HOG727

I'm talking bait casters. This claim about braid backing adding distance seemed dubious to me also. So I bought a scale to test the weight claim. My initial reading is this: on my Curado 200Is', a spool filled all braid weighed 24 grams and full mono weighed 32. so half spool you could save 4-5 grams (about 20-25% spool weight) As you move toward lighter lures, you can see what the Japanese will do to save that much weight.

if your line cost 10 dollars a refill spool for 150yds, and your reel holds 150yds, your wasting 5 dollars by simply removing all the line off your reel vs taking off half and top-shotting 75 yads of new line. Sorry you and your friends consider Seaguar foolish though.

Not using backing is wasteful. Quality braid is expensive to me but may not be expensive for everybody. Seaguar Smackdown is 30.00$ at Tackle Whorehouse for 150 yds. Using backing saves 15 bucks a reel per year for me. I can still reverse 75 yards of it. Aaron Martens uses braid backing as do I. Theory dictates it's lighter and you can cast further with a lighter spool. I simply apply a 2 inch strip of painters tape over my knot to keep it smoothed down. This has the added benefit of limiting any backlash to the depth of the tape. I actually use less than 75 yards because I always have backup rod/reels handy and so getting a few yards broke off isn't a factor to me as I'll just grab another reel. I can't stand fishing a reel that isn't fully spooled anyway.

It's really easy guys, just treat the boater or non-boater how you would like to be treated. Some people have empathy and some don't. I can't catch fish behind a guy paralleling rip-rap and moving 3 MPH with the boat side 3 feet from the bank. But if my boater does it, I'm still pulling for him and don't mind if it's not all day. One of my worst boater stories- I'm fishing my first B.A.S.S Nation regional at Lake of the Ozarks and draw a stud of a stick from Texas-Tom Jessup. I'm super respectful and he is a fishing machine but his style allows me very little opportunity. Then, he has to work very hard in windy conditions to position the boat on a spot. I wait until after he cast and then make a parallel crank-bait cast that was behind the console line. We both hook up and he shakes off his small one and I call for the net as mine is going to be close. He dutifully nets my fish and holds the net on both sides and as I start to reach in for it, he shakes the net violently and the trebles tangle the net into a mess. I have to sit down and pick it out while he cast to the school. I just would never consider doing that to anyone and was in stunned disbelief.

Ask someone with a boat to take you fishing, chip in for some gas if he'll take it and get a line wet. Nothing beats time on the water.

Thanks to the original poster. It's better than any magazine article I've read. I do the co angler thing, fish out of my bass boat, fish with friends in their boat, and fish out of canoes and kayaks. With rods, food, drinks, foul weather gear, organizing your tackle is a great topic. The Co angler has some issues that make organization and efficiency a huge challenge. The boaters aren't always specific about what you're going to be doing. So, you sometimes have to be ready to fish anywhere on the lake at any depth, any speed. The storage space is not a given either. You have to worry about your tackle blowing out at 70mph and getting rained on. I use the NRS Saddle Bag Cooler to be water PROOF and strap it to whatever is availabe with a bungee that has a carabiner on each end. It will fit at your feet and you can attach the carabiner to your hand hold.

Hawgtech bearings do have nylon races. Their web-site says they are quieter and have better free spool characteristics.

I bought some ceramic bearings from Hawgtech and was really impressed with the whole transaction. They make stuff to trick out your reel and I could tell they are really into it. I was pleased with the increase in free spool for my old Pflueger President. Can't wait to throw it . The shipping was only $3.

They are an incredible jig trailer. With skirt or not. Go with YOUR confidence color.

1/4 ounce football head jig, smallie beaver trailer, match colors to crawfish living there, pumpkin/watermelon great place to start, 10 lb fluorocarbon line with bait caster, fish it very slow with plenty of pauses in the deepest holes/ The question was for big fish. and i had fished a stream dozens of times catching hundreds of nice fish. When i switched to the jig I started catching the monsters that lurk deep.

Tackle Warehouse? Thanks everyone from the thread starter. I fished Berkley Vanish in the past and did not think it performed very well. It looks like with the sale price, InvisX will get spooled up some this spring.

I did search and couldn't find any recent discussions and I appreciate the input. There are so may brands out there and they are always changing formulations (or at least ad campaigns). This spring I rode in the back of a couple of BASS Elite Pros and they both used fluorocarbon for jig fishing. But paid sponsors are one thing and everyday customer reviews are another. I wanted to use Bass Pro Shops but i read on the forum where they changed it. Also where to buy to get the best price? The price range really isn't important if it's a good product. I've just had some poor experiences and paid a lot for it in the past.

Baitcast 15-20. What line do you guys like? Since a spool of FC is a sizable investment and there are some poor products out there, I would appreciate any input, good and bad.

Soft reset may help- Hold down pages and power button at same time until it beeps, then release.

Weather is preventing m from trying out my new Curado I that i picked up at the Classic. I talked to 2 different reps and they have technology in them that I've never seen before. The braking system rubs near the center and really looks different. Adjustable without opening up. They bragged on how well milled the spool is and a couple of other different technologies. They realized the G was a disappointment and want to reestablish the reputation.

If I can rephrase your question. - Should I be using a 5-1 reel for square lip crankbaits and lipless cranks? One of the reasons I bought the 200E5 was to fish lipless cranks slow (and swimbaits) . I know that's unusual but it's what I wanted to do. When I get a couple of bites, It's real hard for me to slow down. I've got plenty of fast reels but the E5 definitely has a place in my arsenal. 5-1 may be too slow for crashing a square bill into stuff but I don't know. It might help picking your way through stuff but I'm not a crankbait expert. It is too slow to rip a rattletrap over grass. If you don't like it, you don't like it. Bill Dance said "Confidence is the best tool in your tacklebox". Change something (balsa vs. plastic)(reel ratio) if you're not comfortable with your set-up.

You need to check out Tackleunderground.com . The absolute best source for info and techniques in a forum.

Bass Pro Shops Extreme, A few of my friends really like these. Catch theme on sale at 59$ I'm not overly impressed but I'm kind of a snob. My old one does dependable duty.

I buy my reels on e-bay about 80% of the time and the other advice is dead on. If a guy has a 99% score and has sold a lot of stuff ,he's a solid bet. Buy New stuff and check the return policy. This month I bought 2 2010 curado e's delivered for 145 apiece or so. 180 plus shipping at Bass Pro.

I'd say they are 1.5 to 1.75 times the weight of a 5 inch senko. Significantly heavier.

No, you're not crazy. Try rigging them with MR. Blitz "Toad Toters" or a simular hook. They kind of look like swimbait hooks and are hard to describe. Mr. Vince miller showed me how to rig them at Fish' N'Stuff in North Little Rock AR( MAD PROPS) I think he has a website, but if you call, he will tell you the exact size to order.

Guys, I was very impressed with this bait and would highly reccomend a package or two to try. They have a unique egg sack that can be rigged two different directions. See reaction innovation website (learn how to rig) They sink like mad untill the salt disolves. then they still catch fish(my impression). They have the fluke action deeper under the water (much more irratic and side to side than senko) 5/0 ewg texposed. RI has some awesome colors and I started with watermelon/red flake. I caught all 3 species of blacks on it in one hour. If you see a pack just give em a try.

I plan on fihing the sweet beaver this year. A tube is one of my favorite lures. What factors do you guys take under consideration for fishing one over the other?