jdl2425

The rods are not aesthetically pleasing to my eyes and way outta my price range. I just hope they don't give out "sponsorships" to everyone and then a thousand "pro-staff" people start flooding the internet and tackle shops. I see their website already has a pro-staff page.

Can't speak for the new Lew's LFS series, but my buddy used the orra sx this previous season and loved it. He let me try it out and I thought it felt good. Not only does the star drag click, but the mechanical brake knob clicks as well, which is a feature most reels in the $99 price range don't have. As much as I have enjoyed my Lew's, I would give the orra a shot.

Ardent's new line up of reels look a lot more pleasing to the eye than their old Edge reels did. I was at Bassfest yesterday as well, but I was more interested in playing around with the Shimano reels than the Ardents. From what I've read, the reviews of Ardent's Edge series of reels leaned towards the negatives more than the positives. Hopefully they stepped their game up, despite being made in China now.

Wacky rigged senko. I don't even carry any with me now. I can't stand waiting for it to sink and working it slow.

When there's no wind, I've been able to get them to bite, even in water where topwater temps are not ideal. Xcalibur zell pop is my topwater of choice.

I like to throw jerkbaits mainly (I'm not much of a jig fisherman). If a warm front comes through, or even better, a warm rain, then I like to throw red eye shads with a yo-yo retireve.

Reels: Shimano, Abu Garcia, Lews, Pflueger Rods: Abu Garcia, Cabela's, Berkley

I prefer rivers and lakes. I find them to be more of a challenge than ponds, especially when shore fishing. I feel a greater sense of accomplishment when I can catch bass in lakes and reservoirs.

I own this combo with the medium heavy rod. The rod, as I expected, leaves a lot to be desired. Sensitivity is limited and I don't even know if it has any action (probably moderate action). But I've made due with it and caught plenty of fish with it. I can throw a 3/16 oz. weight a decent distance when I practice cast. I've actually beat the rod pretty good and it hasn't had any guide problems or anything. That being said, the black max reel is great for the price but I'd stay away from the rod.

Poppers tend to work best for the waters I fish ( typical water depths are usually 5 ft or less). The xcalibur zell pop, for $10, is worth every penny. I have yet to catch a fish on a spook and buzzbait.

My bass fishing has really improved this year. I used to mainly pursue trout but this year has pretty much been all bass. I accomplished my 2 fishing goals of the year; 1. Catch a bass 3lbs or over and 2. catch over 100 bass (originally I just wanted to get to 50 but then I realized I was going to pass that with ease). My friend is a great bass fisherman so he really helped me out with my gear and techniques. I learned a lot about baitcasters and how to maintain them from this site.

I'd like to try a swimbait next year, probably a spro bbz-1, but I don't have the proper gear for swimbaits, so I'm not sure if I'll get one. But I want to see the what all the hype about them is for myself.

I take most weather predictions with a grain of salt. To me a "chance" of a storm means the weatherman has no idea what's going to happen and they say that just to be safe.

I'm in the minority of people here, as I absolutely hate senkos. Here's my suggestions for you: KVD 1.0 or 1.5 in black back chartreuse or any color of your choice; If you let them bounce off the rocks you say you fish around, you're sure to get bit. (Don't try to set the hook if you feel a thump as its most likely a rock. Instead pause for a few seconds to let the bait rise over the rock. This is when a fish will probably strike.) 3/8 oz. white/chart. spinnerbait Rebel Pop-R; Color choice is up to you but I prefer ones with a chrome/silver bottom If you want to get into soft plastics get a bag of black/blue 4 inch chigger craws (or any other type of soft plastic craw) and texas rig 'em

I believe you are supposed to put grease in the area that exposes the internal gears and not oil (I'm not 100% sure). That might be why it has not stopped squeaking.

I caught a bunch this weekend by burning a KVD 1.5 over the weed beds. I had to constantly pick off weeds but it was worth it. I've also caught a lot of fish by using squarebills in water with little cover or structure. They might be ideal to use in wooded areas but they'll catch fish pretty much anywhere.

When I was looking for a new baitcaster, I wanted one for under $100. I looked into what Quantum had to offer but the reviews of their lower end reels (under $100) seemed to be 50/50 on TW. The $90 Lew's had very little (if any) negative reviews that I read about. I also looked into what Shimano, Abu, and Daiwa had to offer. But with a $20 rebate and 15% off TW sale, the Lew's was the reel for me. I feel that there are better reels for the price than what Quantum offers. On the other hand, the Smoke reels look sweet and I hope I can own one someday.

Rapala squarebill crankin' rap 03 in red craw.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm gonna get the Abu Veritas (my friend owns one and loves it) or Daiwa t rod. Is tackle warehouse going to have a 4th of July sale?

I am looking for a 7' medium bait casting rod for crankbaits and topwaters. I don't want to break the bank on one so I am trying to find one for around $60. I've been looking at the Shimano Sellus and Abu Garcia Vengeance. I have a Vengeance for my spinning set up but I don't know how well one would hold up for a casting set up. I am a weekend angler so the rod will not be used heavily week in and week out. Please comment if you have any info or experience on the Vengeance and Sellus or if you have any other rod suggestions. Thanks

Reached and surpassed 50 yesterday to get to 54. I've never caught 50 bass in a single season so its a new personal milestone for me.

Rapala crankin rap in red craw

I use the old Rebel Zell Rowland signature Pop-Rs and they pop and blurp really well. I have yet to try the current Pop-Rs being produced mainly because I think the old ones have better paint jobs and don't look as cheap.

Nascar drivers: Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Austin and Ty Dillion all enjoy bass fishing.