the backbone, but it seems to be in line with what I would call a MH rod. After fishing it I had to get out the calipers and take some measurements. Compared to the MF, the MHXF has a slightly larger butt diameter, and a slightly smaller tip diameter. Confirmation of what I felt while fishing. They call this a Finesse Jig rod. I tried it with a 3/16oz Evo Shaky2 head and a 5" GYCB hula grub, one of my go-to baits. I could cast it and pitch it with ease. the XF tip works nicely for lighter weight pitchin duty. I also tried an 1/8oz skipgap jighead and 3X worm, another go-to bait, and it worked just as well for that lighter bait. I then tied on a 1/2oz jig with a Lobster trailer. At this point the tip of the rod started to feel just a bit too soft for the job at hand. The sweet spot for this rod seems to be 1/4 - 3/8oz total bait weight; right in my zone. In another thread I listed not one, but four favorite combos. I need to add this rod to that list. This may very well become my favorite rod. I'm seriously thinking of going back to the St Croix bargain room and ordering another before they sell out. In the market for for finesse jig rod? Check these out, but not before I get a chance to order another.

I routinely cast a 1/16oz jighead and 3X worm on a baitcast combo. I use Daiwa Alphas, the JDM version of the sol, with #6 YZ line. The more important piece of the puzzle is the rod. You will need a rod that "loads" with the lighter weight baits you're interested in. If the rod won't flex at the end of the back-cast, with the bait you're using, there's no point in looking for alternative reels to solve the problem. Several companies offer med-light power baitcast rods. You need to look into one of these. My recommendation is a St Croix 6'9" ML-XF LTB. They may offer this action and power in the Avid line as well. I know the LTB will do the job. I took mine, with one of the Aplhas to the White River last year to fish for trout. Was throwing a 1/16oz hair jig with no trailer for most of the day.

Can we go next month?

I'd never heard of a feist. Had to look it up. Neat little dogs, and a great story. Another fishin buddy, eh raider?

I went to my lasy job interview wearing a SpongeBob Squaretie. It got a few chuckles, and I got the job.

In all my years of fishing I've bought a few spools a bad line. In every case it was line put on sale or clearance. Don't buy clearance line even if it is a bargain. Won't prevent you getting a bad spool, but it will decrease the probability.