Master Bait'r

He must've thought he hooked into someone else's boat! WOW!! Can't imagine the fight a 10+ sally puts up.

This is exactly how I feel. If I had a GOOD local-family-owned-type shop though, I'd really REALLY like that and gladly pay a little extra to fondle and talk... Er, fondle gear and talk to people. Not the other way around.

There is a really big one that frequents an area that has a few ponds and a dam spillway I like to fish. It is all over the place and I see it all the time. Such majestic birds, I love watching it work the little water-carved pools in the spillway, it always catches more than I do.

You've gotta be super patient, as that deal took forever to find and snipe. Most are selling around 140ish right now even on the fleabay. Two days, two reels, two killer deals. My quiver is completely set now. Rippin-lips that Zonda is SICK. Favorite finesse reel right there- wish I could afford one, and my Ito Alphas Ai was literally my "close enough" grab. Zondas are just other-level sexy.

Screw the bait monkey, the accountant told me to do it this time!

A cull is the only reason I'd consider it. There's too many delicious swimmers that don't grow to be my dream fish to bother with bland 'ol bass fillets. That said there isn't too much that isn't good with an egg wash, some breading and a pan fry in butter.

If I see a crazy deal on something I've been looking at I break out in the meat sweats and my pulse races. Also sexy JDM lures with specific finishes. I don't even care that they're expensive if they're exactly what I am looking for.

Wow. Drooling over that right there!!

You should only worry if it's a cheap rod.

They are very stiff all the way through the tip in the XF. Mountains of backbone though. I wasn't a fan of how much the EVA deformed in my hand during a big fight though fwiw. Good rod but not great IMO. Still def worth 80 though!

Ebay' mobile site is terrible. I'd have a sweet freakin' swimbait headed my way right now if the darn program would have let me submit a bid. Man I hope the guy re-lists that thing.

I'd probably go LFS. They can be found right now for <$90 on fleabay too btw. The Lew's system braking on those reels is super easy and works great. Twist and go. Super simple and no fiddling. It may not be as dialed as the shimano peg system but it's simpler and each setting seems to give a little more leeway either direction in weight. It might not be the best for super tiny finessey stuff but it'll be a good all around reel for sure. I do also appreciate that they put in details like a super low profile (even smaller than its predecessor the regular speed spool) and a swept handle. It just gives it a more complete look and feel. Definitely a solid buy even at full retail. Even the old SSH reels were smooth, simple and solid and the LFS is definitely a step up. Happy shopping tho Doc! Hard to make a bad call though, lots of great reels around a hundo these days for sure.

13 *** Black. Their XF blanks are AMAZING. Crazy backbone, nice springy versatile tip and ultra light titanium recoil guides. Honestly I have owned several XF Envys and have been super impressed by all of them. I also own an NRX and they are VERY close. The Envys are even a little more versatile IMO as the tips have slightly more give and thus handle weights to the lighter end of their rating EXTREMELY well. It's my assertion that the 13 *** rods and specifically the XF blanks are the best sub-250 rod out there.

I woke up thinking this price was a dream. So glad it wasn't!

He sounds smart haha

The NRX just got a new dance partner.

Please don't do this. 30-50lb braid should be for heavy cover and frogs, you won't cast a weightless 4" robo out of your boat with 50lb. My finesse baitcasting setup uses 10lb SX1 braid and works phenomenally. No reason at all to have that heavy of line on your finesse/weightless setup, it would be very counterproductive. Light lines, light baits and proper drag are the name of the game in light finesse baitcasting.

It kind of blows me away every time I go at just how much stuff they have and still not carry a darn thing I want haha

That is pretty sweet! Seems as if they circumvented the need for a scrounger head at all. Certainly a lot from a little! I'm definitely going to have to give these a try.

Check out Smith Optics. They usually range about $300 for a pair of KILLER polarized prescription sunnies. I love love love Smith. No idea why they don't advertise to the fishing market more, they really are awesome.

I really like light brown. My optician told me that light brown/darker amber/things in that range offer the best protection against eye fatigue over long periods of time in glare and sun. I forget why, but I believe it after making the switch from a gray/black tint. I really like the Smith Chroma Pop lenses (if I'm remembering the name correctly) as it is an extremely high contrast lens that is insanely functional. Glare doesn't exist, and it even works great in low light situations like overcast skies, driving in the rain, etc. This is coming from someone who has pretty terrible eyesight and has to wear prescription lenses pretty much 24/7. I've tried a lot of different companies over the years. It's all personal preference though, so try a bunch and see what is best for you. Plan on splurging though, you definitely get what you pay for with performance optics.

Worked fine for me, but it didn't "work". I still want to bring the kitchen sink haha

Just buy one Deps 250 SS and handline that bad boy in.

I feel as if I've fully embraced the situation, it's my pocket's ability to withstand this constant barrage that I am in denial about haha

They almost always stink. I mean, they'll get you by but if at all possible, just go with either a 2-piece, a full takedown rod like the Orochi Secret Service package, etc. I'd rather have an emmrod by a long shot if space was a massive concern to me. It's actually small and light- the perfect backpacking small stream package. They look funny but I'd rather have that than some telescoping jobber. A little more expensive but hey- you get what you pay for.