hawkoath

^^^^

Price range?

Reel covers as well would help.

I'm glad this good Samaritan lives in my home state. It gives me a sliver of hope that if the same thing happened to me I just might get mine back as well... Well we can we all have such luck and everyone is as gracious.

I haven't used any before but just to get you started: *** *** Denali Rosewood (I saw some around this price on Ebay, don't know if its still there) Phenix Maxim Duckett Ghost You might also want to give the Dobryns Fury a try when it comes out if it hasn't already. It might also be useful if you know what technique you will be using it for and I'm sure people on the forums can help you.

That's a pretty cool do it yourself project. I don't suppose you could show us some photos of it and describe the process of how it's made? It would be really useful and I bet a bunch of people would be really thankful. Personally, I've found the Rod Condoms to be extremely useful and customizable. You select the length of the rod you have or you can directly email the owner and tell him how long you want the sleeve to be (this way it can go perfectly to the hook keeper or wherever you want) and can add a sturdy elastic band which goes in a metal loop that prevents the sleeve from sliding up and down the rod. Plus you can customize the colors and it has a floatation device at the tip to both protect the rod tip and in case your rod drops into the water.

Welcome, welcome.

I started out with this stuff and had issues with breakage and it was quite brittle. Surprisingly after tossing half a spools worth of line away the breakage issues got better and it might be just my imagination but it seemed to curl less and have less memory. Probably just my imagination.

I've always thought that having those vibrations was an indicator of the rod's sensitivity and the more you can feel it supposedly the better the rod. But if it's bothering you you might want to try some overgrips/rod grips. You can specifically purchase really fluffy ones, really big foamy ones, everything in between or just simply use a tennis overgrip or the like. Another thing might be to just buy a stouter rod or find one that has been reviewed before and people have complained about the lack of sensitivity.

Welcome, welcome.

Maybe I should try to be more cognizant of unintended consequences. I feel like I've indirectly caused more people to head out and go Shad fishing without any replies to my original query.

Sometimes customs is charged. Sometimes its not. I feel it's almost a lottery at times. It's interesting that Luckycraftman mentioned stripping down and building back up a NRX. I think I saw this exact thing on another forum and boy did it seem a painstaking and long process (not to mention costly). So it has been done but as to the feasibility of it for the average angler or even the average enthusiast... As for North Fork Composite blanks I think they are fantastic and wish that Batson who distributes them could find some way to allow others to really try them out for themselves.

So I have both the Vanquish and Certate (albeit different sizes). The Vanquish is much lighter than pretty much all comparable reels in the respective size categories (even the CI4+). That's why I really like it for freshwater use. For example fishing for shad, I'm fishing all day in the hot sun, with a lot of wind, making hundreds of casts, carefully balancing on rocks, etc... it's definitely the real I would chose as I know there is a chance I could hook into some King and Sockeye salmon as well as shad (the shad are quite decent at 1.5-4lbs and in previous years you could catch 50 in a good day). In tough conditions, being stressed out, and being forced to really work all the time for an extended period of time in combat fishing situations with literally 50+ people lined up side by side I chose the Vanquish. I also definitely think the Vanquish is more refined, maybe it's just me but reeling in line is a lot smoother and easier than the vast majority of reels out there. The combination of the drag being sooo smooth that you don't really feel it in action and the power to drag in the big fish (which I don't feel Sustains and below really have) make it so it's a really enjoyable experience and not so much of a fight. There is a lot of a sleekness to it that you gradually appreciate as you use it more. Overall, I would compare the Vanquish to a cheetah while the Certate is more of a bear. While I haven't used any of the reels to their max I have the slight suspicion that a Certate would give you more fighting power if you are fighting a monster. Hence I use it in saltwater. It's pretty much my night bottom fishing/ small shark reel right now as it's fairly robust. I've always felt that my Daiwa spinning reels reels were just stronger and had more pulling power than my Shimanos and for the most part my go to reels in saltwater were Daiwa and Penn. I think the Certate is a good reel for a lot of applications but I'm not sure if I would use it for bass fishing as they can be heavier and I use would use my spinning gear a lot where I live. I am also prone to getting tennis elbow and shoulder so lightweight definitely helps. Though if you are going for monster bass in the 10lb+ category or spinning gear isn't your predominant setup and/or you aren't making a hundred casts then it should be fine. My own personal preference is to have my freshwater setups be <~10oz unless I'm going for Salmon and bigger. There is one issue with the Vanquish though and that's regarding its manufacturing. I've heard of some horror stories of people getting their reels from overseas and having all sorts of issues with them. The quality of the reels might be extremely inconsistent. If you do end up wanting preferably get it from someone in person or on forums that you trust.

Lol. The bass was too big for even the phot to fit. Welcome.

I tend to try to match the rod and reel equally for the most part though if push comes to shove I would definitely lean more towards the rod. I feel that the rod has more lasting value and usage though if you are thinking about a Stella vs. NRX its about the same. Personally, I would see if I can get a deal from someone reputable preferably from some forum you frequent often and are really comfortable with and get a Shimano Vanquish instead of the CI4+ and Stella. The Vanquish to me is basically a Japanese/Foreign domestic market only CI4 version of the Stella. So its as light as a CI4 but its a lot smoother, has a ton more power when fighting a fish and is just basically a pleasure to fish with. Much, much better than a CI4+ imo. Plus, with exchange rates these days you might be able to get a new one for the same price as a CI4+. I did from another forum and it's amazing. Sustains and below just do not compare with it. This way you can get the best of both worlds and not stress over Reel vs. Rod. Get the Vanquish and NRX.

North Fork Composites HM Blank Rod Archangel St. Croix Legend Xtreme Kistler Z-Bone Daiwa Steez Japanese Domestic Model Rods Custom Rods

and tend to use spinning reels a little more often than I probably should.

Ty, ty.

For bass: 5" Yamasenko

Drop shotting an Alabama rig with a bunch of wacky rigged senkos. I wonder if it's the difference in the fall rate, the presentation with all the wire or both that puts them off.

Anyone in WA/OR know what's going on with the Shad this year? They don't seem to be biting very well. It seems like the 50-100 fishermen on the shores catch less in a day this year than one person in years prior. Btw if you have any secret tactic for these fish and don't want it posted online please feel free to enlighten me by PM (seriously please). I want to learn how to catch these things but even the "Masters" don't seem to be doing so well.

What sticks out in my mind was catching an Anchor/Grappling Hook when I was a kid. I kept it for a while and used it for all sorts of things. More recently, on Wednesday my friend catch a branch that had several lures on it. Not quite as good as the Shad we caught but we couldn't complain.

Try Fish and Save (http://www.fishandsave.com/). I usually grab 10-12 flies for $2 or less there, but don't know what deals they have right now.

Worm on a Carolina rig sitting on the bottom has always worked and worst comes to worst you might catch a perch or something else.

A lot of time spent just figuring out the process and equipment. I wonder if I really wanted to be able to custom build a rod if I wouldn't take some time and move to SW WA/ NE OR and see if I can't convince some rod builders to train me for free labor and room/board or see if Loomis/Lamiglas/Sage/etc... has an apprenticeship program.