burleytog

Let's just say that Mr Monkey and I are on very good terms right now. Going to Charlotte on Monday, would love to go to BPS, but I don't know if my wallet can stand it.

According to what most everyone touts, St Croix Premier. $90 for a 6'6 MF.

I've had good luck with the Platinum Series (no fish yet, but enough blowups to make me invest in new underwear :-[ ). They are a bit fragile, the 6" moreso than any of the others. I have two 8" and a 10", all three have been bitten by bass and musky/pike. The toothy critters can tear one up quickly. There are magnets on the belly to hold the hooks up. Only comes with the front hook, I added a Mustad 4X 3/0 treble to the rear (used 25 lb. Big Game).

Shimano Shimano Shimano Symetre or Stradic, depending on what you want to spend. Geez, I feel like RW... ;D How much do you want to spend on the rod? Shimano Compre is a nice mid-level rod. Get a 6'6 M and you should be set.

Sent him a check Friday before last, reel in the mailbox today. Can't ask for quicker shipping. Gotta stop buying reels or I'm going to need a bigger tackle bo...err, boat.

Bought a couple of used Stradics last weekend. Just a little dirt on the outside, barely used other than that. Both have a bit of a whir coming from the rotor. Checked my other Shimano spinners (2 Spirex, 1 Symetre), they also have a bit of a whir. All 3 were purchased last year, only one saw heavy use.

What price will put you in the poor house?

Fenwick casting rods (in my experience) are a whole lot stiffer than their rating indicates. I have a Venture 7' MH that is much much closer to a H or XH. I use it for 3 oz. Castaic swimbaits and they barely load the tip. Rod is a bit out of balance as well. Hard to cast for a long time. Been thinking about adding just a bit of weight to the butt in an attempt to balance it.

I use both T-rigged with a 3/8 oz. bullet sinker (usually pegged). Have also used on a C-rig. Good bait IMO.

Just make sure you watch the previous seasons in order.

T-rig, what might have happened with your line breakage is that the line could have been caught in the hook eye. That spot where the end of the wire has been bent over to form the eye. I have had that happen a few times. Some brands of hooks are worse than others in that regard.

The most important thing to remember when using flouro is to make sure the line around the knot is properly lubricated. I put the un-tightened knot in my mouth before cinching. Do it slowly as well to avoid a lot of friction. The only time I've ever had flouro break was when fishing a carolina rig without retying for about 5 hours. I straightened two Gamakatsu EWG 3/0 worm hooks last year using 12 lb. Vanish and a palomar knot. Got hung on rocks, darn near broke the rod. Line never broke.

I usually ignore them, but I used this one along with $80 of gift cards. Still spent too much. :-/

I am planning to fish Claytor this year. Nice to see it has fish. You ever fish Rural Retreat?

Watermelon and pumpkin families.

Hooks included?

Usually on every weekday morning at 5AM.

At least they're not still showing Rods & Wheels every week. They usually cut back a bit on fishing programming around this time every year. Show hunting shows in the spring/summer when there aren't many seasons open. Show fishing shows in the winter when half the country is unable to get on the water.

Not to go off topic, but I like it. ;D

Eagle GT at Cabelas http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20372&id=0030065119165a&navCount=4&podId=0030065&parentId=cat20372&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20372&hasJS=true

I have had good luck with Fenwick Eagle GT rods. Usually around $50-60.

Any Jack Bauer Power Hour fans here? Day 6 started tonight and I've already been sucked in. Jack is back!

I had a guy recommend this line dressing to me last year, but could not find it. Now Cabelas is selling it. Anyone used it? Is it better than Reel Magic?

Big smallies can fight for forever, then have enough energy in reserve to fight for 10 more minutes. They never give up.

P-Line CX in 8 lb. clear. Strong line. I fish clear impoundments as well and this is the line I use when drop-shotting.