fishingman88

I am aware of NFC rods. I don't know anybody who's fishing them right now so I haven't had a chance to test them yet.

Thinking about testing out some Phenix and *** rods. Been a faithful G. Loomis guy most of my life but after having fished a couple friends' Phenix rods I have to say I'm impressed.

Great setups to add to the collection Hope you enjoy them in 2015. It's okay, I fish both left and righty reels too

I think that was my biggest qualm about the CI4. It didn't feel "solid". I'll have to go try out the CI4+ sometime later this month.

I actually haven't used the CI4+ personally. Was it that much of a difference over the CI4? *Doh, just noticed the OP mentioned between the CI4+ and the FJ so my assessment is probably not fair.

I fish a lot of saltwater/inshore and personally after having fished both the CI4 and the FJ, I'd go with the FJ. The extra weight savings of the CI4 didn't really make much of a difference for me.

The tackle monkey....the only way to get him off your back is to purchase all your ideal setups haha

Clean reels. Rebuild rods. Buy gear. Rinse and repeat till the weather is warm enough

Welcome to BR!

Congrats and those scenery pictures look surreal!

Welcome! Good luck on your future endeavors

When you realize that going to your local tackle shop doesn't help anymore....you have better fishing reels and rods than them. Also...when you find yourself searching for months to buy a reel that no longer exists or very few people have and don't stop. There is this one Mustad hook we use out here in the East Coast for drum fishing from the surf. It was discontinued but I still think it is one of the best hooks made for drum fishing. My 2 buddies and I called 70+ tackle shops, searched eBay every day and every time a pack of these hooks come up we buy them all. It's been 2 years now and we still search regularly and buy every pack that comes up. Can't let anyone have them.

Welcome!

I did some quick Photoshop....here's a better option IMO.

That's a hog of a bass already. I don't think he needs to make it bigger But in all seriousness, number 3 definitely looks better. You could possibly use another photo editor and add a filter to put some life back into the picture.

Welcome to BR!

+1 I've tried the Lew's baitcast reels and was impressed. Spinning reels...I personally would avoid. All my friends who have bought a Lew's spinning reel have sold them after a couple months of having them. I'm all about sticking with a brand that works, but I personally think that the Shimano spinning reels are proven. +1 on the Saros and Stradic. I have a 2500 Saros FA and I love it.

John, I haven't had extensive testing with the Exsence, but it is DEFINITELY worth the money IMO. I honestly am surprised the price tag isn't a little higher on the Exsence. Build quality is solid and having the DC system is an absolute big plus.

I actually couldn't find new in the box Conquests. They were pretty much all clearanced out in the Tokyo area according to the shop owners in preparation for the new 2014 Conquests. I found two used Conquests at Tackleberry....but I made a mistake and didn't pull the trigger the day that I went. I found a Conquest 100 in above average condition for $150 and a Conquest 50 for $120 (had a grind so passed on this one), but I went back my last day in Japan to grab the Conquest 100 and the store was closed The Megabass reels were super super nice, but I had to make a rational decision as to what reels I was going to purchase before I went to Japan. Initially I was going to pick up a Zillion HLC, J-Dream, Conquest, and Certate 2013. However, realizing that I wanted to try out the DC system, I finalized on the Exsence DC. I handled the new Certate, but I actually ended up liking the Hyper Custom Certate more. If the store was open on the last day I would have definitely picked up the Conquest, so I'm kind of kicking myself for not buying the Conquest 100 when I first saw it. I'm really happy about the Ocea Jiggers because I'll be doing a lot more jigging trips this spring/summer and they've been really hard to find. Overally, I spent about 12 hours over 3 days just perusing the various tackle shops and would highly highly recommend anyone visiting Japan to check out the Sansui, Jumbo, and Tackleberry stores. The prices on used tackle are ridiculous and with the rate of the USD/Yen, I picked up new reels at a really great price too. I might be visiting Japan one more time this spring so I'm planning on looking at the new Conquests at that time and maybe pick up a PX68R as well. Who knows though ;P Things always change when you see things in person

So I just got back from my week long trip to Japan I'll update this post with more details later, but I figure I'd share my JDM purchases while I was over there. I ended up getting some reels that I didn't think I was going to get, but it was too hard to pass up. Saw way too many reels, but decided to pass on some good deals like an Alphas Finesse Custom for $110 (it was in mint condition) because I knew I'd be doing some more offshore jigging this year versus bass fishing. So here was my final purchases: 1) Shimano Exsence DC (Brand New) 2) Daiwa Certate 2506H (Used, but in Excellent Condition) 3) Shimano Ocea Jigger 5000P (Brand New, bought two of them ) Here are pictures: Shimano Exsence DC Daiwa Certate 2506H Hi Gear Custom Shimano Ocea Jigger 5000P

Line truly does come down to personal preference. I would give braid a shot and see if you like it or not. Also try fluro out as well. For me personally, I like to use Yozuri Hybrid in certain applications, but braid (Sufix 832) and a fluoro leader is my go to personally.

Take her fishing and just observe to see if she likes it or not. If she has questions, then patiently explain to her various techniques/etc and develop her own method. When you see that she is getting tired or bored, I would just call it a day and go out for a date somewhere and do some things she really enjoys. At the end of the day, just be in tune with how she is feeling and gauge how long you plan to stay out there for based on your observations. When I'm in fishing fever mode, I usually end up going out with the guys because we tough it out for hours on end until we catch some nice ones, but I've personally found that I when I fish with the girlfriend, it is usually a low pressure/just have a fun time with no regards to whether or not we land nice bass.

Definitely a beast of a cobia. It completely crushes the current world record. Largest cobia I've seen in person is 80lbs and that new world record makes it look like a dwarf.

I personally would exchange the Steez for whatever reel you are most comfortable with and have used quite a bit. In fact, you could get multiple setups with that kind of money. However, understanding that it is a gift, I would also give it a shot and see if you like it. I personally don't think the Steez is anything special especially for the $$$, but it isn't a bad reel by any means. I will admit that I have spent over $600+ on a single reel before (Shimano Stella SW series and Van Staals) only because I know they are tried and true in jigging (Stella) and surf fishing ( Van Staals). Both reels have undergone abuse that most reels would have had a higher potential to fail. I will agree that you should exchange the Steez for a Calais DC though That DC whine is soo addicting.

Thanks for the great idea! I actually had to use the silica gel packets one time inside my headlight housings to reduce the condensation that kept forming Now another use for them!