The Rooster

Dunham Sports has them also.

I can think of at least one time I could not tell the fish was there but it was in my early, inexperienced days as a fisherman. It felt like I was hung up and dragging through grass. I did not set the hook, I just kept pulling. This very nice sized bass comes to the surface and rudely threw my bait at me then. Haha. Most times, it's a solid thump when they hit it. Softness doesn't matter then, they just about set the hook themselves on the strike. Sometimes they just take it in a softer manner like the one I described above. When that happens, you still would know due to the line movement off to the side, or pulling out, or going slack as they swim in. If none of this happens, and the line still keeps coming in at a normal retrieve speed, but you no longer feel the vibration of blades turning, and also there might be a heaviness on the line too, then you should rudely set the hook. Don't let that bass be rude to you first! Trust me, I was rude right back though. Probably some cussing and hand gestures followed that.

Doesn't anyone find the factory trebles to be slightly too small? A lot of mine came with #7 hooks. I switched them to #6 hooks which also added weight and now they float lower in the water. Also, when tugged, they dive under and are slower to return to the surface. I don't especially like that about them, but the hooks being so small I thought was a bad thing.

When I get a 2 piece rod it's because I just happen to like the rod, not for it being 2 piece, but just for the rod. I jam the pieces together so tightly it essentially becomes a one piece since it takes 2 people playing tug of war to ever get it apart again. After that it fishes like a one piece and never flies apart on a cast.

I've never heard of anyone having problems with them as far as performance. I have heard that they are not machined well though. From reel repair guys who service them, they have said the frames have burrs on them and are generally rough compared to other rands. This lack of attention to detail leads me to think their tolerance limits on internal parts alignment might not be so good either. Since you have an opportunity to try it out in hand, you can tell if it's worth buying or not. $50 will get you a new reel right now with so many spring sales going on though.

With spinnerbaits, I use a 7.0:1 ratio reel. I slow down my retrieve when slow rolling, although it does take some effort to go slow enough. For moderate to fast retrieves, it's easy. I'm using a Curado E7 most of the time. I have no torque issues on large single blade baits either, or none that I've noticed. Of course, I swing a hammer for a living so I probably would grind the teeth off the gears before I noticed anyway. I used to use an Ambassadeur with a 5.3:1, and another with a 6.3:1 ratio, and I'd fish spinnerbaits on either one. I preferred the 6.3:1 for most baits except for deep crankbaits and slow rolling spinnerbaits. It just suited my style of fishing better. It was just fast enough but not too much. 7 ratio reels hadn't yet hit the scene when I got it and I actually wondered if it would be too much at the time. It wasn't. Wish I still had that reel. It was a 5600C4 with the bait click on the side, blue and chrome colors, not the blue and gold one out now, but similar.

TNBassin', I don't know why the site won't let me quote your post in my reply (I attempted several times with no results, it was like it froze when I hit submit), but in answer to your question, I would say yes. I put a dot of oil on all my reel tension pads. Without it, I think too much friction would build up and cause excessive wear to the pads. I do not use my tension knob as a brake though. Mine are only tight enough to stop side to side spool movement. My thumb and the actual brakes are what control backlashes. I do not adjust tension for different lures, or even wind conditions unless extreme and then I'm likely going home anyway. My tension is as loose as it will go and still hold the spool centered in the frame, whether it's a 3/16 lure, or 1 1/2 oz., it makes no difference to me.

It will cast jigs well. I like faster ratios for them though to take up line fast in case a fish hits it and then swims towards you. Slower reels give the fish too much time to spit the bait out before your can set a hook.

That's about all there is in terms of differences, I believe. The TP has a carbon handle and duralumin gears. The regular Tournament has an aluminum handle and brass gears. I believe them both to be solid reels, even though I haven't fished either of them.

Bass fishing, cat fishing, it's good for either one. Should hold 205 yards of 12 pound line. I fished these for years for bass and catfish both and it was great. I got into low profile reels for comfort mostly and I like them better now but the Abu Garcia you have there will hold its own in the bass fishing area. It's a fishing machine! I'd do like the other person said and make it a heavier setup for jigs, spinnerbaits, and things like that. Put probably 14 pound line on it, or other but not less than 12 pound (for me).

Found this while just wasting time on the BPS site. Anybody looking for a deal on their first baitcast combo, wanting an extra rod as a backup, or just to give yourself another rod rigged up in the boat, this ain't bad. Aluminum frame reel, 8 bearings, 6.3:1 ratio, brass gears. MH IM6 graphite rod. 6'6" or 7'. Combo is $50. Internet orders only though. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-ProLite-Special-Rod-and-Reel-Baitcast-Combos/product/120829053232112/?cm_sp=COTWBPSProLiteComboMar2013_HM

What happens if you order a rod? Would it show up strapped to a flatbed on a semi?

Bird lures have been done before. Years ago Cabela's had a series of lures that imitated mice and ducks using hair and feathers. Haven't seen one in years now. As to your question, I've never used one, sorry.

Pics?

Netbait is making one now I noticed. It's called the B Bug. I don't know how durable it is but the Paca craw always holds up well for me so I'd assume this one will too. I've not tried a beaver bait at all since I thought it was supposed to resemble a craw to some degree and I already had Paca Craws. Netbait is one of my favorite plastics though so I think I'll grab some of the B Bugs and see how they work.

The newest Extreme has centrifugal braking that is permanently set in the on position. There are 4 brakes, all on, all the time. The magnetics are adjustable though. I have heard of people doing surgery to their reels to "turn off two of them". They said it improved things.

Your first analogy was exactly what I thought, and I could also see the resemblance. But I did want to know what the bass see as well.

I gave up on label up or label down positioning of the spool and I wind line on the same as on a baitcaster now.

Ok, thanks. These markers sound like what I need. Does it wash off of hard baits or is it permanent?

I would think that having lower water would help confine the bass. How deep is the water when it's down?

Hmm, I didn't think of that. But I once read that any type of strong smell on your hands that gets onto the bait could turn bass off. Like gasoline, or strong onions from lunch, or other stuff. Don't markers have a strong inky smell? It obviously works since you caught fish on it but that defies what I read in the past about it. How is that explained?

What is a beaver bait supposed to look like? If it's a craw, why not just use a craw bait instead?

I only tested mine with just a ten pound dumbbell, but I used two of the weights and switched back and forth multiple times between them. The unit told me one was dead on ten pounds while the other was not quite ten pounds. What was important to me is that the unit could tell the difference between them each time I switched weights, so that tells me it can measure with good accuracy and can also produce repeatable results well enough for me to rely on as a recreational fisherman.

I've never tried any of the dipping dyes available and I know JJ's gets a lot of promotion around here but I was thinking of just grabbing a jar of Spike-It next time I'm in Walmart to try some without having to hassle with ordering it and waiting for it to arrive. Anyone ever use that kind before? Also, is it just for plastics or do you dip other lures in it also? I'm really not that interested in staining up my spinnerbait and jig skirts permanently and/or making a mess of my tackle boxes when storing these baits after use. Plastics, I can just toss out and replace.

This kind of thing is one reason I have little to no interest in tournaments. Besides a seemingly total disregard for true safety in boating, there seems to be a big difference in what I see as fairness and sportsmanship compared to what a lot of them do when competing. They swap baits and share secrets off the water, and are great guys to meet and talk with at seminars, but I've read too many stories where squabbles came up over territory on the water and how it was handled later, or even things as small as just how they handle the fish they're catching, way too roughly in my opinion. I guess this is bound to happen at times but it's just a turn off for me on tournament fishing.