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Here are my new additions ready for duty.

OK, it rained this morning but we had some clearing at mid-day so I hit the water with the Cumara and two other rods for comparison - a St.Croix LTB 6'9" ML-XF and a Loomis GLX MBR842C 7' M-F (my current all-around "worm rod"). I did some side-by-side comparisons, then fished the Cumara for over an hour. Ergonomics: As mentioned in the first post, the grip behind the reel seat is short - really short. During casting, half of my right hand is off the grip and on the blank. That's the bad news. The good news is that I didn't really notice it. Two reasons: (1) this is a light rod casting light baits so you don't have to put a lot of effort to get the rod to load and complete the cast, and (2) my hand placement on the bottom grip was bugging me more than the top grip That brings me to my second grip issue: the entire grip length seems too long for the length and power rating of the rod. The grip length on this rod (measured from the trigger to the back of the butt) is 1 3/4" longer than the LTB, and 1" longer than the GLX. If I had my druthers, I would prefer it to be the GLX length. This is one reason why I have been resisting going to split-grip rods - you are stuck with the length dimension that the rod company CHOSE for you...rather than having the opportunity, with a solid rear grip, to place your hand where you want. I do have to say that as it is, the rod is pretty well balanced - if they shortened the overall grip length, you'd end up moving the balance point farther forward and perhaps start to feel a little tip-heavy. So, perhaps it's just better to learn to live with the longer grip length. If this was a deep-cranking rod, or their umbrella rig rod, where you're trying to chuck out heavy baits during repetitive casts, I think this short grip could be a problem for lots of folks. I don't know why they shortened the grip so much but I'd rather have the rod weigh the tenth or couple tenths of an ounce heavier and have a longer grip. Whoever they had field testing these things must have small hands, or perhaps this is only a problem for me? Anyway, for this particular rod - I don't think the short grip will be an issue. The overall grip length and where to put your off-hand is just a matter of muscle memory. After fishing it for an hour, I was getting my off-hand where it needed to be on the rear grip without any thought - but it will make going back and forth between two or more rods interesting. Indeed, after I fished the Cumara for an hour, I picked up my trusty lipless crank rod (a 7' MF St. Croix Premier with full cork grip) and the grip on it felt very fat and I was placing my hand too far back on the grip (like in the air... ). Construction: Can't say much here - no problems, looks good, guides are aligned, windings and finish are good. I like the reel seat. A nice rod. It's my first rod with micro-guides - as I mentioned earlier, I do fish in sub-freezing weather in the winter so I won't be fishing this when it gets down near freezing. Sensitivity: I can't give any definitive report on this. Sensitivity is subjective, not easily measured, and means different things to different folks. I'm one of those people with somewhat "dead" hands - after I go north of something like an Avid, I have a hard time feeling the increased sensitivity. I can say that the blank feels "crisp" - what bumps I did feel today were sharp - that could be a combination of both the blank and micro-guides I guess (and this was with YZ copoly line). I can also say that the Cumara felt as sensitive as the LTB and GLX - in my hands. I don't have the earlier generation Cumara so I can't compare the new to the old. Unfortunately, the two lakes that I fished today both have leaf/muck bottoms, thus limiting the opportunity to feel the bait bump over structure or cover, so I didn't have a good opportunity to get a really good feel for the relative sensitivity of the rod. For a good report on sensitivity, I think we will have to wait until someone like Hooligan, and others, who have extensive experience with the earlier Cumara, to come along with a report. Power / Action: I switched back and forth between the three rods, all of which were rigged with identical baits: Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craws with 3/16 oz bullet weights for a total weight of .42 ounce (just over 3/8 oz). As I suspected by playing with it last night, the Cumara is a "light" medium. The lure weight rating (1/8 to 1/4) gives a hint of this and the rod fishes "light." It had no problems casting the 3/8+ ounce bait used today and I'm sure would handle 1/2 ounce OK as well. But it's definately not a mainstream "medium." The rod fishes heavier than the LTB ML-XF, but is noticeably less stout than the GLX which, while only a 2-power, has a lot of backbone. I'm still thinking that perhaps I should have got the M-XF instead of the M-F - BUT, this rod loads really well at 3/8 oz and casts well - so maybe I'm good with the M-F. Since I didn't catch anything on it today, I can't comment on hook-setting or fish-fighting ability. I am in the habit of doing a mongo-hookset so I don't think I will have a problem with that. Nearly all my water is open so the lighter power is not a problem there either. I guess my only issue with the rod power is that the rod is probably going to fish too close to a number of other rods that I already have. That's not a problem with the rod, just with my purchasing decision. I will fish this rod on the light end of the range - lighter creature baits and plastic worms up to 7.5" which accounts for the bulk of my T-rig fishing. 10" plastic worms and larger creature baits and I'll move up to an MH-XF. I used to cover that entire range - from light to 10" worms on the MBR842C, but it wasn't really happy at the heavier end of the range. Now, I'll split the weight range between two rods. If I'm in the boat, and rod-space limited, the Loomis might be used again to cover the entire range. Summary: This is a quality rod - with features, build quality, and (probably) performance commensurate with it's price. I will fish it as my primary light T-rig rod next season. The color of the blank is a non-issue with me. It will be interesting to see if the grip issues become non-issues, or whether they continue to bug me throughout next season. For now, I won't be buying another Cumara until I get more time on the water with this one. For a good report regarding on-the-water performance, and fish-catching ability, of the new Cumara...we'll have to wait for someone else that still has both soft water, and a good bite, to check in! Today's players:

Your pics suggest you're always in mega-smallmouth mode. I bet when your fish regurgitate what they've just eaten, you see things like Godzilla and the Kraken.

Hi everyone, wanted to know if anyone could tell me in their opinion what they think is the best tackle bag. I like to be very organized so the bigger the better. Price does not matter to me.

I tried putting my gear away, staying away from the forums, articles and youtube clips, hand pouring, painting, playing banjo.... Im not gonna make it til late April opening day. I have to go bass fishing between now and then. I was thinking Florida either the Kissimmee area or Okeechobee. Flying down and getting a charter for a weekend. I am in CT and would travel south as far as Florida. No Texas or Alabama this year. Anyone have recommendations for lakes with good guide service, big bass and accommodations in the area. I will probably be going in late Feb. Thanks

I agree totally. While knot testing over the years has shown that certain knots have an "X" percent advantage over others for certain applications, the advantage usually amounts to a small percentage value. I try to set my drag properly, make sure I don't have nicks in my line, tie my knot of choice correctly and wet the line when pulling the knot tight, and re-tie often. So, I don't try to chase the latest and greatest knot, and have been using an improved clinch since my Dad taught it to me over 50 years ago. I will occasionally tie a palomar while rigging tackle at home, but on the water, I always use the improved clinch. Like others have said above, it's also my "easiest" to tie solution - given my aging eyesight and stiff fingers...

Down to the upper 20s I wear golf rain gloves. Below that I wear brown jersey beaded gloves for the gripping they provide. I carry extras so if I get some wet, I just pull out another pair. Like stated they are easy to clean (just toss them in the washing maching).

No problems casting whatsoever. I've learned to set my brakes instead of feathering on a cast. The gloves are cut to naturally curve with the fingers instead of being flat. Very comfortable, and warm.

I wouldn't hesitate to contact a local club to see if they could donate a member or two, and a scale for the day. Sometimes clubs like a little extra exposure, plus you'd have people at the weigh-in to make it go smoother, thus better for the fish. The worst they can say is no.

Rat Traps... put a donut chunk or pizza crust on there and set em next to the trash cans..

Went out on the chesapeake bay for some striper action. We had calm seas not too cold and we got into the action. Could not have had a better day IMO. Caught 10 fish most were 35-38inch range a couple smaller.

You might try the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook. I use #4 & #6 for smallmouth fishing. If you decide to go this route remember this: DO NOT set the hook, simply lift the rod tip and apply maximum tension to the line. 95% of the time the fish will be solidly hooked in the jaw joint.

I don't know about you Dwight, but I have a difficult time remembering anything let alone trying to intentionally forget it.

Borrowed from another site with the same question. There was a post talking about fishing line and its "shelf life". i.e. how long would the line be "good" if it were stored in the dark in with good storage and humidity control. I thought that I would go to the manufacturer, so I sent an e-mail to Berkley - makers of Trilene and Fireline. The following is their response with respect to mono shelf life. Take care REW 2/3 years. Nylon monofilament has a shelf life of 2 to 3 years. You can find this date code on the bottom of your spool label. It will be something like K-12-3-11, the second number, in this case 3 tells us this line was made in 2003. Nissa Lundquist Customer Service Representative Berkley Corp. Called "Pure Fishing" parent company of Stren, Berkley etc...customer service, they said 2-3 years. But they are also in the NEW fishing line business. They told me there is a date code with dashes on the back of the spools. a-10-09 would be Jan. 10th. 2009 b-10-09 would be Feb. 10th. 2009 c-10-09 would be March 10th 2009 Ending with L being December. FYI they said the same date codes are used on there bait/lures.

Placed my order today! Great jig at a Great price!!---thanks Mike

Barlow's Tackle is in Texas, the DFW area, IIRC. They are an excellent source for tackle making tools and supplies. I buy a lot of stuff from them. They're also a great source for bulk soft plastics. http://www.barlowstackle.com/ Tom

Cowardly and despicable are the only words I can think to describe what this guy has done. Killing helpless children and teachers and then kills himself, just the worst kind of person with no feelings and no remorse and a complete sociopath who can think of no one but himself. Good riddance to him and may may the fires roast his tenderest parts for all eternity

Carp?

I would love to catch my first bass on a topwater lure. I know I'm missing out. But I DID catch my first bass (3) on a jig this year!

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

I can update on central LA lakes. Saline/Larto, Sibley, Cane River, Ouchita River ect.

Diggy, Is it tough for you to use both right and left hand baitcasters? I would have a really hard time with that. BTW. Nice setups.