roadwarrior

Well, it seems to me that everyone has been reasonably civil on this thread. I boils down to 1) Personal preference; 2) Hard headed (Not me! :); 3) Paying attention to technical innovation and improvents within brand lines. Isn't it great to have so many choices! 8-) p.s. Jeff H, your points were well made and "priorities" in good order, I should not have responded so aggressively. I hope everyone enjoys the equipment they use.

+1 8-)

Man, those are some fine fish. 8-)

GYCB...

Actually, they are not my favorite rods, but they are a GREAT value! I have three Avids and a Legend Elite. +/- $150 is about where I think the high-end begins. For "moving baits" this is a pricing point that offers a reasonably sensitive rod for those applications. My soft plastics rod is a St. Croix Legend Elite which is more sensitive. My jig rod is a G.Loomis GLX MBR844C and my main smallmouth rod is a PR844S. The clearance sale that has been going on at several retailers prices the Avids between $65 and $119. I bought an AC70MM at Sportsman's Warehouse for $109. They are a great value at that pricing point.

KU lost the Orange Bowl to Penn State 1/01/69. I don't recall anything special since then. (Misouri played in the Orange Bowl the following year...and haven't been back, either).

Congratulations! 8-)

I don't like the bling and they are are the wrong brand! : Seriously, I prefer the polished chrome. Here's the side-by-side comparison of two VERY comparable reels: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewcastingkings.html

Great report! 8-)

My last Rambler was a Gremlin. My last Ford was a 1976 Granada. My last Jeep was the last, full size, Grand Wagoneer. I owned two Garcia, back to back...Next time I buy an Abu Garcia is when it comes with my new Ford. I have been fishing Shimano reels since 1997. Every reel I have owned is in use today and performs as well or better than the day it came out of the box. I am VERY loyal to things that work and companies that care about their customers. Abu Garcia, i.e. Berkley & Company, does NOT meet that criteria. Almost every product that I have ever fished that was produced by Berkley was mediocre or worse. I don't do business with companies I don't trust. High quality, consistancy and dependable equipment from a company that has established a reputation for customer satisfaction over a period of decades is important to me. So yes, I do pledge allegiance to Shimano, they have treated me AND everyone I know, very well. Perhaps you should reconsider your priorities.

There are numerous ways to fish every bait. I did NOT mean to imply that any way was wrong, only how the bait is designed to be fished.

Probably not your new PB, but still a fine fish and a nice pic! 8-)

Water temperature 77, one generator, 9600 cfs. Nofishforme...

Near the top it says "Hey standard, you have 1 message". Hit the "message" and they will come up.

Welcome to the club!

Appetizer

Totally wrong rod, ML minimum. Specifically I would recommend an Avid AS66MLF.

Interesting. After a 20 year absence, Abu Garcia appears to be back in the game. Although I don't agree with ANYTHING you posted regarding Shimano reels, I will concede that it appears Garcia has finally rejoined the group of competative reel manufacturers. Two years from now we'll see if this is an exception or a trend. If these reels meet the test of time, then they are winners. Time will tell.

This is my take: A C-rig is just another way of presenting a soft plastic. Think of a crankbait, deep or shallow, as an alternative to a spinnerbait. So, anytime you might use a spinnerbait, you might substitute a crank.

Great post! 8-)

Yes, especcially for BIG lures: Uni Knot, Trilene Knot and San Diego Jam. (If you analyze them closely, they are fundamentally the same knot!)

It's easier and you create EXACTLY the same result (loop).

There is no reason to put a loop through the eye of the lure. Thread the line through, create a loop and thread the line back through. Don't try to be so frugal, either. Using a little extra line saves time and allows you a more flexibility in tying the perfect knot. Wet the knot before tightening and pull with the tag line, not the main line.

It's more about "where" than "what". The easiest and most obvious structure is points. Start well off the bank and work inwards. Fishing jigs and soft plastics I prefer working down the slope, but with hard baits I think a better approach is across the point to cover more territory at a variety of depths in the water column. Isolated humps are another prime target as well as ridges with immediate access to deep water. Rip-rap is another easily identified target. What's more challenging, I think, are old creek beds, roads, trenches and the like. They can be very productive, but are more difficult to find and fish. As you get more comfortable with your electronics, these are things to look for. One more "special" situation is flooded ponds. If you find one, fish the old perimeter and dam thoroughly. This is a structure that will always hold some fish.

I'm with both of you about 50/50...All my reels are Shimano. :