fishballer06

Buzzbait bite in PA in April!!! That gets my blood flowing! As for the misses on the plastics, they're likely not getting the entire thing in their mouth. If they're on beds, they may just be picking it up and moving it off the bed. In that case, they may only have an appendage in their mouth, rather than the entire bait. I know Raystown Lake was 56-60* this weekend, so it's possible they're on beds in your part of the state now. I like to throw chatterbaits, keel weighted Keitech's, and a Mann's Baby 1- crank in that shallow water you described.

You look like you're set. If you are specifically trying to target large fish, getting a large swimbait setup may not be a bad idea to add to your arsenal once your funds suffice.

I'd have to agree. If you're looking to spend $200 on a rod, go with either the Zodias or Avid. If the warranty is more of a concern to you, the Avid wins.

1. Yes, if you have the budget for it. In my opinion, the PG version is the greatest cranking reel currently available on the market. However, the price of it eats up basically your entire $400 budget. Also, you're looking for a bottom bait reel, which would mean you would want the XG version. The downfall of the Stile is the drag on it is on the weaker side, and you may want a reel with a stronger drag. 2. Your friend told you that an Avid is the worst rod that St. Croix has? Your friend must not be very intelligent. 3. No, they do not. Your friend (I'm guessing it's the same intelligent friend from statement #2) is either lying, or he has some super secret prototype reel because Shimano has never made a Chronarch with DC.

Of the choices given, I'd go with an Avid rod and the Chronarch MGL. And yes, I own the Stile 101PG and I have the new 151PG on pre-order from Japan Tackle.

This.

Plastic: Lucky Craft RTO Balsa: Bagley Balsa B I separate the two because each has it's time and place. Anyone who fishes crankbaits a lot knows what I'm talking about.

I'm not sure how big of swimbait you're talking, but an old green Bantam Curado will get the job done.

The reason this rod is thicker, heavier, and less sensitive (like mentioned above) is because it has glass rather than the modern graphite that many of us have become accustomed to. It's really a matter of preference and KVD prefers his glass rods over graphite.

As another Pittsburgh angler, I've got to say you're dead wrong.

Wouldn't hurt to talk to them, regardless. They may say it's fine and send you something for the imperfection, or they may replace the entire thing for you.

As long as Costa continues to make the best glass out there, I will continue to buy their product.

I used to only throw spinnerbaits in the moving jig category (chatter/spinner/swim). However, in the past few years, I have adapted the other styles and I now find myself throwing a swim jig more than a spinnerbait. Each bait has their place and I'll go over what I decide on when choosing what to throw. Swim Jig: Clearer water where the fish may get a better look at the bait. Around heavy weeds/cover. Pressured waters (namely during tournaments) where the fish might be weary of hard thumping, flashy baits. Spinnerbait: Dirtier water where the fish might not be able to see as well, so the added vibration in the water helps them locate. Around spare weeds/cover. Windy/choppy days Cloudy days. When the light is lower, the flash of that blade helps fish locate the bait easier (in my opinion).

I'm in the same boat. I've never sold a used rod. If a rod cost me in the $100-200 range, and I'm selling it used at half that cost because it's now used, and I have to eat PP fee's and shipping at roughly $30-40 total, what's the point in selling the rod if it's still a good backup?

You don't say...

For those that are wondering what it costs to fish "pro", to enter the professional division of FLW requires a $7k deposit prior to the season, and then it's a $4900 entry fee per event. So you're looking at nearly $40k per year just for entry fee's. Add on top of that fuel to travel to/from all 8 tournaments, hotels for each practice/tournament, food, maintenance on truck/boat/trailer, and I'm sure there's other assorted costs along the way. So I'm sure it's easily $75k+ to fish one season on the FLW Tour, and that's not even considered the "premier" series right now.

We had a local shop do something similar on a small local lake that was only about 300 acres in size and was electric motor only. So as you can imagine, most of the boats on this lake didn't even have working livewells. So guys would catch a fish, load up the boat, drive a few miles up the road, measure and weigh the fish, and then they could drive back and release the fish, given it was still alive... After two or three summers of this, that lake went completely downhill because every decent sized fish was being kept for this "tournament".

Rapala DT Rapala Shad Rap Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap Lucky Craft Pointer Storm Wiggle Wart

WD-40 and some elbow grease. Plus WD-40 leaves a a scent similar to anise oil on the bait.

I throw the Cavirtron a lot and I normally fish them plain, or with just a 1/0 or 2/0 hook on the back. However, Jacob Wheeler is adamant about using a Zoom Horny Toad as a trailer, and he was putting on a buzzbait clinic this weekend on Toledo Bend. He was going as far as pulling the entire toad up over the head of the buzzbait. He claims that this toad gives the bass something to want to hold onto whenever they strike the bait, rather than using a plain skirt and not feeling lifelike to the fish whenever they grab it. Makes sense in theory.

@MIbassyaker looks about like how my picks turned out, with the exception of Morgenthaler tanking after taking 2nd last time on Toledo Bend. 19, 25, 29, 35 and a lowly 96... I'd have to think that if Morgenthaler would have even made the day 3 cut, I would have still done decently in points this event.

I fished my I series Curado 201 for a 10 day trip to Canada two years ago and it rained 9 out of those 10 days and I was on the water 8+ hours each day. I had to lube the brake drum twice while I was up there, but my Curado never let me down. I assure you this is not a common issue.

It's nice getting an opinion from a true expert who can provide some real insight.

I'm a Bill Lewis original guy. I've bought and tried other brands, but I never seem to tie them on.

Defoe and Lefebre are both having outstanding years. I wouldn't mind seeing either of them win AOY.