mikeeasttn

Look at the Shimano Crucial swimbait rods. I have 3 of them in different weight actions and they are 7' 11" long. I really love mine. They will throw any size swimbait you want to use and they are around the price you are wanting to spend.

Started my 5 y/o grandson out with Shimano Symetre spinning reel a year ago. It took him longer to learn to cast than with a closed faced reel but now he sits the rear seat and uses my Calais and Curados without a lot of "professional overruns". He is not getting the distance he got with the spinning reel but is getting better every trip we make. In fact I am now relagated to using the junk rod and reels while he fishes our best tackle. Now if I can just teach hm to run the electric motor I can set the back seat and enjoy myself.

Have had this happen to me. My grandson and I be fishing at his favorite bluegill bank and adult anglers come up and fish the same spot and sometimes even hook mine or his line. I just up the electric motor, set him in my lap and jam the hot foot to the floor and let the 300 Mer talk to them as we go around 2 or3 times with jack plate and motor trimed to the bottom. Have done this for a while and the 3 boats that where doing this got the point. You will not believe the waves a 300 will make. Will bring a 19' boat they fish in nearly out of the water.

Shad Rap & DT 10's.

You may want to look at the Loomis 855 MH 7'1" crankbait rod. I have one and it is the best cranking rod I have ever used. How ever it is a little pricey and personally I think it is overpriced. I have purchased a Shimano Crucial crankbait rod in 7'11" M. It is also a great rod. I don't think it is in the same league as the Loomis but still I like it very well and use it a great deal probably more than the Loomis as it is lighter. You will not go wrong with either rod.

I want to buy a very good spining reel for my grandson to use. I bought him a Quantum to fish with but it twists the line so bad after a half days fishing. I know he used to wind when a fish was taking drag of if he was hung up he would wind the handle. I thought this was the problem but he knows better now and very rarely does that. I am partial to Shimano products as I have purchased him a Shimano Crucial Rod 6' 6" MH. But if there is a better reel than Shimano makes I will purchase it. Also need some advice on the line to use. I use P-Line CXX Xtra strong and have used 8 & 10# on his reel. I was thinking of using Trilene XL 10# on his new reel as it seems to me the P-Line has too much memory and is to stiff for a spining reel. Thanks

A Jay. You were in the Coast Guard, I must say THANKS for all you guys did and the Coast Guard is probably the greatest branch of all our services. When doing my intership I treated many the Coast Guard pulled from the water. All I can say is, none would have made it if not for the Coast Guard. From the talk in the er I could not believe some of the things you heroes did to save lives.

I have 2 5000's vintage 70 & 71 I still use for swimbaiting. They are on Shimano Crucial rods with 20# line on them. I use them regularly and they are good reels. I have Curado 300's I bought for swinbaiting but for some reason I like the 5000's better. Keep it and fish with it, I think you will be well pleased.

I just purchased 2 rods and reels this last weekend at a garage sale. A Rhino reel RBC 200 on a BPS Tourney Special 6'6" m Rod. The other was a Daiwa Triforce-Z 1531V reel on a Berkley Lightning IMC-6 6'6" M Rod. Only paid $20.00 each for them. I know ablout the rods but can't find hardly any information on the reels. Can anyone give me some info on the reels. Thanks

I use a sidewinder with a white bucktail or a silver gayblade.

I use a Curado with 2 of the 6 brake pins engaged. Casts very well with small number of back lashes.

Had all my rods, reels, and tackle stolen 5-6 months ago. Here's what I have been fishing with since. Shimano Curado 300 with Crucial 7'11" H rod for swimbaits. Shimano Cardiff with Nitro 7'10" XH Rod for swimbaits. Shimano Curado 200 with Crucial 6'8" for crankbaits. Quantum Tour Grade Baitcaster 150 with 7' MH Cranking Rod for crankbaits, worms and jigs. Shimano Curado 200 with Crucial 6'10" MH Rod for worms and jigs. Shimano Sedona 2500 with BP Bionic 6'6" M Rod-Spining Shimano Compre UL Rod with Daiwa Regal UL Reel. Bill Dance Spinning Combo with Quantum Reel and 6'6" M Rod. Use P-Line CX Premiun or CXX X-strong copolymer and rarely Trilene XT.

My favorite is the Rapala Shad Rap. I use lots of the others in different shapes , color and the dept that they run. But seems for me the Shad Rap will produce when others will not.

Have only one license and that is for Tn

Started fishing in the late 70's but my profession kept me from fishing more than 3 or 4 times a year. Fishing bug got me in 1990 and when 9-10 times a month. Now old and retired and have a grandson that loves to fish we live on the lake. Never had a better fishing partner.

Fishing late yesterday(Friday) and casting secondary points to main channel. Was fishing sexy swimmer(strike king) when I had a hit that nearly took rod from hands. The line was peeling off and I though I had hooked a big striper. Held the fish for a few minutes then line when limp. Thought line had broken but when reeled in still had snap on line with the ring from the bait. To tear a bait up like that it must have been a big muskie and he crushed bait. Was using P-Line CXX in 15# test. How it ever held I never know. Has anyone else had this or something similar happen to them? By the way that P-Line is really strong and muskie must have had rear of bait not to bite line into.

How do you rig these and what size and type hook?

This spring my grandson and I were getting ready to go fishing. He found an old plug in my junk tackle called a AC Shiner. It was a black and silver deep diving crankbait with a metal lip. Nothing would do him but to take it fishing. He wore me out that day with that old plug. He was catching 3-4 fish to my one. The best I remember is I purchased the plug in the late 80's. He still fishes with the plug some and it still catches some fish when they are on a crankbait bite.

HELLO from east tn. Have been fishing since the middle 80's. Fish resvoirs impounded by TVA. My home lake is Norris Lake. Huge lake with over 800 miles of shoreline. I can see from reading posts I am going to learn quite a bit more about bass fishing.