FishTank

As an Indianapolis resident, I can't loose but hope the Colts play a solid game and move on. If they succeed, they will more than likely have won a date with New England. Oh joy......

He was a class act. He had away of delivering the good and bad sides of sports in a way that had dignity and belief but never an over the top perspective. Reporters of this character are in short supply. He will be missed.

The Fenwick HMG gets my vote.

I had two of the China made Triumph rods when they first came out and I had the same issue as the original poster. I had one break and the other made a creaking noise at the reel seat. I ended up returning both, later purchased two Avids and these rods far exceed the Triumph. The only comparison I can draw that felt close in the Triumph's price range was the BPS Bionic Blade or the newer version of the Ugly Stick with the Ugly Stick being slightly better. I also think the Berkley Lightning Rod also comes close. All Star also had a rod that was out around at the same time the Triumphs debuted, at this same price point, that I thought was a better offering.

I like 50lb Power Pro for flipping but I use just about anything above 10lb test if the situation calls for it.

The shimano saraha or the pflueger supreme would be my choices.

I would say you can't go wrong with any of the Trilene lines available.

I have used them in the past and had success with them. I would say they work just as well as most buzz baits. The gurgling sound they make is pretty cool.

I caught my first bass on a night crawler. I guess you could say, it is long gone.....

Wow. Not for me.... I have an uncle that retired from Bell South that use to do disaster relief exclusively. He would tell me stories of climbing insanely tall towers when I was a kid. Seeing this guy reel puts his stories into perspective.

Uni and improved cinch.

If there is one near you, Wal Greens by me has a health clinic that costs $50 to visit. The general antibiotics they usually give for the flu are $4 at Wal-Mart.

The flu around here was bad. My wife had a version of it and my daughter had the ev-d68. They treated my daughter with antibiotics but the doctor said that she will just need to ride it out. They each got sick 3 days after they received a flu shot. Myself, I have been sick once with the flu since 1998. I received a flu shot back then and 1 hour later I was in the hospital with a 104 degree fever. I felt fine before hand. I was told that I had a pancreatic viral flu and that it would go away in a month or two. The doctor said it would either kill or I would be fine. They sent me home that day because there was nothing they could do for me. It took 2 weeks for the fever to break completely and another week to recover. I know they say you can't catch the flu from the shot but there are too many I know still getting sick right after the shot or sometime down the road.

I tend to read more odd ball stuff but here are my favorites in no particular order The Art of Racing in the Rain The Name of the Rose The Alchemist Game of Thrones Series The Dresden Files American Gods Fool Lamb Fight Club There are tons more that I love but I have read so many that after awhile they all start to run together. If anybody was forced to read King Lear, Fool by Christopher Moore will be hilarious. It's funny, a little dirty and challenging enough to be enjoyable.

I use to have a Sustain but sold it. It was my favorite. I have two stradics that I like. both are still going strong.

Almost forgot, the split grip did feel weird at first on the LT, just something to consider.

I have fished both the 6'8" x-fast spinning rods. I own the avid though. An old friend of mine had the LT version. Side by side, the LT is a better built rod. Fishing them though, there did not seem much difference. The LT is slightly more sensitive and maybe a fuzz lighter at the tip but it balanced and casts about the same. IMHO, I don't care much for the looks of the Avid X and for a couple extra bucks the LT is a nice rod. So if you have a couple of extra bucks, I say go for it; now's the time.

I tend to use mono for crankbaits and topwater and fluorocarbon for worms, jigs, etc.. For your application, I would suggest fluorocarbon 12lb. I like Invizx and Trilene 100% FC. As stated above the KVD line conditioner is helpful when it comes to fluorocarbon.

There is a sticky from the top of this section in the forum that has a wealth info on setting up and getting use to a baitcaster. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/92295-how-to-set-up-a-baitcaster/ Give it some time and practice, and your casting distance will increase. Also, since this reel is new and you state you are getting short casts, I would suggest cleaning out all the old grease and oil and give it a proper lubing up. Sometimes new reels are so coated with grease and oil that it hinders the casting distance. More than likely, you need to practice and get use to the reel. If you are dead set on getting a different reel under $100, (if you can find one) the Shimano Citica are clearenced out most places. It is a great work horse reel for the money.

Under $250 for the set up. It's not something I figure I will use a whole lot but I still looking for something of decent quality. Last week Gander Mountain had the Supreme on sale for $69.99 but they are off sale this week (just came back from there). I may hold off until they are back sale but I will probably make a move sometime before spring. I would love to look at the Trout series and Panfish but no one around my neck of the woods carries them. The fenwick river runner is also a good rod but same thing, no one has them in stock.

If I had $200 for a new reel I would look at the new Curado, or a Chronarch. In the daiwa line up, I'd get another Zillion.

I have tried both and Vicious is one the worst lines I have tried yet. Red Label on the other hand is not bad. It has some memory but with a little line conditioner it is no big deal. Invisix and Trielene 100% FC are the two I like best.

I have been kicking around the idea of an UL set up and wanted a few suggestions or ideas. I already have a ML St. Croix Avid paired with a Shimano stradic so I was thinking of something way different> maybe a 7' UL fast St. Croix Premier and a Pflueger Supreme. I would be using this set up for inline spinner baits and small jigs exclusively. It would be used from a kayak in shallow water streams. Thanks again for your thoughts.....

My favorite set up for this is a G Loomis 803C GLX jig and worm rod with either a shimano core or a chronarch 51e.

Panfish would be my guess but I have never seen UL in any of the St. Croix casting rods, ML but not UL