LOTR88

I have the Mach II combo, that combo has been very productive for me as my worm setup. I think you are right about talking myself into the Custom Black, I have a bunch of gift cards to Dick's that I got over the holiday (told my family just give me Dick's gift cards for gifts...lol) I may just put all those gift cards towards the Custom Black.?

I have both the Tournament MB and the LFS, I like both of them, The Black reel seems in line with the Tournament MB as it has the same dual braking. I like the larger 95mm handle and the new Winn Dri-Tac knobs on the Black reel and I think the Black reel may have better gears. Plus I like the all black look.

I am a fan of Lew's in general, have several other Lew's casting rods and reels and have been very happy with them. I am thinking about getting the new Custom Black combo but it is a higher priced combo at $280 and am not sure it is worth it. What do you guys think? I played with one at a local store and it seems like a real nice setup. I may hold off till I see some real use reviews on it.

I use a 6'8" M/F for smaller poppers and spook type baits, I do a lot of walk the dog, the shorter rod helps me with that.

Another vote for Lews, I have both the LFS and the Tournament MB, both are great. The MB casts a little smoother and has a dual breaking system. If you can swing the MB I would go for it but the LFS is a solid reel.

I am a fan of this rod, I have 4 or them. They go on sale a lot, wait for the 50% off sale like I did, at 40 bucks they are well worth it. I have the 7'3" heavy, two 7' MH/F and the 6'8" M/F they all work well. They are a good all around rod if you are on a budget, sensitive and durable. I have mine paired with the Lews Tournament MB and the Lews Speed Spool LFS reels, very happy with these setups.

I am embarrassed to admit how I lost a rod, went to cast and I think the line was twisted on the tip and just the recoil of the line not coming out and the loaded up rod the thing just kind of flew out of my grip. I was kind on in shock and did not react quick enough, next thing I know I am watching my rod sink down into the murky depths. I tried to hook it with another pole but was a little too late. It was not a very expensive setup but it had sentimental value, it was my first bait casting setup, a Shimano Sellus worm rod that I got on clearance at Dicks with an Aubu Garcia ProMax reel. I don't know what it was about that setup but it caught a lot of fish for me.

The Sexy Dawg Jr. in Blue Gizzard is my favorite walking bait. I caught 8 on it this morning in less than an hour before work. My last 3 outings, I have done very well with this bait, over 30 fish, over 30 top water strikes!...life is good....lol. I do upgrade the hooks, I find the stock hooks bend a bit easy.

Still too hot down here in South FL. November and December are my best months. Looks like we may see some 60 degree nights at the end of this month. I Did have a great day last Sunday morning with a top water spook, caught 11 in less than an hour. It was interesting, the bait fish were breaking the surface but the bass really were not but thankfully there were still going for my spook on a regular basis.

I highly doubt any of my other poles would have broke in that situation, that tip seemed way to fragile, not saying it is a bad pole but I don't want to have to worry about being super careful how I lug a fish up on the deck.

I have been pretty happy with Lews, I use them for all my casting rods and reels, I don't use a lot of spinning gear any more but I do have a few Ugly Sticks with Penn Fierce 2 reels that work well when needed.

I had the same issue this past Sunday with my Mojo Bass topwater casting pole. It broke in the same spot just pulling up a fish onto my boat. I have never broke a pole like this, the fish was a decent size, maybe 4 pounds but not that big that I would think the pole would break. Fortunately for me I was within the 60 day return at BPS that I was able to take it back and exchange it. I ended up going with a Lews Custom Speed Stick topwater which I almost bought when I got the St. Croix. I have several other Lews poles that are cheaper that would never break on me like the St Croix. I liked how sensitive the action was on the Mojo Bass pole but I just can't worry about a pole breaking like that.

I live in the West Palm Beach area and have caught Peacock bass several times, I always catch them on top water, I use a spook type lure, and there is usually a school of them so if you catch one you will probably catch a bunch. Peacock prefer warmer water and weather, I have not caught any since November in the lake I live on. Good luck!

Since I live on a lake in south FL I fish almost every day, some days only an hour before or after work and just about every weekend. I usually just fish the lake I live on.

For me it was top water in the morning and evening, I mostly fish Texas rig worms in my lake because they catch a lot of fish but there is something about those top water strikes :-).