.ghoti.

RW, I was gonna yank yer chain a bit for buying a whole kit of those things. Them I remembered, I bought helicopter lures, flying lures, banjo minnows, etc. I guess it's true that a lot of lures are designed primarily to catch fishermen. Cheers, GK

AT, nice write-up. You've convinced me to dig some out long term storage, ( the junk box in the garage ) and give "em another go. I used to use these quite a bit. I remember having pretty decent results t-rigging, with a pegged weight, swimming it along, just above the bottom. Thanks for the informative review. Cheers, GK By the way, aren't you one of our guys who went overseas last year? Welcome home, if that's the case. If not, well you know what they say; memory is the second thing to go, I think. I forgot waht the first was. G

Try one with a split shot about 18" in front of it. Rig it with the flat side down, and it'll have a deadly glide. Cheers, GK

My brother has used them, and says they're the best thing since sliced bread. I'm ready to use "em, just haven't had the chance. Cheers, GK

Good choice Muddy. Now, whenever you catch a fish with it, stand up and yell VIVA LA PFLEUGER, at the top of your lungs.

I use an older Berkley rod; 6' MH moderate-fast action for spinnerbaiting. The reason I use it is that I haven't found anything I like better. And that's a pretty whiz-poor reason, I know. For me a rod that's good for plastics is too fast and a rod that's good for cranking is too slow. I do know that I like a shorter rod for this application. Spinnerbaiting, for me, is a short distance, specific target, kind of game, and a short rod is just more accurate. Didn't exactly answer your question, but that's as good as I got. Cheers, GK

The short answer is a balanced rod will get you some benefits for plastics and jig fishing, and does nothing for crankbaiting. I did one rod just like Reelmech's article; found the right weight and epoxied it in place. I bought kits to add weights to all my other plastic/jig rods. For plastics fishing, the rod seems to float in your hand, and the result is an apparent increase in sensitivity, and a slight, but real, decrease in wrist fatigue. For me, the down side was I couldn't hit the broad side of barn with it. My accuracy with a neutrally balanced rod was for #$%. I've sinced removed the weights from all my rods, except the one that was epoxied in. I guess I've been fishing with tip-heavy rods for so long, that I like them that way. I'd suggest taping some weight to your plastic/jig rods to try it out before buying kits or glueing in any weights. Cheers, GK

A t-rigged craw is one of my go-to baits, particularly in the spring. I haven't used the Zoom's much. I statrted with Salt Craws, then Power Craws, and lately I use more Paca Craws for t-rigging. I still use the Power Craws for jig trailers, but the Paca has become my main t-rig craw. If t-rigging is your bread and butter, then a craw is right up your ally. I've had the best success with contrasting color claws. Cheers, GK

Not having tape, or mono backing, should not cause casting problems. It will cause the line to slip on the spool, acting like you have little or no drag. Your most likely problem is the line digging into itself, which is a major problem with the smaller line test sizes of braid. If you're using less than 30, this could be it. Cheers, GK

ya done good, young man. I have a couple of Johnny Morris Signature series reels, and if they are not Pfleuger Supremes, with BPS logos installed, then I'll eat my old knickers. These are great reels. A buddy of mine swears by Kistler rods. I've tried a couple of his, and they are a superior rod for the money. I think you'll really enjoy using that setup. Cheers, GK

Try this, before you tear it apart, or send it off for repairs. Hold you thumb on the spool while press and release the thumb bar. Loosen the cast tension cap ( the knob located on the handle side of the reel ) until you can move the spool side to side a little. Wiggle the spool back and forth as you slowly tighten the tension knob. Stop when you can no longer move the spool sideways. Then tighten it just a tiny bit more. Maybe 1/16 of a turn or less. Set the magnetic cast control ( that's on the other side of the reel ) to about 6. This setting may be a bit loose if you're new to baitcasting reels, but it will tell you if you have a mechanical problem with the reel. You should be able to cast a 3/8oz bait with ease at these settings. Use your thumb to control the spool. One other remote possibility is the line has slipped between the reel body and the spool. You can see that if you rotate the spool slowly by hand. You'll have to remove the side plate and take out the spool to correct this. I don't think that's your problem, but it's worth checking. One other thing. how long has the line been on the reel, and have you cranked it on against a high tension. It could be as simple as the line has dug into itself. Pull off about 20 or 30 yrads, and wind it back on under moderate tension. Can't think of anything else right now. I have a couple of procasters, and can walk you through this if you want. PM me if you want some more help. Cheers, GK

got a 7' MH fast action spinning rod from Airrrus. I got a call from the owner of the company about an hour after I sent in the order. Who gives this kind of service? And, what a nice guy to talk to. It looks flawless, and is the lightest rod I think I've ever held. I'm taking it to the post office to see what it actually weighs. Haven't tried it yet. The weather is not cooperating right now. I hoping this will be my new tube/fluke rod. we'll see. I'll deliver a report as soon as I get to try it out. Maybe this Sunday. CHeers, GK Here's a link. http://www.rodsbyairrus.com/rods_tradition_1_2_piece.html

1. 5" Senko 2. Fat Ika 3. X-Rap 4. Zoom tube with internal weight 5. T-rig a. Power worm 7" or 10" b. GYCB Cut-tail worm c. creature bait GYCB or Power Hawg 6. 1/4oz single willow spinnerbait 7. Norman little N or Bandit 100 9. weightless Super Fluke 10. 3/16oz bitsy bug jig with power craw trailer I'll stop there. If I can't get "em one one of these, it's time to go home. Cheers, GK

I like the two-tone approach myself. Black/blue claws, green or brown/orange claws and black/chartreuse claws. The green and brown are generally for clearer water and the black is for dirtier water, but this is not really a hard and fast rule. Cheers, GK

I see you're in Pa, so you're going to be fishing some pretty cool water. Do just exactly what RW described. Keep your rod tip up, and watch the line. Sometimes you'll see a twicth and sometimes you'll see it just start moving. Drop the tip, rell up the slack, and set the hook. A second option, that works a lot of the time in the spring is a shallow running, minnow shaped crank, like a Rapala, or a Shallow Shad Rap. Throw it parallel to the shore, staying within 10' or so of the bank. Let it sit until all the ripples have died out. Twitch it a time a or two, and let it sit still again. Repeat. Mixed in a short pull every now and then, to make the crank dive just a little, and let it sit again. Make repeated casts through the same area, then move down the bank, about half the length of your cast, and do it all over again. If the water is relatively clear, use a natural colored crank. For dirtier water, use a bright color. That's all there is to it. Don't make it to complicated. The reason this works so well in the spring is that there will be very little food on the bottom, and the fish are accustomed to looking up for food. Goodluck, and let us know how it goes for you. Welcome aboard. Cheers, GK

WOW, between Chris, Randall and Fourbizzle, I'm stunned. Nothing even close to Chris's latest swims in my waters. Awesome job. Cheers, GK

Seems like Frenzy cranks are always on sale. I'm not complaining, I like them. Avid, of course, has his own unique spin on it. ;D But, the big fish always eat the smaller fish. It may work out nicely for us, if the new owners keep up the R&D. At the least, as long as they keep making Power Worms, I'll be happy. Cheers, GK

Your job right now, young man, is to make good grades. Sounds like you're doing just fine. Keep it up, and fish all you want. They'll make more. Cheers, GK

Any kind of plastic that will skip, with a preference for tubes and Ikas. Cheers, GK

Windy to me says spinnerbait a lot of the time. Jerkbait if the water is on the cool side. Cheers, GK

I wonder if he could have got it up on plane if had a Cat?

Squid, you're a sick man ;D I will now log off while I wipe the coffee from my keyboard

Make mine a 2XLT Cheers, GK

Ronnie, glad you didn't take offense. I certainly did not mean any. I hear what you're saying about the costs, not to mention the time, involved in building a rod, and not getting what you want out of it. But, some pretty nifty things come from experimentation. This idea was one I have been considering. I'm basically a light line fisherman. 5+ pounders are rare in my neighborhood, so light gear maximizes the fun factor. I've had that Loomis in my hands, and the BPS rod I have is, I think, just about the same power, but with a bit action. It's hard to do a real comparison based on feel in the hand. I'll have a better take on it once the season gets under way. It may very well be too light for a baitcaster. If it as, I'll reserve it for the occassional walleye trip up north. My rod building, up to this point, has only been wrapping guides on old broken rods, for practice. I don't know why I kept them, but I'm glad now that I did. I've wrapped about 20 guides so far, and still don't like the looks of them. I kepp cutting them off and trying again. About all I can say is the last couple look better than the first couple. That's progress, I guess. I think most of my problems are in the area of tension on the thread. I've been using an old marine engineerign text as a tensioning device. So far, about page 65 seems to be the best. Real scientific, eh? That locking wrap is still difficult for me too. But I'll get there. Then it will be on to finishing the wraps. Iexpect to dork up a few of those too before I figure it out. By then maybe my workbench will be ready, and I can get some real components, and really screw up. ;D Thanks for your thoughts. Cheers, GK

WOW, fourbiz does it again. And I've only been out three times this year for bass. Keep "em coming, big guy. Cheers, GK