OkobojiEagle

RoLo... It appears that Anthelios L has been replaced by Anthelios XL, but... my question to you is why isn't it sold over the counter in this country? Is it under a different name or just not available anywhere other that through e-stores?

A split-grip rod allows a two-handed caster to position his second hand more consistently at the same location on the handle which will help the consistency and accuracy of his casting. No other technical advantages have been proven to me. I have sanded existing grips to a hour-glass shape without exposing the blank and find these rods to be my most comfortable and consistently accurate rods... just another take on the same idea.

I file mine over a 33 gallon garbage container.

I think there is some merit in checking out one of the new 8 strand braids rather than the older 4 strand varieties. (Several have been mentioned above.)

Congrats on the tube. I've been fishing from a tube for several years and enjoy it very much on smaller ponds and sheltered lake bays. I hope your tube came with a life jacket and fins, if not PLEASE invest in them. Your mobility may be better than from shore but still is not what a boat is. You will be sitting in the water and won't be able to deal with snags nearly as well as you probably have been. For this reason I usually throw baits that I can "swim" above the snags. My "tubing" arsenal includes grubs, tubes, small spinnerbaits and top water poppers. Although not essential, I think you will find a landing net with a medium length handle to be useful. A struggling bass with sharp hooks hanging out of it's mouth can be a formidable opponent when you are sitting in an inflated craft over deep water. Enjoy!

No

I guess a little personal experimentation will be necessary.

Thank you for the information given thus far. For the most part, I've read that Gulp Alive is effective when used for remaining still or very slowly moving techniques. Given the relatively slow dispersal rate of the scent in water this should be expected, but how does this bait work when used in faster presentations such as "swimming" a grub or "darting" a fluke shape through the middle of the water column? Is the "action" of the tails or appendages as good as that of regular plastics with the same shapes? Do visual triggers such as size or color have to be factored into the equation to get positive results in a faster moving presentation or is the scent stimulus enough for a positive outcome?

I have never used these baits and would be interested in opinions from those of you THAT HAVE used these and found them to be at least as effective as regular plastics. My interest is in fishing for either largemouth or smallmouth bass. 1. What presentations have you found Gulp Alive to be effective with? 2. What speed is the bait moving during this effective presentation? 3. What shape & size of this bait has been effective in your presentation?

hawgchaser... I find it interesting that you throw a trap AFTER working an area with a slower jerkbait? I use a trap as a search bait (natural lakes) and then slow down with jerkbaits and plastic after the bass show themselves. I can't admit to catching my bigger bass with a trap though.

What speed is your retrieve with traps in early spring? (I assume it is pre-spawn during this time in Arkansas?)

The infini-spool on the STX is worth the difference.

Personally I like the "whine". It allows one additional sense (hearing) to be in-tune with the reel.

Five Bass... doesn't the Premier have a magnetic braking system?

As RW has stated... the softer the tip the better, and I want a 10lb superline tied to my jerkbait.

Thank you. Tips like that are why I search through these boards each day? Now... what's your favorite twist tie? I'm a Wonder Bread tie guy!

The Fireline braid that (name deleted) is trying this year is new this season. An eight strand, "radially braided" line that ISN'T finished with a fusing process. The intent is to produce a tighter, rounder, smoother braid that is aimed at the baitcasting market. The original "heat fused" Fireline is a four strand braided line that has a flatter profile because of the fusing process. It was designed to have a "passive memory" quality that makes it behave (more than a non-fused braid) similarly to a limp mono line. It excels in spinning tackle. I think the Berkley marketing department has dropped the ball again and will find that by not giving this new line a unique name there is going to be a great deal of confusion by anglers... particularly because there is already so much confusion as to what the original Fireline is. For those that believe the original Fireline is not braid... unravel a bit of it and you will find it is braided as all superlines are. The process of heat fusing is it's unique difference to other four strand lines. The above is a post I recently made to another board.

Only the one I'm using at the time!

My thoughts exactly... I don't own a "skirted jig with a plastic hook set inhibitor. A wise smallie fishing sage writes on another board that smallies are either "looking up or looking down". When "looking up", swimming a grub or tube above them is the answer to bites. When "looking down", dragging or dead sticking your favorite plastic is a better choice of techniques. It appears to me that the picture accompanying the link to this article on the front page is of this wise sage known on other boards as Mr. Jig.

Rather than change spools, I tie on different leaders when I need to change line diameter or color. My main line is always hi-vis.

Steve IA, This is the reason, I had the same problems! Iwent to the Sufix and Power Pro and NEVER had any problems. I do like the Sufix bit better than Power Pro. I believe the original question was concerning the Fireline braid that has only recently been released. It isn't the original fused braid but is an eight carrier braid that has a radial cross section and isn't fused. If I read between the lines of your post, you haven't fished it yet.

Please let us know about your fishing experience with the Fireline braid that led to your opinion that it was "junk".

Take note newbies and vets this guy is smart he has his PFD on while fishing ..nice bass DG Actually, Dodge needed to keep tomorrow's work shirt clean!

FINALLY someone gets it!