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The Palomar works better, but if you're more comfortable with it, you can use the Improved Clinch with braid if you go twice thru the eye, followed by 7+ wraps.

Go with it.

Why does it have to be at Dick's? Gift card? If not, go try out the Shimano Citica 200E at Dick's, and then go home and buy it online for $95 shipped. It's significantly better than those you mentioned and is a perfect starter reel. I would recommend a little better reel to learn how to cast with. It will be less of a hassle if you go this route. It's a fine reel, and quite a bargain at $95.

No prob. You can pretty much forget about Google Earth now. Those FLA lakes good on Bing. Too bad they're black and white though. For me, some local lakes almost look like the pics were taken just above the treetops.

+1 Google Earth is even better, but best of all is Bing Maps. Give it a try, and click on the Earth icon to switch features. Try the Bird's Eye aerial pictures because you can zoom in far farther than with the satellite pics, though not all areas have been photographed closely and sometimes the lakes are iced over in the MN pics. This feature can be very helpful for scouting. http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/#5003/o=&a=&s=w/5872/style=auto&lat=45.489101&lon=-94.245598&z=11&pid=5874

Black Jitterbugs as a prime lure for nightfishing. I fish them slow and steady with repeated, long casts over deep structure and cover.

I've had blades fly off of quite a few spinnerbaits from different brands, including Terminators. Never had one break, though.

I wouldn't suggest that you base your decision on the rod's recommended lure weights. I've found that they can be misleading when comparing different brands, especially on the low end weight. I think that Dobyns you found in the flea market would be a good fit.

I'm excited to try these Savvy Series rods. If they are anywhere near the quality and value of the Champion Series, I'll be happy with them.

I like Tebow and I hope he does well at some point, but I hate the pick and the recent Denver moves starting with the Shanahan firing. That team has holes, and QB isn't one of them. Orton will be the starter, and I think Quinn has more potential at QB in 2010/11 than Tebow. The Tebow interview after the pick was really hard to watch, too.

Can I hear an AMEN! AMEN!! I always get a laugh when the Raiders pick in round 1. I loved the look of relief on the Crabtree families faces last year when they passed on him and took Hayward-Bey. I do like the Campbell pick up. I've been rooting for that guy for years. I think a chance of scenery will be good for him.

Vikes blew it by not taking Clausen. Who's gonna take over for Farve in 2011? I love the Chiefs, Seahawks and Lions drafts. Dez, Spiller, and Bulaga will be good fits I think.

I thought he had his hand down the bass' throat at first glance. ;D Good pic.

I almost always prefer rods 7' and over, too. But I feel like I've found a good fit for shakey worms with my walleye jigging rod, a 6' M/F SJR722 GLX, after trying a custom GL3 7' 6" ML/F and Avid 7' ML/F over the last few years. Although this is pretty much a clear water technique, I tend to keep the casts shorter because I have more control over lure's action. I feel it's easier to keep the action extremely subtle with the shorter rod. I see most of these TS rods for shakey worms seem to be in the 6' 9" to 7' range, so I might be in the minority on this one, but a shorter rod has worked better for me.

Yeah, thanks for doing this Mattlures. For those that missed Manabu's Bassmaster interview and excellent article back in January, you can check out all of the back issues with the Digital Bassmaster features. Most of these questions are answered in that article. It's very interesting. There's a free 30 day trial, and then it's $3 a month. http://proxy.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/members/insider/index

Faster is better. I personally use the $50 Daiwa Strikeforce with ReelGrips on my frog rod, and I have no desire to upgrade. The reel is a good value and has all the drag you need. I tighten it down all the way and have yet to have it slip. All you're doing is picking up slack with the reel when fishing frogs. Most of the action is imparted with the rod, so there's no need to dish out big bucks on a super smooth reel. The rod is much more important with frogging than the reel. This is the one combo where I am fine with having a cheaper reel on a nice rod. Save the money to put towards a Curado or STX for your next technique specific setup, where having an excellent reel might actually benefit you.

I determine sensitivity in the store by very lightly scraping the tip guide on the stores carpet or on a knot on the wooden floor. I have yet to find a more accurate way to judge a rods sensitivity without actually fishing with it. This might even be the best way to judge slight differences in sensitivity because it's easy to compare a bunch of rods back to back very quickly. I prefer this over putting it on someone's throat and having them hum or talk, or on a cellphone set to vibrate and placed on the floor, which some people do. While doing this, you should also flex the upper 1/3 of the rod firmly against the floor and quickly lift it and hold it still, watching how fast the tip recovers and stops moving. A good rod will deaden almost immediately. If the rod is whippy and the tip doesn't recover very quickly, put it back on the shelf because it's junk. Imagine your rod tip badly jiggling like an Ugly Stick right after releasing the cast. The line won't flow from that tip very well, and casting distance and accuracy will suffer. Along with judging the weight and balance of the rod with the reel on, these two quick little tests are the best way to compare rod quality in the store. Check this out. This thread addresses that question. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1271957550

I'm thinking of doing the same, but probably won't be able to until midsummer. From what I hear, they say 5" is great for a standard depthfinder, but when you want to start splitting up the screen with side imaging and GPS, it's best to go with 7" and up or you'll regret not shelling out a couple hundred more when you had the chance. I personally think the location in the boat matters quite a bit when deciding which size to choose. Will it be next to the boat's console 2' away from your face and nearly at eye level, or on a mount near your feet on the casting deck? This is the one I like: http://store.humminbird.com/products/310605/798c_SI_Combo

Yeah it is. I still use one for light topwater and jerkbaits. My favorite rod for $100 is a used Avid. ;D

This is true. That's why I directed this guy to the flea market or to a St. Croix Premier, which is in the same price class and a rod that they will likely be happier with.

You make a good point, but I disagree about one thing. Only those who stand to make a profit win in this situation. The end user does not. They just paid for the name at the expense of quality. You should see how the local Cabela's pushes these things. I bet the mark-up is significantly higher than with quality brands whose rods, I assume, cost more to build. You can tell where the profit is by looking at how and where the product is displayed in the store, and with the Tessera, it's always front and center, at least in my experience.

Exactly what it reminds me of, a slightly nicer version of the Ugly Stick, and a very ugly one at that.

RUMORS ARE A DIME A DOZEN. That was in the Manabu Kurita interview and article in the Jan 2010 issue of Bassmaster. It's a really good article, one of my favorites. The guy definitely is a true big bass hunter. He was releasing live Ayu, allegedly worth $40,000 over the course of a year, and conditioning bass to become agitated and feed by revving the engine and slapping the water before throwing out bluegills with the dorsal fins removed, massive wooden swimbaits, and 13" wacky rigs.

Have you considered a casting rod for this? These were for sale in the flea market from David P's buddy a little while back, and I bought the Dobyns 734. It arrived in near perfect shape. This is very much worth considering. I almost bought it myself to do the exact same thing as you. These Dobyns are excellent rods, my new favorites along with GLX. Better quality and value than the ones you listed IMO, although the Mossyback and Cumera are close behind. The Dobyns Champion 702c: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1270441581 7' 1pc. 8-14lb, 3/16-3/8oz, Medium Fast Action Shaking Worms, Small Jigs, Dropshot Rigs, Spoons http://www.dobynsrods.com/rods.html

This is important, too. At first, I would recommend setting the reel's magnetic brakes at 75%+ and adjusting the spool tension knob so that with the rod held level to the ground, the lure will fall slowly when the spool is released. I'd say a 1-2' fall per second is about right. This is something you'll get a feel for, and an adjustment that has to be done almost every time you switch lures when fishing. I'd recommend trying it at home in the back yard. With time and practice, the use of brakes will be reduced down to 30% or less, casts will be longer and smoother, spool adjustment will be quicker, and backlashes and line kinks will be greatly reduced. The advantages of baitcasting tackle far outweighs the frustration of this learning process.