Laurentino

I've also had good results from the Timber Tiger. They are great at not getting hung in the bushes.

I can comment on the He66MC for use with small baits. I have one paired with a Daiwa Pixy which I frequent use with small spinner baits and small topwater baits in the 1/8 to 3/8 range. The rod loads fine and is excellent for this application. I prefer the 6 1/2 foot rod over the longer rods for tip-down manipulating a topwater bait. This is a nice combo!

Now that they have announced new prices, the Powell rods at around $140 are certainly a good buy. Take a look at them.

Try the Slim Beauty knot. It's very small in diameter, strong and has worked very well for me to connect braid and mono or FC.

I'm using PowerPro 15 regularly on spinning gear. I really like it. I took Gary Yamamoto's advice and starting using 15 to 25 feet of FC leader. I use the slim beauty knot to tie it on and have little problem. This way the knot is on the reel when you are trying to land the fish which takes pressure off the knot. The long leader also keeps the braid away from the rocks. The added sensitivity of braid is a real plus for me. By using leader lighter than the braid it also breaks off in the leader rather than the braid when you get hung.

I have a rod built by David Green on the St Croix Mag Cranker that I use entirely for deep cranking. It fits my needs very well. I highly recommend it.

Are there any good sources on the web for bulk purchases of name brand hooks such as Owner or Gamakatsu? Thanks.

Have to be a toss-up between a jig and a Senko for me.

RW, are you rigging your Fat Ika backwards? Thanks for the good information.

I'd like to chime in on the Pixy also. I have three. Two are the Pixilla version, the third has just the bearing and drag upgrade (yes, D.R. did the work, he's great!). These are very much at home with 1/16 oz stuff. I tried a couple of them stock before they got the Pixilla treatment and they did fine with 1/16. With the drag upgrade these little reels are amazingly versatile. The handle normal bass size baits just as well as they do the little guys.

I use a St Croix Avid spinning rod (AVS59MXF) for skipping baits under docks or bushes. It's only 5'9" but really well suited for this application. I highly recommend it!

I like to put about 15-20 feet of flurocarbon "leader" on top of my 20 pound braid. This is a suggestion from Gary Yamamoto. It's a really good way to add a little more power than you you have with straight flurocarbon or mono and still have the small diameter line. Putting on a long leader allows you to have the line to leader knot on the reel when you are trying to land a nice fish. A uni-to-uni or a slim beauty knot goes through standard spinning rod guides on the cast or retrieve without any problems.

I'm using a custom rod built by Reel Mechanic on a St Croix Legend Tournament Bass Magnum Cranker blank. This is a 7'10" rod rated for 1[ch8260]2 - 1 3[ch8260]8 oz. baits and 12-25 pound line. This is a great deep crank rod! The new split grip version as it comes from the factory is very nice but Reel Mechanic's custom is fabulous.

Gentlemen, I have several old Bomber lures that come from my younger days. We used them extensively and with very good result. These are wood but they are not in anything near collectable condition. Paint is cracked and chipped with some of the metal bills, hooks and hardware rusted. I'm wondering if it is possible to refinish, repaint and otherwise put these lures back to use. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Look at the Core. It's avery nice reel!

Staysee 90 SP in Aurora Black or American Shad

Got mine today! It was sent in a coule of days after Christmas.

There are lots of issues involved in getting into fly fishing. First, it is easy to read all articles on fly fishing for trout and get the idea that fly fishing for bass require a lot of sophisticated equipment. You can effectively fish for bass with just basic "stuff". Pick a rod and matching line size in the 6,7,8 size range. If you plan to use large streamers and bugs under windy conditions pick an outfit on the larger size of that range, otherwise the rods on the smaller side are a little less tiring to use. Most folks use rods in the 8'6" to 9'6" range for bass fishing. Most any reel of the appropriate size will be fine also. Line is the most complicated choice. As people have already said a weight-forward or bass taper is generally best. For floating bugs, a floating line is what you need. As you get into deeper running streamers there are sinking tip lines and lines that sink at various rates. It is probably best to start with a floating line and move on to sinking lines as you progress. Leaders for bass bugs don't have to be complicated. A simple 6 foot length of 6 or 8 pound nylon monofilament will work OK but tapered leaders make it easier to lay the bug in delicately. Get someone to coach you a little when you begin to learn how to cast. You can fish effectively in most waters if you can cast 40 feet although 50 to 60 or more is certainly better. Just get out on the lawn and practice. You will have fun!

One point I haven't seen made in this string is when working with spinning gear, braided line greatly reduces the line twist problem. This is a very nice feature. I have been using the long fluorocarbon leader as recommended by Gary Yamamoto. He uses a 20-25 foot fluorocarbon leader for a couple of reasons. First by using the long leader the knot is on the reel when you have the fish along side the boat trying to land it. This avoids having to be concerned about the leader-to-braid connection during that important time. Second by using a long leader you will have no risk of braid coming in contact with a rock or shell and cutting the line. Fluorocarbon is much more abrasion resistant than braid. Of course you also get the low line visibility of fluorocarbon near your bait and the sensitivity and low stretch of braid. We are talking about relatively light braid here, something in the 10 to 20 pound test range. One concern I had in trying this was whether the braid-to-leader knot would go smoothly through the guides during casts. It doesn't seem to be a problem. I'm using this combination more and more.

Mr. Roadwarrior, I certainly agree with your Power vs. Finesse for baitcasting vs. spinning... but I am interested in where you draw the line between the two. Obviously a small drop-shot jig with a little soft plastic bait is finesse while a big flipping jig is power. Where do you make the jump? What would you use for a average 3/8 oz crankbait or something else that is in-the-middle, baitcasting or spinning? I am particularly trying to decide this question for my own use with weightless plastics that cast OK on either outfit. Does this just come down to personal preference? Thanks.

I really like using a loop knot such as a Rapala Knot to tie on some types of baits as I think I get more action with the loop. I am wondering about knot strength with the various types of line, Mono, FC, etc using loop knots. Anyone have any thoughts on the Rapala Knot or loop knots in general. I guess I always have the option of using a snap or some type of ring. Thanks.

Ok guys, I'm going to experiment with the swimbait craze before it goes away and I sleep through it. I have acquired a St Croix Legend Tournament Mega Swim Bait rod (8', XH, F, 20-50, 3-8 oz baits). This big ole rod is listed at 7.0 oz. I also have a little stash of baits. What I don't have is a suitable reel. Clearly I need a big one. I have looked at Calcutta 300 and 400 and the Daiwa Luna 253 and 300. Someone suggested a Shimano Curado 300 DSV. If that's a big enough reel to balance OK on this big rod and has enough line capacity, I like the idea of a low profile rather than a round reel. I figure this may eventually evolve into a salt water rig, depending upon how much success I have with the big baits. I have little experience with anything in this class, your input is welcome. Thanks in advance.

With all this talk I just could not resist trying the Carrot Stick. I purchased both the spinning and the casting version. I have not yet actually fished either one but I certainly have played with them! My initial impression is they are well made with excellent fit and finish at this price point. They certainly are different looking, absolutely orange! I will start with a Shimano Core on the casting model. The black reel and orange rod seem to fit together pretty well. My plan is to use this combo for small to medium crankbaits and the smaller spinner baits. As for the spinning rod, I really haven't given much thought to how to rig that one. I'll probably get my Daiwa Luvias.

Lots of good information. Thanks for the input.

I am aware that using leaders with braid is controversial but I am experimenting with using flourocarbon leaders with my braided line. I started using the Gary Yamamoto suggestion for spinning gear to use leaders long enough to have a few turns of leader on the reel when you have the fish at boatside being landed. That works out to something like 20 feet for my situation. This seems to work very well for me using spinning equipment. Now I want to try leaders with baitcasting gear. My question is how long a leader to use. I don't see how something short enough to be completely beyond the rod tip would accomplish anything (12-18"). A leader in the 2 to 4 foot range would put the knot back in the guides. I'm wondering about using the spinning approach and going with a 20 foot leader so that the knot will start on the reel during the cast. Has anyone tried this? What length leader do you recommend? Thanks.