The Rooster

In my very limited experience, fluoro stretches as bad or worse than mono.

I'm about to find out what's the best line (for me) in topwater fishing since I'm planning to try to make myself learn them this year. Until now the only topwaters I've ever seriously gave any time to is a buzzbait. And to me, a buzzbait's line choice makes no difference since I never let my line touch the water after the initial splashdown of the lure. I begin cranking nearly immediately and from lure to rod tip the line is in the air above the water the whole time (maybe a foot or so of line in the water just in front of the bait.......maybe), even if I'm just slowly cranking it back in just enough to keep it on top. So for that I think I'll just stick with my spinnerbait/jig rod with fluoro on it. It's worked so far. A buzzbait is basically a spinnerbait with a different blade anyway. For other slower topwaters such as a walker or pop-r, prop baits, and floating minnows which I twitch when in use, I'll probably go with Berkley XL or Yozuri Hybrid (been wanting to try that for a long time) and it will be on a spinning rod most likely for ease of casting pop-r's.

I'm religious, and borderline fanatical about doing just that. Thanks for all the responses. I mostly just wondered if there was some different power or action that was preferred for a C-rig over a T-rig or if they are both about the same. Seems to me they could both be fished from the same rod, but also seems that on a hookset the C-rig's leader distance from the sinker could allow a bit of stretch and possibly not get a solid penetration. Also, my thinking is that when I set the hook on a T-rig I am moving the sinker and hook at the same time so I get instant contact with the hook point into the jaw. On a C-rig though, the sinker might move a good bit before the bait and hook began to follow and by time they do respond I'm pretty well at the end of my hook setting motion and it might not be a good hookset that way. I know I'm probably talking microns here and making it sound more relevant than it probably is, but............just wondered. Can't learn if I don't ask. Since I can't just run out and get another rod to have one for each I'm gonna end up using the same one for both so that's the best way I know how to figure out how well it works.

Looks like they also dropped the Rick Clunn RCX rods and reels too. They're not in the 2011 catalog. But, what they did do is introduce another reel that looks just like a RCX with Johnny Morris' name on it, and it weighs the same as the RCX did. I'm not sure what they're thinking, and it's obvious they do notice message boards and what is being said about their stuff (look at the PQ's description this year mentioning it), but yet they still brought out another heavy reel.

Yeah.....but see, they won't fit a Shimano. Oh, wait.......surely you are not suggesting he switch to Abu from Shimano!!!!!!! Ha ha, just kiddin'. ;D 8-)

Not to mention it's bulky to hold compared to the PQ. I ordered one once thinking it was built on the same frame as my Extreme's were since it looked virtually identical to them in the catalogs. I found out it's not. It's a good bit larger feeling in your hands than the Extreme. The PQ is nearly the same (I can't tell any difference) as the Extremes I have and both are smaller than the RCX. I'd get the PQ and not look back. Truthfully I'd be getting them NOW instead of the Shimanos I started buying if I thought I could trust the gears not to start grinding after a couple of years. My Extremes did that, 2 out of 5 so far now feel somewhat rough even after cleaning and relubing. The other 3 haven't been used enough to get there yet. I figured the PQ has the same gears in it since it's the same ratios and made by the same people. I went with Shimanos in an attempt to get away from that. Sorry for straying off topic. You know how it goes, say one thing and it leads to another, and another....

Do you use the same rod for a carolina rig as you do a texas rig?? If so, what is that rod??

Gotta tell you something about a Shimano reel to make a point but I know you want the Abu's so I'm not trying to suggest Shimanos instead. I read on the Shimano site that one of the principles behind their propulsion spool for longer casts is that it allows the line to flow off the spool in tighter coils making it easier to flow through the stripper guide by reducing friction. Now, if that's true then a smaller spool on a spinning reel would also have to do the same thing. SO............if it were me, I'd go with the smaller reels for longer casts instead of the larger reels for the same thing. Randy said that the larger reel might give you a longer cast. In my experience, it's the opposite and after I read that on Shimano's website I understand why I thought that now. Of course he also said that "others would disagree", too. ;D Guess I did. But, I too think that the STX20 would be all the reel you would need on both setups.

I am going to get one for my spinning rod most likely. I fish Compres for casting rods though. Would love a Crucial for that too, but cost is too high to get them for every rod I want. For a spinning rod though, the Crucial handle is perfect. I can't stand the foregrip on the Compre spinners.

Congrats on the Crucial. I'm jealous. ;D Seriously, I'm jealous. Gotta get me one o' dose rods.

T-rage I did some weight tests some time back on spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and jigs. Also plastics and crankbaits too. What I found out was only the crankbaits and various other hardbaits with treble hooks actually weigh what they say they do, and without exception ALL spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and jigs that I tested weigh more than their rated weight. Most bladed baits were nearly double what they were rated at, and almost all jigs were at least 1/8 oz. heavier than they were rated as well. I keep this in mind when rigging up too. Say a 3/8 spinnerbait with a 4 inch grub for a trailer, I'll have nearly a full ounce on once I'm finished with it.

In terms of power and action, what do you look for in a topwater rod?? Also, would you go with spinning or casting versions of it?? I'm thinking spinning since there are a lot of very light weight topwaters I'd be using.

I used to buy into this notion, but not anymore. Those ratings are more to give the shopper an idea of what sort of rod they're buying. We've all handled rods that could throw lures far exceeding the rod's suggested limits. As for the line ratings...if these were absolutes, then why does Shimano post two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT line ratings on their website for the Cumaras (and other series) based on using mono and braid? For example, my MH Cumara is rated 12-20 lb if using mono, but 20-50 lb if using braid. Think about that for a second. Obviously, IF Shimano is being sincere with their info, then the rod isn't built in such a way that too strong a line will break the rod. either my rod maxes out at 20 lb line or it doesn't, regardless of braid/mono. My guess is that the line diameter and the guide size affect optimal casting performance, and that's where the crux of the rating truly lies. I've had that same thought for that very same reason. I'm fairly certain that the line size compared to guides is responsible for the ratings so you get the best cast. And that's probably also got something to do with the lure weight range too.

Yeah, I stated that in my suggestion that they do not have dual brakes. Also I take his statements where he says "dual braking, etc." as a generalization about getting a reel that has lots of good features, and not necessarily a specific requirement that it has dual braking. Not to mention the fact that he actually stated he was looking at a Curado as well as a few others that do not have dual brakes either. :

If a rod says 3/8 - 1 oz., do you pick baits that fall in that category only, or would you consider using a 1/4 oz. bait with it?? How about exceeding the range, by maybe 1/2 oz. over the range, as in 1 1/2 oz.?? One reason I ask is because the suggested range on a crankbait rod I want is 3/8 - 1, it's a Shimano Compre medium heavy rod. I would be sold on it if I though it would do a decent job of casting 1/4 oz. baits also. But I think that a rod's range has to do with how well it will load and cast light baits as well as not to exceed its tip breaking point by casting heavier baits. If it was rated at 3/8 as the light end, then 1/4's aren't going to go very far I would think?? Could adding a higher quality reel that's capable of casting light baits help this, such as a Curado E5, cause that's the reel I was thinking of pairing with it?? By the way, I am aware they make a crank rod for 1/4 - 3/4 range, but I've handled it and it's too limber for my liking, and some of the crankbaits I want to use are up in the 7/8 range.

Man you're gonna get a dozen different answers here. I'll go ahead and get mine out of the way, either a Shimano Citica or Curado. Simply put, they are sweet casters in that they are light weight, very smooth cranking, cast good distances with fairly light baits and great distances with common sized ones, they come in a variety of gear ratios depending on what your primary needs for a caster are, and are built to last. They do not have dual braking, just centrifugal only, but with the ability to have 2, 3, 4, or 6 brakes working, or none at all, you should have plenty of options for braking. But you may also want to consider the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels in the 5600 sizes also. I fished them for many years and never had problems, they always casted plenty far enough for me, though I will say my Shimanos will do better on the same baits and will cast lighter baits than the Abus would, at least in my hands. But they are what you are already used to so it would be familiar. And they come in several ratios too, a C3 for 5.3:1 or a C4 for 6.3:1 high speed. As I understand it now, they also have 6 pin centrifugal brakes too.

There was a guy here who could have done this. He took them apart, took pictures of them, then also interchanged the gears from one reel to the other to prove it would work. Can't remember who it was now though.

There's loads of ham at my parents' house, which I'll be bringing home here soon. There is potato salad, cranberry salad, waldorf salad...........um, that's about it. I ate the rest. ;D My wife tries to plan it so that even if there are leftovers, it's very little. She's pretty good at that too. Mom and Dad though, they bought an outrageously large ham and it was barely cut on cause my brother brought 3 kinds of chicken he made (buffalo, Jack Daniels barbeque, and ranch) and it upstaged the ham very badly. Also, there was a whole coconut cream pie that wasn't even touched. Just remembered that, I'm gonna have to go get some of it. There was also a whole casserole dish full of what we call "beer weenies" that are cooked in beer and tabasco sauce. Very hot!! They disappeared in a day though. Boy do they burn comin' out!!

If you can find a whole lot of similar rods in terms of line and lure weight ratings, but they're in lengths such as 6'6", 6'8", 6'9", 6'10", and 7'0", then how do you choose the one you need?? Is it based on technique you are wanting it for??

Wow, I'm sorry to read that. You have my deepest sympathy. I wanted to post and tell you about using the attorney general. There should be one for your state, I'm under the impression that there is one for every state. I had a problem with a hospital surgeon who put me at risk when I had a bad staph infection and was hospitalized for it. He came up to my room to inspect the wound after the ER had drained and packed it the night before to see if anything else was needing to be done for it. He pulled the packing out of the wound, said it looked fine and that a nurse would be in to repack it, then left me that way with all that infection laying loose on my leg. No one else could touch it for fear of infection themselves so I just had to lay there with it spread out like that. Then 3 hours goes by, I'm calling the nurses the whole time and telling them I need attention, even told them why. They finally come in and are shocked by what they see. They said he had not even signed in on the floor so no record he was there, left no notes for them either. They were not able to repack it as the wound had already started to close up, healing since it no longer had the packing in it. Then on a follow up visit to my doctor a few days later, she too was shocked that he had done that and said it might have to be reopened again if the antibiotics didn't take care of it on their own. If you've ever had a staph infection then you know how painful they are, and mine was the size of my fist. I'd rather have a broken leg than go through that again. Fortunately for me, it did not have to be reopened and after 2 weeks of antibiotics, I was fine. But hearing that, and worrying about it for that long, I decided I was not going to be paying his bill in full. He had the nerve to send me a bill for $176. I said he was deserving of something because he came in and did "some" of his job looking at the wound to see if it needed further attention. That was him using his knowledge to benefit me. But he did not take care of me fully so I did not feel I should pay his entire bill. So I called his office and requested the bill be cut down. His office manager wholly disagreed with my assessment of it. After several months of fighting them on it, several calls where they finally said they would not talk to me about it anymore, and several letters sent to me saying it was going to collections, and even finally talking to a collector............I said I was calling the attorney general. I did, and they sent me a paper to fill out telling my story and what I would like as an outcome to this. I said I'd agree to pay $100 only. No more. I never heard anymore about it until I got a new bill from the surgeon with a $100 balance showing. It was a small victory for me, but I got exactly what I wanted out of it, they know they were wrong and even though they thought they could strong arm me, they could not do the same against the attorney general. This is a free public service, it's not like you are hiring an attorney at law. It's not the same thing. It just took me one phone call to them to get it done.

Got my wife some flannel sheets, a box of powder she wanted, and she's always wanted a grandfather clock with roman numerals on it but we could never find one, they all just have the arabic numerals, as in 1, 2, 3 instead of I, II, III. I found one this year and spent $900 on it. She was surprised for sure.

Around here we only have 2 seasons, winter and FISHING. That's it. I didn't sink the tree, it's a fake and it's pre-lit so it would be too costly to do that with it. ;D I'm sure there will be a lot of that going on soon though. A local lake here allows Christmas tree dumping and people just pile them up at the ramp and leave them for whoever wants to take a bunch out and sink them. You'll see guys with 12' jon boats and 3 or 4 trees, a bunch of rope, several concrete blocks, and barely enough room to sit in the boat with it all, heading up the lake in 30 degree weather just to sink a bunch in a private spot that they will only know about. When it's that cold out, no one else will be there to observe where they sink them. Good plan really, but I'll just find them in the spring on the graph and fish them anyway. ;D The lake is not so big that it can't be done, and with a 9.9 on an overloaded jon boat, they ain't goin' very far anyway.

Got up early, took all down, ready for spring fishin!!!

I got a bottle of the KVD stuff but have yet to put it on the line. I wanted to wait until closer to the time I'd go fishing again, which ain't gonna be until spring!! DAYUM it's cold outside!!

Man that's really sad. That kid looks inflated.