bugman

Would like to know the Condition of Presque Isle Bay, PA. I would like to get out on the Bay as soon as ice out occurs for some Pike or smallies. I tried to find a live cam of the bay on the net but could not find one. If you have a link please reply.

The Fat Ika may get talked about in this forum (thanks to RW) but just about any place I go most fishermen have no idea what a Fat Ika is.

I had the same question about Crank rods. Then I picked up an Guide Series 7' MH E-Glass Crankbait rod from Gander Mnt. for $30.00. The mix of IM-6 & glass gives you the best of both worlds.

Eire is like a big river flowing from west to east. That being said I don't think the flow is strong enough to make a difference. Wind/waves and temp is what will effect the fishing. jmho

The question is: Do you have any "Pointers" Lucky Craft Pointer that is? lol

St. Croix LTCB68MXF/Shimano Curado 200E7. This combo would work very well with just about any bait/rig except Deep cranks or pitch/flip heavy cover. The lite tip is great for weightless baits but has the backbone to handle other baits. You may want to use different lines for some baits thuogh. jmho

Thanks for the warning. I'll have to pick the spots I use them carefully.

I agree that there is a difference between the Chart Shad & Sexy Shad, but even Strike King has five of six variations on the "Sexy Shad" color. The one thing they all have in common is the Chart lat line. Lucky Craft has used Chart lines on a number of bait colors for years. My point is that this is a great color for shad baits but hardly is a Strike King invention.

I plan on using the Goby Sled this year when fishing lake Eire.

I'm a big fan of KVD but he is getting over exsposed with all his marketing. I was in the market for a deep crankin rod but didn't even look at the KVD rods because I don't want to look like a KVD groupie. That being said I think the sexy shad colors are the real thing. Lucky Craft has been selling Chart Shad colors long before SK & KVD came up with sexy shad.

I use a St. Croix Avid 6'6" MF. It's not just a jerkbait rod but an multi-bait rod. If I could only have one rod this would be it. It retails for $180.00 but if you shop around you will find it in your price range. Check around and look at other makes like Falcon, All Star, Fenwick.... at $150.00 you will find a great rod.

Just got back from Dicks Sporting Goods and they have 8# Stren Fluorocast 100% fluorocarbon in 200 yrd spool for $9.99. The lable looks different that the Stren 100% Fluorocarbon that I see advertised for $14.99. Is this the same line? And Stren has a rebate of $6.00 if you purchase two spools of any Stren line.

Hard Bait = SK Red Eye Shad Soft Bait = GYCB Fat Ika Color depends on water conditions.

I fish a lake in central Florida that has a large Tilapia population and a Smokey Joe Rat-l-trap is my goto lure.

I use the Tierra 3000 for Steelhead as well as Bass. The Tierras drag has never failed me even when fighting 28"+ Steelhead after the reel has been submerged. I like the 3000 because it has the same size frame as the 2500 but has a larger spool. The larger spool helps prevent line twist.

I had a sales guy tell me that Trilene 100% & Stren 100% are the same line made by the same company.

I have used Berkley Trilene 100% floro and really like it. My question is there much difference between Trilene 100% Gamma floro, Stren 100% & BPS XPS floro? I have tried Vanish and did not like it.

I never lost a R&R but had to retrieve one set up two times in one day. Both times I was making long casts with a lipless crank and I hit my boat on the back cast. The rod was pulled out of my hand an the rig went in the lake. I was only fishing in about 5' of water so my brother was able to fish it out with his rod that also had a lipless crank. To this day he still likes to remind me about that. The moral of the story is to let the rod do the work. You don't have to cast with all your might. You really don't gain that much distance anyways.

It's no big secret where to find Smallies near Erie PA. Look for depth changes with some other features such as rocks or humps. Spring temps will bring them towards shore. As the water temp gets warmer they will move out to deeper structure. GPS with topo maps are a big help. There are many locations between the mouths of the western tribs and the NY border.

Cabin Fever has got be bad! You can bet I'll be on PIB as soon as ice out happens. Good luck to all this season.

The first question you must ask yourself is: Do I want to palm the reel after the cast? When I cast with a baitcaster I cast with my right hand, and before I make my first crank of the handle I plam the reel with my left hand. Now that my left hand is now supporting the rod it is easy to start cranking with my right hand. The only advantage a left handed reel has is you can set the spool a bit faster if you get a bite as soon as your bait touches the water. But you will have to hold the trigger grip when fighting the fish not palming the reel. This may sound confusing but give it a try you will see what I'm talking about. When using a spinning outfit I don't/can't palm the reel, so casting with my right and cranking with my left comes natural. If I didn't like to palm a baitcaster I would only use lefthand reels.

Leo... It would be great to meet you, after all the posts and PM's we've had. Your imformation that you have shared has helped me out big time. I have plans to meet my brother from Knoxville TN that week for our annual PIB outing. Hope we can meet and maybe fish together. Gary (Bugman)

Thanks for the replys! I don't know why I didn't think of using it for swimbaits & swim jigs. I most likely will give that a try. I guess in the back of my mind I thought it would be too stiff for long casting lures. I'll add some line conditioner and give it a try.

Shimano Citica would be a nice reel. But I have to agree with RW, if you liked your Browning search the auctions. Good Luck!

I have about 300 yards of Trilene 100% floro that I would like to use. I have my flipping reel spooled but would like an opinon on what other application(s) it would be good for. I use braid for frog/slop so I don't think I would use it for that.