jonnylee82

Has anyone ever used Rodbroker?

Certate 3000-CH for me.

4 oz. flipping rod sounds great! I don't care about the color. I'm thinking of getting one of these.

I keep my tackle limited to 5-6 rods and one tackle bag. I find that it's the perfect balance between being too cluttered and not having enough stuff. Also, I'm thinking of getting a Bac Rac for next season. It might be pretty helpful for us co-anglers.

It's probably too late this year, but I'm fairly new to Lawrence. Can I get some information on joining? I'm a non-boater.

Same thing happened to my Live Pointer. Painful, but I had to chuck it. Who knows? You could turn it into something productive. You never know unless you try.

I know it has a strong following, but the live pointer disappointed me.

My favorite used to be the Kreature before the Sweet Beaver came along. The SB really does the trick anywhere. It's really versatile. I use it as a jig trailer, I T-rig it or rig it weightless, I drop-shot it, I pitch and flip it, shakey head... whatever I do, it works great.

I also use heavier tackle when using flukes, slug-gos, z toos, etc. I use a 6'6" MH BC rod with 12-20# test mono, depending on the cover. When fishing hard jerkbaits, I mostly use a 6'6" or 6'10" M or MH spinning rod with lighter line - 8-10# test fluorocarbon. I will on occasion change to BC gear -- a 6'6" M or MH rod with 12# test mono -- if there is a significant amount of cover nearby.

I really like the Extreme rods. I can't say the same about the reels. They're not that smooth, and every once in a while, the sideplate falls off by itself.

RI Vixen and BL Vixen

I just got the Ultimate Bluegill from ***. I'm mainly going to use it for spawning bass; I know it works for that. Also, I'd swim it by ambush points and over weeds, not really in open water. Go with mono on swimbaits, fluorocarbon if they're really line shy. I can't wait 'til it warms up a bit here. That thing looks so real I might fry it up. Thanks, Matt.

Sorry, Shad Master, I misunderstood what you were saying. Yeah, it might help sell more lures. I've never tried it. I have used gulp! a whole lot. I whack 'em on the 4" june bug turtle back worm. I also used the sinking minnows, minnow grubs, night crawlers... they're totally confidence lures for me.

FoodSource has been banned by the FLW because it's 100% natural food. They consider it like bait. It's not an advertising claim.

Not on your list but should be: Reaction Innovations Vixen and Barely Legal Vixen. Hands down the best walking baits I've used.

Fluorocarbon line is going to be stiffer than mono in general. It'll have the tendency to spring off like that. Like others have said, don't overfill the spool. It also helps to have a bigger spool. I think your biggest problem is that Berkeley makes the crappiest fluoro out of everyone. I like the BPS brand, but you should try out different FCs and change to something other than Vanish. And the KVD line and lure conditioner works too. Hope that helps.

Different sizes will balance out differently, but if you want better casting and less line twist, go with the 3000.

You can't go wrong with either choice. Personally, I'd go with the KVD, but I have several Quantum rods, and I like them. I don't like the BPS rods as much as I used to, but that's only because I've gotten used to some of the more expensive rods. For the price, the Bionic Blade and Extremes are hard to beat, and I still like them a lot.

Hey, why not the 40? I have an Energy PTi-A 40. It holds a lot of line, and the larger spool allows the line to come off evenly without any springing. It's especially good with handling lighter fluorocarbon lines. I use it for drop shotting, split shotting, shakey head, finesse jigs, and whole bunch of other finesse situations. I pretty much only use fluoro on my spinning reels, and this reel handles it the best. But since this doesn't answer your question, I would say go with the 30.

Good idea or bad idea? I have the 6'10" version, and it's great for spinnerbaits. I was just wondering if I could also use it for frogs. It's a MH, and the tip is soft enough to have really good action. I don't really want to get a rod just for frogs right now. Well, actually I do, but I can't really afford that.

Sufix is great; it has very low memory, casts far, knots don't slip, and it's abrasion resistant. That being said, I'm switching my mono to Gamma Copolymer. I've found the Gamma to be a little better in all categories. It's clearer like FCs, but it handles more like monos. For crankbaits, I'm sticking with Sufix because I like the amount of stretch it gives.

Both of the Sufix mono lines are great for crankbaits. They have a lot of stretch - too much for some. I like the Siege for my crankbaits.

I haven't seen it on the air for a while, but The Scott Martin Fishing Challenge is a pretty cool show. Like every show, there's a plug for whatever his sponsors want him to show, but the rest of the show has him and a competitor in a mini tournament. They talk about the patterns they discover and on the water adjustments. It's one of the best for tournament information. I also like the BPS and the Lindners's Angling Edge tv show.

I used to use cheap sunglasses. I'd buy a pair or two replacements every year. After buying my Oakleys, I haven't had to buy a replacement for about 4 years now. The quality of the lenses definitely makes a difference. And the overall quality holds up to the abuse I put it through. Natives are okay, but they're not up to the level of Oakley lenses. You do get three extra sets of lenses, but they're not polarized. I recently bought a pair of Smith Optics sunglasses (model: Chamber; photochromic polarized copper lens; ~ $150). These are my new favorites. They have glass lenses that are noticeably clearer than any of my other lenses, and they're not as heavy as I heard glass lenses would be. Their lenses and frames come in different materials, colors, and options.

I fish a similar pond here in Boston. When I use crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits, the bass seem to do the same thing. They swim up behind it and stop. I usually speed up my retrieve a lot. And if this doesn't work, I go with stickbaits like the senko.