Bassyak

That's cool...like I said, I've got no beef against it. It's a great reel for what I use it for, though, as you've seen above, you probably won't find many others that'll agree with that.

I have a Caenan on my topwater rod (an older model Compre, 6'6" M/MF), and it's been a great combo for walking spooks and poppers. The reel is an excellent caster (on par or better than with my Curados and Citicas) with the 10 lb mono spooled on it and, despite what others have said, I like the EVA knobs. An an engineer, I understand the implications of the graphite-framed reel, and if I'd done my research beforehand, I probably wouldn't have bought it for that reason. But I didn't discover that fact until after I'd already bought it and after a couple seasons of use, it has given me no reason to doubt it's abilities. I have been reasonably impressed with it's performance, features, and appearance, as well as the initial cost. Granted, I haven't caught anything on it that exceeds five pounds thus far, but then again, most of my reels have never handled fish bigger that big, and I don't catch them often enough to be able to compare reel frame flex under load. All that being said, if you can get the Citica at the same price as someone posted above, I think the aluminum frame of the Citica is a better long-term investment than the bearing count in the Caenan.

I have the 7' MH Crankbait and 6'8" Topwater, both Mod-Fast, both the new 2012 models. I love them. I've had the older models in Crucial and Compre, and loved them too. I like the sensitivity in the graphite for cranking. I was initially wary about the split EVA grips, but now that I have them in hand, they're extremely comfortable and the new reel seats provide great feel, especially for smaller hands like mine. Personally, I prefer a MH or H, Fast action for squarebills (and blade baits, for that matter), especially in heavy wood cover, but the MH/MF will certainly get the job done. I don't have a Cumara to compare it to, but it's definitely a great rod for the money. No complaints on my end. The 5lber in my avatar was landed with the 6'8" on a RC STX jerkbait last month.

Anyone ever use products like the cans of Rust-O-Leum rubberized undercoating or truck bed liner that you can get at Lowes? Or Plasti Dip in the spray can? Would they work on wood or are they not worth the trouble?

J Francho, on February 03 2012 - 02:04 PM, said: Way overcomplicating this one.....any exterior grade paint will work. "and seal the joints with outdoor grade caulk, usually the one that says doors and windows, $3.99." ^^^^^ These things are in line with what I was thinking, but I didn't know if it was enough. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. What about products like the cans of Rust-O-Leum rubberized undercoating or truck bed liner that you can get at Lowes? Or Plasti Dip? Would they work on wood or are they not worth the trouble? If I used the Thompson's Water Seal, can I still paint it after that?

I've searched the internet for help on this and haven't found much, so I thought I'd poll the group here. I've constructed a new tackle box to sit on the deck of my Tracker ProTeam 175, between the driver's console and the front deck, roughly 42"x 15" x12". There was some unused space there, so I took some scrap construction grade plywood from the trash bins at a home building site next door and built a box to fit and basically be an extension of the casting deck. My problem comes in how to seal it to keep the plywood from getting soaked (and the tackle inside it) if I get caught in a hard rain. The boat is garaged and the box is just going to be sitting on the deck, so never exposed to water other than rain or from normal fishing activities. I plan to carpet the lid and front edge to match the carpet in the boat. The other sides will just be painted or sealed or both. I'd like to do this on the cheap as I don't have a lot of extra funds (or the expertise, for that matter) for an expensive epoxy or resin job. I'd like to find something readily available locally that I can brush or spray on that will do the job sufficiently. Or is this something I should even be worrying about, since this thing won't even see the water really? Any help would be appreciated....thanks guys Bassyak

I love Shimano's cranking rods...I have four now, three Crucials and one Compre. The Compre is a 6'6" M/MF in the old brown blank model (two styles ago) that I found on clearance a couple years ago for $30. I mounted a Caenan on it and use it for topwater--primarily spooks--at which it excels. I had a previous model Compre in a 7' MH/MF that I used for medium to deep and lipless crankbaits. I really liked its sensitivity and feel, and recently upgraded to the same model in the new split-grip EVA Crucial. I like it even more. Top notch crankbait rods IMO.

That guy put a lot more effort into that than I did. I just got the IPT (inches per turn) and line capacity for each of my reels from the paperwork that comes with it or off the manufacturer's website, and then counted the number of handle turns so that I could best estimate the amount of line I'm putting on the reel. I usually only bother when I'm putting mono backing on for braid. It's not an exact science, but it's close enough for government work and keeps me from wasting line.

I keep 10# Berkley 100% Flouro on a Curado 50E/Loomis BCR802 GLX for my finesse applications. Hauled in a nice 5 pounder on a weightless Zoom Fluke last weekend.

If you're cheap, like me, you can just use a styrofoam egg carton. Just used mine last night.

I have the 7' MH/F Vendetta that I use for just about all moving baits when I'm out walking the banks, especially for shallow cranks and squarebills. Does great down to 1/4 oz cranks and spinnerbaits as well. Nice tip and I really like the handle length and shape.

One of my new favorites for straight nylon mono. I bought a couple Okuma Cayennes last year and the place I bought them spooled them for free with Super Natural. I was so impressed after using it the rest of the year that I picked up a new spool of 14lb. Very supple, easy to cast, low memory (compared to XT and Yozuri Hybrid) and haven't seen many issues with abrasion after fishing around wood and rock thus far, though I tend to retie pretty often as it is. I also like Sufix Siege, for similar reasons. It probably has better abrasion resistance, but I think the Super Natural is a little more manageable. Both are around $10 for 330 yards, but Sufix is easier to find in stores.

American Legacy Fishing Company has the old model Compres and Crucials at 30% off. A few models left there that could meet your requirements.

American Legacy Fishing Company has a couple Shimano Crucial crankbait spinning rods left at 30% off (the old models with the cork grips). They have a 7' ML and a 7'4" M left. I've never used the spinning models but I have a 7' M in the old model that I love for 1/2oz lipless baits and just about anything that dives less than 10 ft. I've also got a 7' MH/MF Crankbait and a 6'8" M/MF Topwater in the new models that should be here tomorrow. Awesome cranking sticks.

I'm not much of a fan of the Avids either, particularly the bulge in the handle. I haven't used a Duckett, but I've held them in the store and they feel pretty light. I don't like that they can't bother to list ratings for them or the color scheme. For the bottom contact applications in your price range, my recommendation based on my experience would be a Crucial or Powell. If it'll be used for moving baits, my opinion would be to save some money and get a Abu Garcia Vendetta. Very solid rod for the money.

I've not used the new model Clarus, but the old models I used were solid rods for the money, though the price has gone up on them since I last bought one. But I bought a 7' MH/F Vendetta on Amazon this spring because I found one for about $55 shipped and it has been just an awesome rod for the price. I don't really testify to its sensitivity for bottom contact baits, as I only use it for moving stuff like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits/frogs, small hollow body swimbaits, and shallow cranks, but it's got a great tip and I love the handle length and the Fuji seat. I regularly throw 1/4 oz cranks and spinners and it handles them no problem. I don't think you can go wrong with them for the price, especially if you can find a deal like did. But if you buy one today for the retail price, you can get a free hooded Abu Garcia sweatshirt.

I don't have any experience with the models you mentioned, but I've had two Cayennes for almost a year now, and can say that they're extremely nice reels for the money (especially what I paid for them, ~$70 each). Very smooth out of the box and they've stayed that way thus far with no major maintenance after being fished pretty heavily for the past 9 months. Finish is pretty durable and they have a pretty small frame, which fits my smaller hands nicely, weighing only 7.2 oz. Only a couple small gripes. The handle knobs are rather hard, slick plastic (which suck, in my opinion), so I covered them with Reel Grips, which aren't a whole lot better, but definitely an improvement. Also, there is a small metal ring around the front of the levelwind guide that popped off on one of them. But just a little superglue and it hasn't been an issue since. Great reels for the price so far.

I did the internal thing with my flipping stick, which is a 7'9" XH Carrot Stick. There is a little plastic cap at the end of the butt covering the open end of the blank. I slid a couple lead weights threaded on a piece of wire down inside, with some foam around them so they'd fit snug and not move around. The end of the wire has a loop so I can pull the whole thing out if I ever change my mind or sell the rod. I had to experiment with some different combinations, but finally got it pretty well balanced right at the reel seat. Worked like a champ and didn't cost me a dime.

I've got Navionics Lakes South on my iPhone 4. It cost $10 when I downloaded it last year and it takes up about 680MB. As far as usage goes, I haven't used it all that much, especially while on the water fishing. I have gone over the topo maps looking for structure to fish when I prepare the night before, though. It's got a pretty slick interface and it allows you to zoom in to see a lot more detail than I expected to see, down to 1 foot contour lines. On the down side, some smaller local lakes that I like to fish are not mapped.

I have an Eagle 320C color fishfinder on my Hobie Mirage Sport sit-on-top, powered with a 12V gel cell battery. I paid around $200 for mine several years ago, but I've seen them new in the box on eBay for around $100 recently. It's great little unit for a kayak, and I've never had an trouble seeing the screen with polarized glasses. It's mounted on a RAM mount so I can reposition it as I need it and I ran the transducer through a scupper hole so I still get an accurate surface temperature reading. The battery sits inside a tupperware container to keep it dry, with quick disconnect on the cable so I can remove it for charging. Hope that helps...

I looked at the Troll Perfect webpage and then went and made my own with a strip of rubber gasket-like material that I had in my garage and a couple hose clamps. Works like a charm.

I can't vouch for it's sensitivity as bottom contact rod, as I haven't fished it yet, but I just bought a 7' MH Abu Garcia Vendetta on Amazon (actually came from a place called Red's Gear) for less than $50, shipped. Bought on Tuesday, showed up on Saturday, very well packed and in perfect condition.

I bought the 7'6" Heavy model last month and tried it on one outing as a frog rod. It was light and decently balanced with a Curado 200E, and hard to resist with Fuji components at $60. But there was not much tip for casting Rage Toads. I didn't try it for bottom contact baits, so I can't really comment on sensitivity. My biggest beef was that the fit and finish was pretty sloppy. I looked at all the available rods at two different stores and all had issues, primarily epoxy splatters, drips, and runs, slight guide misalignments, blank warp to one side or the other, and gaps between the cork and the rubber grommets at the transition to the blank. I picked the best one I could find and it still had noticeable defects. Not a bad rod, I guess, especially for $60 with Alconites and Fuji reel seats, but it couldn't compare with my Powell and Loomis sticks, or really even my Shimano Compres. I returned it and ended up buying a Abu Vendetta from Amazon for less than $50. Much nicer rod for the money IMO based on the fit and finish, and feel after casting around the yard(though I haven't tried it on the water yet).

I have the 7' Med model as well...been my favorite rod for weightless Trick worms and the like. Never heard anyone else even mention them before. Found mine at the Navy Exchange in King's Bay, GA about 7 years ago for around $50. Great rod for the price with a nice long handle and a good tip for light baits. I like it better than my 7' Med Crucial.

Here's a pic of the switch on my '02 Tracker. The lanyard has a little hard plastic loop that fits over the red switch. Once it's fully inserted in place, then you can flip the red switch up to the RUN position. I think the loop presses another switch down inside the assembly when its in place, or somehow otherwise completes a part of the circuit. So it the loop is not in place, you can't start the engine, even if the switch is in RUN.