BlaineFred

The Cabela's in Wheeling is nearer to Pittsburgh than Harrisburg. The Cabela's has a much greater selection than the Hanover BPS. Example is the rods where the Cabela's has the St Croix rids.

I live in Maryland, 20 minutes from the BPS in Hanover. The store is smaller than the Harrisburg store. It also has gear for Chesapeake Bay and ocean fishing, so it has much less bass fishing gear than Harrisburg. The Hanover store appears to cater towards the casual angler, and doesn't have much of the tackle that the serious bass anglers would be interested in. I shop the Hanover store for smaller items such as tungsten weights, etc. The Harrisburg store has much more bass gear such as the mid-level and higher end St. Croix rods. I have over $100 in BPS credit card points that I wanted to use at Hanover but they didn't have anything that I wanted.

I have read many books, magazines, and seen many videos, coming up to speed after years of not fishing at all. I find that nothing beats on-the-water experiences. Nothing!!! Joining a small local bass club can also be an excellent learning experience. I keep current by reading various web sites, where there are wide ranges of articles for anglers of various skill sets; and by reading magazines such as Bassmaster, Bass Times, and FLW Bass Fishing. Sometimes you can buy back issues very cheaply at flea markets. Some of the articles tend to get "recycled". That is, an article on deep-water cranks published in 2005 is probably valid today, so another article on the same topic published today is going to be similar. Some things don't change very much. There is a ton of information available on the web. One just has to be selective, and don't accept everything that you see or read. There are numerous opinions on numerous topics.

I strongly disagree with the assessment of the Al Lindner and the On-Fisherman videos. They are terrible, and mostly show guys catching fish with very few explanations on the water conditions, lake, river, or reservoir, and types of gear such as rods, reels, and line, and why they are using it. They may have some gear talk and explanations, but the gear is usually from their sponsors, so I get skeptical quickly. Furthermore, I believe that some of the fish catches are staged for the videos. (I talked with a well-known guide on the Potomac who was doing a video, and he admitted that the catches were staged.) The best videos are the Kevin Van Dam and Mike Iaconelli videos where there is much less fish catching and more explanations on techniques, locations, equipment, etc. The Bass Pro Shops series with Van Dam are the best that I have seen. The Bass Pro Shops annual videos on tournaments are excellent in places.

The BassPro store is about 18 miles from my home...I used to go there frequently, but much less now because I have so much tackle at home. Furthermore, the Baltimore store doesn't stock as much bass gear as stores in Richmond or Harrisburg. One of the salesmen told me that the Baltimore store is one of the top performing stores in the chain. I can only guess that the reason is that they sell freshwater, Chesapeake Bay, and ocean fishing gear. The store is actually smaller than Richmond or Harrisburg.

I use several brands.... I prefer rattling jigs, and not all brands have rattles. Skinny Bear is an excellent jig, but they don't have rattles. I know that I can add my own rattles, but I don't really want to do that unless I have to. I use All Terrain jigs the most...with rattles. They make excellent grass jigs that come through grass better than others. All Terrain also makes other types of jigs besides the grass jigs. Excellent colors. I also like the TNT baits Wadda jigs. Again, no rattles here. OutKast is an excellent brand with a number of different types, such as a swimming jig, flipping jig, etc. Excellent color choices. Some have rattles.

Lost an expensive $700 pair of prescription glasses that flew off during a boat run at high speed. Needed a new pair anyway. But that's a poor excuse. Now I wear an older pair while fishing, and use an eyeglass retainer. Also lost Calcutta TE 100DC and a Cumara overboard in a lake that one really hurt...went off the boat during high speed...impossible to retrieve. Also had some gear stolen, about $200 worth of stuff...stolen by some guys in an ATV... Once had a Chronarch 100C and a Crucial go overboard in a cove...tied on a Silver Buddy, made a few casts and got it back because the line was out.

The Juniata is known for excellent smallie fishing, and I would like to fish it. I would rent a canoe from a local outfitter... Would greatly appreciate any information. Thanks. Fred

I want to rent a canoe, and fish for smallies. Info on locations and where to rent a canoe would be appreciated. Thanks, Fred

Just found the thread...excellent review... If you want to follow up on the FC testing and compare some FC and mono lines, I suggest doing a stretch test using different weights and measuring the stretch.

Not a combo, but I recommend the Bass Pro Shops Browning Safari spinning rods. They're $99. See: http://www.basspro.com/Browning-Fishing-Safari-Travel-Rods-Spinning/product/52902/-1004024#prodDescription Good quality rods. I don't do back-packing, but I use travel rods when I travel. I prefer a 3-piece because of the backbone and strength. I fish in places like the Volga River in Russia where I need heavier tackle, but for back-country trout, a 4-piece would probably suffice. Then buy a moderately priced reel and you're good to go for around $150. If Bass Pro is no go for you, you might consider Cabela's Tourney Trail rods, the Travel Spin at $69. All are three piece rods. Cabela's also has their XML travel rods, 4-piece, at $149; or the Fish Eagle II at $89. You could also put a "wanted" ad on several websites. I found a great deal on some Castaway baitcasting travel rods that way. Hope this helps.

round reels...built like a tank... the CTE100 Calcutta's are very nice and small... and I really don't like a lot of line capacity...

check the fleamarkets on the websites and buy a used Symetre for $50... a 2500 version...

question for Lucky Craft Man... Thnx for the comprehensive list... I see that you switch to mono for your topwater...why do you use mono? would you use it in heavy surface or near-surface grass or mats? Thnx Fred

Fuego is magnesium...and Zillion is aluminum...don't know if there any other differences.