roadwarrior

Welcome aboard! First, you will need to be a VERY accomplished fisherman. Then you will need a variety of sponsors or a very big wallet. The price of entry is high.

fivebasslimit, Great analogy! I'm sure you are right, you follow tournament fishing much closer than I do. I generally don't like to post negative comments and should probably have stayed out of this thread. I simply don't like the guy...So what? It really doesn't matter whether I like him or not, Ike has his following. I concede the point.

I have the ES70MF, it's my soft plastics rod. You'll like it...a lot! Without beating a dead horse, I can assure you there is a BIG difference in rods at the various pricing points. What is important, at least to me, is the higher probability of hooking up with big fish. Trophy bass are rare, but the biggest bass in any body of water is the rarest of all. You may only have one shot at that fish, with better equipment you have a greater chance of catching "that fish." Everything needs to be lined up on your side to catch the "Fish of a Lifetime."

You can return them to any BPS store.

Hun? Tell us a little more about those "good reels for "little" money" that you have been buying.

The reel is the most important part of the "fun factor." I want a reel that is, most of all, hassel free. That means adequate line capacity, smooth cast and retrieve, generally high IPC, outstanding brakes on baitcasters and state of the art drag on spinning tackle. Aesthetic beauty is important to me, too. In a nut shell: Smooth, silent, strong and reliant. (Hmm...Does that sound like the marketing slogan for some brand?) Rods are probably more important for "catching" fish. Sensitivity helps with the bite. Power starts with the size of the lures you use, the cover you target and (sometimes) the fish you catch. Rod action effects the hook-up and may help keep a fish on during the fight. Design and components often define functionality, but it's the total package that distinguishes one rod from another.

halijedi, Welcome aboard!

Acting ability!

"Most popular?" Hmm...I would certainly agree if you said "Most Controversial." I can't stand anything about the guy and you don't need to remind me that he won AOY, I didn't say he can't fish. To me, he is just another annoying celebrity. I like Bass Cat, too. Sponsoring this clown doesn't change that, but I wish the companies I do business with would affiliate themselves with upstanding individuals who have a history of personal integrity, not renagades.

I agree with Chris at Tech. Here is the deal: http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=59174&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=3&hvarSubCode=2&hvarTarget=browse Combinations are almost always the best value and they are always "ON SALE!"

I have three, one of which will usually produce a fish: 6" Senko Fat Ika Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo (tube)

My fishing partner, Speedy Madewell, has recently started guiding on the Tennessee River. One of his associates is a writer for Mid South Hunting & Fishing magazine. He happened to be on the river 11/18 (One Of MY Best Days) and saw a few of the bigger smallmouth we were catching. One of the local television stations has a weekly outdoors show and they heard about our big day through Speedy's friend. So...We have been asked to do a thirty minute show! The filming will be next month and the production should air sometime in February. It should be fun. I sure hope we catch a fish. :

The Avid AS60MF or AS66MF in the St. Croix line-up. ($160) If you go with G.Loomis, SJR783 IMX series which is going to cost you a little more. ($235) If you keep and eye on the Flea Market section here at BassResource.com, you can probably get a better price.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! I have a Fenwick Techna AV and two St. Croix Avid rods. My recommendation is the Avid AS66MF or AS70MF.

I'm paying attention... I know. 8-)

The World Record Smallmouth is 11 lb 15 oz. The bass was caught by David Hayes at Dale Hollow Lake. What is remarkable is the spread between #1 and #2. The second largest smallmouth bass also came out of Dale Hollow, 10 lb 14 oz. This is why the odds of anyone ever breaking the World Record are so extremely remote. The Hayes' fish was an annomally. To break this record I think you would have to catch a 10 1/2 lb smallie that had recently eaten a huge skipjack or gizzard shad. A 12 lb bronzeback is almost unimaginable.

Gosh Raul, Now you'll have to buy a new reel!

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Man, that's special. Great fish, nice pics. Congratulations!

Welcome aboard! Start at the top with the "Beginners" section. We have a vast library on this site and you will learn far more by reading these the articles than you will from this Forum (at least initially).

No way! We still need to hear from our Daiwa, Pfluger, Abu Garcia and Quantum guys. There is no "best" reel, just "favorite."

See what kind of advice you get from the Navy!

Welcome aboard!

This is a pretty popular reel on this Forum, at least among the members of the Shimano Posse!