GReb

Cheaper kits are generally fine for occasional use at the range for funsies. If you plan on throwing thousands of rounds down range or really heating one up that’s when the higher quality guns really shine. Or if accuracy is your goal If you buy patiently you can build a very high quality gun for less than $900. This is how I’ve built two. Mixed bag of parts found on sale over several months. Bravo blem uppers and bcgs, spikes lowers and barrels etc.

Yes def worth it anything under $300. The Shield has been the best overall value handgun for a decade now.

So far I’m most excited about the bigger rapala brat. The brat shape is very close to the threadfin we have and the bigger new profile should be lights out this fall.

We have a lake that was completely drained and restocked about a decade or so ago with FL LM. I’ve never caught a N in there at all. But compared to other fisheries who only have N it is considerably tougher to catch one. A good day there is catching 3+. But it’s also the best place to catch a 10+ lb in the state. From my experience the FL are much more finicky and are more affected by weather.

They catch fish. Seem to run more in the 4 foot range than 6. I’ve had good results with the Brat in lakes where lot of folks throw squarebills. Brat has a different profile and action than your SK 1.5s and other popular squarebills

Depends on your foot. I have a wider foot with higher arch so most tennis shoes kill me after a few hours. I found the perfect tennis shoe for my foot about a decade ago but they cost about $150. Truthfully I’d spend double if I had to

Torx is fairly popular in electronics. A lot of decking screws are torx now too. I actually like them better than Phillips. They grip the head much better and are harder to strip.

Long story short I have a couple of older Quantum Energy’s that I love and don’t want to replace. But they are in desperate need of a complete cleaning. These have sealed bearings. What’s the best way to clean them? Should I soak them in acetone, leave them be, or just replace them? My concern of course is that if I soak them will it penetrate the seal and if so how do I get oil back in there? They seem fairly clean considering being 10+ years old. Never been dunked or used in saltwater. I’m leaning just leaving them alone and putting a drop of oil around the seal. But I’m definitely open to suggestions!

I own rods all over the $100-$275 spectrum and if I had to pick the most versatile it would be the Dobyns Fury 734c. You can get one for under $90 at academy right now. However if you are going to be using it for mainly bottom contact or cranks there are better option.

I went to college with Patrick Willis. Great guy. Still incredibly humble to this day

I remember Mike Long from when I was a kid and he was gracing Bassmaster covers. He deserves to be banned from every public fishery in the country. It’s unethical on so many levels.

What’s the difference in your current interest rate and the rate of Nitro?

I learned on a $50 Pflueger kit from BPS. It actually was not terrible. Probably caught 500+ fish on it including several bass over 3 pounds.

I have a burner rod and reel I let my wife and friends use. It’s a 6’ BPS Graphite Series rod and Fuego. It’s actually a pretty enjoyable combo.

If you want to catch a ton of fish and have fun grab your fly rod with some little popper flys.

And buy KVD conditioner by the 5 gallon bucket

It’s a guy and his wife that build them in their spare time.

Just a heads up I ordered from them a few months ago and it took about 2 months to receive my order

From personal experience the key to cheap rods is to stay short in length and light in power. 6’6” MH is as long and powerful of a rod I’d buy under $80 or so. The longer cheap rods tend to get excessively heavy and heavier power become a cue stick The difference between a $50 and $100 rod is night and day. Definitely worth the money if you can float it. Or I’d try to buy used.

Walk the dog

Saw an advertisement for this new Reelers Shield sunscreen. Looks like it’s in a deodorant tube? Anyone ever tried it? It looks intriguing! https://reelers-shield.com/

I took about a 8 year break while in college and traveling for my first job. Spent my fishing time playing golf. Finally moved back to my hometown and got back into it thanks to my wife and father. For a few years I was completely apathetic towards it though. There were several occasions where I’d go pond hopping with friends and wouldn’t even wet a line. Growing up on a lake I fished everyday until college though

Only way to know is to buy one and find out. Exprides and Megabass sell fast here if you decide its not for you. I use a St Croix LTB 6'8 M XF and have no complaints. Kistler also has jerkbait rods in the KLX series if you want to try them. I will say that I finally put my hands on an Expride in a local shop last weekend and it was a very nice rod.

Sounds like my home lake. It usually has 6-10" of visibility and pads everywhere. Water temps are around 85 degrees now. Around the pads a frog, white fluke, and bluegill or white swim jig with keitech work really well. T-rig worms in a shade of green work well too. Basically anything you can work through the pads and hit open pockets. Generally the key is to find pads in 3-5 feet of water. This weekend I had good luck in the mid-day using a pinned 1/2 oz weight with a flipping hook and green pumpkin Senko.

I have experience with mojo, magnesium, and Ikos and the magnesium is clearly the best of the 3 to me personally. I’d rather have a dobyns than mojo and ikos. It’s up there with magnesium. I’d also consider the falcon expert. From people I trust the Shimano expride is also a good stick