SeanW

Perhaps Abu parts would be easier to get.

I do agree, even though one of my PB's came from the bank.

Yes, but thats what ya get for living in Wisconsin. The growing season in your area in very short. Where I live in California its almost non stop. Maybe 2 months in winter is all we miss.

Any color is fine. They all bleed like no tomorrow and fade quickly. As quoted a black sharpie is really the key. Dont over do the sharpie, its best if its streaked, think camo. That breaks up the visability the best.

Any of those choices would be good. Id suggest the Verdict.

For good accurate pitching you need a free spinning spool and a very light thump. Your spool tension I believe is to tight. Make it loose enough that it spins a bit after the bait hits the ground without you thumbing it. The bait needs to fall straight down after it hits the water.

Id prefer both, therefore its Revo reels for me. When Im punching I dont want any drag. I want to get the fish out now. If the drag slips that fish has a chance to wrap me on something. I do tighten my drag when punching and frog fishing.

It should work fine. Its a rebate so it may take a few weeks, but so long as you buy 2 its good.

I use em all. If you are only getting 1 then 12 is the best one to get. There is a time and place for each one.

Any decent MH 7+ footer is more then enough. I am using a 7'3 MH Veritas. Heavy action rod and 65lb braid destroyed my shoulder in the past. The Veritas is also lighter then all of those mentioned.

A zoom dead ringer is awesome and one of the most over looked worms on the market.

What makes you think that was from a hookset? Or are you assuming?

The only problem with that is, you can only adjust the magnetic brakes. Most people like use the centrifugals only, which you still have to open the side plate. Mags and I believe Quantum's externally adjustable centrifugals are the only true "On the fly" adjustments. (Except for of course spool tension, etc) Well then in my case Im not most people. I put the centrifugals to off, and only fine tune with the mags. Alot of times I wont use any braking at all, just a light flick and the bait goes flying.

You also need black with red flake. These three color combinations are all you really "need". See, we are all different. I have to disagree, I think either black blue or black red, one or the other is fine. I dont find one better then the other, and around here they eat both equally well. Id go with Blk/blu because I seem to catch bigger fish on it. Green Pumpkin is a given, and covers watermelon in most cases. As a third color Id say june bug or plum depending on brands one buys. One constant every where is green pumpkin.

Its simple really, it allows an on the fly adjustment. Dont have to open the reel for changing conditions or bait changes. Fine tuning on the fly. Id have it no other way.

I dont like XF for anything. Its just about what you prefer.

And the bass care why ? I should probably stay out of this but I'm not gonna more skirt material: Changes the profile of the jig, could be a good thing or a bad thing Could help, could hurt, depends on the situation Better hooks: The fish will actually like that cheap jig better, cause the big girls will take that cheap eagle claw and bend it around like a pretzel, and get loose. You have to absolutely be kidding me, that a jig with a cheap #ss eagle claw hook is going to perform any where near as well as a good jig with an Owner or Gammie hook, even Mustad for that matter. Better Paint: Probably a total confidence thing, I personally like a painted head, and I know most do, I know the arkies come painted, but it don't last long where you normally fish a jig Custom Colors: ...... only one thing here... color only matters when it matters wire or thread tied skirt: More flair= more bites, lee messing around adjusting the skirt, the ability to slap weeds free on top of the water without losing the skirt. In general less messing with the jig, and more fishing.... but hey the fish don't like when you are fishing, so they probably like hand tied jigs less I am not saying don't start out cheap, I think I started with the arkies at Walmart, I know I did on the hair jig side. but once you get the hang of it, you can venture out, or stick with the arkies, its your choice. But to say that one of the Arkies from Wally world will perform just like a custom jig, is a flat out lie imho I'm not singling you out, I figured you would know. With the popularity of Strike King's Bitsy Bug and Bitsy Flip lightweight jigs (1/16, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4) why don't more jig makers offer downsize styles in their lineups ? I think that's a segment of the market that's been neglected. In a lot of the shallow vegetation/algae choked waters I (and many other anglers) fish, often they're the only option for jigs. If its choked with vegitation I prefer a 1oz jig so I can get it through the thick stuff. Not sure why Id want a 1/4 oz jig for thick stuff.

Actually dont do that. All the weight of the fish is on their jaw. Its in line, but its not great either. Support the fish with both hands.

See my avatar, its the best way to hold your fish. Another thing, dont lay the fish on boat carpet. Personally I use a rubber net, its not the best but its better for them then exposing em to carpet. You can also put something slick and wet down on the deck.

Dont have to be that slow, and try a full size brush hog or a Zipper Monkey Bug. I seem to do better on those two baits. Think deep, its more stable and largemouth are lazy creatures. Ive drop shotted bass down to 100ft. Usually 45-50 is pretty solid. If there is still grass they will be near by.

Should work fine, just dont over oil.

Check out this link and save a few buck http://www.abugarcia.com/products/promotions#448.

sorry, complete brain fart there. I was thinking veritas as you could tell. I should have my Verdicts by the end of the week.

There is another thread down lower on this page. Your right in that they are hard to come by. They have been a huge hit. Abu gets an order in and its gone in days. Im on the Pro/Staff so I get em as I request em. Ive been fishing with some of the Veritas rods, and am placing an order for 12 Verdicts tomorrow. The rods are amazing! Extremely light, sensitive, and great action. Ive been fishing 2 of them alot, the 6'9ML spinning rod, and the 7'3MH casting rod. It is well built and very durable. The craftsmanship is not that of more expensive rods, but its fishability is. I compared my $300 combo to another guys $800 comboa yesterday. The Veritas/Revo STX was lighter. The Verdicts have arrived, so call around. The first shipment may already be gone from the stores, but my guess is its just arrived in the past couple days. Its lighter and more sensitive. There are some links on my web site. The site is not done yet, but the Abu info and links are on there. In my opinion they are the best value on the market.

Looking at he Carbonlite its pretty easy to tell who makes it. It looks much like the Revo. One problem I see is only 8lb of drag, that would not survive with me. One reason I dumped Curado's was the drag, and its stronger then that. Having 8+ lb fish rip drag on a Curado that is locked down is bad news. If your gonna use if for more of a finesse reel it would be fine. Bearing quality is not gonna be the same either, but you can upgrade them. As far as castability, being better then a Curado or Revo, I dont buy it. If all 3 reels a clean and properly lubed, and adjusted. All three reels will be relatively close, give or take a few yards. I was almost spooling my STX yesterday with a crank bait(15lb fluoro). I can also do the same with my jig rod, same line. The point is, if your stuff is well taken care of it will perform better.