Deleted account

Put the hook on and then the tube or keeper. I hole punch "keepers" from Planter's Peanuts or Cafe Bustelo lids. Cause they go well with beer, and I like strong coffee respectively

Dobyns doesn't make a true XF rod, they all bend down at least 1/2 way down (not a bad thing)

First, stop cleaning fishing guides with acid. Then skip a couple of 1/2 and 1/2 Panini and soup lunches (they are pretty good, I'll give you that) and get some guides. You can buy some good ones for a buck or less if you shop around. Then just replace them yourself using synthetic thread and nail polish. These are beater rods, so nothing more is required. Buying real supplies or having someone do it would cost almost the same as a new rod as you pointed out. I made this "temporary" repair to a rod I carried with me while in the Navy, and it's still going strong 15 years later.

Of course its not flat! It's a concave disc surrounded by a retaining ice wall beyond which only lie the continents "they" don't want you to know about...

Paul? You are starting to worry me. Fish more, read less. There are no "ideal" rods. Rods are often labeled faster than they actually fish for marketing reasons. Lace up any stick you are considering and bend it, it's really the only way to know for sure.

Yup, a lot of folks mistake power for action, as you did above. To the OP's question, action refers to how/where a rod will bend. Taper is the rate of change of the cross section of the blank, ie how quickly it gets bigger or smaller along the blank. So taper (along with material, construction and wall thickness) affect action (as well as power). Oh, and the opposite of fast isn't moderate.

Better rhinestone than midnight.... They can Google it...

We've had an unusually warm winter, and lots of rain here lately. It's going to break 60º today, and I'm catching on moving baits, so I'm out the door right now, Who knows what March will bring, I'll deal with that when it gets here.

That assumes one believes in the globe model hoax.

No.

Then why isn't (wasn't) the current WR bass doing this? I know JM paid almost $5 Billion for a bankrupt competitor recently, but that's a stretch.

Can one use one? Yes. Would I use one? No.

Don't know, but I'm either a really good angler or really lucky, or maybe 1/2 a tank of each?????

Spent toads cut in half length wise.

Roaches Run

You got the right rod, just a couple of inches too long. I'm so glad there was no InterWeb when I started fishing.

Sell more reels...

Can't speak about the hellgramite thing, never used it, but the hula grub is money. I put it on a brush or swim jig head, and let it do it's thing. A baby boo/Fat Albert will work as well and hold up better, the only knock on GY baits.

for slow rolling I like a willow/colorado, and Indiana/colorado, and a single colorado. It's almost to the point where I get to the water, and the wind, and color of the water brings a particular bait to mind, and I start with that, but will adjust if need be. As far as single vs tandem, If I'm going to mini yoyo (start and stop, as opposed to steady retrieve) as a primary trigger, then I'll go single, otherwise it's 2 blades.

Send me a picture of that Dolce & Gabbana wrapped boat, careful not to trip on the Hermes tackle box though, baller!.... Seriously, launch fees probably wouldn't legally disqualify a body of water unless they were required and the exclusive access for the angler, (not the boat) to the body of water. I'm no lawyer, but I have driven more than one tournament director (and one FOX sports exec) to tears, and I always get our $$$.

I was thinking of ordering a custom mold from the Ukraine and getting a BassOmatic on Ebay, and heading up to the Catskills and catching maybe 25 lbs of dinks (just in case, cause you can never get all the mix out of the blender), and casting the winner,... You are saying that won't work? I need to know cause the auction ends soon...

Reading is fundemental... Rule 2. speaks to dual certification where state and "other jurisdiction" conflict, not to previous catches. Sure, this is a "sales gimmick" if you like, but there is nothing keeping someone who meets all the requirements from collecting the loot.

Blades and skirts can be changed as required. I almost always throw gold over silver, except in really clear water and sunny conditions, but I know guys that only throw silver and they catch just as good. I think they are reacting to the action of the blade more than anything. keep in mind, these fish are usually staging, and won't move far for a bait. When you get one, you'll usually get more in the same general area, sometimes they will be stacked, that makes for a good day. Pay attention to the slow part of slow rolling. I can't say anymore without the cone of silence...

The 1/4 oz Rooster Tail is a good cold water bass bait, as are other inline spinners. Sure they catch a lot of small fish, but real ones will bite them as well. Don't let the "I can't feel the blade, It doesn't start up all the time" knock of the Rooster Tail dissuade you from it, it's part of the appeal. Sure if they are biting a more aggressive thump, then yeah, that's the way to go with a Mepps, Blue Fox, (or the one that won't be mentioned, so I can keep getting them on the cheap from Ebay), but sometimes just barely moving it is the ticket. I've had them pick them up off the bottom at times.

"...statement about selling more rods falls apart when one looks into the history of micro guides...they started in the rod guide industry, not the finished rod industry." I too stand by your post. But I'm good with agreeing to disagree. There certainly is a place and time for guides of all manner of types and sizes, and sometimes that means smaller. But with anything else sporting goods aimed at the American male enthusiast, if some is good, more (or in this case less) is better, and then carried to the extreme.