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Englewood here..... Most of my local freshwater haunts are loosing Bass to exotic fish. This year Ive caught more mayan chiclads than bass. They seem so much more agressive, even the snook arent around anymore. The tilapia pushed the bluegill and shiners out years ago.

Falcon also makes a buzzbait/spinnerbait wallet. Its made of cordura nylon covered thick plastic and zips up. If space is at a premium its a good choice and holds plenty of baits.

Well I got to admit, I didnt think it could get better than the D model. It was strong, smooth and I thought the weight was only an issue with babies. When I got the E I thought, and still think, that the drag star and cast control knob look more like plastic than metal. I hate the metal flake "Bling" and prefer the more subdued look of the D. I took both the 100D and the 200E out yesterday and the E smoked it in smoothness and solid feeling. I still dont think its as strong "feeling" as the 200D which doesnt seem to be as labored by buzzbaits or bigger baits. But the E is a light, smooth joy to use.

Koolie Minnow, but they tend to be delicate and leak the internal oil if your not careful casting around rocks, bridges, etc. The Rattsler rattle bait is awesome.

Just months ago he announced that he was partnered with Targus Fly Rods(China made). Now TFO(Korea made), which is the most mediocre heavy dead feeling fly rod made under a non house brand name. Made famous only because of the god like status of Lefty Kreh to the fly fishing crowd. Smart of TFO, how much longer can Kreh be at his symbolic throne of their company at his age. So get Loomis to take over the next shift. Still nothing to get excited about since their conventional rods will likely be just like their fly rods, heavy, gaudy and unbalanced.

They are a snapper, they are just called black bass or spot tailled bass or Nuigini Bass. Much like Aussies use the term mullet, trout or cod. Not the same types of fish those names mean to us. Great Blog, what a great place to be an angler!

If you get a chance to talk to guys who repair reels, many will tell you that braid causes them alot of business. Putting 40lb.+ on a bass reel designed for 12 or 17lb mono. Some guys dont treat the reel any different. I choose braid by its test rating and use 15 and 20lb. No stretch so my casts into the trees are easier to finesse out. Cuts through submerged vegetation. Relatively low visability. Not likely to damage a reels guts. Digging into the spool for me has only been caused by my pulling against a snag with the rod/reel. Caution on the next cast and a slight pull to clear it at the end of the cast fixes it.

SirSnookalot, The last a checked, quite awhile ago, those tip tops werent available in the US. Do you know of a US dealer? Thanks...

I fish more man made canals than I do natural water. Try where cover changes from grass to brush, grass to bare bank etc.. Also make an effort to look for drainage ditches and culvert pipes that drain into the canal. Especially when water is flowing. But even if water isnt flowing, the bottom will be dredged deeper there.

Just a little south of you in Manatee County is Lake Manatee State Park. Its a little known sleeper and also holds Schooling Sunshine Hybrid Bass. It gets very little attention and is a great place to put in a kayak or pond hopper. Check out the parks web site for info too.

If you've got transportation, Lake Manatee State Recreation Area just south of you. A little further south, Myakka State Park. Closer to you Alafia Springs. A good bet if your wanting to stay in town is to check the freshwater forum at paddle-fishing.com. That site is mainly out of the Tampa area and there are alot of guys their who will direct you to local stuff.

I used to think I was biased towards particular brands but I think Im more prejudiced about where my stuff comes from. I'll only buy Shimano or Daiwa reels but only if they're made in Japan. I'll only buy rods made in the USA, most likely St. Croix but I wouldnt think about buying their models from China. Hardbaits too I prefer made in Japan with the exception of the Heddon super spook jr., God only knows where its made.

TackleTour "National Enquirer" ! LMAO I always check their site but to me they have never been Shimano guys. More like exclusively Daiwa. Maybe obsessed with cork knob handles. An like the national fishing club, they never review a product they dont like.

The probability that the new Curado will be made off shore of Japan has been confirmed by rep on tackletour I believe. Its sad to see the Sustain is also considering the high dollar amount it costs.

I think that both companies are owned by the same conglomerate. If you study photos of both reels you see so many common points, both statistically mechanically and cosmetic. I think both reels are actually the same. Probably come from the same factory and get different final touches just like a Mercury and a Ford are absolutely the same vehicle.

I got the STX and it feels like its on a diet compared to the Curado 200D's I use. It has worked flawlessly and its drag is extremely smooth not just strong. I still dont consider it as nearly as strong or nice as the 200D though. 10BB's but not as smooth and a bit vague in feel comparable more to a Daiwa. Im so anal about my reels, I keep them protected with a neoprene cover even when not in use on the boat. Yet the STX so easily gets rash on the sideplates, again just like a Daiwa. The textured frame is so cosmetically delicate the reel feet are burnished by the fuji's cushioned hoods on the reelseat. The infini-spool II design does rival Daiwa and it casts incredible.

Curado here, been trying the Revo but it doesnt compare to well to the Curados that make up the rest of my arsenal. Besides nobody else will vote Curado......its too heavy, too expensive, its a tank, i cant hold it up all day.....

Tin, I wish I did. It was in print about 3 years ago. Ive looked on their website to see if any archived articles were available, but nope. I dont recall his name either. It stayed on my maind because I was very much the finesse fisherman. But I have found more success power fishing the last 2 years or so. There is something to be said about camo when fishing from shore though, its worked for me while inshore flats fishing.

Field and Stream had an article about a young guy in Penn. who was an expert on smallies. He snorkeled while his partners fished with various lures and line. He concluded that smallies could detect and avoided all superlines. But he also said they avoided mono over 8lb test too. And he never fished unless he wore camo when on shore or some kind of blue white camo when on the boat. Im glad the bass and snook arent that sensitive where I live!

Anybody try the Big Game Inshore? Im not even sure they still make it. It was supposed to be limperand available in lighter lb. test.

Geeze...whats wrong with a plastic drag star, it was perfect on the 'beloved old' curado. Lord knows that reel and every part on it was absolutely perfect.

Ive caught Tarpon on a Curado 200DHSV with no problems. The dartanium drag is in the same class as the Revo STX's. The Revo does shine in its casting ability though, as long as you get one with the infinispool.

I think the Infini spool and the spools better quality german ball bearings make the STX a better casting machine than the lower end REVO's.

I dont want any reel speed slower than a 7.1 to 1 ratio anymore. The next cast might be a pitch or a cast, either way I want to get through the unproductive water and back to the boat fast. No other ratio makes buzzbaitng easier either. The water I fish hold just as many snook and tarpon as it does bass, and there isnt any Daiwa that feels it can handle them like the Curado does. Tons of power. Everybody hates the boat anchor the Curado is, one whole ounce bigger than whats already in there hands anyway! Our Dads are shaking their heads cause we wine about a whole heavy ounce. Now their going to make a lighter one, probably made off shore of Japan cheaper and be less of a reel.

Not meaning to derail the topic to a point but has anybody looked at the Patriarch and compared it to the Revo? There are an awful lot of structural similarities. Same thumbscrew and take down screw locations, same phillips head scres in the inner portion of the thumb bar. Same shape of the sideplates with the same raised gearbox. For the first time in my life Im trying to look beyond Shimano, but everything looks like its made by one maker. Hey Muddy, have you had to get a Pflueger repaired or looked for parts? Have you had any difficulty?