FishTank

I use both but I prefer Senkos. I have no issues with the price because I always buy them on sale and I have only had a couple of packs that were so soft that they tore after a few fish. The Dinger on the other hand is a good value. You get more for less money but I don't care for all the salt. Senkos are also my go to bait, so in my head I think I catch more fish with them. However, when it comes to the 4in size I like the Dinger better than the Senko. A weightless 4in Black Pearl Lam. Dinger has been a secret weapon of mine when nothing else will work but it's a dink maganite.

I purchased a 7'3'' H Riggin' Stick over the weekend and like it so far. It casts further than any other rod I own, including my Loomis MBR844C. It's also pretty sensitive somewhere between a Loomis IMX and GLX. But on the down side, it's seems heavy even without the weight system. I have tried a couple of reels with it and the one I liked best so far has been my Shimano Calcutta 251. It balanced better than anything else I owned and I can cast a 6in Senko about 30 feet further than I ever have before. I think Fenwick has some winners with their new line up. The only one I question and would like to here some feedback on is their Crankshaft rods. The one I looked at was very floppy at the tip and stiff at bottom. It reminded me at first of an old Ugly Stick I use to have but after looking closer you could tell it was a well thought out rod.

I use braid but not for everything. It has it's time and place but I prefer to use for topwater and heavy cover. It's great stuff but I find I catch more fish using fluorocarbon and co-polymer lines.

Shimano Sustain 2500 and a St.Croix Avid 6'8'' M x-fast. I fish mostly soft plastic now and this is about the easiest set up I have to use.

My favorite old PC games got to be Duke Nukem and of course Doom. But what about a real pinball machine? Are any of guys old enough to remember these things? I recall the first video game (Space Invaders) I ever saw and thought how weird, it will never replace pinball. How I wish I could take that one back.

P-Line 15lb Floroclear or 15lb Trilene Fluorocarbon are lines of choice but I also use YoZuri Hybrid 12lb on occasion.

My favorite changes depending on what mood I'm in. Loomis MBR783 GLX and a Shimano Calais 201A OR Loomis BCR803 GLX and Shimano Calcutta 251 (maybe Revo Premier )

Just another idea, I have been using a Jansport backpack and can put lots of stuff in it. This one is much bigger than the one I have but it should hold tons. http://www.ebags.com/jansport/driver_8/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=20186 It also has a lifetime warranty.

I like YoZuri Hybrid for poppers but braid for just about any other topwater.

I went looking for a heavy rod to fish swimbaits, heavy jigs, and maybe some heavy softplastic. I was open to just about any brand or technique specific rod. At first I was thinking another Loomis MBR844C, maybe a Kistler rod, or a St. Croix Legend Tournament. In the end I thought that maybe I was asking too much of just one rod but I think I might have found a good go between. I came home with a Fenwick Elite Tech 7'3''Heavy Riggin' Stick. It has been many years since I fished a Fenwick and I was pleasently suprised at how far their rods have come over the years. The rod I purchased has a fast tip but seemed soft just below the tip. It felt almost the same as the Loomis Swimmbait Rod. It comes with a weight balancing system which will take some getting use to but all in all I pleased with my purchase. The $50 rebate I am getting ready to send was a nice bonus. I can't wait to take it out on the water. If any of you guys have tried one these out, I would be pleased to here all about it. PS I looked at one of Fenwick's new EliteTech Crankshaft Rods. It was one weird rod. The top half of the rod was as floppy as an Ugly Stick but the bottom half was stiff and sensitive. It was as though they had fused two different rods together. The top half is bright yellow and the bottom I think was green. It had a different feel from any other rod I have ever picked up. Just plain odd.

As always, thanks for great info and I will follow your advice to the letter.

I have a couple and have done just OK with them. I have better luck with a good old fashion spinnerbait. They are fun to fish though.

NO! Absolutely not! The reel probably came with some Shimano grease which you might add through the port, but oil is for lubricating the exterior components of the reel. 8-) I have done this with all my of my Shimano spinning reels without any issues. I will put, per the instructions from Shimano, one drop a few times a year. It tends to improve things greatly but this not to replace a yearly cleaning and maintenance. This is from the instructions for my new Stradic 2500FI Maintenance Port This is a great feature for easy maintenance. Keep your Stradic in great working condition by directly oiling the inside mechanisms without taking the reel apart through the Maintenance Port. Make your Stradic perform in tip-top condition.

I have the same reel and I have not noticed any humming sound at all. You might try a drop or two of oil in the maintenance port. Also, is it spooled? I have noticed a difference in feel when there is no line on this reel. It seems much smoother with line on it.

Really? Where? I have never found a "deal". At the last day of the Boat, Sport and Travel Show here in Indy various vendors had Loomis rods 30% off or more. I saw I guy buy a MBR844C GLX for around $220. These were brand new, fresh in the rod tube and not demo rods. Unfortunately, I did not come prepared to shop for rods. The MBR844C would also be my rod of choice.

I tried a spool of 8lb Trilene Professional last year and it worked just fine. It is still fluoro, so it a somewhat stiff but much better than any other fluoro that I have tried on spinning tackle.

Here is my two cents. Softplastic: Loomis MBR783 GLX (MH 6'6'' fast) senkos, flukes, etc. Hardbaits: Loomis MBR844 IMX or GLX (H 7' fast) Lucky Craft Pointers and other heavy jerkbaits. You can use both of these rods for just about anything.

I like using my high speed Zillion for topwater (frogs, sammy's, buzzbaits). I also like using it for larger jerkbaits and lipless cranks. Basically anything I want to reel in quickly or want to take the slack line out of.

I have been thinking of a Fenwick rod as well. I saw on Abu's website that there is a $50 mail in rebate if you buy a Fenwick or an AllStar rod and a Revo. Sounds like an awesome deal.

I finally gave in and decided to get a Revo. I am for the most part a Shimano guy but after getting a chance to play with a Revo last week, I think I may have been converted. Here's my new toy.........

OK, I got to play one of these for about 30min today and I was very impressed. If you own one of these, give me low down on this reel. I have been thinking of picking one up and using it on my Loomis BCR803. I was amazed at how well it casted, the light weight, and just how powerful this little reel was. It was not as smooth as my Calais but seemed to be comparable to the Core I played with today as well. The bait monkey is after me again.

Trilene Pro Grade is my now my favorite line. It is the only one that lives up to the hype. All the problems I experience with other fluorocarbons have seem to be fixed with this line. Once I run out of the big spools of Yo-Zuri Hybrid, this will be on all my reels. I'll be using 8lb for spinning gear and 12lb and 15lb for baitcasters.

1. Power Pro 2. Sufix 3. BPS Just picked up some Spider Wire Invisibraid. This will be my experiment line for the year. At $20 for 125yards, it may be a short experiment.

I use this stuff all the time: for backing only on most of my reels. I found some for $.50.

The improved clinch knot is my favorite for jerkbaits including the x-rap.