rippin-lips

We have 1 small local shop that carries some St. Croix premiers and cheaper stuff. There's another place an hour away but it's all budget rods too. Veritas,halo,ect Their tackle selection is pretty good though. I'm stuck buying online for rods/reels.

What is your total budget? More specific things can be mentioned if we know that part.

The bad part about buying rods you can't fish with first is that you might not be happy with your purchase. I've sold off more rods then I currently own due to that reason. The most recent being a Majorcraft Volkey. It was not a bfs model though. I fished it twice and tried to like it but it wasn't meant to be. They look nice though.

Been using it for years on the river. Smallmouth love it!

You already know what the issue is. It's not the reel,bait, or the line. It's the guide on your rod. It's cutting through your line. Exchange the rod! Side note - #12 mono will be easier to learn on.

Denali - tip heavy and unbalanced. Cashion - great rod but the guides are tiny. Might not be a good choice if you fish around a bunch of junk. I loved my 6'9 all purpose though.

Same exact thread is just a bit further down the page.

I've shipped 3 in a TW tube. For my Texas trip I bought a length of 5" PVC with end caps. I shipped 8 rods in it. Arrived both ways with no damage.

The MajorCraft Volkey series has some good bfs rods to look into.

I thought they did. I didn't want to give out false info though. Yeah I knew about the components. It'd be tough to not use Fuji stuff or other companies. My first 'good' rod was a Cashion that was an off the shelf offering but I spoke with Matt on the phone and had him use a different reel seat that isn't standard on his rods.

Not 100% sure on the blank but Cashion builds their own rods in house.

Plenty of toothy fish in my local lake. Also if you are fishing where bass are there will be pickerel in the same area. They love grass beds. For me it's just part of the game. I do lose some tackle but I do that in waters without toothy fish also. I will use a steel leader when throwing my larger swimbaits. I don't want to lose a $25-75 bait.

That's how I view life. If my bills are paid then why not put a smile on my face by buying something I will enjoy. I could die on my way home this evening from work.

I seal mine with U-40. It also darkens it just a tad which brings out some of the natural patterns. I like how that looks.

Yes, I know. I've owned one.

It's a downsized Gantarel. It's 5" long and weighs 1.5oz

The 90mm avail handles look very nice. The Met xg handle is nice too. I had one on a Ch51 I built. Hawgtech makes a nice handle. Only issue for me being they don't have a 90mm swept carbon handle. Also it won't except Daiwa knobs, and that's a total deal breaker.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

You use the larger end to push the pin flush with the spool shaft. Then flip it around to the smaller end to totally remove it. I have the gen 1 HH tool and have removed more pins than I can remember without a single issue.

You didn't last very long on the megabass kick.

l&l is a whiteish liquid. That's pretty normal from my experience. It'll even leave white spots on your reel if you go crazy with it.

I use #16 on my main T rig rod and it's usually not with l&l. I think it handles fine.

I throw sniper on a handful of reels. I also use l&l when I remember to apply it. I've never had any issues. It does seem to tame it down. I use 16 and 20. Never tried anything under those.

I've used them before. I think it was the 1/16oz size. No complaints really. It's a simple way to add a bit of weight for a faster fall. I like that they're designed to allow the worm to still fall horizontally. Unlike using a nail weight in the head. Also they don't rotate like when using a jig head. All of the hook is exposed too. My current pb fell victim to one so maybe I'm biased.