jhc1

Am I missing something here? The auction site has them for $139. Are those not legitimate FKs?

I think they increased the price on the Aetos. I'm sure they were selling tons of them at that $94 price.

I'm close to biting the bullet on this deal despite having absolutely no need for another reel. .

Is it at all disheartening for years (and in some cases, decades) to pass and still not catching another PB? I'm guessing the answer is "no," and that the potential to break that PB is what keeps most guys hooked.

This is what I was hoping for. Thank you!

Interesting. 1oz is at least somewhat understandable, but 3/8oz for a MH rod is totally unreasonable, wouldn't you say?

I think your post was what prompted me to actually start this topic. Even 3/4 seems low to me- the Medium Aetos is 3/4, and I have a 7' HMG, also Medium Fast, that's 1/4-3/4. I'd hope a MH would be rated up to a higher amount than those two.

I've purchased two Aetos rods lately, both having the same listed weight rating. My 6"6 (2 piece), Medium Fast rod is listed on their site as 1/4-3/8, but the rod actually says "1/8-3/4" Conversely, my 6'8", Medium Heavy, extra fast action rod also is listed as 1/4-3/8 on their site, and actually has that rating printed on it. This cannot be right, right? It's substantially beefier than the Medium rod, so I feel it has to be in error.

Hey thanks for the quick reply. I was on the bank this weekend and was focusing on the south dam before the vicious downpour. I'm going to return in a couple of weeks and rent a boat for a good while in the morning/early afternoon, so I'll be able to explore many more areas.

Anybody have any tips for fishing Busse?

Ah, so it's possible that the ATAK isn't as robust in that area as the Radar. Fair enough.

I'd love to hear the motivation for not allowing the pedal drive in the ATAK. Could it be weight?

Forgive my ignorance, but if something is advertised as 15# test, shouldn't it break at (at least) 15 pounds of force? Or are you suggesting that 15# PP actually has a strength that's substantially higher than 15 pounds, whereas smackdown is basically exactly what it's advertised?

Thanks for the insights. Did you buy hooks that were pre-epoxied? If so, what brand? If you did it yourself, what did you use?

This may sound like sacrilege, but I have lost more lures (at least five- a few spinners, a jig head, and several mushroom heads) with my new spool of 15lb smackdown in the two-three weeks I've had it than any other braided lines I've used combined. This includes 15lb Power Pro, 15lb Suffix 832, and 20 lb Super Slick. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I may consider taking this line off the reel. My experiences appear to be different than every one else's, so it could just be bad luck. FWIW, I tie a palomar knot 99.9% of the time with my braid.

Why aren't you impressed?

I bring two (maybe three) spinning setups and a backpack that carries 3 plano boxes, 2 gallon ziplock bags worth of plastics, a gatorade, and extras (fish grips, scale, gloves, bug spray, etc.). Since this is essentially all of the gear I have, I never feel like I'm missing out. If anything, I usually realize that I only end up using 1/10th of all my lures, so I sometimes wish I packed lighter.

Any Nucanoe fans? It seems like they have a huge amount of storage.

Those Aetos rods are going to make a lot of people happy. Considering a MH/XF spinning rod...

Sounds like practice is the answer!

When you all say line watching, what part of the line are you actually observing? The line where it first contacts the water, or where it goes under water? Does it make a difference?

If you don't mind, how much was the spool?

When would you raise the rod during the retrieve?

I tried to like fluoro (tatsu), but it just didn't work out. I just took it off one of my spools and replaced it with 15lb smackdown.

I wasn't expecting so learn so much good information from my question- thank you. I probably should have mentioned that I'm strictly bank fishing for the time being, so I get caught up pretty close to where I'm standing as I bring the lure in.