Jeff H

Why do you leave the shields yet toss the seals?

Is it a CU-200 greenie? I still have 5 of those myself and have been inside them plenty of times cleaning, upgraded bearings and drags etc. It's not hard at all, you could do it yourself.

I feel small in this thread with talk of 7-8 lb bass. I've been fishing bass 41 yrs of my life and my best LM is 6-2 and I'm still a few ounces shy of 5 with my best smallie. Definitely not ashamed of that but I'd like to push that number at least a little higher for my LM. Hopefully I can do that this year!

WOW! That's a d**n nice fish!! Might have a tough time besting that up here so I hope you got a replica made of that brute!

I use the high tech wicking base layer stuff from cabela's, A wool long sleeve 1/4 zip shirt, a Cabela's Outfitter wool vest and my Cabela's Guidewear suit to shut out the wind. Pants are merino wool wader pants. Merino wool socks. I've many different boots to choose from but just a bought a pair of Cabela's Sno Runner. They are lightweight 400 gram thinsulate and plenty warm for sub freezing (below 32 deg) temps. Stocking cap, wool fingerless fishing gloves. Yup, I believe in WOOL! Ain't nothing better for cold weather wear.

I thought the original ruling was 7'6" and years later was increased to 8'. And as Speedbead said, Dee Thomas had a hand in it as I recall.

You must have the AVS68MXF. There is no AVS68MF. It's a great, versatile rod, I use mine mainly for tubes and other finesse apps.

I also have the Avid 6'3" MLXF and I would NOT recommend this for dock duty. Way too light in the power dept. GREAT light finesse rod if you don't have to deal with any heavy cover but if there is any cover involved it's too light. It is also a pretty darn good panfish rod. It is rated for 4-8lb line and I would not use anything more than 6lb test on this one. Even the Avid 6'3" MXF is not gonna cut it for dock duty (IMO) where larger fish are a possibility, but this would be a much better choice than the AVS63MLXF. The butt power is there but the tip is just slightly too soft for the sometimes brutal up close combat that goes with docks. This is great all around finesse rod though. Find something in a MH power or a stout M power for docks. You don't want your rod being the weak link trying to move good fish from under docks.

Short works best for me too. 6'3" Cabela's XML or Shimano Crucial 6' MH/F

14 or 17 lb Trilene XT for me.

The night bite theory has as much going for it as anything else. I know of guys who chase musky at night and say they have caught a bunch of big bass including one of 7 lbs and several 5's from Forest Lake all on the same night. That shocked the heck out of me. Never would have guessed Forest Lake to hold a 7. Larry Reid caught and weighed an 8 lb'er from Tonka during a Wednesday nighter many years ago. His partner that night was Mark Raveling. I think it may have been around 93 or 94??

In my entire collection, I don't have a deep model. I was thinking just last month I need to try them. I guess this will convince me! My favorite and best all time producer has been the HJ12 in Tennesee Shad. That goes for both bigmouth and smallmouth.

Geez...imagine that! It really should be that simple! I wonder how many of the top pro's sit around and agonize over things like this.

There have been 3 versions of the Cabela's Prodigy by Daiwa. Prodigy PRC200 was an Advantage variant. Aluminum frame 6 SS ball bearings plus roller bearing, Mag Force Z braking system, 7 disc drag stack, drilled free floating spool, straight 80mm handle. Only available in 6.3:1 ratio Prodigy PRC200A, same reel as above but has 90mm swept handle. Prodigy PRC200B was an Aggrest variant. Aluminum frame 10 SS ball bearings plus roller bearing, Mag Force Z, 7 disc drag, drilled free floating spool (red anodized) available in 6.3:1 ratio. I have 1 PRC200, 3-PRC200A, and my youngest boy has the PRC200B. My favorite is the PRC200A. I just prefer the Advantage frame reels with the 90mm swept handle. They are rock solid, lifetime reels if you take care of them. Driveshaft is supported by 2 bearings plus the roller, has 2 spool support bearings (the norm) and 2 bearings support the pinion gear. How many more do you really need? More might be nice but for me this meets my requirements. The Aggrest version (PRC200B) has bearings in the grips also. They are not finesse capable nor would one expect this from a $100 reel. 3/8 oz or heavier and they cast just fine, will throw some lures in 1/4 oz (such as spinnerbait) but short range only. I also have 6 Daiwa TD-A HSTA's and the PRC200A is not far from the performance of these. I don't much care if I have one or the other in my hand. I get along well with the Mag Force Z braking system and to have that feature on a reel that costs $100 retail is pretty sweet. It may not be Daiwa's best braking system but it's still exceptional in my opinion. I think these reels are excellent for beginners and will carry them right through years of experience with simple cleaning and re-lube service. They are built Daiwa tough with beefy gearing, excellent drag and braking systems and can handle anything you ask of them. Current trend in new reels is lightweight, if 8.6 oz is considered heavy, then so be it. I'm hearing rumors that there will be new Prodigy and Tournament ZX casting reels out this spring, both by Daiwa. Also, the spinning reels in both series will be Daiwa again.

I also prefer shorter and my choice is the Avid 6'2" M/XF. It is one fine jerkbait rod!

Those Zoom Finesse Worms are pretty effective with the Flick Shake technique. Had some exceptional days with them last August on some smallies when they would hit nothing else.

Wow. I have paid no attention to Pinnacle products the last few years but these rods actually look and read in print to be pretty nice. You've definitely broadened your scope.

As this website has likely been around many years, probably everything has been covered at one time or another. Therefore, the use of the search function should be useful for every subject and every person involved. Where would there be any social interaction if one was required to use the search function for every question that pops into ones mind? I'm not saying it should never be used, but if it were in this suggested context it's possible you'd have replies to long dead threads bringing them back to the top. So, aside from the fact there is usually the comment of "whoa, where'd you scrape this one out of the mud"....what difference does it make then? On top of that, as time passes (years in some cases), popular opinions can change. On the other hand, I agree. I have used it to gain opinions on rods several times in the past. One problem that can exist though is you can have opinions of some product that has seen several levels of upgrades yet carries the same original name. An example might be something like, say, a Shimano Crucial rod. Once available in full cork grips and IM9 graphite, the new ones (as we all know) are IM10 (no big deal really) and split eva foam grips. Search results could be confusing for some if details are not specific. So, since these types of places are meant for a gathering of social interaction, I say let it happen, even if it's over and over again.

Feel or touch is one of our senses. Just as some can see or hear better than others, some peoples sense of feel is diminished or enhanced compared to others. That's not real hard to understand. I've fished with guys that can't feel bites that I've seen at the end of their Loomis GLX rods using flouro while I'm whacking 'em with my Crucials and XT mono. Some guys hands AND focus are just dead compared to others and as SirSnookalot says, that ability to focus comes with experience. I don't feel I've anything to gain by spending $500 on any rod.

LOL...it's a good thing some carry a sense of humor in these discussions. That cracked me up! Here's to you hootie! I have always felt the Shimano Crucial fishes way above it's price in my hands. I use them and St Croix Avids and I think their sensitivity levels are pretty close for me.

I'm betting he's just be facetious in his question. I laughed when I read it.

I have to be honest and say I have not used them yet (I just bought 2 last week) and likely won't until next spring. My "out of the box" impression is....likely to get more. Very nice! Very very smooth. I don't know that the standard Tatula would or would not be the right choice for light baits, the Tatula Type R might be better suited to that task. I would guess anything 3/8 oz or better would not be a problem for the Tatula. Not by me. I love 'em. These are my current favorite "do it all" utility players.

Daiwa Tatula 100H NIB $116 TD-A 153 HSTA (3) bought used for $70 ea. 2 In perfect shape, not a scratch on 'em, 1 has a few minor scuffs but after cleaning all 3 work like new.

Somebody that I don't like, somebody who deserves the problems that will come with it. Somebody like Barack Obama. It is 100% useable reel but that sub-par drag will cost you fish. The handle grips are really irritating and your thumb rests too close to the spool on the cast, both things that you could probably get used to.

Well, St.Croix themselves do not currently have one available, so it's likely you won't find one elsewhere. Maybe just get your hat embroidered by a local shop. Nothing illegal about that, unless you produce them for sale and get caught. If you have it done just for yourself nobody will be bothered by that.