.ghoti.

Mayweather is probably the best pure boxer in the game. It's really hard to bet against him. But then I remember what Hatton did to Kostya Tszyu. I'm gonna say it goes the distance and Mayweather wins 115-113

David's tutorial on how to weight the rod for the balance point you want is very well written and illustrated. I had no problems following his directions. But, if you're going to do this, make sure you want it that way. Once the weights are glued in place, you're not gonna be able to get "em back out. I'd suggest that you buy one those BPS add-on kits, and try it out first. I really did not like that big rubber cap from the BPS kit on the end of my rods. They just get in the way. I was always getting it hung up in my vest. That's why I did the glue in weighting. When fishing plastics or jigs, I hold the reel in my palm, with my thumb and forefinger grasping the line. I do this to keep a little tension on the line as I crank it in. I find that winding in slack line, which is gonna happen when I fish plastics, contributes to the backlash problem. Held that way, with the rod tip up, the setup is close enough to being balanced that I need no extra weight on the rod. Again, this is just my preference. You'll have to try it yourself. You may like it, you may not. My real problem with the neutral balanced rod was casting accuracy. I'm not a professional fisherman, but I can generally hit what I aim at. But, not with the rod in "perfect" balance. One of my grand-dad's sayings comes to mind; " He couldn't hit a bull in the *** with a bass fiddle". That's me with the "balanced" rod and reel. Cheers, GK

Nothing alse this year? Wanna bet on that?

My condolences to you, and all involved. I'd like to able to say that we all have had a person like that in our lives. But I'm pretty sure that not everybody has had such an experience. Take heart in the fact that you are one of the fortunate ones to have had such a man in your life. I'd tell you to pass it along, but you already do that better than most. One of these days, hopefully a long, long time from now, there will be someone who will honor you, like you've honored this man. Gary

GO AWAY. I've already spent more money this year than I should have. Do ya know where there's any good deals?

after seeing the title, I was just a bit apprehensive about opening this up

Hold the rod and reel like you're retrieving, with the rod parallel to the ground. Now loosen your grip. Does the rod tip fall towards the ground? If it does, it's tip heavy. If it doesn't, it's balanced. Simple, eh? What you make of that is up to you. For moving baits, like cranks and spinnerbaits and the like, it's a moot point. You don't need a balanced setup to throw moving baits, and you wouldn't want to add enough weight to the rod to bring it into balance anyway. It would take way too much weight to accomplish that. And when you changed baits, the balance would change. Silly to even try. For tip up applications; plastics and jigs, a lot of people prefer a balanced or nearly balanced setup. I prefer to not add weight to my setups. When the rod tip is close to vertical, the rod/reel is pretty close to a neutral balance anyway. I discovered that I did not like a perfectly neutral balance by trying it out. ReelMechanic's website has a very nice tutorial on adding weight to the rod butt. I followed his directions and ended up with a perfectly balanced rig. After the glue had setup, I took it out to give it a spin, and hated it. Not Reel Mechanic's fault. I was the one who thought I wanted to do it. He just shows a cool way to get it done. I ended up selling the rod to a friend who liked it like that. You'll just have to try it for yourself. BPS has a slip on weight kit that will allow you to do a test drive without spending a lot. The best way is to try out the rod/reel combo before you buy. If it doesn't balance the way you want it, either try a shorter rod, or one with a longer handle. Cheers, GK

this happens. Two elderly couples were playing cards together and the ladies got up to get everyone some new drinks in the kitchen. One gentleman said to the other, "We ate at an excellent restaurant last night. I highly recommend you try it." The other man asked, "What's the restaurants name?" The gentleman sat there thinking and then asked his friend, "What is the name of that flower that you give on Valentine's Day?" His friend responded, "Do you mean a Rose?" "Yeah that's right" he said and then yelled out, "Hey Rose, What was the name of that restaurant we ate at last night?"

5bass, you've got it bad man. ;D ;D ;D My problem is figuring out what I have to do to get 5 or 6 more Setyr rods. I bought one earlier this year, and love it. I broke it, they replaced it, no questions asked. Cost me 18 bucks to ship it back and 25 bucks for their replacement costs. I bought another one a couple of weeks ago, and love it. The first one is 6'6" medium, and is the perfect rod for swim senko's and small cranks. The second a 6'6" MH that I really like for spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. These have shorter handles than most rods this length. I like that. Split rear grip, no fore grip, extrememly light and sensitive, American made, no bling, just pure function. What's not to like? At $225 to $250 each, I'm looking at well over a grand to get the ones I want. They sell blanks, so it's possible to save a little bit making them myself. I'm gonna have to stick with my PT's and Millionaires for a while. I just upgraded my Millionaire's from 3+1 bearings to 5+1. They'll be 9+1 as soon as the new handles get here. Now there's a dangerous thing to get started. Upgrading reels is not cheap either. I'll take it back 5B. You don't have it any worse than I do. Cheers, GK

One thing I've always wondered is, if you take the name of gosh in vain, do you go to heck?

limit claw meat, and the traditional ratio of 39% in weight of the super-lightweight spool duralumin [ch12288] [ch65288][ch33258][ch37325]11.5g[ch65289] (Prudent 11.5 g) That's what I always look for in a reel. A limit on the claw meat.Hate that stuff in my reels. > >

no , they're not. I've had to throw away a couple of el cheapo's, because they rusted to the point they wouldn't open. Got some Rapala pliers, as part of a kit, and have used them for two or three years; no rust.

all of us with a freaking conscience

Billy Bob wanted a job as a signalman on the railways. He was told to meet the inspector at the signal box. The inspector asked, "What would you do if you realized that two trains were heading for each other on the same track?" Billy Bob replied, "I would switch the points for one of the trains." "What if the lever broke?" asked the inspector. "Then I'd dash down out of the signal box," said Billy Bob, "and I'd use the manual lever over there." "What if that had been struck by lightning?" "Then," Billy Bob continued, "I'd run back into the signal box and phone the next signal box." "What if the phone was busy?" "Well in that case," persevered Billy Bob, "I'd rush down out of the box and use the public emergency phone at the level crossing up there." "What if that was vandalized?" "Oh, well then I'd run into town and go get my Uncle Lester." This puzzled the inspector, so he asked, "Why would you do that?" Billy Bob answered, "Well, my Uncle Lester ain't never seen a real live train wreck before!"

ZING!!

I fish with guy every now and then who uses braid, and has a couple of rods with Recoil guides. It is an annoying sound, but he catches fish, so it must not have much effect. Maybe it makes the crankbaits sound like minnows who are scared to death, screaming like little girls. Might just be a good trigger. ;D ;D ;D

Just passing on a bargain I stumbled across. I know there are a lot of Shimano fans here. The same site also has Energy PT's for the same price. that's a good deal too. As far as the weight goes, when I become to feeble to fish with a reel weighing less than 10 ounces, I'll take up a less strenuous hobby; like knitting or maybe needlepoint.

http://www.johnnyspond.com/shimano-curado-d.html

Burley, thanks for posting that. I had no idea. Cheers, GK

I think the lesson here is to be an intelligent, educated consumer. Know what you want, and what you're willing to pay, and go get it. For me that means getting my hands on it before I buy it, for the most part. There are some things I will buy online, mostly stuff I've bought before, and know something about. Anything new, or one those "too good to be true" deals, I'll wait until I can see it and handle it. Sure, you can always send it back. BPS has always been good about that, but who wants to mess with it? I'd much rather get it right the first time. I've been aware of BPS's bait and switch tactics for special event or sale merchandise for quite a while. It does not stop me from buying from them. I simply know what to avoid. They still have lots a quality products at good prices. I know which ones fit my description of value, and will continue to buy and use their gear. I know they will stand behind it. And if you're fool enough to fall for the old bait and switch, well maybe you'll learn something from it. You know the saying; fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. ( Hey W, get it right, eh? ) P.T. Barnum was not entirely wrong when he said "there's a sucker born every minute". Cheers, GK

When I started with baitcasters, no left handed reels were available, so I got used to switching hands. I tried a lefty a few years ago, and sold it pretty quickly. I use right handed baitcasters and left handed spinning and fly reels. Go figure. PT's are good reels. I have four, and another ordered. No problems at all, and the finish does not come off. I have two that I got when they first came out, and they still look new; no rash, scratches or anything else. Cheers, GK

My brothher has that exact combo. I used for a couple of hours on our last trip together, and told him I was taking it with me. I will not repeat what he told me. I liked it, even though I don't use spinning gear very much. Good luck, you'll like it. Cheers, GK

I have one of those 7' medium L&T rods. In my opinion, they are the best bang for the buck out there, at regular prices. I don't have the 6'6" MH, so I cant comment on it. I do have a 6'3" MH that I like as much as the 7 footer. These rod are light, sensitive, and very durable. I like the goofy shaped handle. If you have very small hands, the handle will probably be too large for comfort. The reel seats are a good as you can find on any rod. I like them a lot better than the Fuji seats almost everybody else uses. Great rods for the price. If you can find a St Croix Avid series while they're on sale, one of those would be a little better. People have found them at either Dick's or Gander Mountain, but not all stores have the Avids. The Dick's stores and GM stores that I've been to have not had any Avids. I got one for $110 at BPS in St Charles, Mo. But they are not on the website at that price. Reed's now may be your best bet for a Avid. They are 40% off and free shipping. But you better jump on this deal quick. Once all the old series Avids are gone, the prices go back up for the new series. I bought the Avid 6'8" MXF casting rod, and it's a great rod for senko's, or for any plastics. You mentioned plastics, tubes and crankbaits. That presents a small problem. Out of the two rods you mentioned, the 7' M L&T would be a better choice, once you put crankbaits in the mix. That is my most versatile rod. It's sensitive enough and has the backbone for plastics, but is soft enough in the tip to be OK for cranks. Hope this helps Cheers, GK

If I could say it better, I would, but I can't, so I'll just quote my buddy Don; I declare Ronnie, the more I learn about you the more I admire you. I know your a humble guy, and will down play what I'm saying, but you are truly one of God's finer creations

a buddy sent this to me, I thought I'd pass it along. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following: A Recovering American soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue,NW Washington , D.C. 20307-5001