JayW

Nice!

Those are some really good looking Bass!

They do seem to love spinnerbaits! I've caught them on plastic worms, top water plugs, rattle traps... just about everything, but they seem to LOVE spinnerbaits more than anything! Here's a crappy pic of one I caught back in the late 90's in Lk Ariana (Central Florida) on a spinnerbait.

Love the avatar! ;D

I love the little Calcutta 50's... Here's mine! Awesome little work horse of a reel and smooth as silk!

1 more for the Palomar! 8-)

I fished Mariana yesterday. VERY hard fishing! We fished from 7 am till about noon and picked up 1 Bass and missed a few lit biters. We were marking lots of fish but they didn't seem to want anything! I fished Ariana last week and couldn't even get 1 single bite! Some guys out there fishing said they did pretty good a few days earlier, but didn't catch anything that day either. I wonder how the tournament went?

I agree. You might even want to try ebay as they have some really good deals on reels!

There are a lot of "good" rods out there... some better than others. They will all catch fish... it's mostly personal preference! Just look for one with a good reputation and warranty!

I agree. I have a couple myself along with a 50. Awesome reels that seem bullet proof!

The round reels are more of a work horse. I quit using LP reels back in the mid 90's when one broke off at the base on me! No more plastic for me! Calcutta's all the way...

Aluminum oxide is a cheap guide, if modern $150 rods are being sold with them, I would steer clear of that maker. Actually, as a rod builder for over 10 yrs... (by this I mean I have some rods 10 yrs old with those guides) Fuji A/O guides hold up just fine. I use Hardloys on my saltwater rods along with braid with no failures in 10 yrs (my saltwater rods are old) and Hardloy is just another form of Aluminum Oxide, just a little better/harder. Don't get me wrong... the high priced guides are awesome, but they are, in most cases, not really necessary. If you're going to have a problem... it's usually with a cheaper brand! For my personal rods, I use nothing but Fuji guides (not to say that there aren't other good guides out there, just that I prefer Fuji). As far as the price of rods go... I have at least $150+ just in the blank and components alone (and that's really not all that much compared to some) on all of my Bass rods that I have built for myself. They are work horses. I enjoy making a cast with a custom built rod that I built myself, for a specific situation, paired with a Calcutta (That's all I use). A well balanced rod for the reel, spined properly, with the proper guide placement and so forth. For me, it's a joy to use my equipment, even if the fish aren't biting! 8-) That being said... you can still catch fish on a Zebco Rhino!

It's a paradise down there. I've been by it, but never fished it directly. I have fished that little pit next to... Anyone know what it's called??? Here it is... This place look familiar to anyone? I haven't been down there in several years. We used to catch 30-50 Bass per trip out there!

Ok, I fished a little private pit today and I did see 1 buck starting a bed. I guess they just haven't really started where I've been fishing.

Public ramp at Ariana is free through the winter and free in the summer if you get there before 8 am. If you take Dixie Hwy... you'll run right into it, then go left and an immediate right. I live about a 1/2 mile from the ramp or less.

Don't worry... there's plenty of big Bass up there! 8-)

Yeah, I can't even remember a time when you could get in there back when I started fishing it in the early/mid 80's. I just hate to ask to drive through his yard since before I could just tote the jon boat through his yard. I was hoping there was a new ramp opened up somewhere! :'(

Is this lk still private or is there a private ramp now? It's been years since I fished it. I was wondering if there was a public ramp or way to get in. If I still had a jon boat I could get in at a friends house, but I'm not going to ask to put in my 20 footer and mess up his yard!

I fished Lk Ariana, Tenoroc's Lk 2 and a small private pit last week and didn't see anything. I thought I'd see at least something starting to happen spawn wise. Maybe this week???

Cool! I was up there fishing in November... That's me out on the dock. Here's a pic from the dam and some guy who had caught a pretty nice Bass a few years back...

Yeah, I'd like to see some better pics, too! It can become obsessive! I started building rods a little over 10 yrs ago and have built well over 100 rods now for my self and quite a few others. I just built one last week and one the week before. It's addictive!

I always used a M fiberglass when I was using them for cranks and top water. The 13.1 lb Bass in my avatar was caught using a 6'6" M St Croix fiberglass blank on a rattle trap.

I really don't think you'll notice much difference in sensitivity with guides. The main issue at hand would be the hardness of the insert ring. The Fuji Aluminum Oxide, Hardloy, and Alconite are in the proper order as far as hardness and price. To be honest... the basic standard Aluminum Oxide will work just fine in most cases. Some say it's not good for superlines and that may be the case, but I have Hardloy on my saltwater rigs and use braid and have for 10+ yrs with no ring failures!

You'll be fine!

Great reels! I landed my largest Bass (13+) on one back in '99.