Chris at Tech

Bobby -- I just sent you guys some of my (somewhat) hard-earned money Looking forward to trying these things out.

I personally prefer a 6'6" M/MH spinning rod. The frequent twitching action to me is MUCH more comfortable on a spinning rod.

I got my hands on a few at Hammond's today. Nothing really jumped out at me. They felt OK in hand, a bit tip heavy -- but I didn't have a reel on there. Weight seemed average. At $130, the guys at Hammonds said they're OK, but would recommend the Powells over them at that same price.

Were they caught on your shiny new Spirex?

Yes, I know Dick's sales vary from location to location However, if you're in the market for any new spinning reels, check out your local store. Saharas, Symetre's and a few other models are on clearance pricing PLUS an additional 25% off. I saw 750, 1500 and 2500 sizes. I was looking for an excuse to get a new ultralight reel. A brand new $45 Symetre was all the reason I needed

Sounds good. Can you PM me his info? A Google search didn't find anything.

Believe me, I checked ~9 hr drive is a bit more that we're willing to deal with for a weekend trip.

So my buddy calls me and asks me what I'm doing over Labor Day weekend. Apparently, he has the bug to fish someplace new. Twist my arm...OK, I'm in We're both in ATL, and we're looking for something in reasonable driving distance, ~3-5 hrs or so, to fish a day or two and hopefully hook up with a guide. Yes, I know it'll be hot, and on a holiday weekend -- not the most desired conditions, but not terrible either We thought the same thing going to Fork over Memorial Day, but that wasn't an issue at all. Anyone have any advice on where we should target with good late summer fishing? Guide recommendations? Thanks all!

OK, now that Pandora's Box has been opened, let's see some more of The Natural's tackle pix. I've heard rumors -- this pretty much confirms them. I think he's got more money in Plano boxes than I have in tackle

Hammond's in Cumming has some. I've seen and handled them mostly out of curiosity. Never heard anything on how they perform. I can ask @ Hammond's next time I'm up there.

This just in...It's HOT I've been out a bit lately -- on a friend's private pond, saltwater and bass fishing in SC. Haven't been doing particularly well on Georgia bass. My favorite lake is fishing TOTALLY different from last year (the first year I had my boat), so it's a learning experience.

That's a big hook I'll have to pick them up and see what I can manage. I've got 5 or so packs of these baits, and no fish (yet). What kind of pinch-on weights are those? I've never seen that style in BPS.

I've been swimming in raw sewage. I love it.

The bait freezer at the Walmart on the island is quite possibly the most smelly, disgusting one I have ever come across. The stench hits you as soon as that freezer door is cracked. If you can, hit West Marine. Much cleaner, better tackle, and you'll get more advice and info on the fishing conditions, what to use, where to do, etc than the guys at Walmart.

My folks just retired to HHI last year. I've done some fishing there, and I'm looking forward to doing more. A few words: 1) if you're staying on a plantation in HHI, don't forget your bass rod. The plantations are chock-full of smaller ponds, and most if not all have bass in them. And chances are you'll be the only one fishing that pond 2) finding bait in HHI was initially harder than I could have imagined. West Marine, Boater's World and Walmart will be your best bets. I've only come across 1 true bait and tackle shop inside Sea Pines plantation (and it costs $5 to get into the plantation if you're not a guest there). There's also one more bait shop just before you cross the bridge to get onto HHI. Low Country Outfitters, or something like that. 3) I've seen most of the beaches have 'No Fishing' signs and I've learned to ignore them. The understanding I have from the locals is that you can fish from the beach without issue as long as you're not on top of swimmers, etc. There's a good stretch of beach by the Marriott Barony (Port Royal Plantation) that's a little rockey for bathers, so you can usually fish there. There's a public beach and parking lot right there as well. It backs up to Port Royal Inlet, which is a rather infamous shark nursery, so just keep that in mind 4) don't neglect the brackish creeks and inlets. You can do some fishing for flounder, redfish and seatrout in the backwaters using bass tackle 5) if you have the means, hire an inshore guide and go after redfish. To me, that's MUCH more enjoyable than surf fishing. It ain't cheap, but it's fun. I'll actually be done in HHI the weekend of the 12th, and the wife and I have a guide lined up

I tend to run into them most when I'm using moving, sub-surface hardbaits. Spinnerbaits, rattletraps, cranks, jerkbaits, etc. And a little bit of chatreuse seems to make them mad

For specifically throwing lighter baits, the Sol is likely a bit better. For an all purpose reel, or for larger baits, go with the STX

Not sure you need a hook that big. A 5/0 or 6/0 should do fine. That's what I use when I fish Zoom Ole Monsters, and they're about an 11in worm.

Since the Avid series seems to be somewhat of a standard in this price range, anyone have a comparison between Avids and Falcons as far as sensitivity, etc?

Anyone have any input on the Falcon Cara or Expert rods? It's one of those rods I see a lot, but I never seem to hear much about them. Anyone here have any experience?

Hmmmm... My only thought would be the hook. The advantage of the double hook was that the shape of it reduced the ability for it to rotate. Now as a single hook, it seems like that thing could lie flat against the body of the frog to either side. If/when that happens, it seems like you'd miss a lot of fish. Perhaps try this guy instead? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=74329&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

I'm not sure that's the best idea, depending on the size of the swimbait Those plastic swimbait are pretty heavy by themselves. Then when you add a 1/4 - 1/2 oz weighted hook, you'll really be overloading the rod. For the 4.5 inch and up, I think you'd want to step up to at least a 7ft MH baitcasting rod.

Yeah, I don't quite get the decision to NOT make the 6:1 ratio available in the 200 series. Seems to me if there's one ratio you NEED to release for a reel to be popular, it's 6:1 And what happened to the $120 price range very frequently referenced in the rumors? I don't see a $20 difference in price as big enough to make the Revo crowd think twice.

Well here's the crux... In my opinion, the MH Avid is about a notch higher in power than the MH Crucial, so the Avid will be a bit stiffer and better with heavier lures. And the M Avid has a softer tip and is better suited for moving lures, and NOT plastics/jigs. If you're fishing 3/8 oz and up, I'd recommend the Avid. For lighter lures, the Crucial is probably a better choice.

Hope you got a leader on there if you're fishing in pike-infested waters. I've heard those toothy mothers love stealing expensive lures from unsuspecting bass fishermen