roadwarrior

shenvalley, Welcome aboard! I think you're just fine with momofilament or a copolymer. I haven't found a fluorocarbon that I like. However, many of our members will probably have some suggestions for you. Good luck!

Welcome aboard! Take a look at the St. Croix Avid AC66MF or AC70MF. Although the action is rated fast, the tip is soft. The AC66 is my "all-around" baitcaster for spinnerbaits, topwater, jerkbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits. For jigs and soft plastics I use other equipment with a firm tip.

Nice bass!

Is this too simple? Everything dark plus a few white, white/chartreuse, silver and silver/black. My "go-to" color is green.

I'm sure you will like the G.Loomis crankbait series, but you might take a look at the PR844C, too. I have the spinning version which is my favorite rod, period. My next rod is going to be the PR844C to replace or supplement the St.Croix Avid AC66MF which I am currently using as my "all-around" baitcaster.

Excellent!

The Moderators should delete that post! ;D ;D ;D ;D

Whiskey for my men, and beer for the horses! http://www.corinnemec.com/beerformyhorses_lyrics.htm

BPS has original Pointers on sale for $11, but the Slender Pointers are not included. Oddly, while everything else Lucky Craft makes has gone down in price, they're asking $19 for the Slenders! The ones I have were on sale last year for $6.99 so I'll be patient. avid, I haven't fished the Slender Pointer for largemouth.

I'm not knocking the oil or the chart you provided. I'm not comfortable working on reels and will leave that to those who are or in my case, professionals in the field. What is more important is testing new lubricants on your own reel. Good or bad, the sample is far too small to make conclusive comparisons. What seems most critical to me is the potential damage that could occur using unknown products and any interaction with other products used previously or in conjunction with new chemical compounds. Maybe that is not a concern, but I don't know.

Welcome aboard!

That is is GREAT rod and using it as dedicated C-rig gear is perfect, but you can fish practically any technique with that equipment. Congratulations!

My main tackle fetish is jerkbaits. I have a box of LC only (128, 100, 78 & Stacey); one box of Smithwick Rogues and a box containing Rapala Husky Jerks and X-Raps. Some of these lures are 7-8 years old. I think I may have used four or five, but the rest are brand new. I'm headed over to the BPS Spring Clasic today...I'm hoping they have a few Slender Pointers on sale...The Bait Monkey told me I need to start building a box of them. **update** Pointers are on sale for $11, the Slender Pointers are not included.

That's some good advice mixed in with the humor. This is a FISHING FORUM and it is designed for HAVING FUN.

Blue Streak, Welcome aboard!

Hey Raul! I was wondering, "How many feet of snow did you get this week?"

No way, Jose! Not unless that's what ReelMech uses. I'm sending my reels to him for a professional cleaning and lubrication. After formal training and a couple of decades repairing reels, I think David has just about the right experience to work on my equipment. I trust him to use top of the line lubricants and I'm not interested in conducting any experiments on my own. "New" is sometimes better, but tried, tested and proven works for me just fine.

Well, by now most of us that aren't able to fish have done about all the cleaning and rearranging we can possibly do. So, here's a new project to waste a little time and to have a little fun with your stuff. Plus, if your are looking for excuses, you'll probably "have to go" to your favorite tackle store! The Plan: Put together a "small" day box. This will give you another reason to go through all your gear. Buy yourself a clear pastic Plano box with a handle, no bigger than 18" X 12" X 3". Now that you have restricted your space, you will have to choose wisely. Organize your new box for your next outing, selecting only the lures you think you might actually use that day. If you want to take this a step further, plan your box and your trip around the idea of using two rigs only: 1 baitcaster, 1 spinning combination. Packing light, "Have Gun, Will Travel." BTW, If you actually give this a try, I mean actually go on a day trip with the little box, I'll bet most of us won't use 25% of what we brought!

I have never heard anything good about that water. I think you would be MUCH better off fishing the tailwaters below Pickwick Dam, Pickwick below Wilson Dam, Wilson Lake or the tailwaters of Wheeler. All of these places are known for big smallmouth.

The BCR854C seems to be the rod of choice for "those in the know." However, I don't have one, so I will suggest comparing that rod to the GLX MBR844C, the "old" standard bearer. For jigs and soft plastics, I HIGHLY recommend the GLX, for other applications the IMX is fine. Reel suggestion: I think the Shimano Calcutta CT400B will meet your line capacity requirement (14/260), but that's a heavy reel and you don't need that for bass. If your set up is intended for multi-species (striper/ sturgen/ salmon/ light saltwater?), this would be a great option, but if it is purely for bass and you want a round reel, the CTE200GT is THE BOMB! My heavy jig, big spinnerbait and striper rig is a GLX MBR844C/ Shimano CTE200GT.

For soft plastics I use Gamakatsu and X-Point 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks the majority of the time, occasionally 3/0 on smaller baits.

avid, The best place for you and me to catch live bait is a bait store! I have a success rate approaching 100%.

I'm a relatively new fan, around five years or so, but I have been appalled by all the "routine" cheating or attempts at cheating. Some of it is a recognized aspect of the sport: making deals among the teams near the end of each race! If NASCAR wants to continue to grow as a "mainstream" sport, they need to clean up their act, pronto!

I think the model you are referring to is the SA2500FD, which I own. I do NOT think the Sustain series is your best choice. The Stradic 2500FH is what I consider the "best value" in the Shimano line-up. I don't think there is enough enhancement in the Sustain to justify the $100 pricing differential. On the otherhand, I fish the Stella which is DEFINITELY not an "economic value" when compared to four Stradics, but it does have a few "enhancements!"

"Do you want fries with that?" Excellent!