Ineedanewscreenname20170204

St Croix AVC66MF with Curado 200e7. Doubles as a great spook rod with 14# mono.

I'd suggest going straight FC in 8# (I like Seagar Red Label or InvisX) and skipping the braid altogether. Great reel choice in the Pflueger. Lots of rods could work. I'd recommend a used high quality spinning rod. I prefer a 7' Med power Extra Fast action. Keep an eye on the flea market and other sites and you'll find a great rod for $100. I can say that my experience with carbonlites has been very positive.

Get an A-Rig with no weighted head - http://www.trendsettertackle.com/page17/page17.html

Well I've only used the A-Rig for a few casts into a cold deep gravel pit that I fish fairly often. It's a tough place to catch fish but I did manage 2 bass on the A-Rig so that's enough proof for me to invest some more time in the technique. I went with a Trendsetter rig since it isn't weighted. That helps keep the overall weight down because the thing can get heavy real quick. I figure with 1/8 oz jigs it weighs in around an ounce so it's not that bad to toss around on stout equipment. I'm using a Avid 7' Heavy (AVC70HF) and it handles the weight fine. I set a goal to catch at least 5 tourny bass on the rig before I pass judgement...

Love me some Bandits (200 and 300 series). I normally change out at least the rear hook for a #4 Gammy Round Bend though. The stock hoocks are too small and rust very quickly.

I love the KVD Square bills! I bounce them off rocks and stumps pretty aggressively and yes they do chip eventually but you usually get plenty of use out of them before they give up the ghost. Good new is they can be had for $5 or less on sale. Square bills are best used bouncing off hard objects so wouldn't be my first choice in grass. Lipless or swim jig would be better choices IMHO.

I'm looking for a landing net that stows easily in my 18' Triton. I'm thinking something that collapses but it HAS to be hook-free. I'll use it mainly for tournaments. Would like to keep the cost down but will go as high as $60. What do you guys use? Regards, Bryan

Well now that I read it...it does sound funny. But I'm kind of hard on stuff and it's nice for me to know that if I need to replace a bearing or a handle nut I can easily find one. It may also be the case with the BPS reel but I'm guessing not so much so.

Used St. Croix Avid

Although both are very nice reels for the money I give the nod to the Citica. Parts are very readily available for the Shimanos and the Citica has a proven history of durability and performance.

Fishing with my small bass club in a 2 day bass tournament out of Star Point Resort March 31 - Apr 1 with a couple days of pre-fishing planned. Only been on DHL once prior and didn't do well. Anyone have any tips for that time of year. I'm guessing the brown bass will be real close to spawning around that time? I'm figuring green pumpkin tubes, hair jigs and jerks on rocky banks near shallow bays. Am I on the right track? I hear the Wolf River warms quicker than say the narrow section of the Obey river? Would appreciate any tips. Bryan

Wise guy...

I fished a 2 day tourney this summer. We camped in East Bay Harbor and fished the islands for smallies. Kind of a long idle out of the bay but then a 5 mile run to the islands. We did best drifting tubes (4" poor boys in green pumpking) on the north side of middle bass. I only ended up with 4 smallies each day but they were decent fish weighing in a bit over 22 pounds. Watch the weather and make sure you have all you coast guard equipment like flares. I have a 18' Triton and it was ok. You really do have to watch the waves - they can get nasty real quick. I caught about 40 sheephead - I think that's just part of the gig up there... A drift sock would have been nice to have so keep that in mind. I know a lot of people catch the smallies on drop shot (poor boys gobies) up there as well. The bays are excellent for largemouth but you need the fat smallies for weight. Have fun and be safe.

I'm the boss in my house so I don't have to hide anything from my wife. Ooops here she comes gotta go.

While charter boat fishing in San Diego I caught a California Sea Lion (cut the line naturally as it was like 800 pounds and not happy) and a big white bird that dove 20+ feet down to munch on the live fish I was using. Also reeled in a condom once - yuck...