philsoreel

dont let people talk you into thinking theres something wrong with big game. ive used 15lb big game for stripers and it held up just fine. line stretch and all that crap is overrated if you ask me. now if im trolling for stripers, i use lead core line with a 20-25lb big game leader You're right. Alot of it is overrated but I've tried Big game and didn't care for it. Not liking this Samurai either. Alright guys, please forgive my ignorance, what is a land-locked Striper?

I'm just saying that I try to avoid buying older line. I don't buy line until I'm ready to use it. When line I'm using starts to get alot of memory, that line conditioner won't get out, and gets brittle and milky looking I take it off. An older spool of line will get this way faster than newer line. Just my two cents...

Exactly!!! If we were privy to the discounted shipping rates that places like BPS gets, all of our jaws would be on the floor. They make money on shipping to. If you understood anything about running a retail business, you'd know that you lose money on low revenue transactions. Yeah, on some.

Don't worry, there will be no Big game for me. The reel already has 40# Samurai on it with a 15# Invizx leader. Guess I'll use that for now.

Exactly!!! If we were privy to the discounted shipping rates that places like BPS gets, all of our jaws would be on the floor. They make money on shipping to.

A twenty pounder is my goal right now. I would have expected heavier line would be needed but that's good. Won't have to buy any line. Thanks

I have to agree about the Gen 1 vs. Gen 2. I had a Gen 2 that I bought early this summer that gave no problems whatsoever. I caught several fish over 5 with it. I had it for more than three months to. Got rid of it because I didn't like it but it was a structurally sound stick IHMO.

An older 7ft. Berkley Series One Md Hvy- it's alot heavier than claimed. Comparable to most Hvy actions today. Curado 200e5 Lure??? Hair jig....uhhh soft swim baits. This is my first foray into Striper fishing so I'm pretty much at the mercy of you guys and Roland Martin's finance driven advice. I won't be buying any rods or reels for this right now because all my extra cash is going towards getting a new piece of fiberglass to float my fat butt around in.

I'm getting ready to tackle the mighty Striper. I have a rod/reel that should suffice but not sure what line to use?

This is a practice I steer clear of with all lines except superlines. Regardless of what the companies say, line has an expiration date IMHO. I never buy line with dust on the top of it or from a place that doesn't sell high volume. In my experience older line holds more memory and gets brittle faster. As far as Izorline goes....back when I didn't use braid or fluorocarbon I used Izorline. Good stuff if you ask me.

Are those thin enough to feather the spool on a BC? Do the tips of the fingers have a tight rounded profile or more of a squared box shape?

I've been eyeballing those for awhile. Do they have a good, thick wire that won't bend much?

Thank you. That's very helpful info. When I'm fishing in timber like that in your pic I have to know my line is gonna be there.

I was pretty sure holding it down and away was right. It made the most sense to me but I just wanted to hear how others felt. Not many stock hooks in my bag except for a few lure brands that come with good hooks. I'm really liking those Gamakatsu Short Shank Magic Eyes. The "magic eyes" hold no real value but that short shank lets me get away with a bigger hooks on alot of cranks....I like that

Sorry, I'm going to have to call you out on this... We'll need some GPS coordinates to verify. ;D LOL I'm willing to show you some pics of the fish but GPS naaaaah it's already located in a less remote area than I'd prefer. In fact, two guys all but drained it in 1999. Those ****** were going in at night and keeping every bass they caught, cleaning them, and then selling them. Before that, on average, you could catch 25-30 every time you went with most in the 2.5-6 lb. range and a few above. Haven't been able to duplicate that production this time.

That was also my initial thought when I first touched Samurai. Hmmmmm reckon I'll just stick with the 40 and see how tough it is. I agree with SoFla about the punching. I think it may fray easily because it honestly feels like silk.

10lb. PowerPro with a FC leader for shakyhead is plenty strong. Yes, a good fish could break the braid but it hasn't happened yet.

That's more like the fish of a lifetime for me. I am a firm believer that you should keep the rod tip down, but I have never tried it any other way, so I can't really compare the two. I have a 10 acre lake that I put alot of time into to be able to catch fish that size. For some reason my fish get lockjaw after they reach about 5lbs. but it can be rewarding. A 10+ on public waters...yeah that's a nice prize.

I have lost several good fish this summer due to their keen ability to spit a treble hook equipped lure. I've landed more than I've lost because I opened my mind and bought a rod with a lot more parabolic action than I liked. Thanks KVD for that lesson. However, I have lost the last three good fish. I saw a few pros holding their rod tip down and actually saying things like "Nope, I'm not going to let you jump" or "Stay down, stay down". It looked to me as if they were holding the tip down to keep them from jumping. The first fish I lost I was holding my rod down. The second one, my older brother told me that he felt they could more easily jump holding the rod down. Third one, today, I was holding up somewhat kind of leaned back loaded. What works best for you? BTW a good fish to me is in the 9 to 11lb range

Never looked at it that way. Makes perfect sense. Yeah, it does to a certain degree. However, the lure is moving back and forth in a fluid motion not being thrashed. If you're fishing it right Not disagreeing just speculation.

I understand that a flat side creates a tighter wobble than a round profile. What conditions or situation is one better than the other or is it just one of those things you have to feel out?

I got it in 40lb. because I like that diameter on my Core reels. I'm thinking about trying the 15lb. on my shakyhead spinning rig. Anyone know if they plan on coming out with something in the 6 to 8lb range?

Yes, it helps. Several years ago Wal-mart carried aerosol cans of House of Kolor paint for painting motorcycle helmets. The clear works really good on lures. You can find it online. SK RE's are poor quality but will out catch other traps often. I've bought several that the rattles were bonded into the plastic and wouldn't move. XCaliber will hang with the SK in catching ability but are much better quality with excellent hooks.

I guess I can be labeled 100% hypocrite. Not long ago I told someone that I felt no need to try one of the more expensive braids, that PowerPro was perfectly fine to me. Well...... That was last week lol. A buddy talked me into trying Samurai yesterday and I have to say the difference is substantial. It's not loud or rough and is as soft as silk. However, I think it may be a little too soft. Right now I think it may be a little less sensitive than PP but time will tell.

I'm not going to get into that. I'll rant and rave for days about that subject. I'll just say this and be done. I don't care if people raise the shipping price some, excuse me, circumvent ebay fees because ebay is so greedy and deceitful that they will eventually ruin it. It WILL become a full retail thing only. I'll shutup now.