bmadd

5BL, I'm not saying that the ratio is different. What I meant was that the gears are different. Shimano's HEG as well as Abu's Duragear allows for more torque in these ratios that reels of the past didn't have. Some of the lower end reels in today's market without similar gears are the same way. My very first cranking reel was the original Bass Pro Extreme in 6.3:1. That reel cast great but did a number if I tried to throw a DD22 for a long time. As far as rod powers, it can vary between different companies but I think that a MH rod is needed for cranks that dive 15'+. Especially those with a wide wobble.

A few things to think about with deep cranking. 1. Line Diameter. I think this is the biggest factor. I recommend 10lb Trilene 100% fluoro. If you really want to get some extra depth though, try 20lb braid. 2. Rod length. While you can get by with a 7' rod, a longer rod will give you an advantage in casting distance. 3. Rod power. While some cranks in the 10-14 ft range can be worked with a M powered rod, those in the 15-20 range will likely wear you out unless you're using a MH powered. 4. Don't get hung up on low gear ratio reels. While in the past these were needed, with advances in reel technology higher speed reels can be used just as well. Shimano's HEG is one example. I use a 6.3:1 ratio and am comfortable using that all day. In the summer time I like a faster retrieve anyway.

Does anyone have any experience with Hi-Seas fluoro? Any reviews?

I think the decision lays on Bynum/Garnett. Whichever teams big guy stays healthy will have the advantage. I give that to the Celtics right now.

x2. Glad to see you back on this forum period. Was beginning to wonder if getting married had you giving up the carving and painting already :-X

That Long A copy looks great Marty! Can't wait to hear how it swims.

I saw that too. If it's on your home water and you've sunk brush in the past and fish it I don't think that's as bad. Now if you do it a month before or so then I think that says something about your ability to find fish. There's a guy on Kentucky Lake who has a pontoon boat that he attached a dump cart too. He uses that do build rock piles on ledges.

A TX rigged 10" powerworm or a crankbait. The cranks will also catch a lot of small fish but the majority of my bigger fish have come from cranks and I also netted a 10lb 11oz that was caught on a crank.

It will be pretty hard to find a rod that will be able to fish that wide of a variety of baits well. You could fish a Medium power rod with a Moderate action and do really well with Bandit 100s up to Bandit 300s and could probably do well throwing Strike King Series 5 and Bomber BDS6 baits. But when throwing and working DD22s or BDS7 Fat Free Shads, that rod will probably fill slightly under powered. This won't be a problem for a short period of time but if you try that for all day or a weekend it will really do work on your arms. A Medium Heavy powered rod with Moderate action would be a good bet as well but might have problems casting smaller baits around the 1/4 oz mark. It would handle the stress of the DD22 better. I love to throw cranks more than anything else. I don't think I could survive with just one rod :-/

Yea bizz I agree about Brad. Rome is definitely not the same. I knew they had to change the name. Turns out Brad's family sued them because they were playing shows under the name Sublime which Brad had all the rights too. Kind of lame on the family part because I'm sure he would want the music to carry on. I checked out some of Dirty Heads other stuff and to me they don't have a lot of good songs but a few really good songs.

Rome (dark headed guy with short hair singing) actually plays with the remaining members of Sublime now. They're called New Sublime or something like that.

Yea. When I first heard them I thought they were somewhere in the middle of Sublime and old O.A.R. Pretty good stuff.

They look like junk to me ;D Just send them my way.

Lemon juice and various herbs and spice are good when grilling or baking fish. However, the best tasting way to eat fish while still being healthy is to blacken the fish imo. Very tasty. You can buy Zatiran's blackening season from most stores. Just be prepared for a smoky kitchen.

Just heard these guys tonight. Really good sound. Check them out.

The hooks that come on them are a size 8. You'll need to replace them with 8s or use a short shank 6, which is what I did.

I really dig the peanut baits. I've caught a lot of fish on mine as well. While the stock hooks are sharp, they are a very light wire and are easy to bend. I replaced mine with size 6 short shank mustad hooks.

I have some modified Pop-Rs that I repainted. I made the baits fairly smooth with a rough grit sandpaper before going over with a real fine grit. I then used a Krylon Fuzion flat black to cover the baits with several light coats of paint. After about 4-5 coats. I then used Krylon matte clear coat used for spraying over pastel artwork to coat the bait with 3-4 protecting coats. You can by Ricos in black though. Those are very good poppers that are a little pricey.

When I fish a spinnerbait I usually don't use a trailer. When I fish my swim jigs I usually use a twin tail grub from Kalins or Yamamoto.

Fair enough but this post had nothing to with the warranty or a broken G. Loomis.

I actually only have one G. Loomis and it's a CBR. I have just noticed that you seem to jump all over people when they talk about G. Loomis or Power Pro.

Or you couldn't resist another chance to criticize somebody for wanting to use equipment different then yours. Or wasn't that you just have a deep hatred for Shimano/G. Loomis/Power Pro?

I wouldn't mind seeing your guy Mark Davis win on the Strike King 6xd haha. Really though, I like Mark. I met him at a Strike King media tournament at a lake close to home and he sat and talked with me and my little brother for about an hour. One of the nicest tour guys I've met.

Tin, Mark Davis is a really cool dude. I hope he finishes up there real high. I bet his bait won't be sexy if that makes you feel any better ;D

People have already started weighing in now. Mark Davis has brought in 27-12! I think the previews have been guys sandbagging. The quality of fish are still there for a tournament with weights like last year. There may be more incidents this weekend like Aaron Marten's last year with boat traffic but I think big numbers will still be weighed in. I say the crank will be king. Back to back tournaments won on the crank after back to back on swimbaits.