Primus

I've tried Lucky Strike, Berkely, Yum, Basstrix, Reaction Strike (horrible !) and couple of others and the best paddletail that I've used is made by Pro Swimbaits. Great colors, has a hook slot and it's superior action at slow speeds has won me over. I prefer the weighted hook, I seem to get better hooksets than the corkscrew type of keepers, the downside is that you have to retie more often. No matter which one you try get some Mend It, it will easily pay for itself.

I tend to agree with the views of Deputy Dave & Bird Dog on this matter but I can definetely understand why some would be reluctant to buy this rod because of the limited warranty when there are other fine sticks on the market with a more genorous warranty. That said I love the idea of being able to customize the rod which has me intriqued enough where I might consider getting a Kistler which I've never purchased up to this point. Also, with most rod companies going to split grip handles which I personally dislike I can now order any length etc. with a real handle. The cool thing is if you like a split grip you can do that too. Generally if there is a defect in a rod I would likly discover it within the 1st 90 days and any issues that may develop would probably be minor stuff like a guide insert falling out, things of that nature which are inexpensive to repair. If the rod breaks it's because I probably done something careless with it. I don't plan on getting a rod anytime soon, I already have about 40 rods with about 20 currently being used. That said I usually buy a couple every winter in an attempt to upgrade and I keep the old ones in case I lose a guide insert etc. which gives me something to use while the main one is getting fixed. Maybe some day I'll have a garage sale and get rid of a few.

Wow, those are some sweet looking baits. If he's selling I might interested in that Bluegill bait, it looks like the right size and weight for my equipment without having to stick another rod combo in the boat.

I use a 6'9" Daiwa Med action spinning rod with a Shimano Stradic 3000 size reel spooled with 8 lb. Trilene 100% Florocarbon for jerkbaits and small crankbaits. I've been happy with this combo so far.

I've never lost a fish so far due to snap failure, however this year I'm trying some saltwater grade snaps that I picked up from BPS for a little extra reasurance.

thats how it was for me. my progression through the sickness: early highschool - "why would anyone spend $50 on a rod when they have $50 rod/reel combos for sale?" late highschool - "wow these $100 combos are really nice" college - had a bit of money so i stepped it up to $75-$90 rods (falcon, fenwick, shimano) and sahara and symetre reels. wow what a difference! then i found bassresource.com and got my first avid. shortly afterwards came glx. run away. leave me here and save yourself. That's the way it was for me, soon as I started using Loomis rods, Curado reels & Pointer jerkbaits it changed my perspective on what I was willing to spend on certain types of fishing equipment.

I'm not trying to be a tackle snob, but I like my chances if I'm fishing a drop shot in 30' of water with florocarbon line and a sensitive graphite rod as opposed to the guy fishing mono with an ugly stick. No doubt he'll catch some fish, but I think in this example and other situations I'm going to land more fish with quality equipment assuming we fish similiar water at a similiar skill level. That said there is point a point of diminishing returns where there is price point that if exceeded will usually result in minimal gains in performance, an example would be you can find a good sensiive graphite rod in the 100$ range that will likely depending on the brand be a great improvement over some 25$ rod with cheap guides. However, you will find rods in the $ 200 range that would only be a slight upgrade to the 100$ rods in terms of performance. Some of us are willing to pay that extra for that little edge. We have to keep in mind everyone has different criteria of what constitutes successful fishing, the number one thing of course is did you and your companions have a good time. The key thing is participation and I'm glad that there is entry level equipment that will be more than adequate for most to have an enjoyable fishing expierience and let's face it these folks can land some very impressive fish with this type of equipment. An anglers skill & luck will supersede his equipment, that said a skillful angler with good equipment will have an advantage over a similiar skilled angler over a season of fishing if he fished with medioce equipment. We all have various economic resources and no one should be looked down upon as angler if he chooses or can only afford entry level equipment and we should never make the assumption that he/she is not a good fisherman. However don't criticize the guy who chooses to invest in high performance equipment or is continually refining his tackle because he's looking for any edge that he can get or because he find's fishing with this type of tackle more enjoyable. I consider myself in between both extremes.I don't buy 150$ swimbaits or purchase 600$ reels, but I'm fortuneate enough to stock up with some quality tackle that translates into a lot of fun fishing which I'm sure is a passion we all share.

Same for me, I use them as a finnesse crank. Great Bait.

Didn't see that, Thanks.

I use both the Gamakatsu & Owner hooks depending on what suits my needs best for the application it's being used for. They are both very sharp high quality hooks. If you are using braid with Gamakatsu hooks I would suggest the 2x wire that they offer. Regarding Marlboroman's order I think you did quite well on those baits and those selections should put a lot of fish in the boat for you. Good Luck.

I read on a Tackletour blog that they are coming out with a model that supposed to be a step up from the GLX and this model is supposed to have the split grip design. I'm guessing that if the GLX rods run close to $ 400 this will be in the $500 range. Personally I'm not a fan of split grips, however for those wanting a G loomis rod with this feature you will soon get your wish.

I've done well with the Strike King / King Shad, I've caught a lot of nice sized fish with this bait and it's the ideal size for Northern waters in my opinion. I also like the River to Sea V Joint Wake Minnow, this one sells for about 10$ and is a very productive bait.

The Shimano Symetre spinning reel retails for $ 99 and often can be found for less. I'm also a fan of the BPS Crankin' Stick.

I'm glad to see you come out with one that has the screwlock, I personally prefer it over the spike version which is the reason I haven't tried them yet. I plan on ordering some the next time I order tackle.

I've been able to get bites on the small 1/8 size Booyah Boogie with a Zoom Super Fluke Jr. as the trailer in clear water, definetely helps as it does with spinnerbaits to have some wind and or overcast skies.

Yellow Magic 8-)

I've been very pleased with it so far, didn't break off once last year and manageable enough to use on a spinning reel.

These are some of my favorites... Baby Paca Chunk Poor Boys Craw Daddy 2.75" Yum Craw Papi

S.O.B. Mini Me 3/8 oz. TJ Special with #4 Willow & # 2 Colorado, dusted with a little glitter on the blades. This one is my all time favorite for shallow weedy areas and the cool thing is Dee the owner will custom make these exactly the way you want it. I did well on the Rattleheads that I tried last summer with a big colorado blade for night fishing. I also have done well with Nichols & War Eagle spinnerbaits.

X3 on a finesse jig and as Roadwarrior pointed out fish with a jig and stick with it.

I like Ghost colors in clear water especially on sunny days. I like Chrome in stained water on sunny days as well and will sometimes throw it in clear water under the same conditions if the fish are aggressive because the fish can see it from a long distance.

I also was a fan of Gamma line, I think you will like Yozuri Hybrid if you give it a try.

B & R Outlaw rods are a nice stick in that price range.

I'll add the River To Sea V joint Wake Minnow & Live Eye Bottom Walker. There are some who don't care for it but I've caught some nice fish on the Strike King/ King Shad, it's been a good bait for me.

I wonder if you got a defective bait, the Red Eye Shad is a well designed bait but I don't think Strike King is as consistent as Lucky Craft or some others in terms of quality control. This has been a very good bait for me, slayed them last fall on the Japanese shad color. It's never good to get a defective bait but considering it's modest price tag I can live with an occasional dud.