BassThumb

I like the green Ultra Soft for spinning reels. It appears to be pretty clear underwater, but it's a actually pretty bright lime green above water, so you can watch your line. Great stuff, try the 6 lb test and treat it with KVD Line and Lure. Yo Zuri hybrids are pretty cheap, so it's not a big loss if you decide you don't like it.

I've owned a Saros 2500F for a couple seasons. I use it on my dock skipping combo and I'm very happy with it. It's a smooth, solid reel with a good drag. I think it's a bargain for the price of about $110. Maybe the best spinning reel I've owned in the $100 range. You can buy from this seller with confidence. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Shimano-Saros-SAR-2500-Spinning-Reel-SAR2500F-/380308094743?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588c20ff17#ht_1891wt_907

I like a fresh, sharp pair of toenail clippers for nylon lines, and Rapala serrated superline scissors for braid.

I think retailers are making room for the new coffee scented Rage Tails with clamshell packaging. That's what employees at my local Gander told me anyway.

We're going to get a taste, too. It was 75 and humid last weekend in the Twin Cities. It was nice but I knew it wasn't going to last. I hope its a cold spring personally. Last spring was very warm and the female bass spawned weeks before the Memorial Day bass opener. I would like to be able to maybe see some sows on the beds this year.

Have you tried Stabil in your gas over the winter? Was there any difference with the plugs afterwards. I know that after I go through a long no-wake zone and then kick it down, the motor seems to sputter a little for a half second. What would be causing this? It feels like my plugs are too wet.

I see they have a sale on Shimano reels going on, and some nice prices on Seaguar fluoro in lower tests. If you're unsure, you can always pay with PayPal, then you're covered.

Yes, one of the basic rules of economics is that the business sets the price for something based on what they give up to get it. But regardless of production cost, labor cost, and profit margins, the product or service still has to live up to the price tag or consumers will not buy it. My point is, as it relates to fishing tackle, is that if a company is charging big money for a product and the product is selling consistently, then it is likely worth the price. "Value" is subjective. Buyers are willing to pay different prices for things based on their personal perspective, likes and dislikes. Ranger Boats, Loomis GLX, GYCB Senkos, LC Pointers come to mind. Some people think they're worth it, other don't, but enough people do that they can maintain their premium prices.

Shields is going to have to get very lucky to catch a bigger, faster, stronger Georges St. Pierre in a submission. That's the only way he can win. GSP is a master of neutralizing his opponents strengths and not falling into their gameplan. Look at his last two fights, he fought a good striker(Hardy) and forced him to do nothing but grapple, and then fought an elite wrestler(Koscheck) and forced him to box, literally breaking his face in the process. GSP has been my favorite fighter for years now, and I've seen Shields fight a few times. He has a great pedigree, Strikeforce champ, Shooto champ, hasn't lost in 5 or 6 years, recently dominated Dan Henderson to take the Strikeforce title, etc. But these are second rate organizations when compared to the current UFC talent monopoly. Look no further than Nick Diaz. He washes out of the UFC with a decent record, having never fought a top 10 fighter, then goes to Strikeforce and completely dominates for years. What does that tell you? GSP looks like the best welterweight of all time, and he's in his prime and getting better. I think he's going to keep the fight standing and try to outstrike Shields in the clinch, in a Randy Couture dirty boxing kind of way. It's going to be a long night for Jake Shields. GSP is arguably better than him in literally every aspect of MMA. GSP by TKO in round 4.

I've seen grease turn white inside trailer bearings that had water in them. The reel is wet in the picture. Does this happen only when the reel is wet?

That's capitalism for you. Manufacturers, dealers, and retailers wouldn't charge high prices if people weren't willing to pay them, and people wouldn't be willing to pay the asking prices if the product didn't satisfy them. This goes for more than just fishing tackle. Mediocre services and shoddy, overpriced goods get weeded out naturally when consumers can vote with their wallets.

I love that you can actually find good stuff in those Gander Mountain bargain bins. I like keel weighted screw lock hooks for swimming 7" Anacondas. The 10" Anacondas I use Texas rigged for night fishing.

The hook isn't a factor once the bass are hooked inside the mouth. If you're having issues getting the bass out from underneath the dock after hooking them, a more powerful rod is what you need. I mostly use a 7' MH/F spinning rod for dock skipping. When I go with medium power spinning rods, I sometimes have problems getting the bass out before they wrap the line around something and tear the hook free. A lot of it has to do with what angle you choose for your skip. With spinning tackle, I try not to skip over any metal if I don't have to.

Megastrike might help. It can't hurt. Another alternative is a solder iron. I picked up a battery powered one for $9 at a Radio Shack. It works great on soft plastics, but it's a piece of junk for soldering. It has paid for itself already just from repairing slightly torn Senkos alone.

Sniper is the softer of the two, and Shooter is the stiffer, more abrasion resistant alternative. Think: Invizx vs Abrazx or Trilene XL vs XT. That's my understanding. I've only tried Sniper.

Where do the Chronarch and Core spool bearings rank on the ABEC scale? I'm curious how a Curado with ABEC 9 spool bearing upgrades would compare to a stock Chronarch, in terms of casting. I have one upgraded Curado and I'm thinking about upgrading the rest.

Chrome/blue with a little orange nail polish around the front hook is my favorite. Otherwise, I mainly use blue/chart, black/gold, and some kind of neutral minnow color. Last season, I was having my best luck with a black/chrome XR50 that I speckled like a crappie with black and green Sharpies. I would run this bait through or just under suspended crappie schools and aggressive catch bass.

I started this thread a while back asking how to remove Revo spool bearings for cleaning. This is the one that SoFlaBassAddict referred to that shows a DIY tool to remove the pin. Since then, I've been setting the spool on top of a Five Hour Energy bottle full of lighter fluid to clean that bearing. It's works great. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/38621-removing-revo-stx-spool-bearings/page__p__392308__hl__removing+stx+spool__fromsearch__1#entry392308

Agreed. Knowing Bass is very dry, but still an interesting read. The In-Fisherman and KVD books are also good. Aside from that, I would recommend reading online and saving your money for tackle.

I haven't seen many stories about people falling off their boats. Am I the only who has done this?

Sounds good, guys. Thanks for the replies. I usually spool up twice a year with the fluoro lines that I'm accustomed to using. If these premium lines that cost twice as much last twice as long or longer, it sounds like premium is the way to go. At the very least, they're worth a shot. If you can fish with them after a 6 month offseason layoff, that's a HUGE plus for me. So far, I've yet to find a line that can do that, except braid of course. • Another question, do the premium lines remain clear for a long time or do they get that milky, chalky hue after a few months like a lot of lines do?

I've heard that premium lines like Tatsu have a longer life on your reel than mid-range fluorocarbon lines like Invizx, Abrazx, or Trilene 100%. Any truth to this, or do you swap it out just as often?

My favorite is the bite, but feeling that first pump from the fish after the hookset is great, and lipping a big fish is always a thrill.

Same here. 3/4 oz double willow especially.

I wouldn't be surprised if bass could taste KVD on a lure, although I didn't notice any problems with bass spitting the jigs early. Since using it as an anti-corrosive, I made an effort to use more Megastrike on my jig skirts last and to reapply more often, trying to offset any negative effects of the KVD. I'm convinced that the bass were holding on a little longer after I started slathering the jigs in Megastrike. I'm happy with KVD as an anti-corrosive on jigs, and I'll keep using Megastrike to offset any scent or taste. You'll never know until you try it.