rmcguirk

Another vote for the Carbonlite in that price range. I picked up a spinning 6'9" MXF and I've been very pleased with the total package, especially at the price point.

Count me in.

I enjoy him and most other fishing shows, each for their different characters (though I agree with the Charlie Moore comment). But, it does rankle a bit that they only show him catching pigs. I know that he's fishing private waters and that there are a lot of nice fish in well-managed ponds, but he's got to catch a dink every now and again, doesn't he? Just show it every once in a while to keep it real (realer?). He's also a bit worse than the others about pushing particular products. But, as with all fishing shows, I just listed to the type of bait, presentation and conditions and go from there to see if something like that would work on my waters.

I've had some luck on Mighty Bugs. They are smaller and their action is a bit more subtle than many other creature-type baits, but it did work. I used them on a jig head around docks.

Personally, I say good morning/afternoon or nod to everyone I pass. And, if they respond in the same polite way, I might ask how they're doing. I generally don't ask what they're using. As someone above said, it is usually pretty obvious from the gear and the way they are fishing it (e.g., cranking, spinner, jig, t-rig, drop shot). If you're close enough to say hello, you're close enough to see what general style of presentation(s) they're going with. In turn, if I'm asked, I provide honest answers. If questioned, I'll also say what I'm using.

I picked up a couple of these at my local Dick's. They feel like qualitylures. A bit bigger and heavier than expected. My guess is that they'll cast a mile with little effort. Hope to get to try them this weekend.

Personally, I like the Auburn store well enough. It is far better than my local Rochester-area Dicks and Gander Mountain stores, which tend to have pretty limited selection (Dicks worse than Gander). There are plenty of sales people at BPS, and all pretty nice. I've never really tried to test the limits of their knowledge (or mine ), so I can't really comment on that. I will say, though, that every time I'm there, the rod selection is somewhat limited, at least on the higher end. If I drive an hour to visit, I want to be able to handle the best gear, try my reel out to feel the balance, you know, kick the tires. Anyway, it is a minor gripe. I only go there a couple of times a year, generally for the spring sale and when I'm in the area visiting family in Syracuse and have some time to kill. For me, it is more about getting excited for the season than buying necessities, which I can get on line at BPS or just as easily at places like TW. Anyway, I'd love it if they put one of the new Field and Stream stores near me. Competition is always good.

If he's reading, he can take me fishing. As a number of people have said, it just seems like he genuinely enjoys himself and realizes how lucky he is to be getting paid for doing something he loves.

I used it a lot over the last couple of years. It does cast a country mile -- it just jumps off the spool. It is strong, at least I never had any breakage issues. It is a bit tricky to tie on the leader. I used the alberto knot. If properly tied, I had no issues, but I needed to tie it carefully (and I do know how to do it), and make sure it cinched down perfectly. Otherwise, I found that the slick nature of the line could lead to a leader pull out, which is obviously not a good thing. Also, in my experience, it was more subject to line twist than braid. Though I did like it, I've gone back to Power Pro 15 lb hi vis yellow braid for my spinning gear this year, and one has the new Tuf Line Supercast.

As others have said, stick with it. I did last year, and it was by far my most productive big-fish technique. It takes time to learn, but keep at it.

Last year, it was the jig. I'd never properly committed to it before, and I didn't have any confidence with it. But, I tied one on one of my rods, and I kept one tied on the whole year. The work paid off. Other than my old standby (a weightless senko), a classic jig (primarily Northstar Black series) and trailer caught more and bigger fish than any other presentation. And, since most of the strikes I caught fish on were aggressive pops after the bait had hit bottom, I believe I'm missing far more than I'm catching. So, this year, I'm going to concentrate on catching those, as well. In addition, I plan on working a shaky head, a flick shake (more), and a drop shot. Other ideas I'm going to work on include a heavier drop shot weedless near or in cover (ala bubba shot), punching (once the weeds come in), jerk baits and lipless cranks (in the early season)... Arggg. I'm having a hard time waiting for ice out...

This. Very professional service, as well.

Went a little hog wild on gear myself, both new, and through the Flea Market here, used: New St Croix LTB 6'6 MHF paired with a new Chronarch 200E6 Used St Croix Avid 7' MF paired with a used Curado 200G6 New St Croix Avid 6'9" MLXF spinning with a new Shimano Sahara New BPS Carbonlite 6'8" MXF spinning with a new BPS PQ Looking at it now, I guess I went a bit overboard on St. Croix and Shimano. That wasn't my intention. I just seemed to find deals on each rod and reel in the categories I was looking to fill and made the jump. Bait monkey savaged me as well. Can't wait for ice out.....

Poptarts and iced tea. The wife usually meets me at the dock with lunch.

I have a Clarus. It is a nice rod, but nothing special. I just picked up an Avid and a BPS CarbonLite. The Avid is well out of this price range, at least new. The CarbonLite feels very, very nice. I can't give is a wholehearted thumbs up yet, as I haven't fished it yet, but for the $89 I paid for it, it feels like a quality rod, and much better than my Clarus.

I picked up a CarbonLite at BPS yesterday along with a PQ spinner. The rod feels great. I got the 6'8" MXF. They've got plenty of actions and lengths. By itself, it would have been $89, marked down from $99. Next weekend, with the rod trade in deal, you can do even better.

I echo what everyone else has said -- go and don't worry about frontal conditions. I'm almost exclusively a weekend angler. I go every Saturday and Sunday. Rain, cold front, sun, clouds, wind, calm, whatever. I can't control the weather or the conditions. Time on the water, skunked or not, is my time.

When we just had kayaks, the wife would come a few times a month. She'd bring a rod with her and after catching a fish or two (that I had to unhook), she'd be done and just paddle around sightseeing, listenting to music and just enjoying the day. It generally made for a shorter trip, as she got bored before I was done fishing. Usually she was cooperative and she'd then just paddle back to the launch and read a book or take a nap. We bought a small fish and fun boat last winter. This past summer, she'd send me off to fish on the weekend mornings and meet me at the dock around luch time to eat, cruise around, take a nap, do some swimming, and let me fish for another couple of hours. It was a great arrangement. She doesn't really like to fish, but she enjoys being out on the boat, and she doesn't mind reading a book or taking a nap while I fish. We had a beautiful summer weather-wise, so that was our weekends. One the rare inclement weather days, it was just me.

I'm going to respool shortly and try this. I'm thinking that using hockey tape (tacky) will eliminate any slipage issues. No?

To save money, I also run whatever I have available as backing before putting on more expensive (and new) braid or FC. I just found an older large spool of 20 lb mono. Thoughts on whether that's too thick to use as good backing?

Thanks. Appreciate it.

Thanks. Will TW have a spring sale as well? If so, any ideas on when? I've got a Christmas gift cert. that is absolutely burning a hole in my pocket....

Wow, just wow. AJ, I don't know you, but you the man. This is not the first time I've seen someone on this board do something like this, but I'm amazed every time. This is really an outstanding place to hang out, learn and make friends, even if virtual. Thanks to the Mods for fostering the atmosphere and making this place friendly, welcoming and one of the most helpful internet boards out there (on any topic). Rick

Awful. Monkey got me again. I'm no longer buying to be ready for the start of the season -- I'm still going to be stocked up come July... Wife's not going to understand, but I'll just explain to her that I'm "saving" a lot.

Mine just arrived. The products seem ok, but not great. I ordered tubes, grubs and the shakin worm. The shakin worm feels like the best quality product. It is very much like a lunker city ribster, with less change in size along the length of the bait. On all of them, it looks like you have to be very careful with rigging, as the center section seems to be pretty thin -- looks like it will be hard to texpose. My gut sense is that they'll have good action but will not stand up to much abuse. But, at that price, if they only catch one fish apiece, it will be money well spent.