desmobob

I played around with the rod in the yard and was surprised how stiff it is... I was expecting it to be a lot softer. It feels nice and crisp with plenty of backbone. I was throwing a skinny 3" tube on a 1/16 stupid tube head and it seemed like it barely loaded the rod. I should have weighed it, but I'm guessing that tube and head must weigh about an eighth ounce. I could fling it plenty far. I had light braid on the PX-R but took it off and spooled up some 8 lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid and that seemed to cast even better. I didn't play around too much because it was dark. I can hardly wait for my days off on Sunday and Monday; I want to fish that rod! I know where there are some smallmouth hanging out that might appreciate some finesse. When I bought the rod, I also ordered an Alphas SV105 from a Japanese eBay seller. He didn't ship it for several days. When I inquired about it, he said they were sold out and he'd ship it (and some free line for my trouble) as soon as he got some in. He didn't say when that would be, so I ordered another one from a different dealer who advertised them as in stock. I've heard so many good things about them, I figured it wasn't too risky getting two. Looks like I might need another one of those Major Craft BFS-type rods to put the second one on. The darn tackle monkey has me in a strangle hold! Tight lines, Bob Edit to add: PS -- forgot to mention how NICE the rod looks. Very nice fit and finish and a classy look. But... NO HOOK KEEPER! I hate that....

I have two float tubes, three canoes, a kayak, a small aluminum boat/15HP kicker, and a 17' aluminum bass boat. I love 'em all, but the bass boat gets the most use. It's all about getting out on the water! Tight lines, Bob

It happened to me this summer with what would have most surely been my new PB. I was throwing a T-rigged 5" Pit Boss on a big VMC wide gap and a monster bass hit it. After just a few seconds of fighting, I thought she broke off. Then I felt the weight of the sinker still on the line. I reeled up and saw that the hook had broken right in the middle. Bummer! It was a new hook, just out of the package. I suppose it doesn't take much of a defect to weaken that thin little bit of steel. When you think about it, hooks are amazingly strong and stiff for their diameter... it's hard to believe they can hold their shape without straightening out under the stresses of fighting big fish. Tight lines, Bob

Very good. Tight lines, Bob

I remember the first time I caught one. I was very leery about touching it, too. I was pretty new to saltwater fishing and had no idea what it was, and they do look like something that might be hazardous somehow! Now, I think they're kind of pretty. Tight lines, Bob

Me too... probably the best rod you'll get your hands on for under a hundred bucks! I just got a new Major Craft Volkey 68L today. I put my beloved Daiwa PX-R on it and made a few casts in the back yard. I can't wait to fish that rod! Tight lines, Bob

I fished in canoes and a kayak for years, but was always frustrated by the lack of space, casting while seated, dealing with wind, inability to travel far, and lately, the difficulty of loading and unloading it with two bad shoulders. Last summer, I bought a Bass Tracker Pro170/40HP Mercury package and have never been happier. It is very easy to launch and load by myself, is easily towed with my Subaru Forester, and runs me around fishing all day on an average of two gallons or less of gas. And no more lugging rods and tackle back and forth; it can all be stored in the boat. And the boat was literally ready to fish... all I had to do was load my tackle and go. It came with a foot-control trolling motor and fish finder. Now, I can invite a buddy to go fishing, or just enjoy a nice boat ride with the girlfriend or non-fishing friends/family. When I first bought the boat, I had that uneasy feeling that I might have made a rash decision about spending the money. After two seasons of enjoyment, that feeling is long gone! If you add up the cost of a kayak, all the accessories you've added, rack system for the car, and so on, you're probably a quarter of the way into an aluminum bass boat package. Tight lines, Bob

I hope I helped in some way. I don't have any place close to home to handle decent rods, and finding long ultralight rods for a reasonable price that were anything but wet noodles has been a challenge. The St.Croix was the first one I was really happy with. I recently spent a little more money and bought a very nice Kistler KLX 6'3" ULF spinning rod that is a real beauty. Third time out with that rod, I was launching in the early morning dark and broke the tip off with the bow line of my boat. :-( Be sure to post a follow-up and review on your choice! Good luck! Tight lines, Bob

I got that e-mail as well. Darn bad time to be broke and thinking about Christmas! I would love to have three new Z-Bones. Tight lines, Bob

I was a PC guy for almost 20 years before making the switch. I won't go back to Windows! :-) Tight lines, Bob

Reviewing my settings and checking that first box I mentioned in my post above didn't fix things. I found this new post in my thread by using the "View New Content" button. :-( I guess if other folks are having the same difficulty, it's not a problem with the update on my MacBook's OS. :-) Tight lines, Bob

Mike, I did a little non-scientific testing in the back yard today. My St. Croix Panfish Series 6'9" ULF rod with a small Shimano Symetre reel spooled with 4 lb. Fireline and 4 lb. fluoro leader limits out, in my opinion, with 1/16th oz for any distance. I cast a bare 1/16 jig head pretty easily, but dropping to even 1/20 (bare Shroomz jig) made getting any good distance difficult at best. If that lighter jig was rigged with a small plastic grub, it would be OK. The rod is rated by St. Croix for 1/32 to 1/4. To me, that would indicate 1/16- 1/8 as the optimum, and my experience bears that out. Results may be different using straight 4 lb. mono.... Tight lines, Bob

Tohatsu manufactures the small four-cycle outboards for the Mercury brand. Tight lines, Bob

I have an older Johnson 2HP outboard I bought in the early nineties. It's made in Belgium, liquid-cooled, and quiet. The actual horsepower is only something like 1.3, but it pushes my 16' canoe along at about 5MPH. It seems like a true 3HP motor would get you moving across the water nicely. I don't know if 8-10MPH is really practical --safe-- in a canoe... :-) Tight lines, Bob

I checked my notification settings right away... everything looked just the way I had it in the past (auto-follow; instant e-mail notification). What about the very first option on the Notification Options page: "Privacy Settings" "Send me news and information"? That one was not selected. I just checked that box and I'll see what happens, but I thought that was more for general mailings and news; not notifications... Thanks, Bob

I recently installed Apple's new "El Capitan" update to my MacBook Pro's OS. Since then, I've experienced slow browsing performance in Safari, and initially spotty and, now, total lack of e-mail notifications from Bass Resource. The second update to El Capitan (10.11.1) seemed to help the slow browsing problem. I've checked my settings here on BR and they are unchanged. My Mac's e-mail settings are set to flag suspected junk mail but still put it in my In Box. I'm not receiving any notifications from BR now. I'm not very computer savvy... can anyone offer any suggestions or help? Thanks, Bob

I usually look around for bargains on smaller fly lines. A lot of times, you can get a premium fly line for a low price when a company updates their lines and discontinues a product, or when someone is trying to clear out older stock, etc. I'm pretty flexible when it comes to smaller fly lines. The only lines I get really picky about are my bigger lines for saltwater use. I like Airflow and Rio lines for the salt, lately. I use a lot of Orvis lines for freshwater. They have been very durable for me, although some of the older "Wonderlines" have been a bit limp and prone to tangles. Tight lines, Bob

I'd definitely describe the action as "fast." I'll make it a point to throw some 1/16 and lighter stuff with it tomorrow and give you a report. Tight lines, Bob

St. Croix has a 6'9" in their Panfish Series. Not quite seven feet, but an excellent rod for the money. I love mine. Tight lines, Bob

And it's one ridiculous tradition I wish would end.... Tight lines, Bob

I have a Thule rack and Yakima kayak cradles on my Subaru Forester. Thule sells a very nice canoe/kayak tie-down kit that includes a pair of ratcheting ropes for the bow and stern, and two nice flat straps for amidships. Very secure and easy to use. The piece of mind is worth the money spent! Tight lines, Bob

Like a rudder. Grab the flat sides of the eye with the pliers and very slightly bend the entire eye left or right. Tight lines, Bob

I have a few of the 110 Magnums, and they float up about a foot every two or three seconds in cold (low 50's) water. A little bit of thin solder or fly tying lead wire wrapped on the hook shanks or SuspenDots will get the 110s to do what you want. Not to derail the thread, but does anyone use Rapala Countdown minnows these days? I used to use them with great success for smallmouths when I was a teenager. I haven't heard a mention of them here on BR at all.... Tight lines, Bob

Glad to hear you got to fight a couple and that you had a good time! I've been going on a spring flyfishing trip for stripers on Cape Cod for 21 consecutive years. They are fun fish! Tight lines, Bob

I fish in very muddy water most of the time. I bought a large quantity of Stanley rattling jigs in various weights last year... they have twin rattles hanging from the collar. I like 'em! Tight lines, Bob