South FLA

Take a look at the All Star ASR series specifically the ASR866C a 7'2" Fast Action Medium Heavy. Handled one the other day and it seemed like a very nice rod. I am sure you can get it for around $100 if not lower on the internet. Any forum members have some links for deals on ASR's? Another choice is the Kistler Graphite Plus KFS76 Flippin' Stick One Piece. If you want telescopic I think the Daiwa Light & Tough Frog Rod 7'4" is Telescopic and its about $120.

I would go with a 9.9 and make sure the transom is in good shape. This should answer your titling questions: http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/boat-registration.php#Fees_for_Titling_and_Registering_a_Boat_in_Florida

The problem with Florida waters is you never know what lurks beneath. Gators are all over the place and they can be anywhere from a small private community pond to small canals. So as most people agree don't do it, but if you do let me know so I can tie a heavy gauge shark hook around your waist and attach it to my Penn International marlin trolling rod ;D

I have a Berkley 50 lb digital that I keep in a Zip Lock bag in my tackle box as well as a spare battery (learned that the hard way). Anyway, it is accurate +/- 1 ounce last time I measured it using certified weights. I only went up to 10lbs to test accuracy, but I figure thats close enough for what I'll be doing. Heaviest fished I weighed was a 32lb Snook.

Yeah right. Oops, I forgot the Curado D 100/200 are presently doing it.

Redline, Have you heard/tried the Shimano Metanium MG DC? It should be like a Calcutta DC on a diet.

No problem, go to the store you bought them, return them and they replace it under Shimano's limited lifetime warranty service, no replacement fees and you get a new rod. I have one and love the EVA foam grips, tight and light. I have a Daiwa Zillion on it and my 7'2" MH Fast Action and use it exclusively as my Spro Frog rod.

I'll be loyal as soon as they show me the $$$$, but I have many more Shimano reels. Reels Shimano, Daiwa, Abu, Quantum, Okuma Rods Shimano, GLoomis, All Star, Star Rods, St. Croix, Custom Gloomis Blank Rods Not very brand loyal I guess.

Ladies and Gentlemen......... The future REVO slayer!!

I think Ardent is depending on that Made in the USA label a bit too much , tried one once and it didn't really wow me on first impressions like a high end reel should. Give me my Pacific Basin reel any day over the Ardent and give Ardent a few more years of development if they last that long

Here is one for you... On my backcast my hula popper snagged my brother's hat and I never freaking had my thumb on the spool since I had my old Abu Green round reel perfectly tuned. Anyway, the backlash was so bad it took me what seemed like forever to cut and I ended up respooling. It was a nightmare, especially since at the time I was only about 12yo and only had one rod to fish with. What added to the agony was that my brother was slaying them the whole time I was getting ready.

Get the "old man" a symetre, fill it up with some line, and get some soft plastics all for $100.00. Shop around and you'll find it, *** still has that deal!

If your a lefty you can still get some at Cabela's online. I am sure they are losing market share to Abu for stated reasons, but if you can get a deal with the Curado D then go ahead and do it, its still a great reel. Can't wait to see what Shimano releases to gain back some market share, I love competition between the manufactures, it gives us bassers something to look forward to.

Many of you have seen me bad mouth the Abu Revo Premier since it struck out with the same whining issue after numerous attempts. Some lucky fellow on here purchased my replaced premier after I gave up. Nevertheless, have you tackle junkies laid your eyes on the Skeet Reese Revo? Nice, very nice, maybe I will venture to the dark side once again........ Shimano/Daiwa bretheren convince me otherwise, darn you bait monkey!!

Lighter is better to a degree, taking balance into account, so yes to answer your post.

Peter, That peacock looks like a speckled peacock bass with the distinct vertical bars and the broken white lines. Did it have black markings behind the eyes? Not only a cool that you caught a double header, but a possible rare speckled peacock, too COOL! Sorry for the old post coming back to life, but did a search for peacock and couldn't help but notice your post. Tight lines!

I use backing close to the same diameter so you can go with a bit smaller or larger diameter depending on application with no problem. As far as joining braid to backing and or leader you can't go wrong with any of already suggested knots. I like using Uni to Uni since its quick and easy and if tied correctly has a high breaking strength. Another very good and strong braid to leader knot is no name knot tied to a bimini twist (really well known in the saltwater circles). Here is a link to the no name and various others http://www.hatterasoutfitters.com/knotsrigs.htm Practice tying and see what works best for you. Remember drag setting and knot quality matter more than the particular knot you choose since you shouldn't even come close to approaching breaking strength of knots if your drag and knot are tied correctly.

Depending on conditions 1. Spinnerbait 2. Lipless crankbait 3. Buzz Bait/Swimming Frog

Check out Peter_F's last couple of post we've been tearing them close by, I think his post is named back to back PBs. The peacock bass have been on fire lately and are hitting some x-raps and rattle traps with fury. Hope you get out soon enough though man since the temperatures will melt you come summer. Good luck with the new bambino ;D

Ditto Welcome

There is a point of diminishing returns, is a $250 rod 4x better than a $60 rod? I don't think so, but its all in the eye of the beholder. When I first started bassing I was using lower end stuff, now I use higher end stuff some of it is much better, but I don't think it is so superior that it is can outfish the low end stuff. Simply put its what you make of it. The bass on the other end of the line is what matters. So enjoy your Ugly's or your Loomis and catch a BERTHA!

Lard Bass, Send me a PM before you come down and maybe I can take out to some spots. I work from home so I can pretty much fish whenever I want on weekdays.

The outing was awesome!! Peter also caught a 4lb, but I bet he forgot about that one after sticking those two hogs ;D. We ended up catching about 30 to 40 bass all together. There was one spot where they were schooling under bait balls and it was like bam, bam, bam right after another. I think I was just as excited about Peter catching those pigs as he was, thanks again Peter for inviting me to your honey hole and congrats again on those bucketmouths, maybe next time you can stick the lake record!

Its called Sun Sports Network, but I went to the website and it only looks like it broadcast in Florida, which is ashame since they have some great fishing programs. Here is the link you may be able to find some additional info. http://www.sunsportstv.com/

Just finished watching Inshore Fishing Techniques with Captain Eric Mannino. Anyway the particular show is about fishing in Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. He was fishing for the Saddam Bass a genetically modified fish Saddam commissioned for his palace lakes . Anyway, its a pretty interesting show, its a three part series.