desmobob

As I mentioned, it was only good for 24 hours. I happened onto it by chance last night, so it probably ended late last night or early today; not sure. Tight lines, Bob

Thanks very much for the information. I have read/heard the same basic story and it's one of the reasons I decided to take the plunge... if they are trying hard to rebuild their customer base by offering a great deal on the KLX rods, I'll give them a shot. And considering the free Carbon Steel rod thrown in, I'll DEFINITELY give them a shot... as a matter of fact, two shots! Tight lines, Bob

Once you try breathables, you will probably never use anything else. I still use Cordura-clad neoprenes duck hunting when I'm going to be in the button brush and beaver cuts. Otherwise, I'll just layer up under my breathables. I prefer the quick on-off convenience of boot foot waders, but stocking foots allow you to get a better fit for comfortable walking/wading. You can usually get a much better fit by having a couple of different sizes of wading shoes: one pair for warm water use and a larger pair to accommodate double layers of thick socks for cold water. I have had outstanding service from my old Orvis Silver Label breathable boot foots and love my newer Orvis Silver Sonic stocking foots. I also have a pair of Grey's boot foots that have been an excellent buy. I've only had them two seasons so I can't say too much about them yet, other than I'm really happy with them so far. I have neoprenes from Cabelas and Herters and both have taken a lot of abuse and still keep me warm and dry. Tight lines, Bob

Uh oh! 206 views and no responses. Is there no love for Kistler rods out there? I could not resist the "Buy a KLX and get a free Carbon Steel" deal. I ended up with two KLX (avg. price $179) and two Carbon Steel rods (avg. price $139) for what amounts to $90/rod. It didn't seem too risky.... I just started bass fishing this summer and didn't have much, if any, gear to use (I was previously primarily a fly fisherman). I found a couple of old, pistol-grip bass casting rods in the garage and some older spinning rods. I do have a decent (Fenwick HMX 7' MXF) spinning rod that I use for inshore striper fishing that I put into service to fish largemouths. I also picked up another decent TFO Loomis Signature 7' MLF spinning rod. This summer, I bought a St. Croix Premier casting rod. It's a 7' MHF that was serving as my do-everything stick. With my Kistler order, I'll have enough rods to get me set up for different techniques. I think I'll pretty much have the bases covered and if I want to upgrade, I can take my time. Here's my thoughts on what I have: Casting: St.Croix Premier 7' MHF -- general purpose jig-worm Kistler KLX 6'9" MHF -- general purpose jig-worm Kistler KLX 7' MF -- topwater-jerkbait-light jigs-light plastics Kistler Carbon Steel 7'6" HF -- frog-flip-pitch Kistler Carbon Steel 7' MHF -- chatterbait-spinnerbait BPS Tourney Pro 5'6" MMF -- treble hook lures Spinning: TFO 7' MLF -- small unweighted plastics TFO 6' UL -- for when the bass won't cooperate and the panfish will I finally feel I'll be heading out there with a "full quiver" of decent rods. As I spend next season using the rods, I'll decide which I want to eventually upgrade. Now I just have to come up with three more reels. :-) Tight lines, Bob

Thanks... I hope they work well for you, too! Thanks for pointing out the bargain. Tight lines, Bob

I'm always checking out the lower mid-priced rods and reading all the reviews. I've been interested in trying the Kistler KLX rods. I stopped by the Kistler site this evening and saw a promotion they're running for 24 hours. I got sucked in. :-) I picked up the KLXFWTJ69MH (KLX 6'9" MHF "finesse, tube, worm, jig) and the KLXSRAP70M (KLX 7'MF "specks, reds, all-purpose) and got both the CSADPT76H (Carbon Steel 7' 6" HF "all day power tool") and CSWJC70MH (Carbon Steel 7' MHF "worm, jig, Carolina Rig) for free! (Free shipping on everything, too.) I live in the boonies and I can't even find the decent product lines of mainstream brands in the local stores, so buying sight-unseen is pretty much a given. I hope I get a chance to fish them all a bit before the water hardens up around here! Tight lines, Bob

I haven't owned a blade bait since I had a Heddon Sonic in my tackle box as a teenager in the '70s (and I don't think I ever put it in the water). I just ordered an assortment of those blade baits with the feathered trebles the OP mentioned. I couldn't resist the price. That has led me down the wrong road on a couple of ocassions though... time will tell if they're a good deal or not. Tight lines, desmobob

It's fun to be enthused (obsessed?) with a new hobby! Enjoy! Tight lines, Bob

I fish because it's part of my court-ordered anger management program. ;-) Tight lines, Bob

I wasn't looking for distance; I just noticed that there was a difference in the distance capabilities of the rods. I'm glad you mentioned it, though... I know my two buddies had 7' medium power Lowriders, but I'm not sure of the action. That means there was a good chance I was comparing apples to oranges. In other words, disregard my previous post! The bottom line is, I have no complaints with my Fenwick HMX 7' MXF spinning rod. :-) Tight lines, Bob

If you're comfortable doing that sort of thing, go for it. It's always good to have an exploded diagram handy if you try it. http://www.shimanofish.com.au/media/fishing/shimano/saf/documents/all_schematics/baitcast_reels/ZELES200_v1_m56577569830877974.pdf Tight lines, Bob

I have an HMX 7' Med. X-Fast spinning rod. It's an older model with the full cork. I think it's a pretty decent rod but it seems like most everyone here recommends spending the additional ten bucks and getting the HMG (which I've never tried). I bought it for inshore striped bass fishing but now use it for largemouths too. The guys I striper fish with in the salt recommended I buy the Falcon Lowrider rod. I cheaped out a bit and picked up the HMX instead. Out on Cape Cod Bay this spring, three of us were using identical Daiwa Tournament SS reels and the same Suffix braid, and the two guys with the Falcon rods were out-casting me by a noticeable distance throwing the same unweighted Bass Assassins. I still like the HMX, but wish I had tried the Lowrider instead. Tight lines, Bob

One helpful tip might be to pick up a copy of Doug Hannon,'s "Big Bass Magic." The book is very interesting and full of information The Bass Professor picked up after a lifetime of studying the habits of lunker largemouths. His specialty was B-I-G bass, and he loves to share what he's learned. I really enjoyed this book. Tight lines, Bob

All the above plus, use the most sensitive rod you can afford. It's startling how much more you can feel through a great rod. Tight lines, Bob

I want to disagree with that, just a little.... I've had a couple of days this fall where I lucked into some nice bass hanging under very thin lines/patches of weeds growing along the edge of some rock riprap. I was throwing a wacky Senko. I found that if I was more than a foot or so short of the edge of the weeds, no bite. If I threw a couple of inches too far, I'd foul in the weeds. But every third or fourth or fifth cast that hit right at the very edge of the weeds... BINGO! Initially, I didn't know the fish were there at all. But after I caught the first one with a cast that hit right on the edge of the weeds, I had a good idea. And I didn't know where every fish was, but it didn't take long to find out exactly where the bait had to be to entice any fish that could be there. I'm new at the bass fishing game and up until that day, I never (knowingly) came upon a situation where a cast had to be made so accurately in order to hook up. At the end of the day, I was wondering to myself how many times I might NOT have caught fish because I wasn't so careful about getting so tight to the cover with my presentation -- in other words, accurate with my casts. I guess I'd say extreme accuracy certainly isn't necessary to catch lots of fish, but it sure can help! Tight lines, Bob

A pickerel/pike/muskie is the kind of fish you really need to weigh. They are so long that, 1) You would guess they are heavier than they really are and, 2) A little difference in girth makes for a larger difference in weight than you might expect. I bought a digital scale this summer and weighed a lot of bass. I got pretty good at guestimating their weight. I also got pretty disappointed a few times when the pickerel and pike I weighed were considerably lighter than my estimates. I think it's much harder to make an accurate guess of their weight (at least until I weigh a whole lot more of them). Anyway, the pickerel here in upstate NY are pretty healthy. I've weighed a few that were in the 4 lb. range. That doesn't sound like much, but that's a decent size pickerel, really. They are good fighters and I'm never unhappy to hook one on a spinnerbait. It's when I'm fishing crank baits or smaller lures that they make me mutter and curse.... Tight lines, Bob

A chalk line! Why didn't I think of that! Thanks very much for the suggestions. I appreciate it! Tight lines, Bob

You can find a Lew's Tournament Pro for around $150. I know it's $30 over your posted budget, but it's one sweet reel! I haven't tried any of the other Lew's models (yet). In the ~$100 price range, I recently bought a Daiwa Tatula. I can't imagine getting more bang for the buck and can't imagine anyone being disappointed with one. Tight lines, Bob

I picked one up about a month ago (you can find them new for less than $95) and not only was I satisfied, I was impressed. It was one of those rare times when I felt that I got more than my money's worth. I believe you would be happy with one as an all-around bass reel. Tight lines, Bob

Thank you for your service!!! No matter how long you have to wait between fishing trips, the fish will always be waiting for you. And the patriotic fish will be waiting especially for you. Tight lines, Bob

I mail-order ice fishing stuff from Fish307.com. Great folks to do business with, in my experience. http://www.fish307.com/icefishing.aspx Tight lines, Bob

During the summer, pike were getting me for about $20 worth of lures each fishing day; about twice what I was spending on gas for the boat! For snagged lures, I bought a couple of plug knockers from the guy who sells them on evilBay. I still need to get them rigged on a strong piece of line and a cheap reel or some kind of spool. Tight lines, Bob

That is a beautiful fish and great story. :-) Congratulations on your new PB and best wishes on breaking it soon! Tight lines, Bob

Pike and pickerel are my normal by-catch when bass fishing on southern Lake Champlain. I normally bass fish with a 20lb. fluoro leader on braid and find that pike can easily cut me off (and they do, fairly regularly). Instead of the bulky, standard braided wire leaders with the swivels and snaps, I like to use thin nickel/titanium braided fishing wire to make a bite-proof leader if targeting pike or other toothy fish. It is much more stealthy than a normal store-bought leader and can be knotted like normal fishing line. A spool of it seems expensive but it lasts a long time. I use some from American Fishing Wire for fly fishing and regular fishing. Knot2Kinky is another popular product. Pliers are a must for unhooking them and you will find that standard needle-nose pliers can be too short to use on large pike that are deeply hooked. They have a big, long snout and your lure could be eight or more inches in from their front teeth. A big pike bloodied me up this summer when I tried to reach too far in with a regular pair of needle-nose. There are several long-reach hook disgorgers on the market, or you can make a simple one with some heavy music wire and a wood handle. I find that a pair of those bright orange plastic fish-grippers is very handy to get a grip on their lower lip when you're working on getting your hooks out. I would normally consider lures that are big, active and noisy as ideal for pike, but I've hooked some nice ones on wacky-rigged Senkos, so you never know.... Tight lines, Bob

A BIG +1 on Fishing Rhino's post above.... Tight lines, Bob