Chris at Tech

Since you're so new to baitcasters, start with the tighter setting (lure not moving until you jiggle the rod). As you get more experienced, you can reduce the brakes and instead use your "educated thumb" to add some control on the cast. Eventually you'll see an increase in your casting distance.

Can you be more specific? I'm actually really curious... And also really skeptical. Until schools start using these tens of millions of dollars to start reducing tuitions, I still think the money is misused. Are students better served by reducing tuition or putting up another new building that's not really needed?

I wrestle with this point quite frequently... Are sports profits really helping schools (as opposed to just the school's athletic dept)? If so, how?

Daiwa Zillion 100HSLA with 15lb Trilene fluoro on a Daiwa Zillion 7' MH rod

I don't believe Kistler is currently making Heliums now (though I think they do have a new one planned for the future) so I'm assuming you're looking at a used rod. Kistlers are rather interesting and polarizing, due to sudden and unannounced blank changes, warranty issues, etc. so it can be difficult to answer your question. For example, I had a magnesium casting rod I purchased new in 2007ish that I LOVED. The Heliums at that time were also very highly regarded. In the following few years, however, folks started seeing changes in the rods and started having issues. As a result, many were turned off to Kistler for a while. So if my assumption about you getting a used version is correct, the answer depends to the approx manufacturing date of the rod. With all that said, Kistler seems to betraying to right the ship, especially in their KLX line. I picked up a KLX 6'6" ML spinning that I'm quite pleased with. Take a look at the KLX models and I think you be able to find the all-purpose rod you're looking for

Vandy lost to fellow SEC team Ole Miss. Or is the SEC just so good that 2 SEC teams can play each other and neither loses?

Got a feeling TCU leaves Louisiana with a win tonight...

Take a peak at Kistler KLX line. Full grips available, great price and great build quality. I think the ML would do well with grubs

Pre-fishing... You guys are too kind...

Who needs football when your school has this? http://news.yahoo.com/ga-tech-freshmen-speech-video-epic-205115482.html

So you guys are going in Sept and then again in March? Like I said in that first Baccarc thread - I hate you I'll just have to stick a tarpon in Hilton Head next week so I'll have something to brag about first. Hehe...

Geez man - I come on this site to AVOID math!

Hmmm...my two 2500 FH, two 4000 FI and one 5000 FI Stradics have all done fine in salt. I certainly don't fish it as often as you do, but no issues to report on those reels from me

3000 with 10 or 15 lb braid

Buy TW giftcards when they have their 15% sale off giftcards. Then wait until they have one of their sales, and you can apply the cheap giftcard on the sale prices.

Just curious - but where besides Disney have you seen other guided bass trips priced at that level? I've fished with a fair amount of guides and typically see prices around $400 for 1-2 people for an 8-9 hr full day? And these guides also furnish whatever is needed (though I always bring my own stuff)

I'm sure I will try to book a guide whenever I get down there with my kids, but $135 an hour is absolutely ridiculous. That's approaching offshore private fishing charter territory, only I understand why the saltwater trip would cost that much In any event, I'm not trying to poo-poo on your party. I hope you catch them like crazy. And at that price they're charging, you better

To be fair, Trilene XL and XT are well known mono lines. But they have just released Trilene XL fluorocarbon

When you're in a boat and you can move over to a snag to get it loose, use tungsten. I'd be hesitant to use bank fishing since your chances of getting snags back is less.

I always fish with a personal diver

5 for mono and fluoro, 7-8 for braid. Thinner braid gets an extra loop or two for me

Gee, I wonder why that is?

You fix that issue in two ways... 1) discipline is handed down by uniform rules across the NCAA. As much as it pains me to say this, there must become uniform 3rd party handling discipline across all institutions. Many schools have proved their records here with absolute jokes in this regard. I am especially fond of those situations where a player commits some act in the offseason and he's suspended for the SECOND game of the season. Why? Because the school has a big game to start the season and the plays a cupcake. Or letting a player come back because his teammates vote him back? Gimme a friggin' break. 2) scholarship penalties for schools with track records of players not staying eligible or having too many run ins with the law. I guess it can be seen as noble in some regards if a school gives an "at risk" kid a scholly (we will temporarily disregard the reason why he is getting a scholly) but schools must have some accountability. If you have a trend here, the school should not be rewarded by simply booting the kids and filling their schollies with more recruits

Choose the leader based on the cover you're fishing On the spinning rig, 8 lab leader is a good starting point especially for finesse presentation. If you feel the need, uppi g to 10 or 12 is fine For the casting rig, start with 15 lb and adjust abut if necessary Just make sure you perfect your knot- tying to join leader to braid A few points on cost and quantity as well. Mono works almost as good as fluoro as a leader so if cost is a concern, do not discount it. Also check the saltwater section of your tackle shops. Generally they will sell 50 yard spools of leader material. It is a cheaper investment, but more expensive per yard

I could write a novel but will only put a few of my opinions down. Schools must start exerting power over athletic associations. Too many times, AAs act too indepedently in matters of finance, discipline and academic intervention. The LSU RB is a good example -- pretty sure a normal student would get tossed from school for that. The school exists without the AA, the AA does not exist without the school. The NCAA needs LARGE change. See Jay Bilas's Twitter example from over the past few days. College athletics makes BILLIONS of dollars a year yet the athletes get none of it (I'm not saying they should, just that they do not) and the cost of college continues to rise year over year. Makes zero sense to me. Seems reasonable that this money would somehow get channeled back into the schools that are driving this economic engine. If the guys on the field aren't getting it, and the schools who give those athletes the chance to play don't get it, who the heck does? Yes, I know who actually does and it makes no sense. A little common sense management would go a long way. Why do some schools get to recruit 35 new players a year? If they can't keep their guys eligible and out of trouble, it seems to me there should be some sort of penalty for that, no? And don't even get me started on the absolute joke of NCAA investigations. Can we get ANY consistency?