FishTank

For pitching I like my G. Loomis 844C IMX with a Dawia Zillion and I use either 15lb FC or 50lb Power Pro. As others have mentioned 15lb is probably to light for a bait caster but is ideal for spinning gear.

Love tungsten weights but hate the cost compared to lead. With that said, it may just be me, but I seem to catch more fish with them than lead.

Senkos, Fat Ikas, Keitech swimbaits, 4/0 Gammi EWG's, VMC Tungsten Bullet weights 1/8 oz and 3/16, and a Lucky Craft Flat CB in Chartreuse shad.

As far as bank fishing goes, I take a medium amount of stuff nothing major. -Two maybe three setups and a backpack of cranks, soft plastic, sunglasses, bug/sunscreen, a small flashlight, knife, water, and pliers. In my inflatable pontoon boat -Two setups, mainly for soft plastic>it's based on how deep I want to fish>A cooler with lunch and all the stuff above just more of it. I too was bank fishing yesterday at my favorite pond and just caught one. It was hot and nothing seemed to be biting. I could see fish hitting the top of the water but nothing was hungry. When it is like this, I just fish slower. It seems to work for me.

They are good stuff, no doubt about it. I have had great luck with Senkos, the hula grub, kreature, pro Senkos, Flappin Hog and Fat Ikas but over the years there are few that have not done so well.... Single tail grubs> can't explain why, I have had better luck with BPS's version and Zooms Lizards> Ok but still like Zooms better Swimming Senko> again just OK but a cool bait though Craw> not as good as I had hoped Swimbait> good but I there are others that are just as good if not better (Keitech)

I have Curado 200G and no issues as of yet. This is my main cranking reel. So it gets hit pretty hard. My old Japan made Curados were great and also had no issues. I can say the older Curado E was a more solid feeling reel and built like a tank but I don't think it had anything to do with being made in Japan. It was just better design, parts, etc. and a higher price tag. I do not have the new I as of yet but out of the ones I have owned, the Curado 201 BSF was my favorite. I think it had, to me, the first high dollar reel feel that I could afford (so I may be a little bias towards it).

Cool. Looks like me drinking a beer.

Congrats. My wife starts back on Monday. It's been great having her home for a few weeks. This year she is doing Academic Team after school. I think she is nuts but I am proud of her all the same. Good luck in the job search. I hope you find a school that fits you and your style.

I picked up a Shimano Chronarch for $150 at Gander Mountain.

I always like this ad when it shows up. I think it was from 1977.

Shimano Crucial and when I have seen them on sale (maybe a few bucks over $150), the St. Croix Avid.

Shimano Core 101MG and a G. Loomis 783C GLX. Pretty much does it all. St. Croix Avid 6'8" M x-fast and a Shimano Stradic. All around soft plastic setup.

This time nobody showed up as far as I know. About a month ago I was at the same lake and did see a guy get busted. He had no license, a bucket full of fish (catfish, blue gill, bass, and whatever else), and 6 rods set up (looked like 3 of these in pic below but more heavy duty) with electronic bite detectors. When the officer was done fining him and his buddy, he said it was over a $1000 between them. It's usually $125 for each violation and from what I can tell, most officers only write one ticket at a time. It's more of a slap on the wrist when they write one. In Indiana, they seem to be out to keep people safe and people in line and not out to just write tickets. These two though seemed like professional idiots.

In order to keep the Bait Monkey away, I bought enough to have my own tackle shop in my garage. In all truth, there is no avoiding the bait monkey. You can only prepare for him. Save your money, buy what you need when it is on sale, and try not to do something that causes buyers remorse.

I looked and sorry the answer is a polite, No.

Confidence.... I am only guessing but for me I would say the way it wiggles and falls when weightless.

Those where some awesome reels back then. I was 8 years old when that add came out.

It's a few bucks more than what you mentioned but I have G. Loomis CBR 783 that I love. It is a M Mod-Fast but it feels and acts like a ML. It will through the baits you are talking about very easily.

Something like this....

With all the info and new fishing equipment at this show, what have you seen that has got the bait monkey excited? Or is there something that has been a disappointment? For me I like the Revo Toro Beast, *** will have lefties, and maybe the new Shimano Stradic. Other than that, the show seems pretty lack luster.

I saw it this past weekend (seen it many times though). It always cracks me up. The guy I saw had a 8' foot rod with probably 25lb line, a bobber a foot long, and a spinning reel the size of a pineapple. He was fishing for wipers with bee moths. He was catching them but when he set the hook, it was like watching a tug a war with a wrestler and a two year old. Of course he had a bucket. I would care less but the lake he was fishing was listed as a catch and release and he kept everything he caught. He also left a mess on the bank> trash, pop cans, etc.. No respect is what the bucket means to me.

Basically my routine on color when it comes to Senkos is 1. Black with blue flake 2. Green Pumpkin/Watermelon Laminate 3. Anything that is sort of shinny. Smoke halo/blue pearl silver, Bluegrass, Dirty Shad, etc..... Another way to look at it. Black>Dark>Lighter After that, anything that is out of the ordinary. Presentation and patience is more important than color.

For me rod length is technique specific and also for casting accuracy. The shorter the rod generally the more accurate my cast are. For me the ideal length is 6'8". It is a good go between. I also like it to be either a x-fast or fast rod and MH.

I would say the Chronarch 50e would be a good choice. It's small, light weight, cast a mile, has plenty of power, and is smooth to boot and it is under $200. It makes for a great jig and worm reel.

I have 8lb Invizx on a Shimano Stradic and have not had any issues but I do use KVD line conditioner. I too would not put 17b FC line on a spinning reel. 10lb is usually the most I will go.