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When you use the Rage Tail clam shells to make Holiday chocolates. (the Toad and Shellcracker are pretty cool)

Black ~ although a cap color that's the same as the reel body would be cool. A-Jay

The Summit Cup broadcasts will be shown throughout the first quarter of 2013 on Outdoor Channel. View the full article

Headed out with Nitro today to spend a day on the res! I wanted to give him an idea about what this place has to offer here in NOVA! We launched out of Bull Run and headed to the splits. Fog and overcast to start the day and eventually broke out into a glorious sunny December day, air temps were a little chilly and damp but finished very comfortably. I figured we would start throwing the drop shot on some deeper drops and had some small nibbles but no hook ups. We continued fishing around the same general area with very little to show for it, just a couple small crappie! Nitro decided it was entirely possible to catch one on top water so out comes the chug bug and he actually had a couple fish come up after it (I learned something today!) we tried a couple other baits and just couldn't get anything to bite. I decided we should try back around to the front of the point we had started. All the while I'm struggling to get my fish finder to work. Finally got it going and talked to a buddy that was out as well and he was catching fish on a crankbait. With the graph finally working I was able to see the unbelievably abundant bait all around the area we were and tied on a pointer 100 DD and started to go to work! Fish number 1! And then another! Fish number 2! At this point I'm thinking we are going to destroy them! I keep at it with the pointer while Nitro tries a few different cranks, then, bam, my line just starts to take off after a long pause! Fish number 3 At this point I look for another bait for Nitro because I want him in on the fun! All I had was a 100 the same color but no a DD so he ties that on and gets to work as well! Amazing that theses fish are just bunched up on one nice little corner. I let Nitro in on the "I'm not dousing anything special" when another fish just starts peeling line! Fish mumber 4! Biggest of the day! We spend some more time fan casting the area and nitro gets in on the fun! His first res fish! We tried for some more but the bite sorta shut down a bit. Time to make a run and show Nitro the lay of the land. We ran down to a couple of bluffs and missed a couple of fish on a tube but had a good time trying baits and talking about our families and assorted fishing stories! We figured we should get back to the area that produces the fish for us and headed back to the splits. We caught a couple more, missed a coulple more and figured the day was just about as good as a December day could have been so back to the ramp and chat with some friends about how the day was and pack up for home! Nitro is such a genuinely good person, very good fisherman and full of the joy of life! Couldn't have had a better time with a new friend!! Anytime you get some more free time we need to do it again!!

I have both the 822DSR and 822SYR. Your description above is pretty accurate. The DSR still has good backbone and caught me a TON of dropshot fish this past year, but the tip is pretty light for more general stuff. The SYR should fill rest of your requirements well, and I have drop shotted with it, too, and it worked very well for it. If I were only going to have one, it'd for sure be the SYR.

Black.

Silver, but you already know my opinion

Silver matches the star drag and the reel handle...seats. So I vote silver.

Silver, it's like a race car wheel, just looks Bad A## !!!

Just what I was thinking!

Black I tried both on my Revo STX and decided on black. No offense, IMO The silver looked plain and out of place. I think the silver would look better if there was some type of design or engraving. Edit: Maybe the initials HT stamped in the side or stenciled and painted.

I like black on my Chronarch E, but I prefer the silver on the Curado E. It matches the star knob.

Silver!

My take on the composite is a blend of different fibers or materials. Some cranks rods are fiberglass, e glass or straight graphite. The composite is an attempt to take the best attribute of each material & blend the two together to make a better rod. Best thing to do is get one in your hands with a reel mounted on it & test it out.

On that reel I'd say black!

Well, if you would quit eating so healthy and working out so intensely you would cease to be part of the problem is a more timely manner!

Black. Some guys do like the silver when the reel body is silver in color.

Black

Black

I use the black for tye Chronarch E, silver for the Curado E. So since the Curado is pictured, I will have to say silver.

Nice report guys. Jon is the JB master out there; it is one great place to fish. I

I teach 5th grade in a middle class town in KS. At the beginning of the year I challenge my students to read and pass a comprehension test on 11 different genres before Christmas break, if they meet the goal they get to choose a prize that I will buy them, under $10. Last week I had my second student pass the challenge. She is a sweet little girl who does not seem like an outdoors type at all, and then she wanted me to buy her, her first tackle box. I was so excited, went to the local BPS and bought one for her. Her smile was so big today when I presented it to her! What an awesome day!

You never heard "If it works don't fix it" I'm a skilled tradesman. I posses skills men yearn for LOL. If my truck breaks down, I take it to a mechanic. If my boat motor breaks down, I take it to a mechanic. If my reel breaks down I take it to a mechanic. If my heat, a/c, or fridge breaks down, I fix it myself, I am a mechanic. Trying to save money, more often than not, ends up costing people more. You are very fortunate you have a buddy who can warranty your screw up.

Your questions are not simply answered. Crankbaits cover a wide range of styles and techniques. Colors span the entire spectrum. What kind of bait to throw, and where to throw them is just too broad for a simple answer. There are many articles on this site that can help. I recommend starting there. Whitish, green/chartreuse and red based cranks are generally my go-to colors. Knowing the bait in whatever lake you're fishing will give you a start. Add water clarity and you have another bit of info; clearer water will generally require more natural colors, and often a faster speed; stained/muddy water brighter or darker and more noise... Not having a depth finder simply means you have to pay attention to details when you find fish, and then find other spots with the same conditions. Nothing to it... Bass fishing can be as simple or complex as you decide to make it. Good luck and enjoy the journey. Welcome to the site.

I understand what you're saying, but. This. Is. A. Death. Star. rrr.

I fished once with the Quanjig and still remember him hammering them on his jerkbaits and Skeet reese rods! I too also remember almost falling in on several occasions. Jon are you running any side imaging or just a regular depth finder scanning below? What spoons were you tossing out? It sounds like you were sticking the fish relatively shallow on jerkbaits for the area which i found surprising. Awesome trip guys. Nitro sounds like a class act and the type of guy you want to fish with on these forums.

If you are willing to buy used or new off the ebay, you can go for the Curado E. If your looking for new at a store, go for the Curado G or the Chronarch E. All are great reels for under $200. If you are looking for a Shimano rod too, I would go with the Compre. As for the line, you need to get yourself a spool of YoZuri hybrid.

The secret of a happy life is having something to look forward to. It can be simple or grandiose. It doesn't matter. Heard Robert Duvall state this in a movie. Having something to look forward to is motivating. Work for the sake of putting food on the table or a roof over our heads does not create the excitement of saving for vacation, or putting away a few bucks for that weekend fishing trip. The things we "want" serve to encourage us to work more than obtaining the things we need. In many cases, we begrudge the time we spend working to meet our needs, but don't mind working for the things we want. No sooner is one Road Trip finished, than the attendees are already looking forward to the next. How many of you have the same enthusiasm for grocery shopping? An old Yankee once told me that if you wanted to "make a living", do something that people need. If you want to get rich, do something that people want. Anticipation or the lack thereof gets the juices flowing, or not.

I picked one...........it worked, so I kept using it. Simple as that. I have seen color matter not at all way more times than I have seen it mean the difference between getting bit or not. Matching the hatch is nonsense for bass fishing. I have caught just as many, if not more bass on goofy outlandish crankbait colors, as I have on super realistic natural ones...........even in clear water. And just the oppostite with jigs/plastics. I catch more on brown, green, or black, than anything else......reguardless of water clarity. So what does that mean? Nothing. Pick a color and fish it. If your not getting bit, it's not because you have the wrong color. I am not 100% positive of this, but I think I have taken there money or at least finished higher in tournaments than almost every one I have ever met who's first question, or main concern, is "what color are you getting them on". I'll tell you all day long what color I use.............but I won't tell you why/when/where I am doing what I am doing, which is the most important thing.

12 pound - one ounce brown fish! :santa-107:

marketing sells more colors than anything. if a bass can not find a brown crawdad, it just might starve to death. same goes for shad colors. basic crawdad colors, and basic shad colors will catch bass. crankbaits are a great example of what i am talking about. i would much rather have a crankbait with the right wiggle pattern the bass are looking for on particular day, than to have the "right color". example would be a wiggle wart over a shad rap. the wiggle wart has a wide wobble, and the shad rap has a very tight wiggle. i do not care which bait had the "right color", the bait that had the right wiggle is going to catch most of the fish. depth and speed catch more fish than the "right color". and to the depth and speed i will add a horizontal presentation or a vertical presentation. bo

The God and hamster talk is much easier than the birds and bees talk

55 cent Whoppers today!

so plano will be going under in 5-7 years, good to know.

Yay on the fish, boo on the taxidermist.

I think you're a bit confused! Chop suey is a chinese dish and not all asians eat dog.