Lures'n'Liberty

It's been years since I've been out there fishing, I don't have a clue as to who is still in business out there and I'm 2 hours away. If you want to drive 2 hours, though, Tackle Unlimited on Rt 51 in Jefferson Hills, PA is definitely the spot. They're the nation's oldest Daiwa service center, A Minn Kota service center, Strike King dealer, and the list goes on and on. I'll definitely take you up on the offer should I decide to take a ride out there some time!

Is there a reason you can't use a stringer? I have never fished in the ocean, nor have I caught a striper or a bluefish, but I would imagine that they would do just fine for a couple hours in the water while tied to a rope.

It's been a while since I've been out that way, but if I recall correctly there's a couple of independently owned bait shops around Chambersburg that are quite nice. Chances are pretty good that when you support a small local tackle shop, you'll have input from an actual person or 4 who fish the same places that you do and will sell you exactly what the bass are biting. They will probably have a bigger selection, and remember, it's not as likely that they will stock their shelves with lures that don't catch fish in goofy colors. They will also probably have those hooks and other stuff that ain't easy to find. Now, to go against the support small business rant, I also thought there was a Gander Mountain in Chambersburg that's going out of business and has everything marked way down. It is perfectly acceptable to go in there, buy a bunch of odd colored spinners at 70% off and spray paint 'em. Gloss White Rustoleum appliance epoxy can do wonderful things to the bargain bin clearance spinners that everyone else passed over.

They are awfully lucky if they get the game warden. I know a few farmers around here that like the old rock salt in the 12 ga trick.

To quote a few of my elder family members, "pull up your g. d. pants and put your hat on straight." That would be #14 on the list above! I also second offering to do some work, and as a few others mentioned, talking a bit about fishing and leading up to the pond can change the type of "work" that you do. A lot of times, people who won't let you fish their ponds will do so because of issues with others releasing invasive species as a favor unknowingly or with malice. I've had a few folks get really happy when I offer to throw out a catfish arsenal after someone stocked a flathead that had a taste for bass (he was tasty) and I put out a jugline for turtles if I bring the kayak. Between that and scrubbing duck $h!+ off the dock, I can take as many panfish as I want and can catch & release lots of healthy smallmouth.

I accidentally caught my PB largemouth (17lb) on a bluegill with 65lb braid on a 10' King Kat and a baitrunner while trying to get a catfish out of the pond.

Well this is tough, 2 handguns? Where do I live, what am I doing? If I had to choose 2, I guess it would have to be an XD subcompact in .357 Sig with a .40 S&W barrel in the kit to carry and a hand cannon for hunting and up close and personal bear defense, as I have always wanted to live off the land in Alaska. A Ruger Super Redhawk .44 Mag would fit the bill nicely, although I would like to shoot one in .454 Casull before making the final determination. Both guns would get the full treatment at the gunsmith, Timney triggers, threaded barrels with caps, muzzle breaks, and suppressors for all, along with other customization too long to type. Now with that said, every handgun owner should own a .22LR and I am quite partial to a Ruger Mark II. The .22 is essential to practice, you can shoot thousands of rounds in a day with little fatigue. Even Chuck Norris would be sore and blistered after 500 rounds of .44 Mag. I suppose I could take the easy way out and pick up a .22 conversion kit for the XD, but for the sake of argument, I would classify a .22 as a practice accessory to the other 2, and I'd also call a pistol grip for a T/C Contender or Encore an accessory for a rifle.

I joked a bit up above, but if I could buy or build any rod with cost no object, I would be really creative. I would love to own a set of split grip casting rods with vintage trigger type low riding reel seats ideal for a spincast reel, extra thick cork handles, a whole bunch of high quality eyes, and lanyard swivels on the butts for the kayak. The blanks would of course vary in sensitivity for their intended uses, however the above description of an ability to feel a fish fart as they pass a lure within the blank's recommended weight range would be my choice, and in a perfect world, the finished product would be telescopic and a set of 6 would easily fit into one saddle bag of a motorcycle. Yes, I am quite well aware that physics would not be on my side and no product like this has been successfully made or marketed to the best of my knowledge, but man I'd love to have a set if they existed.

If money is no object then this is easy, all of them, along with a couple of boats and a new truck to pull 'em.

Did you by chance compare it side by side with the Daiwa models before buying it?

I chose my name, Lures 'n' Liberty, because I'm a proud and active member of the Libertarian party. In 2015, I was a candidate for Mayor of the City of Monongahela and became one of the most successful candidates in the Libertarian party. I served as chair of the 2016 Johnson/Weld Presidential campaign in my county, doing my part to Make America Sane Again. I am also the Vice Chair of the Washington County, PA Libertarian Party and sit as a representative on the LPPA Board. I am also a regional director on the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus endorsement committee, and my region includes PA, MD, NJ, NY and OH. I smile when I see .ghoti. post because TANSTAAFL means a lot to me, as it was the Libertarian Party's slogan at one time. That end covers the Liberty part and if you'd like to know more, feel free to check out my website at www.chaddesantis.com or search up Chad DeSantis, Libertarian on facebook (admins, I promise, I will avoid any further discussion of politics while reminding you that if you need a political advocate here in SWPA, I'm here). As far as the Lures part goes, well, those are the things that I keep losing on rocks, stumps, and branches.

I like that. Actually, I'm currently vertical and have to go horizontal , I like this a lot though. My single car garage door would offer a great solution to storing the shorter rods though, I believe this may be half the battle.

Just an FYI while the subject is back up and running, for what it's worth there's been a lot of discussion on the zebco bullet. Anyone looking to spend $100 on a quality spincast reel with a fast retrieve ratio should know that the Daiwa SC120 has a higher IPT ratio, an all metal body, and it's half the price.

Two and a Fry, Monongahela, PA and Morgantown, WV. They are the bomb.

Sounds like your budget just opened enough to buy another combo...

I like that plan and would like it even more if there was a shiny new demo hitched up to the truck as a loaner for the downtime

You'd be flat out amazed at what you can find at the flea market sometimes. I have scored more than one rod that retails for $40-75 in a $15 bundle, complete with reels. I've passed a few beaters on to the kids, girlfriend, and a few of the neighborhood kids that didn't have a fishing pole and cherish the higher end stuff. Recent finds in the last bundle were a nice light action Shimano, a medium Cherrywood, a Sears branded Daiwa Goldcast 120, and a Goldcast 80 underspin, along with 4 other semi decent combos that went to the kids. The reels were a huge find, as I do not use baitcasters much and almost exclusively fish with Daiwa Spincast gear. I'd have never actively sought out the underspin but it has found it's way onto my panfish rod and I have grown to love it.

You know there's bait shops around here without that much inventory, just saying...

Life goals right there!! Really, though, no. I'm looking specifically for neat, organized, and vertical rod storage that folds open into a bench when I need it and folds up neatly when I don't. I can only dream of needing to store that much gear! Way to make a guy jealous.

I got off topic in another thread discussing rod storage, figured it would go better on it's one over here LOL. So, my dilemma. I've got too much gear and no place to put it. I have a 10 rod vertical rack that's filled with stuff under 7'6" and another half dozen of the same size combos in the corner. I've got 8 rods that are over 8 feet stored in the rafters and plan to put in a ceiling, eliminating that storage space (and dust in my garage so I can paint cars, won't be hanging anything else on the ceiling so that's out). My girlfriend has 2 sons, one is learning about flatheads and he'll probably be getting 3 8' Shakespeare Tigers for his birthday very soon. The youngest boy will also be storing his gear with mine, too, so I'll be needing a whole lot of space. Anyhow, one corner of my garage will be a man cave, complete with a couch. The couch will be going on a 10' wall and I would like to utilize the space above it to build a cabinet that will hold it all vertically, along with a bunch of tackle (let's say room for 20 Plano Boxes plus odds and ends without a dry box), backpack, trout vest, maybe a couple pairs of hip and chest waders. I would like to see one of the doors fold down to become a little work bench where I can work on fishing stuff (reel maintenance, rod building/repair, tying flies, get things packed, etc.). Does anyone have something like this at home? Can you post pics/links to videos, tips, ideas, whatever you've got.

I use my flathead rigs way too often to pull the reels every time I come home, storing them broken down isn't gonna cut it. I've got my 3, my girlfriend's 3, a fly rod and a noodle rod. The backup 10' rod is telescopic and works double duty as my broom handle, so it's pretty much always strapped to my backpack regardless of what tackle is inside. I know I'm WAY off topic and apologize to the OP and the mods, as it seems i go here pretty often, but here's an interesting situation. My garage is a 1 1/2 car and I use it often to repair a fleet of crappy vehicles and other things with small engines. I'm looking to build a big cabinet that will hang vertically, hold all my gear (roughly 25 combos at present with more to come I'm sure) that will keep it all safe from paint overspray and fold down into a handy little fishing work bench. Should be an interesting project, as I have recently scored a decent couch and loveseat for the garage man cave conversion, along with an HD TV projector and power 144" screen, a kick ass stereo, and a brandy spankin' new welder.

Keep me posted on that one, as I'm another guy with no boat and no rod storage. I have 8 10' rods to worry about and see 3 more coming in the not so distant future with another 3 shortly after if the boys catch the flathead bug. I have a nice 10 rod vertical rack that's full of rigs that fit under my 8' ceiling and a few more in the corner.

You may have answered your own question... (mount the pulley to a chain or yank strap and hook it to the truck, If you were extra creative and put a hook in the right place on the back of your tow rig, you could winch it right on the ball)

I, too, spent nearly my entire career as a technician of some sorts. I've been "that guy" that may have caused these issues for a few unfortunate folks and taking the extra time (or cash out of my pocket) to fix a callback the right way is absolutely a key to the education that comes with experience. Knock on wood, I'm sure after 35 years you still have one come back here and there. I'm also sure that over 35 years you've seen more than a few manufacturing defects, too. In the automotive field, I spent quite a few years as a vehicle relocation technician (tow truck driver) and I knew every horror story from every shop in my small town, as they nearly all involved a call or 3 to AAA. When you're the same guy going back to tow the same car to the same place for the same problem, you hear the story from both sides and you see the service when $#!+ happens. Your mileage may definitely vary.

Tough spot, the dealer wants to do the right thing and take the time to triple check everything and you don't have the time. I'd explain the situation and see if they'd be willing to pick it up or deliver it. You're going to have to take 2 days off of work to make this whole thing happened because of their product, their mistake, or their improper pre delivery inspection. Still, remember, they are going the extra mile to rectify the situation. As far as the "wrong dealership" comments above go, remember this, everyone makes an error from time to time, the right dealer is the one who makes the best effort to correct theirs.