roadwarrior

For an "all around" rod, 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Heavy Power/ Fast Action.

We need a budget to offer pertinent advice. For $170 this would be something to consider: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74456_100003001_100000000_100003000_100-3-1

I don't fish a lot at night, but when I do I usually throw a Lucky Craft Pointer 128 in deep water over structure. This generally means steep, rocky points surrounded by deeper water. The fish I am targeting are cruising the structure and are often VERY aggressive. Some of the advantages to this approach is being able to fan cast without concern for precision, ending up on the bank or getting hung. I rarely (never) fish in water less than 10' deep. Even in very deep water, largemouth, smallmouth and walley will come up for the strike.

Woo-Hoo! You go girl...Good luck, I hope you put a whipping on 'em.

Welcome aboard! You were NOT ignored, we just missed your initial post. As Alpster suggested, go to the "General Forum" and start a new thread "HI!" Introduce yourself and get noticed! -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator

I think lighter lines (thinner diameter) produces more bites. There are certainly situations where heavy line or braid may be the best choice, but regardless of the line you choose, setting a proper drag will reduce break-offs. Backreeling is an option that works very well for a number of fishermen when fighting big fish. I don't think setting a proper drag and choosing to backreel are mutually exclusive. I is very simple to adjust the drag to a correct setting which comes in handy in a lot of situations. This has no impact on fighting the fish and incorporating the backreel technique in the fight.

wismallie, So far I have only run across two of your posts, but both of them contain a lot of "attitude." Maybe you should get a little better feel for the Forum, there are a few guys on here that ocassionally catch a fish or two and some of them are pretty good size. I'm glad you and others have had good success with the Senko, it's a great bait and has produced most of my DD largemouth. I certainly wasn't questioning the validity of your post. However, as bshaner pointed out, some of us think there are much better alternatives when smallmouth bass are your target.

Yeah, but the 15% that aren't Rapalas are unique Japanese exclusives that have a value of something like 2X the combined cost of the 85%. : Here are a couple of "must have lures" Norman Fat Boy Bagley BII Norman DD22 Rat-L-Trap

Whoa! If you want some real help, tell us a little bit about where you fish, what you target, what you are curently fishing or are comfortable with and any technique(s) you feel like you have mastered.You will save a ton of money if you restrict your purchases to a few lures you will actually use and will produce a few fish.

Spam from Nigeria when we were attacked last night. Glenn posted this warning earlier: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1182996302

Bumped this up for the guys asking "Who is Miss Olivet?"

Matt, That is correct: 15 X .25 = 3.75. That is about the maximum "safe" setting for your LINE. HOWEVER, you must also consider the strength of your rod. The power rating, taper and bend are major considerations. The weight at the end of your line must not cause the rod to bend past it's maximum capacity or it will break! I suggest no more than 75% of that maximum so that you leave some margin for an exceptionally strong hook-set, fish surge or hang-up. I think you will find that 3 lbs is about the maximum drag you will want even for a Heavy Power rod. Let's say your rod is rated for line strength of 17 lbs. 17 lbs X .75 = 12.75 lbs (75% of maximum rod strength) 12.75 X .25 = 3.1875 (recommended maximum drag setting)

Well, that's good to know. I spent a litltle time on the Shimano website where they segregate reels by category. The Strradic was not listed with their saltwater reels. http://fish.shimano.com/catalog/fish/products/category.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302036590&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181270&bmUID=1183055751196

I haven't used their single hooks, but VMC treble hooks are standard on Lucky Craft and Rapala lures.

Welcome aboard! Although I really consider myself a "Tennessee River Rat," since I fish below Pickwick Dam, I guess I'm technically a Kentucky Lake fisherman, too!

My response was directed to NJfishinGuy.

I 'm not going there with you. We had a four page "discussion" last week that Glenn finally had to close. Let's not start again today. Sometime, maybe when you see a pack at an "end-of-season" sale for $1, you can pick some up and give them a try. Then you can decide for yourself.

Don't know, but I'll try to get it fixed for you, pronto! -Kent

Well, Ryan... Anyhow, try one bag of Senkos just as another experiment...you may be surprised...AGAIN!

BPS recently had Yo-Zuri Hybrid on sale: 1000 yards for $6.88. I bought a few spools. 8-)

Welcome aboard! The Shimano Stradic is an outstanding reel. Although it is not recommended for saltwater applications, if you only use it occasionally in those environments and rinse it thoroughly, I think you'll be fine.

You will like the Shimano Chronarch a lot. Certainly at the pricing point, this is the finest reel made. Most Chronach owners will argue that his is the best baitcasting reel at ANY price! Buy this reel and you will not be disappointed. This is quite literally, a reel that you will love for a lifetime. Regarding St. Croix rods: The Avid series is SIGNIFICANTLY superior to the Premier series. Again, you will NOT be disappointed.

I would recommend which ever reel is built by Shimano! : Seriously, the Curado has been one of the classic reels since it was first introduced. This year's remodeling has taken the Curado to a new level. It is not just updated, this reel is totally new. You will be very pleased with the 2007 Shimano Curado.

[moved] [link=http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1182966502/0]Tacklemaking[/link] [move by] roadwarrior.

Number 10,000 Welcome aboard hawk!