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I am sure you have a Wal-mart in your area....who doesn't any more? Go to Wal-mart and grab the following: 2 bags of Strike King shimmy sticks one in green pumpkin, one in black/blue @ $3/ea 2 bags of 7" Berkley power worms, one in green pumpkin, one in blue/fleck @ $4/ea A pack of Gamakatsu 3/0 EWG worm hooks @ $5 A pack of 1/8th oz. SK tungsten sinkers in black @ $5 A pack of 1/4 oz. SK tungsten sinkers in black @ $5 A Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill in chart. black/back @$6 A Rebel Pop-R in black/silver @ $4 And a 1/4 Strike King chart./white spinner bait @ $5 Total bill..about $45 + tax. If you can't catch fish with any of that, find a new spot, there are no fish where you are.

Very important! Sativa only for fishing, otherwise you'll just be staring at your soft plastics wondering how they get the sparkles so... Spaaaarkly, maaaaaaaaan.

As the members can attest, I fished with spinning gear almost exclusively for many years. Yet in the ocean, I fished with conventional gear almost exclusively (conventional = saltwater casting). Since I've been on both sides of the fence, I can fully understand why an angler might use spinning gear exclusively, or use casting gear exclusively, or better yet, a combination of both (they're both super tools). Fatigue? Well, even at my advanced age, fatigue from spinning gear or casting gear has never been an issue. Fatigue could be the result of flawed technique. Roger

Oh dear god, why?

I say caution because after you're first purchase you're gonna feel like a sucker for ever buying anyone else's, paying more for less quality! Also your wife may suspect something's up when the usps boxes start arriving weekly! Excellent job Siebert! Skirts spread evenly, paint looks excellent, no paint in eyelets, hooks A++++

Punctuation, sentence stucture and grammar are your friends in life, especially in this section of BR. Congratulations on your accomplishments but your introduction would make me unlikely to email you, let alone look you up to research your claims. Good luck.

I have a such a place. Without giving it's proper name (just to avoid the ridicule that would inevitably follow) I call it The Dead Sea. Whenever I think I'm starting to get this bass fishing thing figured out, after spending a day out at this place and I'm instantly reminded that ~ I Know Nothing ! (that's one of my favorite Sargent Shultz quotes btw) A-Jay

Owner ST 36.....

Mono leader on a frog? Jeez, i really have heard it all now. My point about catching them in packs of boats in water with visibility to 20ft was not to toot my own horn but to prove a point about water clarity and highly pressured fish. Did not mean for that to come off as snobby. I'm not going to change you're mind and you won't change mine which is fine, but for the sake of argument, i just have a hard time understanding the train of thought here. You're bait (no matter what you're using) does not look natural. It also has at least one hook that's at least 10x the diameter of your line hanging off of it, and said hook(s) are probably shiny. Either way, our un-natural looking baits have very visible hooks on them, so i don't see the line argument. In my mind, if fish didn't like .01" diameter dark green braided line, they would be absolutely petrified of any weed bed, scared s%#less of lily pad fields, and wouldn't hide under a dock if their life depended on it. Before you let me have it i understand all my examples are ambush points for bass. In any event, in 16 years of fishing crystal clear great lakes waters, never did using flouro get fish to bite that would hit not hit the same bait on braid. Do i use flouro and copoly on some rods because the line doesn't float and the presentation calls for it? Of course i do! But to say a fish wouldn't hit because it could see your line....must be hard for some to believe people even caught fish in clear water before flouro I would love to hear anyone's opinion on this, as i seem to be in the vast minority on this board of those who will speak up on behalf of not believing in line visibility. Hopefully i didn't ruffle too many feathers!

To become a better, more successful, more consistent bass angler you have to know what you are after, once you know how your prey lives, reacts, where it lives you´ll know where to find it, when to find it, how to catch it and with what. Watch and learn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybopUwSuiS8 One of the best documentaries ever.

I have to agree with Farmer. This is as good as it gets for a starting kit. Master these and you will be well on your way to wasting money on everything else WalMart sells. LOL

Skin cancer doesn't start when we are older, that damage occurred when we were younger. You younger anglers in your teens and early twenties are the most vulnerable to sunburn/ skin cancer, you can't undo the sun exposure. For us old timers or those over 40 protecting what is left of our skin slows down getting skin cancer along with annual dermatologist skin inspection and pre cancerous removal or surgery to remove cancers, the damage is already done! Go to a good dermatologist, get inspected and use the products they recommend, including SPF fishing clothing, wide brim hats and cover up skin to harmful sun exposure. Some folks are more tolerant to the sun and some of us are not, I am in the skin cancer group and go through surgery on a bi annual basis, getting stitches out in a few days it's pleasant. My friend Bill Murphy died of skin cancer from bass fishing, skin cancer is dangerous! Tom

I just got into deep cranking. I have a powell max 703 cb glass and dobyns 805rmcb. they both handle sk 6x and DD22's just fine. however even the 8' dobyns with rating 3/8 to 1 1/2oz can't handle a mann's 30+ so it's safe to say it can't handle a 10x. i love the dobyns b/c it literally handles like a 7' rod, is light as a feather, more sensitive than glass but still ton's of flex and it's a steal for $195 during holiday sales. the powell is amazing too and can throw a 1/4 oz or 1oz deep diver just the same. its a glass work of beauty that's also light as a feather and it can easily be found used for $125. there only really a few rods that can handle a 10X. i think dobyns makes a 806 specifically for it as do other companies i was initially bummed b/c the dobyns couldn't handle the mann's 30+. but after 20+ outings i realized DD22 and 6x are all i need. i'll switch to a different/more efficient technique before trying to haul 10x's or mann's 30+ thru the water all day. for me a spoon, C-rig, ledgebuster or burner spinnerbait, 3/4oz jig, drop shot etc are all better deep water choices bc they get down and stay down the entire cast. i'm now throwing my spinnerbaits on my 703 glass and love it. strike king and other companies have 'burner' sb with much smaller blades which i'm becoming a huge fan of for deep water. i can cast a 1/2 oz burner spinnerbait a mile and keep it on the bottom the entire cast vs only 50% bottom contact with deep cranks. and the glass rod really helps them deflect off structure/cover in a crankbait kinda way.

If you're going to do it, do it right! Gamakatsu round bends or EWGs are very good hooks also.

I think you just did...lol. Hootie

Ok I'd say start with 5 inch senkos in green pumpkin. A pack of ewg 3/0 hooks. A few ribbon tail worms. 1/8 to 3/8 bullet weights. 3/8 oz white spinner bait. Maybe a lip less crankbait. I'd try some of these and then branch out. So if you like plastic worms get different styles and colors. Oh and if I were to start over get a black and blue 1/2 oz jig.

Px type r. I know it's breaking the law, but I bet that would make one sick combo

But a guy with a ladle in a restaurant will bring you to your knees. I'll bet slonezp could throw you a kiss and you would just pass out. Only real men stand up to a ladle.

I had the same dilemma . My solution, I took a big enough piece of shrink tube and put it around the butt cap then placed a couple of quarters in the end until I achieved the perfect balance, then heat the shrink tube. It may sound dumb to disgrace such a rod but it looks clean and most importantly, fishes like a dream.

Pflueger President at $59 is probably the best value reel in that price range.

That's awesome! I can't wait until my little slobber monster can go with me, I've still got awhile though

I'm bored. I'm going fishing......BYE!!!! Hootie

Which is why you don't have to spend hundreds to get a decent set-up. Sometimes people buy just for the name value, not actually the performance value. I can't fathom spending $300 for a combo that will catch the same fish as a $125 combo. I use lower end Shimano reels and can still catch fish just fine. I am not trying to impress the world with my pricey gear, nor am I impressed by other's gear. It's all about catching fish, isn't it?

Looks like they did away with the carbon handles as well. I don't really see what sets these apart from a Lews, Abu, BPS, etc. They're probably made in one of the same factories.

His bad hammy, the leprosy infection and pot belly put him in a vulnerable state and, like an African cat stalking it's prey, I was in for the kill.

A = One as in man or woman. E = Two or more as in men or women.

Long Mike should be able to answer this one. Its rite up his ally.

Day three of 3 days of fishing is done. Did horn pond with a family friend and two teenage boys. caught 3 dozen fish including smallmouth I finished off with one weighing 6.2 lbs all in all a good three days of fishing.

I'm 62. My "don't give a rip" switch got locked on at about age 50. Funny stuff speed craw. If somebody doesn't like it, tell "em to go shoot in their hat. I actually have a picture of that somewhere. A knuckle dragging laborer really torqued me off one fine day, so I filled up his hard hat. Several people got pictures of that. If I could find one, I'd post it.

I have never had a rod as light as a Cumulus I don't believe so I guess I really can't give any good advice on this topic haha. After two of you saying the same thing, I feel that if I had a Cumulus I would feel the same way as you guys. Good luck with whatever you decide to do Arv!

also get some stuff called sea foam, put about 1/6th of the bottle in the gas. this will help to clear any varnish that may be present

Chalk it up to a lesson learned and get on to fixing it. I'm sure you'll have it up and running in no time.

Have you used this specific rod? For the most part I would agree as a rod out of balance makes it feel heavier. However, this rod is extremely light. Refer to kickerfish1 combo the 7'1"MHXF is only slightly heavier. Adding an 8 oz reel to balance this out would be increasing the overall weight of the setup by ~200% this rod is so light that even the tip heavy is not heavy. It is out of balanced towards the tip on a very light rod. Like I've said, I've tried numerous reels on this rod to figure out which is best. And it is far less tiring and far more performance driven using a 5.5 oz steez making this under 10 ounces total. Fishing with ten ounces just slightly out of balance is not tiring once so ever on this particular setup. When I placed my exsence dc on the rod. The combo felt much heavier and was far less of a novelty to fish with when compared to the steez. Unfortunately I use the steez on a different setup so after testing was over I now have a Chronarch 50mg which is almost as light and performs very well on the rod. I do agree that with most rods balance takes precedence over weight savings. However, this specific rod it goes the other way for me.

Tweak it at ya want. Just don't "twerk" it!

Been "tweaking" with jigheads for more than two decades, now they call them "shakey" jigheads.

Just buy a jar of JJ's. You wont regret.

They are so cute at that age...

I wasn't planning on using it for carolina rig, just mentioning that I throw that a lot haha. I use fluoro and then mono on the other end of my swivel. Pickwick is highly pressured and that's why I was asking this question. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to throw straight braid, but I know that some people say it doesn't matter (but I believe it does). Thanks for the response Kevin!

Yeah QuakenShake it is true. I used to have a few Dobyns and some Ducketts. The Dobyns balanced better but the Ducketts were lighter, and I would fish the balanced setup 10/10 times. I don't have any of those rods anymore, but from my experience a balanced setup is far superior to a light unbalanced setup.

But ask any Dobyns guy and they say balance trumps lightness in a rod. That a slightly heavier balanced rod feels weightless in hand. Ha JGBassinAL we had the same tought at the same time.

A balanced setup is less tiring to fish all day (especially in a tournament) than a lighter setup that is not balanced. I am selling a Metanium 100HG that I just got because it doesn't balance with the rod that I have it on. Balance is way more important than overall weight in my opinion. But, to each his own.

He's right. The 7'1"MHXF is very light but is slightly tip heavy. That being said, adding a heavier reel to balance it out kind of defeats the purpose of the rod. I've put everything from a Exsence DC to a steez 100 on it to see what works best. I highly prefer the lighter end of that spectrum and having the rod tip heavy. Having the combo overall light beats whatever adding weight to make it balanced accomplishes.

Everything I've ever read about the Cumulus rods suggests they are great rods. As such you can't put too nice of a reel on one. Can't help with a suggestion for the correct reel for you, but can wish you the best of luck finding the right one.

I agree completely with this. I had that rod with a core51 on it and it was a bit tip heavy. Id bump up to something in the 6-7oz class. ci4, core 100, new curado, chronarch/curado e

OK I got to ask. Why are you guys offering up reels that weigh less than the reel he is using now and he says doesnt balance well for him???

To me the Cumulus just begs for a Core. A CI4 or Metanium would fit the bill too though.

The red/blac,k/greyish look of the Cumulus rod sets up nicely with a reel with similar color accents. I have the Core 50mg7 sitting on the 6"10 MH Cumulus rod. The outfit is around 8.5 ounces and looks incredible without any modifications. The balance is pretty darn good as well. The 7"1 MH Cumulus rod may be a touch more heavier and prone to a slight degree of tip heaviness with such a light reel on it. You may want to try a slightly heavier Core 100mg7 or Chronarch Ci4. Both of the reels are a bit heavier but still maintain a similar look while offering perhaps a bit better balance. You could always do a Chronarch 50E and buy some red accent pieces from Hedgehog Studios or have the folks at Hawgtech help you with some anodizing ideas.

#core

Core 51, clearly.

Yesterday my wife & I took total advantage of one of those picturesque summer days in the north woods. From the portage down the two-track, to slipping the canoe onto the lake, the whole scene was magical; almost fake. As is often the case, except for the loons & eagles we had the place to ourselves. The light & variable winds, a rarity here, called for a subtle presentation and a weight less stick bait is about as subtle as you can get. Lynn fishes with medium spinning gear and on this special day, both her & her tackle were very busy. Presenting the baits close to isolated clumps of coontail in 5-10 ft of water proved to be most effective. A very slow, often dead stick offering, was about all they would eat. This is something I do not excel at (probably never will - too impatient) but the lady finds it second nature and she took me to school, again. With many jumps, drag strips and splashes in my face, between 10am – 2pm several very healthy bass came to the boat. It was one of those times where it wasn’t long before I realized she would be getting a bite on almost every cast. And so as designated net, hook remover and camera man, I might as well just sit back and watch the show; so I did. I was able to land a few bass and a couple of pike but the best fish were coming from the front of the boat. Once the bite slowed down, we had a late lunch on the water while enjoying the golden hues and long shadows of this special afternoon. These are the kind of trips that help keep us warm in January. A-Jay