SudburyBasser

I tend to use braid for two years -- one year on one reel then I put it reversed on another one so that the line that never saw sun or water has its chance at glory. No reason to waste money buying line when you have perfectly good line sitting there. I don't use mono anymore but I generally changed it once a season.

I finesse fished with 20# braid last year and didn't notice much of a problem (had a lot and didn't feel like buying more line). That said, this year I'm going to be using a Stradic CI4 2500 so I had it spooled with lighter line. My other two set ups -- crankbait and top water -- have 20# braid. Overkill for the relatively clean lakes I tend to fish but I'm paranoid.

1. Almost never. I find it uncomfortable to have my finger out on the line when I worm/jig -- which is when I use a spinning reel. 2. My brother-in-law -- the boat guy -- doesn't have a bass boat (it's a pleasure craft) so we couldn't have two guys upfront even if we wanted to.

Pretty much looks exactly like what I have in my new every day carry tackle bag.

I know a lot of people probably look down on the President but for that price it's a pretty dandy reel. I just bought a Stradic CI4 for finesse fishing but for two years I used a President in that capacity and I found it a pretty darned good reel.

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and... Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten? Nigel Tufnel: Exactly. Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder? Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where? Marty DiBergi: I don't know. Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven. Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder. Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder? Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.

Went in for some plastics, lipless cranks and a spinnerbait on Sunday. Stuff I of course need. Also splurged on a Stradic CI4 that I absolutely didn't need...but it apparently has four electrons for each carbon atom so that means it's nuclear powered and help me to catch more fish...right?

You'd be surprised. Although we don't (usually) have extended insane heat streaks up here, it's not unknown to have a couple of weeks were the temperature can touch the low 90s for a while. But I think you're right, it shouldn't be too much an issue. Yeah, that's about what I did. A small Plano bag with two boxes -- one terminal gear, the other some spinnerbaits, inline spinners, crankbaits -- lipless and otherwise. I decided to put the plastics back in their individual bags to minimize any potential issues. Now I just have to wait for the snow to go. Sigh.

As long as you're paying your bills, saving some money and not going into debt I say spend the money and regret nothing. Life is too short for that sort of thing. Besides, as others have said in this thread, the first time you use it you won't think of the money you spent

Most definitely The Walking Dead, ha ha. When the zombie apocalypse hits I'll be like those poor zombies in the mall in Dawn of the Dead, aimlessly shuffling around...except I'll be on a lake and watching line coming off my reel with a blank look on my face. Not much different from now-a-days :-)

One more vote for the braid. Switched to it last year in that application and my detection rate went up. If only I didn't have the reaction time of a corpse :-)

Hmmm, so unless I get rid of the soft plastics or live with the risk that they might combine and create a new super plastic it looks like I'm not just leaving this in the back. Well, thanks for the responses gents.

I think it's clear how companies will respond to this new Rapala lure. They'll make a crankbait with a lip that concaves in the other direction. It will be a new cold war in the world of crankbaits.

Yeah, I would have cried just passing by, let alone being the owner.

I rely mostly on recommendations from people on this web site and factor in what colours would be most appropriate for up here in northern Canada. I will confess to occasionally falling prey to the "new pretty shiny thing syndrome" but age and experience has taught me that's usually throwing good money away.

I hit over $70K without even trying! An expensive way of learning how to tow properly.

Howdy all: I just completed by every day carry shore fishing kit -- never know when you're going to drive by a lake and feel the urge to drop a line -- and I had a question about plastics and heat. I was planning to keep the tackle bag in my Jeep all the time so that I wouldn't forget it but it occurred to me that heat and soft plastic were rarely friends. I have a bunch of soft plastics in a Plano box. Now air temperatures can hit up to 35C/95F during summer so I suppose you could tack on another 10 or 15 degrees for inside the vehicle. Is this going to be enough to actually melt the plastics and make them unusable? Would keeping the plastics in the Jeep for extended periods of time render them unusable?

Okay, so I only went to the outfitter to buy some stuff for an every day carry shore fishing set-up in case I drive by a lake and feel the urge. Made the mistake of stopping by the reel counter and saw the Shimano CI4 was on sale. Walked out with the stuff for the shore fishing kit...and the CI4. Thank God for that large tax refund...sigh. Oh well, at least my worm and jig set up is absolutely going to kick butt.

I feel real sorry for Russell Lane...guy can't catch a break...or a fish.

Lake Istokpoga in Florida. I've never even heard of the place. Anyone familiar with this? At any rate, it apparently starts airing April 5.

So it looks the weigh in shook some up...Ike and Pace are in first after day one.

Lane wrote about his day here: http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/not-one-bite-today As the URL might hint, it was not a good day for him.

Saw Soundgarden a few times (most recently three weeks ago and was incredibly close to the stage) and loved them. Best concert ever? Neil Young in 93. Backing band was Booker T and the MGs and opening was Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. For the second finale, Young, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden came on and hammered "Rockin' the Free World"...absolutely epic. Also saw U2 as part of the Zoo TV tour back in the early 90s and it was a fantastic show. Could have saw Springsteen back in August but had just returned from the Carribbean and decided to rest that weekend. From what I hear I missed a stellar show. Still kicking myself over that one. Other shows I've seen included Van Halen, Tool (amazing live and I was only four rows from the stage) and other ones I can't remember from the early 90s...saw more heavy metal acts than I can possibly remember and a lot of old school blues men who have sadly passed on.

I must confess that I almost bought a Carrot Stick just because of the brilliant orange...and I probably would have slapped something like a white reel on it if I could have found one up here...

Ha ha, and above his avatar he has "I dont always power fish, but when i do, im better than KVD"...a guy merely noted for power fishing spinnerbaits