E. Guido Soda

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_998986_-1?cm_mmc=pla-_-Fishing+Fishing+Rods+Spinning+Rods-_-Google-_-H2O+Xpress+Ethos+Nano+Spinning+Rod&kwid=productads-plaid%5E151817661918-sku%5E025741968-adType%5EPLA-device%5Ec-adid%5E69707527278 Thinking I need to step up my drop shot / shakey head game. I have a couple of spinning outfits, but I generally loan them to friends who don't have a lot of gear, etc. So I have been using casting rigs. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out there has used the Ethos Nano spinning rod? The only H2O Xpress stuff I have bought are their square bill crank baits and deep divers, both of which are pretty high quality for not a lot of money. Anyway, not sure if the price-to-quality ratio holds true in the rod and reel department. Also, not so sure about the micro-guide in the first eyelet concept either. Any help / input is appreciated. Thx! EGS

This is my thinking as noted a few posts back. I think the finesse baits need that added sensitivity micro guides allegedly give when you are dragging on the bottom or throwing into cover / structure; I say "allegedly" as I don't think my Duckett Micro Magic provides heightened sensitivity over my dedicated plastics rod, the Loomis E6X...no less, but certainly no more. And crankbaits simply bang into things giving you all the feedback you need with regular guides. Just my $.02.

He lost me at "it's almost like your line lasts longer...it's really weird." In doing more research, it seems that the micro guides would be best for flipping, punching, soft baits, etc. where you're maybe not looking for as much distance but needing to feel everything you come in contact with on the bottom / in structure. But maybe they are not the best idea for cranking, swimbait fishing, and certain topwater baits, where you need as much distance as you can get while not necessarily needing to feel every single tick of the line. Thanks for sharing.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say that duckett rods are no better than Veritas rods, I *asked* why pay the money over a Veritas or a Veracity. And I also own a Duckett Ghost (regular guides) and it's a decent rod, but nothing stands out over any other $99 rod I've used. What I'm really asking, and you answered, is what good the micro guides are - weight and response. Thx - I guess I should take that into consideration when looking for a new one.

Yes, gettinig the line through the guides is a pain in the a$$, but not necessarily a deal breaker. Again, I don't dislike the rod at all, I like the action fine, they seem to be pretty tough, but if I can get something of similar quality for $50 less or more, that's what I think I'll do.

I dunked a Duckett Micro Magic yesterday, so I'm in the market for a new rod. I have another Micro Magic (Pro), and I like them alright, but I'm not really sure I want to pay the extra $$ over, say, a Veritas / Veracity or a similar piece. I guess my question is what good, in reality, are the micro-guides? I'm not noticing any significant casting distance or accuracy on topwater or swimbait casting, nor am I noticing any less line wear than on my other casting rods. Any reason to plunk down another $180 rather than $119 - $139 for a rod in the same general class? Thx, EGS

I got the Mojo Bass Glass M / M 6'10" on Friday and fished it Saturday and Sunday. Wow - love it. It was between that and the Loomis E6X crankbait road, but there is simply no comparison - the Loomis is closer to a ML than a M. The MBG is a perfect medium, and $50 less - it was a no-brainer for me. And I'm extremely pleased. I fished it with a Revo SX Gen3 6.4:1, and H2O Xpress jointed square bills. I could feel every tick, every stump, grass, etc. The leaves are starting to fall around here and I was picking up quite a few of them, and you could tell immediately when you snagged one, no matter how small - it just went dead on you. Conversely, you could tell immediately when you had a strike. I caught probably 15 small-ish spots this weeklend, loading the road up a few times; I probably only lost three...not sure if it was from setting the hook too hard or what (user error is not out of the question), but I am supremely impressed with this rig, especially for the money. EGS

Love P-Line! I use it for cranking, swim baits and topwater - it seems to be incredibly strong, but it does have significant memory, so be aware of that. Caught these two jokers on topwater this weekend - 12lb test, Revo SX Gen3, Duckett Micro Magic 7' MH, Super Spook, Jr:

As others have noted, this reel is finnicky but once set, it will throw a 3/8 - 1/2 oz plug a mile. The first one I bought, I had a hell of a time getting iit dialed in because of the lack of centrifugal braking I was used to in my BPS PQ's. I set the brake to "5", loosened the spool to where the 1/2 oz. spinnerbait would drop moderately to the water. I thought I was set, but no no no. I got "professional overrun" after professional overrun. Tried everything *except* amping the brake up - I felt like I had it set right. I now have two of them, and the brakes are jacked up to about 8 or 9 with moderate spool tension, and I rarely have the old pro overruns anymore. Also, it takes a little while for the reel to "loosen up", so to speak. I took my 6.4:1 out today for the first time, set it up and got things going. Initially I was getting decent distance, but not the distance I was used to with my 7.1:1. After 30 or 40 casts, it seemed to catrch fire, and I was getting the distance I was used to. It's a great reel, just takes a little tinkering to get in the zone...but well worth the time to do so. -EGS

Fished the Coosa River below Jordan Dam Saturday - it's a great run for some monster spots. Didn't catch the biggest girl on the river, but not too shabby for 95* in 4' of water. Lots of whitewater and class II rapids - tests your paddling and fishing...often simultaneously. Caught this one on an *** Black MH 6' 7" with a junebug/chartreuse Zoom 6" lizard Texas rigged. Not sure how much it weighed, but I'm guessing 3.75 - 4, and was 20" long. Hit it like a freight train...

7 lb 8 oz head, private pond, Marion, AL. Duckett 7' MH Micro Magic, BPS Pro Qualifier 6.4:1, 12 lb Moss Green P-Line, 1/2 oz Watermelon Red Dirty Jig (football head) w/ Rage Tail Summer Craw trailer + blue Spike-It 1 + lb bream caught on random light spinning rod w/ a little KVD crankbait of some sort...

Just a point of clarification - you cannot put your own boat in at Lake Purdy. You have it backwards - you can't put your boat in, but you can bring your own motor, up to 10hp. http://www.lakepurdyfishing.com/rules.php With that said, it can be pretty good fishing; better than any of the "lakes" at Oak Mountain. Try Texas rigged lizards with contrast - black / sapphire, watermelon / chartreuse and the chartreuse / pepper all work well out there. Good luck! -EGS

There is no contrifugal braking system on the Revo SX. MagTrax magnetic braking system...

Caught this 28 lb flathead cat kayak fishing on Choccolocco Creek w/: *** Black MH 6'7" BPS Pro Qualifier 7.1:1 12 lb P-Line Zoom junebug/chartreuse trick worm on a 1/4" shaley head Not what I was expecting, but it was a nice ten minute ride!

Two words I forgot to factor in: centrifugal braking. The BPS has dual braking, and so I rarely tweak the magnetic past three or four. I went out in the back yard and set the Revo brake to eight or nine, and all seems to be well; thanks for the heads-up. -EGS

So I have been using the $99 BPS Pro Qualifiers in various speeds with excellent results for a while now, and decided to see if a reel with a bunch of hoopla, and a slightly more "premium" price tag, is worth the money. As such I whittled it down the Shimano Curado and the Garcia Revo SX. Based on general reviews, looks, the way the reel fit in my hand and the ease of access to the braking wheel (not to mention the visibility), I purchased a 7.1 Revo SX. I don't know if it is a defective reel, but the only way I can prevent overruns with it is to tighten the spool tension to the point where the lure does not fall at all when I release the thumb bar. I threw a 1/2 oz. spinner yesterday and a 1/4 oz. shakey head w/ a trick worm, and if I let the lure fall at all, there was always a nasty overrun. I am using 12 lb. P-Line mono, FYI. With the same line (and lures) on the BPS PQ 7.1, I let the lure fall gently and just go - and _never_ get overruns. Just curious about anyone else's experience with this reel... Thx, EGS

On paper they look identical, though I have read in a couple of places that the Patriarch doesn't get it out there as far as reels in it's class. If it's nominal, I can live with it - looking to use it on a 7'6" Duckett Micro Magic Pro: topwater, heavy spinners, swimbaits, etc. I understand it's good for flipping / pitching, but I will definitely be using whatever I buy for distance casting. Thoughts? Thx, EGS

I bought him a 33, and after only eight or nine months it feels like junk on the retrieve; noisy, uneven, rough retrieve. Maybe I got a bunk one, but seeing as how the through axle on the Omega I had also broke, I am a little wary. I actually did purchase the Z03, so we'll see how it does in his hands. Thanks for all the responses...

Thanks all - I'll check out the Z03Pro. As for the Omega that busted, Bass Pro took it back on trade.

I need gto find a good, quality spincasting reel for my son; he is nine and he is *ok* wth a spinning reel, but tends to have more snarls than I like taking care of for him. We fish out of kayaks, his tethered to mine, so I am always having to maneuver to help him with a tangle, knotted line, etc. The Zebco products, Omega and the 33, seem to be junk - recently broke the thru-axle of an Omega, and the 33 just feels like garbage. Is there anything out there worth a flip these days? And yes, I don't want to spend a whole lot on a spincaster, either. Any thoughts? Thanks, EGS

We fish the Cahaba, too, putting in under the bridge on 280 (across from the fire station). Paddle up about 500 - 600 yards and hit the Little Cahaba for some easier fishing. Let me know when you get that kayak. -EGS

Yep, it's Purdy. Where are you fishing at LM?

Relative noob (to the forum and bass fishing), so excuse any obvious questions! So the lake I usually fish is curently down about 7' - 8' from full pool - it is generally a fairly productive lake, but it is just now getting back to where you can navigate the areas we fish (we fish from kayaks). Optimally, the area we fish is only 10' - 15' at full pool - we usually fish the slews, creeks and inlets from the regional rivers. This area is dissected from the main lake by a bridge; it is illegal to put your own boat / kayak / whatever into the main lake, as it is the original source of our drinking water...or maybe they just want to make money renting boats...who knows. So truly deep fishing is pretty much out of the question unless we bite the bullet and actually rent a jon boat or pontoon...which is a possibility, I suppose. Anyway, as I said, the area we fish is just now becoming navigable again due to some recent downpours. It is still very shallow, maybe 6' - 7' at the deepest points. My question is this - in near-drought situations like this, do the predator fish usually migrate into the deeper waters or is it easier for them to forage in the shallows? Water is moving into the area at a reasonable pace, so I would think the baitfish are active. This summer I caught a five lb. largemouth in this area in less than 2' of water, FYI. As the area fills back up, what should I anticipate in terms of production? I went out last Friday (w/ no luck - used 1/8 oz jigheads and grubs, tried some poppers, and some shallow running cranks. You can still see the bottom in most areas, but we are getting a monster rainfall tonight and tomorrow, with clearing on Thursday and Friday. I'd like to try my luck again; any suggestions on what to try and what I might expect at this point? Water temps are ~ 52* - 60* right now, ambient should be around 60* on Friday / Saturday. Thx, EGS