CyBasser

Hey guys, thanks for all the input The weight is not an issue for this reel, what did worry me a bit was what DanekM said in the last post. I did make a few casts in windy conditions last weekend with it (on a Lamiglass MH rod) with a 5/8oz spinnerbait, I was impressed with its casting performance but I did notice how critical the adjustment was. On the other hand though it never caused a serious backlash (even afterwards when I changed lures)....

Hi everybody, Well, the tide is turning. Casting reels slowly start to appear in my local stores here in Cyprus, intented for serious bass anglers. The Quantum PT energy series is one that will be available shortly. I already have tried a single sample sent to the local distributor, and I have to admit I was quite impressed with its casting and general handling. Since the bait monkey is already calling, I wonder if other BR members are using it, and any feedback, positive or negative will be most welcome...

Thanks for the input guys, I will be most likely putchasing this reel....

Yes - and so are the original Heddons and also the Rapalas and some other brands. They do differ in how wide is their woble, how they sit on the water, and how loud they are (I have a walking lure that can be heard from the beginning of a 50-yard cast!). To be honest I am not sure how much the variability in these respects affects bass, but I would think that if in a particular body of water the bass are accustomed to the wobble and loudness of a particular brand (say the Sammy) then it might be a good idea to cast one that is rarely used there. Regarding easiness to work these lures, the Sammy wins by a large margin, though once you get the hang of it, they are all easy to work. Practice makes perfect. One last thing, they are far, far easier to work on casting equipment - I learned to use them with spinning, but when I made the switch to casting it became much easier amd more natural...

Nice job buddy and nice photos! Indeed you can readily distinguish the two different shapes our bass have... Hope that they will be active at the place we'll be going tomorrow - my bass fishing hiatus is almost six weeks now!

Don't forget the Storm Hot' N Tot. All of the above.... Plus of course the Kickin' Minnow swimbaits.....

Hmmm, I love topwater lures the most - sheer adrenaline! I am very proficient in the use of crankbaits. I probably catch the highest percentage of my bass on soft plastics. But if I was only allowed one lure??? It would have to be a spinnerbait. Preferably 5/8oz, though either 1/2oz or 3/4oz would also be ok. Chartrause / white skirt. Rather small profile. Small colorado blade (gold) with larger willow blade (silver). It might not catch bass every single time for me, but this is such a versatile lure and can be worked / used in so many different ways / conditions, this would be my choice.......

Hi everybody, Thanks to a buddy I am given the opportunity to purchase a brand new Abu Record RCN51 (left hand) round baitcasting reel. I actually do have this reel now for testing which I should begin sometime next week. I am using low profile casting reels for more than a year now, but this is my first foray into round reels. If purchased, the reel will be used for largemouth bass fishing (mostly swimbaits, but also for other applications), as well as the very occasional saltwater fishing with large jerkbaits in the surf (for bonito, amberjack, barracuda, crevaille jack). I would appreciate any comments or feedback regarding both positive and negative aspects of this reel from those who know it /have used it. I should mention that this type of reel (any brand) is not available at all out-of-the-shelf here in Cyprus, so there are no local persons (except for this buddy of mine) who could give me feedback, nor can I compare it directly with other similar models. I have already made a few casts with it using a swimbait and it seems to be quite nice, but testing it in earness as I said above will commence next week. Thanks, Cybasser

A re Vyrona! Should I give you my climbing shoes, rope, and harness? Haven't used them for years now... Or maybe I should consider using them again ;D ;D! Yeap! With the water levels we have now, big ones have all moved away from that shore...

Hi there, It is interesting how the storm swimbait question resurfaces every now and then.... I had the chance to try several of them, with varied results. The Wild Eye ones (which I tried in various forms such as bluegill, roach, etc in various sizes) have all failed me. On the other hand, the Kick'n Minnow ones have been quite succesful for me in both 4 and 6 inches, in several colors. When I started using them, I had no special expectations or biases for either. The interesting thing, I know at least one person who fishes regularly the same reservoirs as I do, who has completely failed with the Kickin'minnow, yet he does well with the Wildeyes! It will be really interesting to see the results if/when I fish together (at the same time / place) with this friend... Until then, no more wildeyes for me, but my stock of kick'n minnows will be maintained!

Wow!!!! I'm impressed! Three replies in ten minutes! Thanks a lot folks - this is what makes the BR forum such a great place! Keep 'em coming!!!!!

Hi everyone, I am planning on obtaining a new swimbait - specific rod. The rod will be used with a variety of soft and hard swimbaits and wake baits, and as all my fishing is shore based, casting and backbone are important factors. At this time, the heaviest lures to be cast are up to 4oz, but this could increase in the future. After some research, I made a short list (well, sort of) with the following models: Daiwa L&T 8ft hvy G. Loomis Swimbait rod 955 7ft 11" Kistler Graphite Plus Hvy 8ft Lamiglas Certified Pro XC767 7ft 6" Okuma Big Bait 7ft 11" Hvy Shimano Crucial 7ft 11" Hvy Any feedback - both positive and negative - on any (or all!) of the above models will be very welcome....

Welcome to the forum! Well, it is only a matter of experience and balanced tackle. About a year ago i was starting to use baitcasting and I was getting desperate! Today, I only use spinning for trout and light sea fishing - all my bass and zander fishing is done using baitcasting. Check the sites / threads offered by other members, and you will learn a lot. But keep in mind, practice, practice, practice, and even more practice makes perfect! BTW, if you want to experience largemouth bass fishing in Europe, don't worry! If you check the international section of the forum you will see that there is some great bass fishing in (among other countries) Portugal, Spain, France, Cyprus, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy... And I know that there were a couple of introductions to the UK as well in the 1950s (but I don't know if the bass still exist there).

Beautiful, beautiful bass FC!!! 12lb shore bass, that's a dream for me! Thanks for the inspiration!

Beauuuuutiful fish! Well done guys! Looking forward to seing the video...

Yianni, I'm speechless :o :o :o CONGRATULATIONS BUDDY 8-) 8-) 8-) Can't wait to see the video........... :

As Daniel said, there should be no reason why they would not work - Any soft plastic could work (at least in theory!) as long as the cover (or absence of it) allows you to use wacky... Hmmm, actually your post has just given me some ideas

Way to go Daniel 8-)!!! He he he! Big baits rule!!!! No fishing for me these days We have the worst heatwave since 2003, right now is 3.30am and the temperature is still 93F... Forget about fishing during daytime, it's impossible >(highs around 110 - 115F)... It's supposed to get cooler by the weekend (highs "only" around 98), hopefully it will stay bearable then....

Exactly. A few years ago I was crazy about using scents and experimented with most brands around. Then I thought that it is all a huge advertising scheme on the side of manufacturers just to sell more stuff to tha anglers. Just as I was about to quit using attractants I did have a revelation, it could readily be used as a commercial had I had a video camera with me. I was fishing with a couple of buddies on a tiny mountain stream for rainbow trout. Crystal clear water in a big, deep pool. We could see them easily from behind the bushes which were hiding us from them. The place was too small and with too many obstructions for spinning, but was enough space so that we could take turns to cast a worm under a small bobber. We could see the trout going to the (very lively) worms, moving closely around them, then dashing back into the bottom grass. It went like that for two hours. we even put 0.11mm line, nothing. Then we remembered "attractants". We used them on the alive worm. The very same trout that were circling and rejecting the worm took it without hesitation! Just to make sure, we again casted a few worms with no attractant. Again, circling but no bites! Back to attractant, trout readily get it! A few months later I first read about the effects of the L-Serine on bass (and other fish) behavior. Ever since, I do place some attractant on lures which allow the bass plenty of time before attacking (such as plastic worms, jigs, feathers at the tails of poppers). With fast moving lures like cranks or spinnerbaits I believe the visual stimuli more than overrides the negative effect of L-Serine that might be on the lure. But with slow lures, yes, I do believe that the cover up of L-serine with crawfish, garlic, shad, or any other scents does make a difference. If nothing else, at least the fact that they no longer smell the L-Serine must be allowing them to hold the lure a touch longer allowing for a better hooking ratio. Favorite brands? Megastrike, Carolina lunker sauce, Yum, Kickn'bass...

Air Traffic Controller. Shift work. Afternoons, mornings, or nights. In the rest periods between shifts I either sleep or go bass fishing....

It works, at least occasionally. It did for me at least, though the first time it was really accidentally (cast the buzzbait, cellphone rings, I answer and the buzzbait sinks - I try to bring it up and -boom!). I have since tried it a few times, with mixed results (sometimes it worked, sometimes it failed). It is always worth experimenting! Just a side note, that propeller in front does generate quite a lot of resistance subsurface. At least if nothing works, you cast a buzzbait, let it sink, and on the retrieve you get the sensation that you are fighting a dink!

That's why I have that box full of them always in my backpack... I used to carry less, but then I would run out of them and even when they bite them like crazy there is no guarantee they will be taking other lures....

Nice fish 8-) and funny story ;D Daniel! For us over here in Cyprus fishing is almost impossible these days due to the heatwave that affects the whole eastern half of the Mediterranean. Last Saturday morning we went fishing with Vyron and Island bassin, even at 4am on the highway the temperature was 32 C (92F). Needless to say fishing became impossible after 7am or so (at least we had some success before that time). For the last three days midday highs are around 110F anywhere more than a few hundred meters from the sea . Water temperatures are now in the low 90s, and the bass (and even the carp and tilapia) are becoming almost comatose...

Actually, it is a Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum, colsely related to the King Snake (Lampropeltis getulum). Completely harmless, eats small rodents, small birds, and occasionally small lizards and snakes. It is widespread throughout the eastern half of the US, and is also found in southeast Canada and northeast Mexico...

It might well be a good idea to check what species of tilapia is found in the lake you plan to fish before ordering your imitations. The tilapia that frequents the reservoirs I fish is mostly Oreochromis aurea, with a small number of Oreochromis niloticus (which is though far more widespread in the US). The O. niloticus is exactly similar to the tilapia swimbait produced by Matt, yet the male bluegill swimbait is a far better imitation for O. aurea, since the latter species sports quite a bit of blue, gold, and orange in the same body areas as the bluegill. In addition to the swimbaits, I have found that the bluegill color of Rapala DT10 and DT16, as well as the bluegill Rattling Rapala look amazingly similar to the tilapia and work wonders when bass concentrate on the tilapia.