RockvilleMDAngler

You will never be upset with the 6.3:1 gear ratio for worm rods. The only time you go slower is for cranks (and that is debatable) and the only time you go faster is for buzzbaits or flipping (debatable as well).

I have the 7'2" MH Parabolic and I use it for mid and deep diving cranks. I have it paired with a Shimano Metanium MG and I absolutely love it. It is as light as a feather, it casts a mile, and it has all the power to bring in the big ones. Great rod for the $!!!!!

I am looking to get a drop-shot rod in a casting model for under $200. I already have a ML Avid spinning reel that works alright for drop shots but I tend to always have a shaky head rigged on it so I was considering a dedicated DS rod. My questions are: 1) Is a dedicated DS rod (ie a rod that was designed solely for drop shotting) that big of an advantage over any old ML rod? 2) If so which DS rod is the best in my price range? I usually fish with Loomis equipment but their DS rod is a bit pricey for a technique I don't use ALL that often. 3) Would I be better off saving for one of the GLX DS rods or the Cielo DS rod or is the $100+ difference no big deal. Thanks for your help!

X2 on every last word of this. The 200 series was a huge dissapointment for me (and I love Curados).

Agreed. I am a big fan of the lizards, trick and finesse worms, and craws (although the Paca Craws are the best).

When a buzzbait stops working I switch to a Mann's 1- and wake it right below the surface. Because it is not as noisy but still creates a large profile with the wake, it really works on aggressive bass. A lot of times after one or two fish on a buzzbait the fish get the clue and ignore it or leave altogether, a wake bait is a lot more natural and is deadly overtop of thick vegetation in the summertime.

I have one and I bought it with the fisherman's dream package so the floorboards were included. I did add a depthfinder (mounted the transducer on the trolling motor), cup holders, and an anchor.

Throw them once the grass mats are thick. I throw a YUM buzzfrog over the thickest mats I can find or in lillpads with a steady slow retrieve with occaisional pauses. This is typically a summer pattern, it works great early in the mornings. I have never tried throwing a frog in the prespawn or spawn but it might work in lillypads.

The craws work so well that I rarely throw any other (non-GYCB) soft plastic. Perhaps I should pick up some of their worms......

I couldn't disagree more! I fish LC's because they run true every time and are priced semi-reasonably when compared to other high-end cranks. If I am fishing shallow cranks then I would agree that 90% run true out-of-the-box but bargain deep and mid divers very rarely run true without extensive tuning and many cannot be tuned correctly no matter what. LC cranks catch more fish than bargain cranks without a doubt. Whether or not you are better off buying three bargain baits instead of one LC and hoping that you can tune one or two to perfection is your call. BTW I do not consider Rapalas to be bargain cranks, I find that they are very comparable to LCs in terms of %-that-run-true-out-of-the-box I just don't think that their action is quite up to par with the LCs.

I have more gear than I will ever use in a lifetime but I just can't help myself from buying more. I will catch a bunch of fish on one lure and then go buy 50 of them and then not catch anything with it the next time; then they sit in my basement gathering dust until I see them a year later and say "Oh yeah I forgot about these...." Then the cycle repeats itself.

When I first got back into fishing (3 years ago) I bought a Lightning rod and a Convergence. I still have both but I don't use the Lightning anymore, the Convergence still gets use. For the money the Convergence is a great rod. (if you can save up for a Loomis or Carrot Stick you will be happier)

I use my GLXs for jigs and texas rigged plastics and I use my Carrot stick for deep cranks so for my uses they are not really comparable. That being said the Carrot is way lighter and easier to handle all day long. I have not used my Carrot Stick for jigs or texas rigs so I cannot speak to it's sensitivity for these tactics. The GLX is a VERY sensitive rod and you will no doubt be very happy with it but it is not as light as a Carrot Stick.

I bought a Carrot Stick after holding it at a fishing expo. I have the 7'1" LTX MH and I use it for deep diving cranks. I cannot testify to the warranty but this rod is so light that it might be ruining my rod collection. I have several Loomis GLX and IMX rods, a few Dobyn's Champion Extreme's and a few Avids, but NONE of them are as light as my Carrot Stick. I can cast with this rod all day and I find myself secretly praying that the fish are on the deep diving bite just so I can use this rod. I have it matched with a Shimano Metanium XT. I still love my Loomis rods and my St. Croixs but they just don't feel as good as they used to thanks to the Carrot Stick.

Wow this is a great thread! I am really looking forward to seeing the finished product. How is it in the water?

I use 12lb PLine fluoroclear. It is a hybrid line that is easy to manage and is invisible to the fish. It is more sensitive than regular mono and easier to cast than fluoro. Fluorocarbon is more sensitive than mono but it stretches just as much as mono, the line just transmits better. Check out the tackletour flurocarbon showdown if you don't believe me.

I have the 7'2" MH Carrot Stix and I love it for mid-depth to deep cranking. I paired it with a lefty Shimano Metanium MG and it is amazing. I cannot believe how light this combo feels. I still love my CBR843C / Curado 101D combo for shallow cranks but the Carrot stix might even be more sensitive (I need a few more trips with the Carrot to determine which I prefer).

This time of year I would hit the warm water discharge at Dickerson Power Plant on the Upper Potomac River.

If you aren't fishing a Silver Buddy (or similar lure) this time of year in the Potomac River then you aren't catching fish. The Spoils is an amazing cove that gets warm water from the Blue Plains facility flowing in it all winter long. It is definitely a year-round fishery. Awesome catch. I am a FOBA (Fish On Bass Club) member and we have winter tournaments in that area often.

Whiule I disagree with almost all of the list you need to realize that they never said "Top 50 bass lures" these are top 50 freshwater lures that will catch anything. The list still sucks though.

The bag I carried weighs around 40lbs. I got a new one for Xmas because the strap connector broke on the old one (it was not meant to hold 40lbs) that should be bigger. Like everyone else this does not come close to including backup tackle. I have a pegboard in my basement that holds 80lbs+ of soft plastics.

Do not buy the Sea Eagle Se-6. If you need to buy it yourself save up and get the SE-9 or a jon boat from Craig's list. The SE-6 cannot hold sufficient gear. If you wait you will be happier in the long run.

I have a Sea Eagle SE-9 with the fishermans dream package and it works great on ponds and lakes. The only issue is that it gets blown around in strong wind so you must have an anchor. It is also large enough for me to bring a buddy or my dog. www.seaeagle.com

The Stratos is targeted at Aluminum boats. It is priced competetively but is faster and more stable than comparable aluminums. If I didn't have so many 7'1 rods I would have bought one by now (the rod locker BARELY holds 7' rods). I would definitely go with the Stratos if you aren't using rods bigger than 7'.

For shallow to medium divers I use the GLoomis CBR843C. It is 7' Medium action and it is my favorite rod to cast... period. Fishing with the 843 made me love crankbaits.