Dan:

Looks like a Core spinning reel. It would look great on a Fuego rod (if you could somehow prevent the Shimano/Daiwa combo from exploding upon contact)

Aren't you supposed to be able to send it back for a refund if it doesn't catch at least 22 fish?

I think it can be difficult to locate bass in very large weed beds. They have a lot of room to spread out and it makes it difficult to put a bait in front of them. Try to find something that makes certain areas different than the rest of the scenery ie: thicker clumps of weeds, a piece of timber, a pocket, a change in the contour of the weedline, etc...Bass often position on those different locations so if you can figure out what difference the bass are preferring on a given day then you might be able to locate more fish quickly.

when can I buy them?

I agree. I think I can get past the orange, but the red bands are unforgivable.

lol, my mistake. The fact still remains that there are 4 legitimate contenders. UNH was 2 pts away from the semifinals last year. Villanova is a VERY good team. They have some very talented players. They get overlooked because they finished just behind two very good teams in the CAA. Don't forget that they did beat Richmond last year in the regular season. It took a last second hail mary for JMU to beat them the first time and JMU only won by 4 the second time. I'll just leave it at this: last year JMU beat Wofford and ASU, Richmond creamed Elon and ASU. The CAA had more teams in the playoffs than the SoCon, including the eventual Champion. Let's just wait to see how things go this year. I'd be willing to bet the CAA has more teams in the Top 10 at the end of the year and the National Champion will most likely be from the CAA. At the very least, the CAA will send more teams to the playoffs.

bingo, we have a winner and the other half would label it "hyped" and "overpriced" without even touching it.

Last year's champion was from the CAA...the same team that beat the SoCon champ earlier in the playoffs (one of two CAA teams that beat the SoCon's best team). ASU would finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the CAA, Wofford would maybe finish in the top 5 or 6 and Elon might get into the top 10. It's just a tougher conference. Sure, the SoCon has championships but lately their strength has been in their one elite team, not their top to bottom toughness.

Wofford, Elon, Furman, and Georgia Southern are all solid teams. Saying the SoCo is not dominant is outrageous. they are pretty good teams, not very good teams with the exception of Wofford. They are a very good team (but probably not championship contenders) The SoCon had 2 teams in the top 25 at the end of last year. The CAA had 6 including 4 in the top 10. The SoCon has 2 teams in the current preseason top 10 poll. The CAA has 4. JMU, Villanova, New Hampshire, Villanova and Richmond are all legitimate championship contenders. Also, Maine, UMass and W&M are tough teams. The SoCon has only Wofford and App State that can possible be considered championship contenders. The rest of the conference is good, but not the same caliber as the teams from the CAA right now. The SoCon was dominant, but they are not anymore.

The Southern Conference is no longer dominant. The CAA has better teams from top to bottom and also SEVERAL championship contenders. The Southern has a couple of good teams but not nearly as many as the CAA. Also it really only has one championship contender.

sure it looks rougher than the mass produced stuff but I think Dave's bait looks like a fish catcher.

I'll take 3.

are they really having that many replacement issues?

Ahh, I gotcha. I tried on a bunch of them but the Fathoms felt the best on my head. My cabeza must not be that grande. I ended up with the Fathoms with CR-39 lenses in Vermillion. I was going to get Amber but I liked the Vermillion a little better. Nice dude! I have the Fathoms in green mirror glass. You'll love them! So let me get this straight. The Costa 400s are available in CR39 AND glass versions? Then the 580 versions are just glass? Are the glass lenses in the 400 series more expensive than the CR39? The only Fathoms I saw at BPS were CR39 or 580...

I thought they were selling like hotcakes? How can they possibly be going under?

watch out, we don't want another Ike thread...

you must get diarrhea easily you betcha. ;D

Get a new spool of 8lb test monofilament and try to fill the spool about 3/4 of the way then tell us if it happens again.

apparently "not for paddletail/shad body comments" isn't clear enough, Russ... I have a couple different "actual" swimbaits and so far my favorite is the slammer. I like it because of the way fish hit it. I don't know if it's the squeak or the double jointed action (I have the XX) but fish just annihilate it.

Ahh, I gotcha. I tried on a bunch of them but the Fathoms felt the best on my head. My cabeza must not be that grande. I ended up with the Fathoms with CR-39 lenses in Vermillion. I was going to get Amber but I liked the Vermillion a little better.

I picked up a pair of P-17s at BPS yesterday. The frames felt like they were made for $10 sunglasses. They felt really, really cheap and seemed like they would break pretty easily. I ended up getting a pair of CDM Fathoms. The ManOWars were nice but I didn't like the little things on the sides. The Straight Jackets look the coolest of the 3 IMO but the CDM lenses are supposed to be better for fishing.

i'll take it.

well if I'm going to get diarrhea I'll be damned if I'm going to pay full price for it...

wow, I wish I had thought of that!