Silas

Waiting for my LTB 6'9 to arrive as I sit in a hotel room in Baton Rouge to ride out Hurricane Isaac! Glad it's late. Decided to apply extra money for Extreme towards a Team Daiwa SOL I just ordered. Said not to ship till Friday. No mail service for next few days. At least I'll have a new finesse rig in case I dont have a house! Probably can fish out of my backyard! Thank goodness for IPhone.

Wel, I took your advice and actually found a Daiwa SOL brand new and ordered it today! Was a tad expensive at $212.00 , but i bit the bullet and ordered it. Told them to ship Friday, since Wednesday we are about to be hit by Hurricane Isaac! I want to commemorate this extraordinary experience with my "Isaac Reel!"Now , how's that for optimism. Going to ride this sucker out on the banks of the Little Natlabany River! Wish me luck!!

UPS delivered the 723 today....put a Pflueger President with 832 yellow braid and took it out on pier. Put a Jackall frog on it. Casts well: a bit more heavy than I thought it would be. Will give a good workout tomorrow. Better than the Mojo for sure.....but still...looks....utilitarian, I guess is the word. Sort of a "workhorse." That will be fine; I just thought it would be a little better. Works better than it looks. So, I'm pleased. And, it looks like it will set the hook with the frog very well.

It's the Izorline Platinum series. Says Copolymer monofilament. Only reason I bought it was because Brian of Brian's B's recommended it with his custom crankbaits. So, when I ordered the crankbaits, I ordered the line. As I recall, it was pretty cheap, also Haven't fished it enough to tell much however. It casts well and has little memory. I've got some Sufix 10lb Siege on the other Curado. I like it. But, strangely I can't see the line at all in the water.....makes it hard to watch for line movement. Great casting however.

Well, I'm looking at Curado 50E's right now! Gotta find a good price. Anyone know of a deal? I use it for 3-4" finesse wacky worms. Kills them down here. (Because no one goes that small) I live on a bayou and the bass will rarely go above 3 lbs. So the smaller the bait the better the chance. Lots of weightless worms.....been killin' them on FishNFool worms too. Rigged weedless and weightless. Slow fall. Chartreuse/black.

Thanks for the heads up, Capt. Bob! Just ordered the very one you recommended (LTBC69MLXF) I don't think I can get a better deal anywhere. Now, what reel to pair it with? What do you recommend of these? Shimano Calcutta 200GTB, Shimano Curado 100D, Shimano Curado 200E5, Pflueger President, or NOS Vintage Lew's Speed Spool? I use 10# and 12# mono/flouro line and cast very light baits: unweighted worms, Senkos, Rage Claws, small crankbaits.

Brian's "B's" Custom Prop "B" #3 Sort of like a vintage Skipjack Shad....but lots better.

At present, I'm enjoying my Falcon Lowrider: 7ft,

Actually, I just received my combo within the last week: Casting: Rod: Dobyns Champion Extreme DX702C Finesse 7ft. Reel: Shimano Curado 100D Line: Izonline 12# Can't believe how great this combo is!!

Seems to be moot because the drought is drying up all the corn....not enough for feed, and certainly not enough for fuel.

Serenity of mind. Peace! "Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy!"

Well, I took a chance and ordered the 723, 7'2" MH today.....from TW. How bad can it be? I'll either pair it up with a Shimano Calcutta 200GTB for light cranks and frogs. Or, with my just bought today, Curado 200E5, for small cranking. Should be in later this week......I'll let you guys know. At present, my best rods are the G Loomis and a just acquired Dobyns Champion Extreme. Also have a Mojo, that is OK. I'm hoping it is at least BETTER than the St. Croix Mojo.....which was $100.

We call them "Choupique" in the South! Choupique balls are a Cajun delicacy!! They are infamous for bustin' up tackle if you lift him into the boat. We use a litte "persuader" to calm him down when we unhook them. By the way, don't "lip" them with your thumb and forefinger......lots of tiny teeth that can abraid your skin instantly. Sometimes we lovingly call them "Cypress Trout!" They DO put up quite the fight!

No, that wasn't me! But, as I write, I just got my THIRD Vintage Speed Spool off Ebay for $45 shipped!! Cleaned it up and am going to purchase a Dobyns rod for it soon. Gonna spool some 12lb Izorline Copolymer Mono on it. This particular model Lew's is the BB-1N without the anti reverse. Got a couple of CUSTOM CRANKBAITS from Marty Burns,(Big M) on this forum......they are the "Bomb!!"

I ordered one from Tackle Warehouse. Seemed like a pretty good rod for the price. However, on the 2nd trip with it, it snapped (splintered) right in the middle of the rod, in the middle of a cast of a frog. Just splintered, then kind of folded back to straight. It felt funny and the frog kind of crumpled in front of the boat. I was stunned! Called TW and asked if I could send the rod back to them and EXCHANGE it for a Falcon Lowrider.....what I meant is, to give me the purchase price of the Shock on the Lowrider. They were happy to do it. Extremely well pleased with the Lowrider.....of course it was more than twice the price. The first trip out with the Shock, I found it just OK......but nothing I would pick up and use a lot. Would be a great second rod for a fishing partner with no equipment.

Thanks, guys! I have a Falcon Lowrider that I'm using for tubes, wacky worms, and the occassional Senko. I like to throw very light lures, so I'll probably get the Medium Heavy, too. I love my Lowrider! And also a G Loomis.....just wanted to experience the different set-ups, and the Dobyns looked like it would be perfect!

Nice shot of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old Bourbon! Takes the edge off! In fact, I didn't catch anything today and I'll pour one right now.

Thanks, Hootie! I was thinking the same thing! Which model of Dobyn do you have?

I'm about ready to order another casting rod for my incomining Vintage Lew's Speed Spool! I'm trying to decide on one of 2 rods: Dobyns Savvy Series Micro guide Med. Heavy 6'6" (This is NOT the Extreme $320 one) Duckett Mircro guided 6'6" Medium. Both are $150 from Tackle Warehouse. I fish shallow bayous with wacky worms, small jig headed worms/crawfish, jerkbaits, tubes, small crankbaits. If you were to buy one of these, what would you get....and why? Thanks, guys!

I used to have 2 Lews Speed Spools years ago. The reels that they competed with, for me, was a Garcia 5000C and a Garcia 1500C. I liked the low profile and smooth casting of the Lews. I accidentally kicked both of them overboard while winter fishing! Broke my heart! Recently I bought 2 New Old Stock Lews BB1Ns on ebay and fish them side by side with my Shimano Calcutta 200GTB, and my Pflueger President. I also use some Daiwa SM-1's. The Shimano Calcutta is a smoother caster, but I really enjoy the Lews......I think they feel right in the hand and cast very well. I like them better than the Plueger, which is also a very smooth caster. I especially use the Lews with crankbaits. In my opinion, new reels have no real advantage over the vintage Lews. Parts will be more difficult, I'm sure, but I haven't had to replace any.

I don't mean to be mean, just commenting for safety. That had to be the worst use of a chef's knife that I have ever seen. I surely expected you to cut yourself as soon as you place the tip in the anal opening and sliced upward TOWARD your hand! Good thing you only had ONE fish. On the third fish, you would have surely cut yourself. And all the fin cutting was just extraneous, irrelevant motion. At least you wouldn't cut yourself doing that. I would suggest to invest in an electric knife, and the whole process would be over in 15-30 seconds and you wouldn't have to go to the hospital. Great song: "Country Boys Will Survive" But if you keep cleaning bass like this, you'll end up in the hospital. But....it certainly was a "gutsy" way to do it!

Kabar, check the ebayer's feedback. Usually if he is reputable , there is no problem. As to the 580G lens in green mirror, I find they are the absolute BEST in freshwater situations.....used mine today!! The clarity and contrast are simply stunning! I can assure you, this wont be your last pair. You NOW need one for INTENSE bright light......so the BLUE MIRROR LENS is best for that. The Costa Permit model is large and great for fishing, especially in salt water or open fresh water lakes. They are a tad larger than the Blackfins. Lots of guys on jet skis wear them around here.

I'm a sunglass freak: I have Vintage Bausch and Lomb Ray Bans, Costas, Maui Jims, Wileys, Persol. . I like the Costa Blackfin with Green Mirror 580G (that's GLASS vs the P which is polycorbonate) BPS has them for list of $249. Ebay for $160. Best for freshwater fishing. Large on the face and keeps out side glare. I have the Costa ballast with Bronze 580P lens wrap around style.....good all around for fishing AND driving. Very light on the face. . On the bay for $115. I really like the ST (Super Thin) glass lens in the Maui Jims. I have the Shoreline with Bronze lens.....about as good as the Costas. Also have the Peahi which is the same size as the Costa Blackfin....pretty large....with Grey ST lens.....great for saltwater.....$160 on the Bay. My Ray Bans are all Vintage Bausch and Lombs and are NOT Polarized but 100% UV protected. Wayfarer, Clubmaster, Wayfarer Max, are my personal favorites. Also, a folding Steve McQueen PERSOL.......great trick glasses.....folds up small and look great.....not polarized. I don't think you can get by with ONE pair of sunglasses...... Try driving in a pouring rain with a Bronze lens polarized......cuts right through it!

Vintage crankbait by Lonnie Stanley.....about 30 years old, balsa, FLAT blade....first one I ever had that would go over limbs. Color: Pea Green (light green back, chartreuse side, and pinkish bottom) Bait was called Tennessee Shad. Have about 4 of these left....have caught more fish on this crankbait than any other.

I feel the same as you....my first braid was the EZ Braid. It seemed to work ok for 3 or 4 trips. A little stiff. Then it started to fray a little so I cut about 6 feet off.....twice. then I switched to Sufix 832 gold.....wow! What a difference! Smoother casting and limper. Bought some Power Pro on advice of a fisherman and liked it too! So, all in all, I'll NOT be going back to EZ Braid. Good price on it....but not worth it in the long run.