.ghoti.

Well, there goes the neighborhood. ;D ;D ;D

This is my candidate for the sexiest reel. http://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/product_info/language/en/products_id/9083/cPath/22_81_1335/freshwater-game/bespoke-limited-racing-comdition-left.html Absolutely stupid price.

white bass + stained water = roostertail UL rod, 4lb test line = fun

You know, I think my new Curado just may have John Deere bearings in it. ;D ;D ;D ;D

Excellent point John. The three local ponds that receive stocked trout in my area get fished a lot right after stocking. I prefer to fish them right before stocking to ensure that I catch fish that have been feeding "naturally" for a while. They do taste much better. Even these still don't take well to being frozen.

Sissy fish, or not, small stocker trout are excellent table fare, and a hoot to catch on UL gear. Even more fun on a 3wt fly rod. Take a few for the table, but no more than will be consumed at one time. Frozen trout produce vacuum.

zelmo, I think you can see that the choice is yours. RoLo and I seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. If memory serves, he uses spinning gear almost exclusively. I use casting gear almost exclusively. I'd be willing to bet that I use a spinning rod a bit more often than Roger uses a baitcaster. Which of us is wrong? Neither of us. We're both right. We do what suits us. Up to a point, (or should I say down to a point) Casting distance has very little to do with it. I toss a 5" Senko, unweighted with a baitcaster, using #10 line and a medium-fast rod. I can throw it a lot farther than I can get a hookset. If I put a 1/16oz jighead and 2" grub on the same rod, I can barely cast it out of the boat. But, I could easily bend or break the hook. That doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense. At the other end of ridiculous; I could tie a Suick onto the end of my #10 line, spooled on a Revo StX, mounted on a St Croix LT 6'9" MLXF rod and go muskie fishing. That would be stupid, even for me. It's all about balance. Every rod has a line and lure weight rating, and will have a "sweet" spot, where everything just feels right. That's what to strive for. Doesn't matter a bit if it's casting or spinning. If it feel right, then it is right. I have a good friend who will not use a baitcaster. He pitches with an 8' saltwater spinning rod, a 40 size reel, and #65 braid. He can put a 1/2oz jig in a teacup from 40-50 feet away, every time. Balance, my friend, balance.

St Coix LT 6'9" MLXF, Revo STX, #10 Trilene XL

cart7t, you owe me a bottle of Windex. I just spewed coffee all over my desk. Flouro-orange T-bone.

I have no idea if that thing will enable you to catch any more fish. I do know that it has caught a lot of fishermen over the years. My Dad had one when they first hit the market. Why he bought one I'll never know. He never used an artificial bait in his life. He was a live bait fishermen all the way.

Without trying to define what constitues finesse fishing, I'll say that it comes down to the line and bait you're using. As you progress down the scale towards lighter lures and lighter lines, you will come to a point where spinning gear becomes the choice. That point will be at a different place for each of us. For me, #6 line and < 1/8oz baits have crossed over into spinning territory. Accuracy has nothing to do with what type of gear you're using. It has everything to do with practice.

The guy gets paid to win. He'll use whatever he's most comfortable with, and confident in. He'll promote what he gets paid to promote. What does it matter what he uses at any given time? You think Donovan McNabb eats Campbell's Chunky Chicken Chokin Soup for every meal? Besides, ( and I can't be the only one thinking this ) who cares?

Try the Columbia Bonehead shirt. Nothing better for warm weather fishing.

A sack of bass is roughly as "smart" as a sack of hammers.

Anybody have any experience with these? I need a new muskie rod. Don't even ask what happened to the old one. Suffice it to say that I'm a bonehead. A local tackle shop has a few of these on sale. MSRP is $120-130. On sale for $55-60. Two of them are in the bait weight, power and length I'm looking for. Any thoughts from our muskie fishermen?

I don't have a Tierra, but I do have a pair of Fuego's. I also have a Curado. The Fuego is a definite cut above the Tierra. Keep that in mind for the following comparisons. The Fuego is a hair lighter. 0.2oz if that makes any difference. Both are easy to palm, with the edge going to the Curado. In casting, the edge goes to the Fuego, but not by much. The Curado drag is smoother than the Fuego's. MSRP for the Fuego is $250 MSRP for the Curado is $180. The Fuego is a bit smoother overall. It almost pains me to admit it, but the Curado is a better value than the Fuego.

Ah, Roger. I knew you were a sharp guy. You just diagnosed my illness from 2000 miles away. ;D ;D Now, about the long-term prognosis; is there any hope for a cure?

I have a 6'8"MXF Avid and a 6'9"MLXF Legend Tournament. Both with Revo STX's and #10 Trilene XL. It's very hard to compare the two being such different actions and powers. They are just too far apart to compare. Particularly since I use them for such different applications. The LT lists for 50-60 bucks more than the Avid. I'd be hard pressed to prove that the LT is worth 50 bucks more. Both are light, tough, sensitive, and very well constructed. You would be happy with either. the only complaint I have is the bright yellow graphics on the LT. As far as I'm concerned the rod is downright FUGLY.

Baby Bass is #1 for me

A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says, 'I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today...' The bartender says, 'Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me.' As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, 'I'd like to buy you a drink, too.' The old woman replied, 'Thank you very much. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water.' 'Coming up,' says the bartender As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, 'I'd like to buy you one, too.' The old woman says, 'Well, thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water.' 'Coming right up,' the bartender says. As he gives her the drink, he says, 'Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?' The old woman replies, 'Sonny, when you're my age you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other issue.'

T-rig, BIG hook, just enough weight for the conditions to get it on the bottom. Keep it there. Simple

I been on a mission to trim down what I carry around, so all the plastics I carry I consider to be go-to baits. GYCB: Hula Grubs Big Kahuna CutTail worms Fat Ikas Senkos, 4", 5" 6" Swim Senkos Berkley: 7" & 10" Power worms 3" & 4" Power craws 4" and 5" Power Hawgs Shaky Worms Tubes Yum: Big Show Paddle worms Houdini Shads Money Craws Tubes Rage Tail baits: Space Monkeys Lobsters Anacondas Craws Shads Gambler: Bacon Rinds Giggy Sticks Paddle tail worms Zoom: Salty Super Flukes Tubes Trick worms Finesse worms Net Bait: Paca toads Paca craws That's about it. I have a few odd packs of this that and the other thing I picked up to try, that haven't made it onto the go-to list. Simple color selection; something greenish something brown/orangeish blue or black/blue red or red shad

Use every crankbait you own. there are no rules. One thing that works time after time is running a deeper crank, like a DT10, in 4' of water. Just kepp banging it into the bottom. And hang on.

The Big Kahuna Cut Tail is one of my go-to baits. Rig it with the tail oriented vertically. With the flat edge of the tail down, it has more action on the fall. It's just a bit more subtle with the flat edge up. I fish these T-rigged about 80% of the time. Weightless is good in and around weeds. 5/0 EWG hook for either rig. Rigged on an Evo Shake2 jighead is also very productive.

This is another, even more insanely priced version, of those reels. Based on the original Daiwa Millionaire, which Daiwa, in their infinite wisdom, discontinued. I have three Millionaire CV-X reels, which I really like. I've been turning mine into my own version of these more expensive reels. The original reels had three bearings plus the anti-reverse bearing. I removed all the bushings and installed new bearings; outer pinion gear bearing, drive shaft bearing, two bearings on the level-wind, and added a 4 bearing TD-Z handle. 11+1 bearings now. Also installed Carbontex drag washers, and lapped and polished stainless drag washers. Got the Dremel out and polished all moving and contact points. Tackle Tour did an article on super tuning a SOL. The Millionaire internals are virtually identical, so I just followed their directions. These three reels are smooth, quiet, long-casting machines. Did all that last winter while the water was hard. The only thing left to do is this winter's project; install light weight GIGAS spools and new spool bearings. I'm hoping for a bit better casting performance after the spool and bearing upgrades. I'm betting mine perform nearly as well as the high dollar JDM versions. They just don't look as cool, and are still quite a bit heavier. They are also considerably cheaper. I think they originally were 9.5 ounces. The TD-Z handles are magnesium, so I saved some weight there. By replacing bushings with bearings, I added some weight, so it's probably a wash. They may even be just a bit heavier. Next project; super tune my Fuegos. This is a fun thing to do in the winter.