Kyle46N

Or buy from cincyfisher.com and get blade baits cheaper than anywhere else, already equipped with the KVD triple grips, and 3D eyes.

I've used them in a tributary running into the Potomac, full of bass, and fished the side by side with the Fat Ika. I caught fish on both....no difference between the two. Fished them side by side on the same day. They're good baits. If you have a location or time frame in which you use the Ika...or if you have confidence in the Ika, be confident throwing the Hydra also.

Although the President is solid at the regular price of 59.99, I disagree it's the best bang for the buck. The Okuma RTX at 79.99 on ebay has arguably 80 buck worth of upgrades for only 20 dollars more. The carbon frame is incredibly light, and it's a smooth real, and holds up well. I actually like it better than the Pflueger Supreme with the magnesium frame. I have two of them. The magnesium frame can isolated spots of corrosion, which even though it's not affecting the function, is still annoying for a nice reel. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Okuma-Tackle-RTX-35S-Spinning-Fishing-Reel-6-0-RTX-Series-Right-Hand-325yd-6lb-/262749018907?hash=item3d2d0fdb1b:g:AlMAAOSw~oFXKPGq

I stumbled upon these a few months ago, and really like them. It's a neat combo which adds a little bit to your typical punching plastics. It has long tentacles which really flutter, but the bait itself is more "inline" verses appendages sticking out and catching grass as it goes through. It works great and slips right through the thick stuff here on the Potomac. Oh.....and they are on sale at 0.99. http://www.fishingtackleoutlet.net/culprit_frog_tackle_deals_p/culcrdayu.htm

Any knot with Flouro? Or just the snell with flouro?

Thanks for all the details Primetime. Good stuff. In addition to not horsing them out of the like I should be, I've also been very focused on the "wait for weight before setting the hook". Which is killing me in the pads. I'm getting solid hook sets, but doesn't do me any good if I can't get them to the boat.

50 lb PP, but you're right, I think I'm probably babying them honestly. I certainly have the strength to horse them out, and I have the rod and line to get it done....just need to be aggressive. I knew the answer was a simple one, but you know how it goes, it's hard to step back and see the simple fixes sometimes. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I've been throwing the frog on the Potomac for the past couple weeks and getting a ton of blowups, but only landing half or so. I have a big issue when hooking up with a fish in the Potomac's giant lilly pads, called cow lilly or spatterdock. I'm not sure if this stuff grows anywhere else in the country, but I would love to hear how you get a bass out of this stuff if you do fish it. I cringe everytime I get bit in it because it is sooo difficult to pull a fish out of this stuff. Yet, there are so many fish in it on a high tide. I lost four bass this morning in the lilly's that were all good fish (4-5's), hooked up with them on the bite, try to pull them out...they get tangled up in the lilly after about 5 yards. I then put the TM on high to go in and get them, but they've pulled free by time I get to them. The lilly's stalks and leaves are so thick, they take a bunch of pressure off your hook inside the fishes mouth, which causes the hooks to pull. I'm not sure if there is a solution to this, but I thought I'd ask anyhow. Thanks!

Everyone is correct in suggesting the President at $50. The Pflueger Supreme is better, but usually 90 bucks or so. Check out these guys. You can get a Supreme for $69. I absolutely believe you would be thrilled with spending the extra 20 bucks. http://outdoor.bassdistributing.com/pflueger-supreme-spinning-reel1323786?search=pflueger supreme

I own a medium action 7 ft Bucoo baitcast. I use it for jerkbaits, small cranks, weightless senko's, wacky rigs. And inshore soft plastic fishing. It snapped on me after 3 years of use, while setting the hook too hard bass fishing. Really it was my fault, using it for the wrong purpose. I contacted them, told them what happened, and they replaced it for 25 bucks shipping. Super friendly, and I could tell they consider customer service a huge part of their success. I will always own a Falcon rod because of this experience.

Great point. To the original poster, as I've made more money over the years, I've upgraded to higher end gear. It's enjoyable, but not an end all, be all. Certainly it's not the key to finding and catching fish. The above post stood out to me though, because I still don't hesitate to buy a "lower end" rod when I see a ridiculous sale. Especially if it's light and the right action, despite it's cheaper components. They don't get used near as much as my higher end stuff, but I still keep them. And the reason is as stated above. I've found these rods often come into play when I need something for a specific application that I just don't have the right rod for, or the ideal rod. I go back to my stash of "lower end" rods, and sure enough...usually there is a fit. For example, I've done a decent amount of inshore fishing in my life. One of my favorite techniques is pitching jigs underneath docks for flounder. The problem is I'm not using heavy lures, but maybe slightly heavier than the typical jig and plastic combo I use for open water and speckled trout fishing. And I'm throwing a weedless setup with a weighted wide gap. It calls for a medium action setup, but most of my high end medium rods are too light for pitching a dock. Well, I bought a Gander Mountain Tournament series "medium" action baitcast rod a few years ago on sale, that is really too heavy for most medium action applications. But I kept it....and sure enough, it's perfect for the above application. Not a medium heavy, and not a medium. But dang can it send a 1/4 oz jig WAY up underneath a dock. Just feels right. Glad I kept it.

This is what I use verses the Keitechs. They're great, and I've caught a lot of bass on the Potomac with them. They hold up really well too. If the fish are not hitting this, it seems more often than not I can switch to the KVD Swimmin Shiner, which has a more subtle, tight tail action, and I'll get bit.

You're right....I had my price wrong on that one. I think I bought my last two for around 110 or so. Thanks!

I bought a 7' and a 7'2" medium Aetos a couple months ago. Been throwing a 1/16th oz bullet weight with finesse worms with it. Also throwing the 1/8th oz jighead with a TRD. It will sling both easy, even the lighter weight. Yet, like Choporoz said...it handles good fish with ease. I've had several 3's and 4's on, and controlled them fine on the Potomac.

Lew Tournament MB. 130 on Ebay. You won't find better at that price. It's an opinion, but even if someone can come up with another brand at that price point...it's splitting hairs. Lews has great customer service also.

Not sure if there is a better reel for the price. I have 4 of them. And will buy more when I need another reel.

I'll echo the Ethos from Academy. Per your definition of bang for buck, nothing compares to these. I jumped in on that Aetos deal for 94, but now that they are 100 plus, go with the ethos.

Just following up, but I was able to use both Aetos spinning rods today, 7' and 7'2" mediums. You guys nailed it in the descriptions. Giving tip and a strong backbone, these were exactly what I was looking for. They can fling the light stuff, but can also handle heavier drop shot if I wanted.

Own 5 of them now. From a practical approach, there is currently no need for me to buy any other brand and model of reel. These are lighter, more smooth, and have better components than any other reel at 108 bucks. I still may buy another type, because I'm a tackle junky, but that's a different story.

Thanks so much for the info! Really makes me feel more comfortable with the order. You just helped make my birthday better!

Sanchez will most likely be cut in the next few days. Siemien will start the season, with Lynch probably starting sometime this season. Remember Manning went 8 games with 7 Tds and 18 int's to start last year out. This defense only needs an offense to put up about a couple TD's a game, and minimal offensive turnovers. That's Kubiak style all the way. The funny thing is, the "experts" are saying the exact same things about this team as they did all of last year....all the way to the SB and didn't stop until after we won the SB. Then it took all of about a month for them to start saying the exact same things throughout the offseason. Defense is great...but that offense will hurt them. Guess everyone needs to see it again!

Broncos have the same defense coming back.......arguably could be better. They're ridiculously loaded.

I know there have been a few Aetos reviews recently with the Fenwick sale going on. I have a more specific question for those who have fished with the Aetos spinning rods. I'm in the market for 2 new drop shot/small shaky heads/1/8th - 3/16th oz jigs rods. I was pursuing some other options, specifically the Loomis E6x mag medium dropshot (LOVED the feel of this rod), but all these phenomenal Aetos reviews caught my eye. Can anyone tell me about the action of their 7 ft , 7'2", and 7'6" medium spinning rods? I can see the weight ratings on them, but I don't have an option to put my hands on them before buying. How are the tips on these? Any flex at all? Are they true mediums? How effectively could they cast a 1/8th oz jighead with a TRD or some other small plastic? Ultimately if I erred in the wrong direction, it would be to lighter side. I definitely don't want to get these and they end up having too heavy of an action. Thanks for any help!

What do you mean by ultralight? I've had 6 Pflueger Trions on ultralight panfish setups, 6 ft long light action rods, 4-6 lb test, casting 1/16th oz or less, for 2 years and they still feel like they came out of the box yesterday. Can't say the same for any other low end brand reel at that size. I've tried them all. I just can't justify a $100 plus UL reel for crappie and bream fishing.

In my experience, fishing ultralight and light action bass for 25 years, the biggest difference between higher end spinning and low end spinning is the durability. For example, out of the box, Okuma makes some smooth reels under 50 bucks. But, two years of hard fishing and they start to break down. Cheaper components. In the past few years I've upgraded to Pflueger supremes and they are holding up much better. Alloy frames, etc. You can probably experience similar longevity with any of the higher end brand names when you start getting into alloy frames and more durable components. The big exception I've read about over and over is the Pflueger president. I've lost track of how many reviews I've read of guys owning these things for years and they're still solid. That's a low end (cost) reel with a record of durability. But even then, they are heavier than many of your high end reels. Give and take.