Infidel.

We keep our Loctite 404 in the fridge to keep it from doing so. I personally like to use a lighter to fix torn plastics. I either heat up a hook and use it to weld it back together or just melt it with the flame. Problem is I don't smoke so I can only do this if I am fishing with someone who does or if I am at home. I am sure the glue is easier to deal with though.

Top notch work there!

I don't know why there aren't more crappie patterns out there but I took a Peal White 3/4 oz Fat Free Shad and turned it into this. Not the greatest but it got the job done.

I love it ;D Judging by what Bill Simental is doing to Matt Lures I would say that you don't need to change much.

As the package for the skinny bear Elite Jig says "Elephants eat peanuts!"

Nice dude!

I'm really digging these jigs for flipping. The Mustad hook is a lot stronger than the wide gap Gammy found on the other jigs. Good head for getting through the grass as well.

Nice fish 5lb!

Congrats!!

Saw your face on the westernbass home page. I'm coming back up there. Going to raid your spots!

The St. Croix Avid casting reels are CV-Z's in the CV-X colors. You can still get them direct from St. Croix.

Well that was answered with the click of a mouse. I was answering this question. The only one that really required any sort of disscussion. Fishing hard means putting a lot of effort into it. It has nothing to do with how I treat my equiptment. But whatever, you're probably right. You have seen how we Cali boys fish.

Saltwater baits work just fine in Freshwater and vice versa. A lot of it is just marketing. But in general, SW soft baits tend to be a little more firm and the colors are generally different but it doesn't mean that those colores wont work for freshwater fish. As far as your SW toads go, well actually buzzing frogs in general, don't really imitate a frog, they just imitate something buzzing across the surface that looks edible. When was the last time you saw a frog cruizing across the water like that? Just fish the baits and don't worry about the labels.

I agree with the whole drag thing. Plus how long it that drag going to last being that it is permantly locked down. It has been my experience that leaving a drag locked down over a long period of time makes for an uneven drag. Maybe they use some new material though. Interesting reel but I don't think it is for me.

I have a CV-Z 253. The only thing was that I had to upgrade the drags on it to get some more power out of it. Like KY said, they cast great. I use mine for Z-plugs, Hudds, In-line Ospray's, 8" Lunker Punkers, my 2x4, pretty much every full size swimbait I use. You'll be happy with it. There are a couple of big bait guys on here that really like the Luna.

I understand that. Fishing hard and often means that you don't have time to wait for one of your critical rods to be replaced in the event of an accident. I have had six rods break on me in the last 20 years of bass fishing and only one of those was due to me being hard on it. Just to clear the air though. I think I ended up playing devils advocate a little too much on this one. I am not trying to put custom rods down. Like I said before, I have true custom rods that I fish with regularly and some of those are rods that I built myself. I'll take some pics this week and post them. I am just trying to answer the original question which was why don't most people use custom rods.

Which is why guys who fish hard, 3-5 times a week, aren't going to spend the extra money on a custom rod. Even if it was a blank failure I would have to wait longer and spend more money to get the thing replaced. The majority of us don't have the luxry of extra time and money to spend.

I you do it yourself and don't count your time as a cost... sure. If you pay someone, unless the person works for five bucks an hour I'd say I disagree. I agree with you on the balancing part... to a point. You just have to pick a rod and reel that go together. As long as you aren't one of those people that are brand loyal, you can find a factory rod that matches the reel you want and vice versa at least nine out of ten times. There are tons of off the shelf rods out there that are spined right. I have a Rogue, SC Avid, SC LE, and a GLX right next to me and I just checked them. They are all spined right on the money. I have never had a factory rod that cost the same as a custom that had messed up guide spacing. Does the line touch the blank on some of my rods? Yes. Does it mater? NO! We are talking about bass here, not 200lb tuna. Artistic thread wraps have nothing to do with fishing so it you want to pay extra for that, go right ahead. I understand. Like I said above, I have some rods that I wrapped personally and some that I had custom made. I've been down that road. It wasn't worth the extra time and money. For the most part, almost any functional characteristic that you want in a rod can be found in a factory rod.

I have some that I wrapped, some that others have wrapped, and a lot of factory rods. For me you answered your own question. I am not going to spend the money and time on a custom rod when I can get one with all the specs I need off the shelf. There are so many choices out there now that the only reason one would need a custom rod is if they want a spiral wrap or they want it a certain color. Seems that spiral wraps are the only thing that the big makers haven't taken from the custom guys.

I throw the mission fish with straight braid. Started doing it because I was fishing in cover but then I started getting bites on it further and further away from the cover. Now I fish it in open water at lakes that have 20+ ft of visibility and I still get fish on it. That being said, I don't think that line color is that big of a deal.

Good to know. I have an old Fenwick HMG inshore rod that broke on me a few years back. I'll try sending it out and see what happens.

Well welcome back to the sport. I wish I was as close to that lake as you are Glad to hear that you are catching them out there.

Not a lot of shore fishing to be had at Casitas. There is a streach but do your self a favor any try to get on a boat. You'll have a much better time.

Ops, I just realized how old this post was. How are things up there now?

. Bass in the lake are not going to suffer from the mussels. The only thing that will suffer are the water pipes and fishing line. I like your optimism about the "authorities" trying to develop a scientific approach but in California that is not the case. The parks are run by wack jobs that don't know quagga mussels from pea gravel. They don't know how to handle a problem so they just shut things down. We have been going through this ordeal all year long and it is getting really old. Just my 2cents. Sorry to hear about Coyote. They had Stevens Creek closed when I was there in May but I think that was for mercury or something like that. At least you still have lake "X" right?