Fishing Doug

Nice. what do you have it mounted on?

To address Micro's orignal post, yes, I think the wording was a bit harsh and could have been worded differently. Other than that, I don't see this as a big deal. BPS is having a sale, the reel trade-in to support a youth program is simply their marketing angle (which is a questionable campaign to some). Shimano's marketing position is to not have a sale price-perfectly ok with me and completely legit from a business standpoint. Another way to look at it is this-if there were a 'rod trade-in', would GLoomis and St. Croix participate? Highly unlikely.... FD

Micro, I had an Alphas Type F and it was a great reel. As Jimzee stated, the Alphas is lighter. One other difference is the handle. The Sol has a forged handle while the Alphas has a nicer machined handle. The Alphas did well with small baits-comparable to my TD-Z 105's. FD

My favorite is the Berkley Power Bait Power Hawg. I fish it either weightless, on a split shot rig, or shakey head. Lot of movement out of this bait. Previously my favorite was the Brush Hog and Baby Brush Hog but have had better success with the Power Hawg. Sidenote: Also a big fan of the Berkley Beast. Some may classify this as a 'craw' as opposed to creature but I have had luck with it using the same methods as the Power Hawg. FD

nope. i used to lip hook 'em but i found they either got lazy or outright died too quickly that way. now i hook 'em through the meat just ahead of the tail. (a) they will not tire nearly as quickly. ( they will not usually go as deep or to the bottom where they can hide in something. © i can feel much better what the gill is doing down there because every beat of the tail is transmitted to me. (d) there is just something about this presentation that bass seem to like a little better. but definitely play around with it. you will find that baits will act differently when you hook them different ways. i think this has to do with where the weight of the hook is. for example, tail hooked gills seem to try to swim upward. lip hooked gills seem to try to swim downward. use this to your best advantage with the conditions you are facing. some people hook their baits in the back, or behind the bottom fin. i have found that with these 2 ways, the hook will occasionally rotate and hook back into the the bait instead of hooking the bass. so i don't use these methods very often. hope this helps and good luck with it. Glad I asked! Thanks again. FD

sure doug. no problem man. most of my live bait fishing is in small lakes or ponds with few obstructions, so i go pretty light on equipment. spinning equipment just seems to work better for me with the conditions i fish. of course this also enhances the fight and it's more of a challenge to land the fish. i also don't spend a ton of money on my live bait rigs. i just don't see why breaking the bank is necessary with this type of fishing. i'm no expert, but here's a rig that works well for me. rod- 6 ft. medium action bionix. reel - shimano syncopate 2500fe. line - 10-15 lb. test braid. of course i just listed the setup i use most often. i occasionally toy around with much lighter stuff. but anything similar should work in obstruction free water, as long as you have your drag set properly and play the fish correctly. if i was specifically targeting bigger bass or fishing water with more potential snags, i would either go heavier on the spinning tackle or use baitcasting tackle. the braid is an important component to me because i freeline my baits. i do not use floats or sinkers. i want the presentation to be as natural as possible. with the sensitivity of the braid, i can always feel what my bait is doing down there. usually i can tell ya within a couple of seconds when i'm about to get hit because i can "feel" the bait getting nervous. hope that answered your question. thanks man. that's quite an offer. ;D i was using live bluegills. Thanks, Paul. One more thing-I am assuming you are lip hooking the 'gills?

Paul, Nice hawgs. Not to hijack your thread, but could you let us know what you are using as far as rod/reel/line with the 'gills? FD

Strike King 1/2 oz Spinner bait with painted blades. I can count on one hand how many fish I have caught on a spinner bait, one just happens to be my PB. Go figure. FD

Was there any line on sale? Yes, but it looks like most of it is mfrs. rebates-not BPS running the sale except for their house brand.

Glenn, Did you catch what model of aluminum Tracker Clunn is in? FD

I received mine today....didn't see anything that exciting.

Seems like we just had a thread with other people having problems with their new Stradics.... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1231468670/0

Good flouro for the $. It is made by Toray. If you wait until the Spring Sale, it is very reasonable.

Ghost-thanks for the link. Natural-keep us posted of when/if you buy one. Would be interested to read your review. FD

Thanks, Micro. I am with you-I think it has to be carbon fiber as opposed to metal. The weight of this reel is close to the Steez (7.8 vs. 7.1 for the 2500) for a little over half the price...may have to add one to the arsenal. FD

Have any of you guys had your hands on the above reel yet? I went to the local BPS & Cabela's yesterday to take a look but neither had them in stock. I am curious to learn more about the "Zaion" material used for the body. Doesn't seem to be a lot of info out on this reel yet. Anybody have any experience with this reel? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_103742____SearchResults

Bassn Blvd, What applications do you have in mind for this rod? I have never used the 842 but I am assuming it has a very soft tip? FD

I just now got around to watching the National Geographic show this evening and something that stuck out at me is the fact that once Dottie was found floating, they all felt relieved due to the fact that the bass that could be a new WR is now dead. My question is, why are they assuming that this was the only potential WR bass in Dixon? If 3 other bass have been caught in that lake that weighed north of 19lbs (assuming these 3 were not all Dottie caught multiple times and that I have this fact correct) seems to me that there could still be WR size bass in Dixon....Did they simply have an obsession with one bass (Dottie)? FD

Man, this site never ceases to amaze me. I appreciate the offer. I'd love to try a TD-Z, but I just can't bring myself to take one on loan. Only because I don't think I could be generous enough to make the same offer. Besides, If I knicked it I'd feel terrible. Understood. If you change your mind, just shoot me a PM.

Micro, My TD-Z 100M takes care of all of my cranking with a 5.8:1 ratio. This version of the TD-Z has the longer handle (90mm, I think) which seems to make a significant difference in having enough 'power' for deep cranks and not wearing you out. I'll throw out the same offer as RoadWarrior-I have one just sitting around...if you want to give it a test drive, say the word. FD

I use a weighted hook such as in the link below to get them deep. Works well-this has been a successful method for me. FD http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_103724_100010002_100000000_100010000_100-10-2

Seaguar spools Cabelas line. Carbon Pro=Cabelas No-Viz....Inviz-X=Cabelas No-Viz Xtra. They have discontinued the NoViz Xtra, and you can get a 600yd spool for like $20 in the bargain cave right now. Inviz-X users should jump on it. Natural, I noticed they have their house brand mono and braid discounted as well. Any idea what is up with that? Are they possibly switching manufacturers of their house lines? FD Fishing Doug- No; they are indeed discontinuing a few lines, but Seaguar still makes the Cabelas leader material and the Cabelas No-Viz. Thanks for the info. Good to know. FD

Seaguar spools Cabelas line. Carbon Pro=Cabelas No-Viz....Inviz-X=Cabelas No-Viz Xtra. They have discontinued the NoViz Xtra, and you can get a 600yd spool for like $20 in the bargain cave right now. Inviz-X users should jump on it. Natural, I noticed they have their house brand mono and braid discounted as well. Any idea what is up with that? Are they possibly switching manufacturers of their house lines? FD

I picked up a couple packs of these last year but only had a chance to throw them twice. I had an issue with the bait spinning/turning completely over. If I remember correctly, I was using a Sled Head hook. Any one else have this problem? FD

I know this doesn't directly answer your question but the Bomber Square A is my favorite shallow cranks. Comes through cover pretty well. And they are fairly inexpensive too, just in case they don't come through the cover.... FD