South FLA

I actually have a Spro Dawg100 Roland Martin Signature Series that I picked up the Bassmaster Classic in Orlando a couple of years ago. The funny thing is that I actually got it signed by Roland Martin ;D. His booth opened up right after I bought it so I had him sign it. No, I don't fish with it, I am thinking someone will pay big bucks for it one day. I have a couple of Akura Shads, I've caught bass and they seem to stay out of the weeds a bit better than other lipless baits. The Spro Frog is awesome, I've worn out over 5 of them catching hogs down here in FL. The paint peels off the top close to the hooks only after tons of use, the fish only sees the bottom anyway. If you want to walk the dog easier trim one skirt a bit shorter than the other.

I haven't had my Premier long, but..... I already have problems > 1. The reel whines at times when making far cast and no its not the bearings it is related to the spool tension knob. (Was able to get rid of it using reel grease). 2. The level-wind spool guide went flying out after my third fishing trip. Glued it back in with an epoxy its as good as new. If I have one more problem with it back it goes for a refund. I am not sure whether I bought a lemon, but someone else has experienced my first issue. The drag is not as strong as other Revos, but it is should suffice for LM/SM bass fishing. Other than that the reel is very light and performs well, but I won't recommend one. Get a Daiwa Zillion or a Shimano Metanium MG (Japanese Core) for about the same $. I wrote a full review a week ago.

I live in S. FL and I am looking to by a boat that can pull double duty, flats/bay and bass fishing. Any recommendations? I like the 1820 or 1890 FlatsMaster by Actioncraft, but I am not sure how dry it will ride with a 2 foot chop. Thanks in advance.

Thanks you for the input everyone, I ordered a Dobyns Champion Extreme 704C (7' Heavy) and a Team Daiwa Zillion. This should be light enough to cast all day and pull the hogs out of the slop quickly. By the way this will be my first Dobyns rod, I was leaning towards the G Loomis frog rod, but I wanted to try something different. Also, the Zillion won out over the Shimano due to speed factor and that I already have too many Shimanos. Tight Lines!

I don't have a top three Custom G Loomis-MB783/GL3- Shimano Calcutta 100 (Japanese Model) Custom G Loomis- C722/IMX- Shimano Scorpion 1000 All Star American Classic-AC WR2-Shimano Calcutta 200GTB St. Croix Avid-AVC68MXF- Abu Garcia Revo Premier St. Croix Avid AVC66MF-Shimano Metanium (Japanese Version of Core) ON ORDER to replace my All Star American Classic Combo Dobyns XTreme- 704C- Daiwa Zillion High Speed ;D

Braid to split rings or hook eyes: palomar. Braid to mono/floro: uni-to-uni Mono or Floro to split rings or hook eyes: trilene knot.

What's the difference in components between a Dobyn's Champion Extreme vs. Champion Series? I have narrowed my Frog rod choice down to a Dobyn's Champion Series 704C w/ Split Grip its 7' Extra Fast Hvy and sells for $170 or a Dobyn's Extreme DX 704C w/Same parameters @ $250. Is there a weight difference, guides, reel seat, modulus, etc. that you Dobyn's users know of? Is the difference in price justified?

Here is a good article on gear ratios http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/fishing_equipment.html I like 6.X:1 ratios for just about everything, although I think it would be nice to have a faster ratio for frogs, waking spinnerbaits, and burning rattle traps, but have been able to do it with lower ratios. Just was on the All Star website looking at the ASR, and I was impressed with it, in today's global marketplace I can understand why All Star is building in China. If domestic labor cost is prohibitive and quality is the same then why not pay LESS MONEY for a good rod. China invests much of its massive surplus in US debt, keeping long-term interest rates low anyway, so what's the difference. I may have found a new FROG rod since I can get high modulus graphite and Fuji Alconites for under a $100 bones , but the new Shimano Cumara looks HOT and that Dobyns is looking mighty sweet, decisions decisions decisions :.

Wish I could be there gentlemen, but have a quota duck hunt at Merrit Island

I am going to upgrade my existing hollow body frog combo. I love my Calcutta 200 GTB and All Star Combo, but she could lose some weight, so time to upgrade. Anyway, I primarily fish SPRO's Bronzeye Frog 65 or Reaction Innovations' Swamp Donkey on Stren 40lb Superbraid. There are many choices out there for specific frog rods and was wondering if forum members would help me choose a good rod/reel combination. I currently getting the hots for the Loomis Frog Rod and a Shimano Chronarch B Series or a Japanese Shimano Metanium Mg7. Any suggestions or ideas I could give to the bait monkey? Thanks for your input in advance.

Same exact thing I described above, so I know its not the BEARINGS due to your description and my experience. We both relubed bearings and no dice. Try adding a little reel grease around the edge of where the pinion shaft hits the friction plate on the tension knob and then add a drop of reel oil to the center of friction plate. Its working with my Premier and wonder if it will work with yours, post your results. I am in your boat, I really like the feel, weight, and castability of the reel, but the noise has to go. If not back for a refund and no more ABUs for me.

I will if the glue doesn't hold or if have anymore issues I'll return it, but since I mail ordered it I figure it is less of a hassle for me to try to fix it as opposed to sending it back. I have thirty days to do an RMA. If I do return it and get a new one back, I am selling it ASAP. Anyway, how is your Revo holding up? Any problems?

Took the Revo Premier apart dipped all the bearings in acetone to get the factory oil out, sun dried bearings and relubed with Quantum's Hot Sauce (I know some of you on the forum may not like it, but it works well for me especially on some of my old "supertuned" calcuttas, get plenty of distance and seems to stay put on areas where I apply it). Went to a local canal to try out it out and had the same annoying noise, so I started thinking it wasn't the bearings. I noticed if the tension control knob pressure was very lose (where the lure free falls quickly) no annoying noise, also notice if I over tensioned the knob I'd also not get the noise. If the tension control knob was adjusted correctly (correctly, defined as the lure slowly falls to the ground) it makes the annoying sound on the cast. So took the knob off, added some gear grease to the outside edges and a drop of Hot Sauce at friction point and get no noise ;D. So my best guess it was not the bearings, but the actually friction point where the pinion shaft touches the carbon (?) plate on inside of the tension control knob. Continued fishing and caught a little peacock and had a couple of follow-ups, BUT as I casted the rattle trap the revo's line guide insert shot out of the level wind >. Tried snapping it back in and it shoots out every cast, doesn't appear as if the plastic on the level wind is cracked, so I just got home added E6000 craft glue to the outside edge of the metal insert and inserted it back into the plastic line guide. Needless, to say I think I either got a lemon here, or Abu's low profile reels are still plagued by their lack of refinement. Not to confidence inspiring having to deal with "issues" on a brand new "flagship' reel after only 3 outings. On a good note, I ordered a Shimano Metanium MG (Japanese version of the Shimano Core). I'm sure I'll have better luck. Has anyone on the forum ever had a line guide insert pop out of their Revo? If so, tell me if you sent it back under warranty or tried to fix it Tight Lines

HOLD THE PRESSES! So, I am at Fellsmere today fishing with my new Revo and everything is going great. The reel cast a country mile, smooth pulls from dinks, oops I mean HOGS. Anyway, about after 5 hours of fishing a high pitch sound can be heard. Funny thing is it only happens if I really load the rod , but if I make low rod load cast no sound. So I get on the forum search for "bearings" and find a post on a Steez having a similar problem and that magnesium reels have some weird acoustics. I know the Revo Premier is no Steez, but that sound KILLS me. Still cast far, still feels good, but the sound is like meeting a hottie with Fran Dresher's voice. Anyway, I am going to take the reel apart and clean everything, grease lightly where required, and see if it helps. On second thought I may just return it to Abu under warranty, sell it and GET A SHIMANO Metanium Mg!!!!! Am justified here or should I just get use to MG reels being weird? If so no more Mg for me! On a good note I love my St. Croix Avid ACMXF

Have only tried Yo-Zuri vibes which I love and their live bait series. One day I was slamming them with the Vibe while my brother had no luck with the traditional rattle trap. I really like the live bait series, since they don't chip or break on the coral rock which is all over the place down here in S. Florida canals. My favorite is the live minnow series. Also, I said pictures above and only posted one below is the other.

Got my new Revo Premier, yesterday and couldn't wait to try it out today. First thing I noticed was the weight, or should I say lack of weight. I was a little hesitant at first to purchase a low profile Abu, since previous Abu offerings had less than tight tolerances when compared to ........hmmmm... SHIMANO. Since I have been hearing such great things about the Revo series I thought I'd give Abu's flagship low profile offering a try. Went out to my Peacock Bass spot with it mounted to my custom 6' Med Fast Action G.Loomis Slate since my St. Croix Avid's from Reeds haven't arrived yet :-/. Started out with the the the magnetic brake set in the middle and the tension knob adjusted just strong enough to barely have the Yo_Zuri live bait minnow hit the ground. First cast BACKLASH, what the heck I thought I never get a backlash 8-). Needless to say I blamed it on the wind. After that it was pure fishing ecstasy. I got use to the adjustments and was soon casting as far or further than my Shimano Scorpion 1000 with a variety of lures, light and heavy. I liked the positive audible clicks on the drag, magnetic brake, and tension knob. I thought the handle felt a bit short, but I just might be me since I have larger handles on my Shimanos. I also wish the reel handles were mounted on bearings and were a bit more grippy, but that's just nitpicking. The drag is nowhere near 20+ lbs. as the Revo STX, its more like 10 lbs, but for bassing its more than enough. Lastly, the reel's low profile palmed nicely. Overall, the reel performed wonderfully and I would bet that the difference between Shimano's Curado or Daiwa's Fuego compared to the Revo Premier is negligible. Oh, I also caught some scrappy peacocks that tested the smooth drag. Below are some pictures.

Wow, there are many quality offerings from different manufactures. Some reels will always win the hearts of the particular owners and they will recommend them exclusively. I recommend you do your "reel research" on tackletour.com and then go out and try them on your rods. Walk in the store with your rod(s) and try different reels on them, you'll be surprised how similar reels feel completely different on them. With that said I still prefer Shimano reels, most of the time. I have bought used and returned 2 Quantum Energy PTs so avoid those, but have had great luck with Shimano Scorpion 1000 for finesse applications (Made for the Japanese market, its not a domestic reel), Shimano's New Citica D (A good budget reel workhorse), and Shimano's Calcutta Line if your a round reel fan. I recently sold one of the original Silver Calcuttas that I purchased a long long time ago, so they are dependable to say the least, I also like how easy they are to take apart and clean compared to their low profile cousins. The Abu Garcia Record is also a very nice round reel, but I primarily use mine for Snook fishing in brackish/saltwater. Also have owned/used Daiwa reels, specifically the Daiwa TD-X a buttery smooth reel. I have yet to try the Abu Garcia's Revo series, but I am waiting for my Revo Premier to be delivered and will post my review later on. Spinning Reels Have used Shimano Sustain and Stradics, no problem ever. Bought a Quantum Energy PTi to try something different, but guess what.....? I returned it for warranty less than 6 months after owning it for a bad antireverse then sold it on eBay. I am sure some Quantum fans may chime in and say they are the best thing since sliced bread, but it hasn't been my experience with any of the reels I've tried. Hope this helps you a bit and good luck researching, that's half the fun ;D

Thank you gentlemen! I'll do as you suggested and keep my eye on wunderground.com. Just finishing up changing the front hooks on some of my traps.

I am headed up to Fellsmere, FL Thursday for all day bassing outing and was wondering what the pattern is like up there? Are they still being caught on rattle traps, chasing shad schools in open water on deeper breaks? Any bass seen moving into the shallows with the cold snaps we've been having? Thank you in advance. Tight Lines!

The bait monkey slapped me into submission, went Christmas shopping early for myself ! Got a St Croix Avid Casting Rod AC66MF and a AC68MXF to add to my quiver (pictured) from Reeds Sporting Goods, spoke with Jeff at the fishing desk and he was great, even got my order out the door in time for trip up to Stick Marsh! I also ordered a Abu Revo Premier from ***, got to figure out which new rod to put it on ;D, will take recommendations. Was thinking it would be a great spinnerbait/horny toad reel on either of the two rods. Can't wait to slay them next week. Thanks fellow members for letting the bait monkey have his way with me and posting the big sale going on at Reeds. Quiver info. from left to right (Shimano Citica 200D w/Shimano Clarus CSC-X66M (Topwater Rod), Shimano Scorpion 1000 w/ larger shimano handle on a G-Loomis Slate C722 Custom Blank (So Sweet, lightweight small softbait rod), Shimano Calcutta 200GTB MB w/an All Star ACWR2 6'6" (My hollow body frog rod, a real workhorse down here in S. FL), and a Japanese Shimano Calcutta 100 w/larger handle on a G-Loomis Custom Mahogany Blank MB783 7' (my go to Senko rod, another workhorse down here in FL) Tight lines!

I use to work for an eye glass shop and tried every pair of top fishing sunglasses from Ocean Waves to Costas. I also have fished in various conditions in both fresh and salt water and to this day I swear by Costas "sunrise" lens for sight fishing the lens is a bit bright for versatility, but it is substantially better for sight fishing, amber being a close second and vermillion third. Gray lenses don't distort color as much and are better on sunny days, but are a bit dark for early and late in the day. The other colors give much better for contrasting a fish from bottom, with "sunrise" lenses giving more contrast, depth of field, and brightness. Amber is a bit more comfortable to wear throughout the day. The mirror lens blocks out more glare, thus the same lense with a mirror lense will be darker which is what you don't want when your sight fishing early or late in the day. So back to the orginal question, which is most versatile? It depends ;D. So why compromise get all possible combinations, or get the Costas with the interchangeable lens systems go here: http://www.costadelmar.com/store/category.aspx?categoryId=11 I own a pair of the Tropic Star with the Gray/Amber/Sunrise combinations and love them. BPS sells them. I bet you end up wearing the sunrise lense the most when fishing.

Ok, no one is going to believe me, but here I go I was on college break and decided to go visit my older brother, Roman, who at the time lived on Lake Wellingtion (a residential lake west of palm beach Florida). About a month earlier, my other older brother, Leonard, gave him an ultra light outfit to use. Anyway everyday after work Roman would come home and make some cast in his backyard around a sunken Christmas tree and catch bluegill, tilipia, and small bass. Well the day I came to visit him I asked where Roman was and his wife said he was in the back fishing. Well as luck would have it Roman heard me talking to his wife and he started yelling for me to come back quickly he had a monster on. So I ran out the sliding glass door to find Roman backed up against his house reeling his little ultra light reel frantically as the dragged hummed. I quickly ran down to the bank about 10 yards away and couldn't believe my eyes. Roman had a huge bass on, I was so excited that I jumped in the shallow water and lipped the tired hawg immediately. Guess what the monster bass was caught ont? You guessed it a BEETLE SPIN. The bass weighed a bit over 10lbs! I figured the only reason he was able to get him in was because his drag was set so light the hook did not bend and I was there to help him land it. He ended up skin mounting the fish and to this day it still has the small little 1/16 oz. beetle spin dangling out of his mouth. So although I don't recommend using beetle spins exclusively as a bass lures, they do catch big fish, but more little ones.

Just went today to avoid the weekend rush and bought 5 McGuiness Leverage spinnerbaits for $2.99 each! I am not sure why they were so cheap I think they may have been bought out by Booyah. I have had great sucess with the leverage design, they track well and are easy to adjust. Also considered buying the Browning Midas rods, but I couldn't justify buying it when I have to many rods already.

I am finishing a dual master degree in health care and business administration this summer and was wondering what career opportunities exist in the sport fishing industry. The healthcare field is very lucrative, but I recently had a marketing professor state that if you're not doing something you're passionate about you're short-changing yourself in the long-run. With his words in mind, I started thinking about what career choices would be the most rewarding and have come to the conclusion that I could use my acquired knowledge to help grow a sport fishing company. Any advice or leads would be greatly appreciated. Resume Follows 05/2005- Present J & R Industries Fort Lauderdale, FL Business Owner IT consultant specializing in medical office management software Install and maintain small server based and peer to peer networks for various small businesses 03/2002-04/2005 Belvedere Vision Care & Family Vision Centers W. Palm Beach, FL Technology Manager Implemented use of Officemate practice management software HIPPA Compliancy Officer for Belvedere Vision Care Trained staff on use of practice management software and other technical software and hardware related to Optometry (Retinal Camera, Visual Field Machine, OCT) Maintained website content for Belvedere Vision Care Responsible for network security, maintenance, and help desk Helped in the implementation of a paperless office solution, using Officemate practice management software 8/2001- 03/2002 Dolphin International Miami, FL Operations Manager Oversaw Miami operations for largest wild caught freshwater tropical fish importer in the United States Used biology background to diagnose fish disease and control quality of tropical fish livestock Improved efficiency of operations by being in integral part in new in-house logistics software implementation Helped maintain and established new relationship with South American exporters as well as local and national wholesalers Cleared shipments through various federal and state regulatory agencies (U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Florida Department of Game and Fish) 6/1999-7/2001 Business Technology Partners Orlando, FL Account Representative Primary account representative for inside and outside sales Represented various small business computer product lines for companies such as; Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Cisco, 3Com, Premio Computers, Epson, and Palm Addressed clients' questions regarding computer network software/hardware, computer telephony products, and related services Established new client relationships, as well as maintained relationships with existing client base Created and effectively implemented an marketing campaign Oversaw telemarketers and helped implement telemarketing campaigns targeting small and medium businesses 06/19984/1999 The Answer Group Ft. Lauderdale, FL Technical Support Provided help desk phone support for Gateway Computer Corporation Regarded as very effective troubleshooter, having a high fix per call ratio Achieved high customer service ratings 6/1997-5/1998 Manatee Elementary School Lake Worth, FL Athletic Coordinator Provided school aged child care (S.A.C.C.) staff and students (k-5) with computer hardware and software support Used various Microsoft Office Suite Programs to create flyers, prepare presentations for fund raising activities, and created class schedule worksheets Coordinated county wide after school athletic events Coached various sports; flag football, soccer, softball, volleyball, and basketball EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS 1993-1998 Florida State University B.S. Biology Psychology Minor 3.2 GPA 2004-Present Florida Atlantic University Master in Health Care and Business Administration Candidate 3.5 GPA Other Certifications A + Computer Certification, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)

Ok here we go, My favorite braided line is, drum roll please........ Stren Superbraid, I have tried Power Pro (frays way too easy), Various Spiderwires (They are all horrible, lost a monster snook thanks to the teflon coat, great on making line slip on itself!) and I have yet to try Suffix, but heard that it has close to the same characteristics of Superbraid. I also like Pline Flororclear for my spinning tackle and non braid applications. I sometimes use it uni to uni with my braid as a leader. Recommend a silicone spray on it to make it even more manageable. For leader material I love Pline's CFX Florocarbon Leader. For ultralight applications I like good ole' Trilene XL but that is just my humble opinion, remember you can always get a bad batch of good line, but most top brands as well as the various store brands are great if used correctly. Don't forget to take your time with knot tying, which I believe is the number one reason people curse their lines, when they should have been pointing the fingers at themselves. Hmmm, maybe that monster snook I lost was my fault....NO NO NO it was the d**n teflon coat!