Flukeman

Now that's funny!

Bass Pro is not "sneaky" about it. You can clearly tell they are not the same, especially when it came to the PQ. I have 3 of the PQT that cast a mile, are smooth as butter, and have hauled bass out of the nastiest with no problems. For what I paid for them, if I got 5 years out of them they would be a bargain. With the aluminum frame these darn things will last forever. Your best bet would be to give it a good work out, and if you don't like it, take it back. They have a good return policy and you can get a combo you would like better.

I have BPS Pro Qualifier for summer BPS 100MPH for cooler weather and ice fishing BPS Squaltex for Hunting All of them have worked flawlessly, even in monsoons.

I used it years ago, spent the last few years trying other brands, and I am back to BPS XPS Flouro. Great line for the money. 8 and 10 pound spinning, 12 and up for your baitcasters. I've never had any trouble casting any of it or with any break offs and we have a lot of zebra mussles.

Nice looking reels in those links. But I still could not find what kind of paint people are using for this type of work.

I have the older version, guys really liked those. The newer version has that new cast control system, which prevents backlashes, but shortens casts as well. But I think you will be happy with it's dependability.

Thanks Guys

RW, Do you know if we can pay the $4.99 an aditional time to try the size recommended for the spinning reel? If not, do you know where to find the pricing info? They had a great variety of lines, bit I did not see pricing on their web site. Thanks,

My buddy used the 10# Siege mono last year and really liked it. He actually talked me into buying it this year for my top water bass rod and a couple walleye rods.

I own both abu and Shimano, and some others depending on what species I am chasing. I keep looking at the Pinnacles but just don't need anymore reels right now. But I keep looking!

There are a lot of people catching bass with the rods you mentioned. I found that the EagleGT rods MH were softer than other rod companies MH. The BPS Tourney rods are a nice ride for the price, they just won't have the sensitivity of the $100 plus rods. I can't tell you anything about a Abu vengence. The important thing is to buy the rod you can afford, and still afford to make the fishing trips!

That rod is fine for that type of fishing. If it was my first baitcaster and I did not know if I was going to like it, I'd stay around $100 for a reel. The Revo S, Citica, and BPS Pro Qualifier are all reels in that range that have metal frames and good resale. If you are new to casting a baitcaster I would spool it with some 12# mono to start and become proficient with it. If you backlash with a superline or braid in the beginning it tends to be a doosy, much worse than mono. Good Luck

I buy the kit at BPS for 9.99. I used to use the table leg ends but wanted to be able to make adjustments if I changed baits or reels. I put the reel and bait I plan on using for the day on the rod, and add the balancing kit. It makes the set up effortless to fish with. If I spend an 8 hour tournament fishing with a long tip heavy rod, my elbow will start to ache. I have a couple of them and can rotate them to different rods when I need to and increase/decrease the weight when it is warranted. By the way - this kit is a slip on and off unit.

I stopped at a DSG last night and noticed the had their Quantum combo's on sale from $59 to $89. I did not have time to handle any of them and do not own any of them, you would have to do your homework their. Abu makes combo's like the Silver Max and Black Max that some people on here have said they had good luck with. I think they are $89 to $109 combos. I was at the BPS Classic and they had the Bionic casting combo for $79. I did handle this combo and was surprised at how nice it was for that price point. If you are young or just getting started and cash is an issue I am sure these combo's would serve you well until your situation changes. Do a search on this site for some of the above combo's and see what others experiences are.

I stopped at a DSG last night and noticed the had their Quantum combo's on sale from $59 to $89. I did not have time to handle any of them and do not own any of them, you would have to do your homework their. Abu makes combo's like the Silver Max and Black Max that some people on here have said they had good luck with. I think they are $89 to $109 combos. I was at the BPS Classic and they had the Bionic casting combo for $79. I did handle this combo and was surprised at how nice it was for that price point. If you are young or just getting started and cash is an issue I am sure these combo's would serve you well until your situation changes. Do a search on this site for some of the above combo's and see what others experiences are.

A note about those inner brakes. Lets say your carbonlite has 6 and you release 3 of them and it is performing great. That does not mean your PQ will perform the same with 3 released, you may need to release 4 to get the same outcome as the carbonlite. You also need to cast them on the same rod, with the same amount of effort. I have seen some people pick up a different set up and for some reason try to torque it harder and screw up an already smooth cast which will effect distance. The rod, reel, and your mechanics all work together to get the perfect long cast. When I work with my Junior Bassmasters they are amazed at how much their casting distance improves when they quit tensing up on the cast and let all the pieces work together.

It is amazing what people do to rods at the big box stores. I usually ask if they have any outback and choose one from that stock instead of what is on the shelf. If your at a Walmart or Dicks where they don't usually keep back stock, then you have to really check over the one you are going to buy. Abu has awesome customer service so I really don't worry if I happen to get a lemon. I know they will make it right, and I usually end up gaining something out of the deal. I also realize that for every person on the internet complaining about a product, there are 10 people who are happy and never say a word. And like someone said above, they could sell these rods for $50 more. But that is not the marketing model they are working on. They know they are going to get a number of defects from a mass produced part. They have chosen to make them very affordable(relative for each person) and back them with great customer service. It must be working, trails around here are loaded with guys with these rods. I have friends who absolutely love the Veritas and have had no problems. I am a St Croix guy, but have 3 days left to decide if my rod trade in will be on a Veritas or Carbonlite to try something different this time around.

I used Vanish when it first came out and did not like it. I then used XPS, Seaguar Invisx and Red Label, Berkley 100%. Last year I gave Vanish a try again due to last minute availability and never had any problems with it like the early version. This year I am back to XPS, never did have any problems with that either. The Bass Pro Classic deal makes it a great price. We have Zebra Mussle problems here, this line seems to be the most abrasion resistant compared to the others I have used. I use 4# to 15# depending on what variety of fish I am chasing.

I was waiting for the rod trade in to go, but a friend talked me into riding along so he could buy some reels. He got 1 MGX and 3 Premiers (it was all the Premiers they had). I did check out that new Bionic baitcast combo after the conversation on here. I must say for $69 it felt like a nice set up, of course someone will have to fish it to really know. But for that price I think a guy starting out can't go wrong, and it may prove to be a great buy for experienced guys as well. the one I picked up was nicely balanced. I picked up some Shad Raps, swimbait jigheads, tungsten bullet weights, XPS Floro, rod socks, and some Kermy's. I will be there again for the rod trade-in and my juniors are volenteering there the last weekend. So I am in for some more bait monkey time!

I have had all sorts of reels do this before. usually if you go fish with them for a few hours it will staighten itself out. I did have a situation once where the line was getting hung on my knot between the backing and line every once and a while when filling. You just have to take your time and work it past the knot when it happens. Once past the knot you will be fine. Usually when it happens it is something you are doing when filling the spool and it will starighten itself out after you fish it a little while.

Abu and Shimano. I vited Abu because they fit my hand better and they are prettier

All baits were hyped "The Best New Baits" at one time or another. All Rapala did was leak a supposed secret and a catch phrase and let everyone else run with it, lol They call it Marketing, happens all the time with all sorts of products. But it is winter, and it is fun to guess and talk about. Thanks Rapala

There must be different PQ tournaments out there. I have three of those reels and they work flawlessly(super smooth and cast a mile) and both the box and reel say made in Korea?

Sometimes Shimano does not participate, not sure about this year. I did not see it mentioned in the flyer. Feb 22-27 is the reel trade in and March 1-5 is the rod trade in. You can't trade in on combos, they have to be working order, and you can use one reel for one reel. Same goes for rods.

Stopped by a Walmart today and found some DT7 Flats for $4.00 a piece. I lost 2 of the 3 I owned last summer to pike and could not find replacements anywhere. I think they are discountinued, so thats why they were marked down. They had a bunch of line marked down, strike king tungsten, gammi hooks, lower end reels, waders, powerbait, stike king plastics, and a lot of panfish stuff. The guy told me they were going to be marking down the highend rods they had KVD, Falcon, Wright McGill, ..,etc, soon because they did not sell.