CATCHnRELEASE

I will be in NE Pennsylvania all summer around Monroe County and was wondering if there were any other fishermen on this site from this area?

I would go with the Citica as well since it is a very nice reel. Plus there is a $30 rebate for it right now so it would only cost you $90

Thanks for your guys input. I looked into the rods you mentioned. I used the term "a lot" to describe how much I jig fish just because that is what I primarily do when I go fishing. It is the best way to catch bass in the lakes near me and I would have to say I probobly throw a jig about 80% of the time I go fishing in the summer. I do not fish tournaments and am in school getting my masters degree at the moment so I do not have a lot of money. They loomis rod looks incredibly nice but I just cant justify spending that kind of money on a rod at this time. Anyway, thanks again for your suggestions.

I do a lot of jig fishing in the summer in some really thick cover and I currently use a Shimano Curado reel with a 7 foot Fenwick Techna AV medium heavy fast action rod with 30lb. power pro line. While this works pretty well I think I would like a more heavy duty rod. I want something that is 1 piece (no retractable butt section) 7 foot long, heavy, fast action rod. My price range is about $100-$150 and I am really considering either the Daiwa Light and Tough rod (although I do not think it is fast action?) or the Team All Star Big Boy rod, both of them are 7 foot and heavy action. Does anyone have experience with either of these products or does anyone recomend a good rod that meets the conditions I listed above?

I do a ton of jig fishing in grass and reeds with braided line (30lb. Power Pro) and I prefer not to tie a leader on. I have tried fishing with no leader and a leader and can see no difference in the amount of fish I catch plus the area I fish also has very clear water. If anything I think I might actually catch more without the leader. Overall I catch just as many and I feel more confident my line will not break because of an extra knot.

To answer Bassn's question. The lakes are located in Iowa which helps explain why the fish are not very large. I had a lot bigger fish that would have been fun to put on there but I did not get pictures of them. Also, a lot of people stated they could tell the size of the fish by hand size, if you held the fish in a way your hand wouldn't show (like Bill Dance when he holds the fish by the gills sometimes) then it would be pretty much impossible to tell the size.

Alot of people on here seem to disagree a lot with how much they think fish weigh in pictures so I thought it would be fun to put this together and you can see how you do. Below are some pictures of fish I caught this summer and weighed with an accurate digital scale. See if you can guess the weight of the fish in the pictures. What you will probably find out is it is pretty much impossible and just depends on how close you are to the camera or how far you hold the fish out. I think a lot of people on here over estimate the weight of the fish they catch if they dont actually weigh it. At the bottom of the post are the actual weights of the fish in the pictures so you can see how you did. (I dont want to hear "That fish can't weigh that much" because these weights are accurate. Give it a try 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) ****GO DOWN****** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ---------------RESULTS-------------- 1) 17 1/2 inches and 2.8 pounds (looks much smaller than second fish...) 2) 17 inches and 2.7 pounds 3) 19 1/2 inches and 3.8 pounds 4) 3.6 pounds 5) 20 inches and 4.2 pounds (looks huge but is just close to the camera) 6) 5.2 pounds 7) This one was just for fun. 45 inch muskie about 22 pounds ---- Conclusion ---- These weights are accurate. I think what you will see is that you just CAN NOT accurately guess a fishes weight by the photo that was taken. The only accurate way is to actually weigh it. Hopefully this was kinda fun to look at. How did you guys do?

Here's a great article on flourocarbon line trying to dispel some myths about line stretch , visibility, and different knots to use.... http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbon2.html

Thanks for your opinion. The sensitivity thing was kinda what I was worried about too. Anyone else prefer one over the other?

So I'm thinking about getting a new rod but I am kind of torn right now. I am looking for a 7ft or 7ft 6inch heavy, fast action rod. I am going to use it mostly for jig fishing. All I use now is one piece rods but I am considering getting a flipping stick with the retractable butt section. Anyway, my question is whether the retractable butt section effects the overall sensitivity of the rod because it isn't one solid piece and what do you guys prefer to use? One piece rods or extension rods with the retractable butt section?

My brothers wedding is coming up and as a gift I ended up getting him the abu garcia revo s baitcasting reel. This is his first baitcaster and he says he cannot get the side cover off to adjust the centrifical break system. He says the instructions explain how to adjust the breaks but not get the side cover off. I have not seen the reel yet so I do not know. Can anyone tell me how to get the sidecover off so I can give him a good answer so he doesn't end up breaking the reel trying? Thanks

I don't think there is any clear cut answer for how long you can keep a fish out of the water. Like someone mentioned above I have also heard that you should not keep them out longer then you can hold your breath. Here's my take on the situation though. Think of it this way, when you hook a bass it is going to use a lot of energy fighting and trying to get away. I would imagine this burst of energy use is much more than it ever uses in its regular daily life. Now that it has used tons of energy it is then yanked out of the water and can not breathe. This would be like making someone sprint 100 yards at full speed then putting a plastic bag over their head. I would suggest getting the bass back into the water within 30 seconds to one minute which can easily be done even with a picture or two. Also, if the hook is incredibly hard to get out you can still put the fish back in the water with it hooked and allow it to breathe, or rest it inside a net like someone else mentioned. Also, when you are releasing the fish make sure you dont just throw it back, gently place the fish back in the water and you can move it from side to side to get oxygen to the gills. Like Avid said make sure you do not move it forward and backward in the water to revive it because it will actually damage the gills having water move through the gills backwards. Also, take extra care of the larger lunker bass, think of them as senior citizens and be extra careful with them. Younger bass can recover quicker then the larger fish can. LASTLY, someone previously mentioned "delayed mortality". Just because a bass has been out of the water for 3-5 minutes and kicks and splashes hard and swims off DOES NOT mean it is going to live at all. There have been numerous studies about delayed mortality which are often focused on tournament fishing but the idea is the same. Many tournaments release caught bass that die all the time and these bass were in livewells and holding tanks etc. One of the problems is that these fish were not kept in water with proper oxygen levels. These fish were all released and swam off but eventually some did die. Just some stuff to think about but I would basically try to get the fish back into the water as soon as possible to ensure that it does survive.

I don't think color matters nearly as much as people think. I would say size and the presentation are the most important. Usually I make the trailer match pretty closely with the jig but i have fished jigs with all sorts of colors and combinations and caught just as many fish if not more sometimes.

Honestly, I think they were the best reels ever made for the money. I have two 200B's and two 200BSF's and they are still my favorite reels. I really prefer the 200BSF over the 200B though. All in all though they are both very nice reels in my opinion.

I've experimented with a few jigs this spring and I would say I like Booyah the most right now but I never got to try terminator jigs, they look like they would slide through cover pretty easy but they are the most expensive. I also didnt get to try several other brands. All an all I really just want the jig to have a good mustad or gamakatsu hook on it. What are your guys fav. brands/styles?