buzzed bait

i've bought a few unseen. not my favorite thing to do but i research the **** out of everything i buy so i usually have a pretty good idea of what i'm buying. also, i would buy from a reputable joint that would guarantee the product/shipping of the product and allow for returns if you just flat out didn't like it.

welcome, you'll find a wealth of information here!

i'm going to say a reel.... mostly because i have little or no fear of breaking them, thus i can spend a little more $$ on them. that's just my stupid rationalization for it.....

that makes sense..... yet another reason i'm reluctant to get into the tournament scene... it just seems so much more fun to do it on your own rules.

you just need to step up the size of the lures you're throwing on it. from what i see, the rod is rated for lures from 1/4 oz up to 1.25 oz. i would say try throwing some baits in the 1/2 - 3/4 range and see if you're casting ability improves. try tossing some 1/2 oz jigs or something like that and see if you notice a difference. you will need to have the adequate amount of weight on the lure to get the rod to cast properly. good luck, VERY nice combo you have there....

first world problems....

i had a right hand cu-200 i didn't use very much and traded to bluebasser. i recently picked up a left hand cu-201 and it has treated me VERY well as my cranking reel.

i'm not in the same league as these guys, but my tatula reel/rod combo or my curado 300e/okuma swimbait rod would be my more expensive set ups. i just can't bring myself to spend more than about $300 per combo. maybe one of these days i will treat myself to a nicer set up, but even at that i think more than $500-$600 would be crazy for me to spend. if i could find more time to get on the water i could justify it, but right now i just couldn't even think about it.

that's my kind of project.... one with a 6 month deadline!

i have a ride 135 and love it. but i will admit it's a bit bigger than most kayaks so keep that in mind. my buddy has a coosa and it's a nice little yak, and like jfrancho says the seat is really nice. but so is the seat on my ride.... keep in mind the additional costs such as paddle, quality pfd, and any accessories like fishfinder, etc. if you want a stable boat, the ride is incredible. i can stand and fish all day with no worries of tipping.

you talking about soft or hard swimbaits? and what size or weight are you looking for?

that's a sweet little stash of unused baits. if you go too long and start to really feel bad about neglecting those guys, let me know and i'll send you a shipping label

they look good to me. i would like to throw one, but am commited to by megabass pop max i just picked up right now.

3/8 brush jig or 3/8 arky jig (from siebert of course)

welcome Tim

i laughed at you getting dizzy from the noise.... sounds like something i would do. at least you had somebody and the gear to get it out.

nice fish man, not sure where you're located either but it looks nice and sunny....

i pretty much fish year round. ice isn't a factor for me. the only difference is that i am not hitting the water at 6 AM when it's cold and i'm not fishing after dark when it's cold. from Dec to Feb i pretty much only fish from about 10AM to 4PM and that's pushing it....

hope your boys do well in the big one! i was just glad the cardinals got put to rest....

i somehow hooked a fish yesterday on a crankbait where like 5 of the 6 hooks of the 2 trebles were all sorts of fouled up on the in and outside of the fish's mouth. i've hooked some fish bad before, but this was one odd hook up.... that said i felt like i did more damage than i should have trying to get him unpinned. a "single hook" application (non trebles) like the rig wouldn't have this same problem. i'm not an a-rig fisher, but that's just because i don't want to dedicate the gear and or time to throwing it. it just doesn't appeal to me personally. i do not fish for money so i can't say how i would feel at that point. my only thoughts are that the different fishing organizations should try to have the same or very similar rules. that way as an angler, you wouldn't be confused about which rules/regulations apply for that organization. just my opinions.....

i saw some 25-30lb carp about a month ago that looked like life size torpedos darting through some mud flats.... aside from that i'm thinking the biggest one i've "seen" was likely on the same outing a month ago when i saw what looked to be about a 9 maybe 10 pound largie smash something in about 6 inches of water.... all i could see was the mass of this fish and was literally stunned.... needless to say i spent the next hour trying to catch that pig with no luck

i'm with wayne. i have no loyalty to those big companies because they have none to me.... but one area where i have been very loyal, i haven't bought a single jig from anywhere after i bought the first round from siebert. i've since placed 3 re-orders. that is about as loyal as i am to any company....

sounds like you could at any depth with those baits

i prefer the early AM, but i will take any time on the water! i will say though that between about 2pm and 5pm i find myself paying a little less attention.... i think that's just programmed from being like that at work

thanks for the replies guys