Capt.Bob

I went out 3 or 4 times this year and worked my but off fer my limit twice. Most were on the ground and caught as they hit the tree's barking at me! See we had ZERO NUT's this year,,, I mean none, no oaks Red or White, no Hickory nuts, notta, and very few Walnuts in my area. So what Squirrel I did locate were hitting the corn fields for food. I have never seen a year where are mast crop was so poor.

Congrats folks on some nice kill's,,,, Been pretty good so far but January is my favorite time of year for bow hunting. The colder it gets the better. I took 2 doe in November, but passed several, I don't like to take does till after the 15th of Nov. or after Indiana gun season opens. I hunt the state line area and hold out trying not to over disturb my hunting spots going after a 140" buck or better. I have killed numorus smaller bucks over the years and today if I don't mount them I don't shoot them. I will tag 6 deer this year I just hope I can find a suitable buck. I had a very nice borderline 140" the second week of November come in on me, and normally would have taken the shot. But 4 or 5 days earlier I had to back out of that section as on my way in there was a very nice buck doe'd up between me and my stand with no way to get there without spooking him. I seen him twice after that but at a distance. So now I wish I had either one come in close enough for a clean shot. But every year I save at least 2 tags for Public forest land down southern Ohio to hunt the last week to 10 days of season, so with our season going out the 5th of Feb. I still have 4 tags to fill,, it will be fun!

In my experience my DW Valor is more accurate than the High point rifle, as for power yes, with a well placed shot, and at less than moderate range. Their are much better choices in cartridges for deer hunting, and in my state it is illegal to use a 45 acp,,,, I hope it stays that way!

We get 6 tags statewide,, with no more than 3 in certain counties, 2 in others and 1 in others. Out of the six tags per year you are allowed 1 Buck per year regardless of weapon. So I usually take one Buck,, if I am lucky enough to find a 140" or larger,, if not all 6 will be doe's.

In my opinion they are the best factory assembled rods on the Market, and backed that way! If I was having a rod built the Legend Elite and Legend Extreme would be my number one choice! Thats why I own several of each,, I will add, I think, my opinion of course, everything else is only comparable to the Avid blanks,, also very good blanks!

Well first let me say if this was about the the Ci4 I would comment that was obvious, I don't know how anyone could consider it a premium reel. I have been rocked for not thinking the Ci4 was every a decent reel for a few years every since it was introduced. But when they upgraded it to the Ci4+ I was impressed, I already have 4 stradic FJ and 3 FI, and 2 MgFB that I know are better reels than the first gen Ci4! I will also agree, unless you are putting a 4000 on most 7' rods, you're going to have a tip heavy rig unless you have it built to the reel with a very long or heavy handel. I have 1 of my 1000 on a custom 6'3" LF Avid, and the other 2 reels are 2500's and one is on a 6'3" MXF Legend Elite and is as sweet as my customs rods built and is very well balanced. The other is on a 6'6" MF Legend Elite that is also pretty well balanced, it is just ever so slightly tip heavy, but the overall weight of the outfit makes it a delight to fish, and in rivers in fast water running carolina rigs for Smallmouth and Walleye it is a killer combo. Now as far as the reels and what I like, is yes mine are every bit as smooth as my Sustain FG, and all have the rapid fire drag shared with the Sustain FG, something that make them much better than the other Stradics for me, as I am using them for very large fish, Walleye and in fast large rivers for Smallmouth, this means many times I will hook into large carp, Drum, and Buffalo. with light line and light fer size fish rods, that is very handy! The 1000 is for yellow perch and Crappie where I get hit by Drum and Catfish often on Erie and in Reservoirs and some smaller rivers that feed reservoirs, that really helps, its not only faster to make changes, but I think it is smoother than the drags on my other Stradics, and all of my spinning reel drags are highly tuned. I have gotten rid of 2 MgFB's a 1000 and a 2500, and a FI 2500 and replaced them with the same size Ci4+ reels. I have 3 FJ's and one Sustain FG, 2 MgFB and now with upgraded Ci4 to the Ci4+ I have 3 of these that I think are the equal just lighter than the Sustain! start throw'n,,,,,

Nice,, nut'n wrong with them tin boats, we aint play'n in saltwater

I have the Avid MM, take caskey_b's advice and go with the MHM, I have that roed in the Legend Extreme and is a very sweet and versatile rod, great crankbait rod, the med is like he said, just to noodly, but I love the MHM it's one of my favorite rods

These are on sale right now, and are a great bargain, if you need cranking ability also, it's a steel!! http://www.vmaxtanks.com/MR127-100-Deep-Cycle-High-Performance-AGM-Battery_p_24.html But if you want better,, check the one below. I just bought this one last week on sale for close to this price. Do some check'n and be assured these are some of the toughest batteries out their, with better runtimes due to more expensive alloys!! Yes it is a solar backup, which is better at deep cycling but not built for cranking, so if you are dedicating it trolling motor only and strictly deep cycle work with your trolling motor, they are actually better. If you call and are a first time buyer, they will work with you and check around on price, they will match anyones current price on the same battery. I found one on Amazon, called Customer Service, and got the sale price, with a discount on that, and free shipping. Vmax maxtanks will get all my battery business from now on!! http://www.vmaxtanks.com/SLR125-AGM-Solar-Battery-_p_38.html Check their runtimes on your trolling motors here. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/wccow3cq8q8hrus/trolling_calc2014/trolling_calc2014.htm I will highly recommend these Batteries for the long haul, and in the the future they will be a price savings to boot!!

I been going thru deep cycles about every 3 years on my small boat, 3 years ago a customized the Sea Nymph 12R a very deep 12' Aluminum for small rivers and above ground reservoirs. Most places I use this boat is trolling motor only. Last year was the third year on the 105 AH DC I had in it a good battery from NAPA, but last year, the 3rd, I could see the run times could strand me on an all day reservoir trip. So this past winter I did a lot of studying and found these newer brand batteries, that specialize in deep Cycle Technology. So fer 250 bucks I bought a solar backup model for its better deep cycling and no CA rating, as it is not a cranking battery in any form. But it has 125 AH which is, or should be more than I can use all day on electric only Minn Kota Endura 55 with maximizer. First trip last week was 7hrs on a big reservoir, I didn't track my mileage but I will say I did more playing than anything and ran more than average at full speed. I got home and my charge indicators on the motor showed 4 battery icons, or full charge. I tested it with the voltmeter and sure enough,,, 12.68 Volts. this an AGM and I was very impressed. So today I called to talk tom their Customer Service, and give him a chance to sell me on their charger technology. While I was at it, I thought I would upgrade the little 10 amp AGM I run the Color down imaging humminbird plus you never know when I might want to charge the Garmin 650M GPS with US Lake maps I have mounted in the "Metal Miss Fit". The charger I was going to buy was a 20 amp, 7 stage, with float built in, and auto sensing for AGM, Gell, and Wet Acid batteries. when I mentioned the 15amp AGM and the 5 amp charger for it, he quickly let me know even that big 20 amp would charge anything down to the small 5 amp AGM they sell,,, Well being a tightwad I let him know give me some good reasons to update my old solid state 10 amp automatic variable output charger. He said the 20 amp was really over kill and for battery life the 15 amp would charge the 125 amp battery just as quick, as it would have to be under charged badly almost 100% to ever charge at that rate anyways. Well after handing me some unbelievable prices and free shipping, I have the 15 amp battery for the Hummingbirds dedicated battery, and the 7 stage 15amp auto charger maintainer on it's way for $130.00 , plus he thru in a the storage case for the charger free. I am impressed with this company, and next year when I redo that batteries in the 21 footer, I will be installing the VMaxtanks in it to,,, cranking and deep cycling! Mil spec batteries with 99.5% virgin lead and tin alloy for durability and long lasting efficiency, with chargers that have 7 stage with float charging built in and desulfination mode,,, I am impressed and Customer Service that seems better than I have found from a battery company. I don't buy from cut rate manufacturers on batteries either. I always ran Interstates on the Charter Boat, but I didn't know about Vmaxtanks then, I highly recommend them to anyone wanting the best electric power out there! If I am wrong you'll hear about it. But they sure seem to carry a big stick so far! I'm Impressed!

Thanks small, I'm well stocked on lead jigs you got it, them little 1/8 and 1/4 oz size heads with these floaters on a carolina setup are killer on smally trips in the spring, heck everything hits em, and that makes for a great trip and never a boring minute you just don't know what yer gonna pull in next, and some huge fish

This weather has done one thing, given me plenty of time to get my jigs in line, for this season and the future stockpile!! 0ver 2000 in all, I don't think I'll ever have to make these again, just put the finish and type of attractor I want when I'm ready to use em! Mostly floating jigs, It is all I use every March and April for Walleye in the rivers off Lake Erie. But summer time in the rivers and streams for Smallmouth Walleye and trout on light spinning tackle, Carolina rigged and drifted thru the faster runs they are deadly, and will catch anything there, even suckers carp and Drum. So with rain and cold front after cold front rolling in I been getting stocked up the last couple weeks 3 or 4 days a week. This is high volume molding, all with #1 and #1/0 O'shaughnessey Lazer Sharp Jig hooks from Eagle claw,,, this longer hook keeps the point closer to the end of the attractor no matter what you use for better hookups on the short biter's! even did a couple 100 in 1/16 oz size with a #4 hook for perch and big panfish drift em over beds on a short lead to a split shot,,,, fun fun fun on my custom Avid Light. Even got a good supply made up and finished with Bucktail tied on, these work in lakes in deep water great, same rigging just a little longer lead from the weight to the jig, they are so buoyant I almost swim em an a pull and take up slack retrieve, They dive in the pull and float up when retrieving the slack you pull up, with strikes like leadheads in the fall, hard and positive. With plenty more tied up fer this season.

Seaguar here I like the Abrazx, I use it for everything, I'm sure there is better, but I know there is worse, the Abrazx for me is a good all round Fluoro that holds knot good and does a good job on abrasion resistance.

Casting will be fine with the MLXF or the MF and MXF, with weightless 4" finesse worms with my 6'10" MXF St. Croix Legend Extreme does great, it's all in learning how to use the gear you choose. I think to many times we think because the rod has an ideal weight rating printed on the rod we can only be efficient at those specific weights,,,, far from reality. I have some MH rods that are rated for 5/8 max and make killer cast with over 1 oz weighted rigs or lures. Same as I said above that worm I throw is well less than the 1/8 oz I am rated for, So the Avid XF M or ML are both rated very close on the bottom end, matter of fact the MLXF is rated for 1/8 oz the MXF as light as 1/4oz, believe me it will work just as good with 1/8 oz. If I think I have a need for more backbone for larger fish, I would not worry one bit choosing the MXF over the MLXF, it is a very minor difference. If you are going to have trouble casting or controlling an 1/8 oz lure on it you are likely going to have the same issues trying to throw the 1/4 oz it is rated for. Fishing situations as a rule are never really absolutes.

For finesse I love a MXF I would get the St. Croix Avid 6'8" MXF or if you want a lighter rod, try the 6'9" MLXF, you can find them around $180.00 if you look around. I have said fer years in my opinion the Avid series rods are best buy fer the buck you can find! I relaced G. Loomis GLX and IMX rods with the Avids,,, in my opinion they are that good! I also think this should be considered entry level for true USA built Lifetime warranted rods, Some have backed there rods as good as St Croix for a short time, no one has done it as long or ever offered better CS in the industry. Just what I have seen.

I would have to see it, but it is possible if you over tightened the bearing cap severely to cause damage at the spool shaft end bushings. I have seen this a couple times along with improper assembly on baitcast reels, I have made shim's to recenter the spool on used reels and they worked as well as new. But on a new reel if you didn't have it apart we have to consider it a flaw. Like I said without seeing it I can't tell you if it is assembled wrong, or if it has been compromised by over tightening, but if it is new it is under warranty, and brand new most reputable tackle shops will exchange it. The pawl could be improperly shimmed also but I would think that would be random and not just affecting one side.

Great pic's,,,, even if they are sideways,, those nice fish beat the hell outa the eye candy I can show for my 7 hour outing after Saugeye one stinken channel cat that I almost didn't get in. Then this guy that kept me from gett'n skunked going after my target species,,,,,

User error,,, let the line guide do it's job, and give yerself some time with the new rigg before trying to cast across the lake,,,, start with little step's and more brake,, once you can't cause this problem making yer longest cast, take a little more brake off, when you start having problems again,,, you found YOUR sweet spot, go back to yer brake set'n where you can control it.

Like others said it is probably user error, I too can a little difference changing to a new rod, twice the distance is a little questionable, but I hget your drift. One thing is fer sure, any rod you buy for a specific type of fishing you should give yourself a little time to get used top it, and the last thing I would tell anyone is to forget trying to learn how to use any new piece of tackle. I think we all know we can cast a wally world $29.00 sportco rod better than 1/2 the distance of our Custom Rods,,,,, I can assure even the Mexico built Croix's will do better than those!! Check guide alignment, and see they are in line with the seat, and make sure there are no bad rings, get er out and get acquainted, that rod will cast as far as your other rod once you find what it likes!!

That is pretty easy and inexpensive to change, Speed of your reel, or IPT has more to do with how efficient it works different uses than it's size. But I've seen pinions and main gears, as long as everything else is in good condition, the pawl actually was probably just worn from service, this would be one place the 50 wears quicker than the 200 and wider spool reel, it changes direction much more often and the Pawl is quite inexpensive and easy to change,,,, and you will see it real quick when it gets worn out.

What DVT said, plus the fact that the frame is actually stiffer on the 50E than the 200E, the spool is also stiffer, being narrower, Physics dictates that the all else being the same when you narrow the spool and the gap in the frame that supports each end of that spool you simply stiffened the entire package! I think there misconception many have on using these reels for tiny baits that have little resistance or fishing techniques that don't require as large of line diameter, because that is what most use them for, but they are actually the bulldog version of their larger siblings. Stronger actually goes to the 50 over the 200. This actually very hard on the main and pinion gear, I am amazed you did this often without feeling it in the gears. I highly recommend no matter what you use your baitcaster for, to use your thumb to terminate a cast before engaging the spool,, so to speak "shifting into gear", this is like cramming your car into a gear from a dead stop without using a clutch,,, maybe a little exaggerated,, but same principal,,

First off I have the 3000 FJ and 2 2500 Ci4+,,, not Ci4's, I wouldn't own one even when they were new and the FI was the current model. But the new Ci4+ is a better reel than the FJ, better drag as smooth with lighter body, and same gears and plenty stout enough for 3/4 spinnerbaits. I use one on a Legend Elite 6'6" MF, it works but for spinnerbaits I would rather use a 7' MHF,,, that is the rod I use for em with a baitcaster, Avid 7' MHF The Ci4+ is pretty close to the Sustain FG, i can't tell any difference in the two except the Ci4+ is a little lighter in the hand! You have a very nice setup and very versatile!

Better than ever,,,,, light years away,,,,,,, but you think the D is the best ever,,,,,,,, Sorry but ya lost me there!! I for one do think they are worse, but cost more, and service is nowhere near what it was, that's why when the G was introduced, I bought a new at the time Lew's,,, started low TP,,, it was soi much better than the G I sent back I bought a Team,,,, that was so fricken good I started selling all my Shimano baitcasters Castaic, Curados, and replaced them with two Team Golds, then bought a Super Duty,,, by by Calcutta 200B, I was so impressed every time I bought another one of their reels I sold my core and replaced it with a Team Pro, That was going on 4 years ago now, I was warned time would take its toll,,, every single one as smooth adn reliable as the day I bought em. The original Team, with the red accents, has 3 years of the maumee river run on it 2 months every year wading a muddy raging river and 2 times I remember dripping it in sand, and finishing the day with it, last time was this year, i had trouble disengaging the spool top cast it, but after over 7 hoiurs putting up with the grit, took it home cleaned and lubed each time. It is still smooth as silk and I even turned the 30# test 832 suffix around on the spool this time after 250 to300 hours of cast and retrieve use. It is my record reel, the only one I keep track of hours fished, the others are less used and don't see this kind of abuse but I don't feel I missed a thing, quite the opposite!

The only thing I would question is what the H are ya doin posting on a phone in class getting ready for finals,,,, this may be one old rednecks view, but be glad I'm not a parent reading this.... is what get's carried on to the work place with ore youth today.