flippin and pitchin

Looks like most of your rods are 6-6. I would suggest you don't go less than than a 7 footer. The GLX and IMX are top of the line but fairly to very expensive. A 7'6" will give you distance and leverage and be less cumbersome than an 8 footer. Lots of 7'3" options out there. You should be able to find a quality stick for 110.00 to 170.00 new. Nice reel choice.

kimber is a man after my own heart. I have 6 Lews speed spools, the Chevy 327 of reels. I can do my own repairs and they just work !

I own reels under 6 different brand names. Some are over 25 years old and still in weekly use. Before you try to pick a brand, think of it this way. Performance and Features to cost ratio, multplied by parts and service. I will not bash a brand unless they misrepresent their product BUT I have found one brand that I still like has demonstrated a poor service response. That influenced me to move to another brand that "out scored" this brand. I am luckier than most in that my local tackle dealer stands behind what they sell to the Nth degree. They also get a substantial portion of my overtime check.

Check back on the threads from the last two weeks and there are some great responses to this question. Lot's of experience and knowledge out there being shared.

Lamiglas XCC725 is a graphite glass composit, 7'2" 5 power. Slow parabolic action but sensitive. The SR705R is all glass and a great stick but it is heavier. The new Excel 705 glass is selling faster than they can produce them. I hear Powell's trap rod is hot as well.

The comments so far are pretty well on for me. Black/blue jigs get a black w. blue fleck trailer or an electric blue trailer. Sometimes the fish are fickle and electric blue works better. If the water is a bit clearer I like Brown Black jigs with a Watermelon trailer. Every brand mentioned works. I use both Zoom and Yum for a low action trailer and when the water is 60 D or more move to the Rage craw or Rage chunk. Twin tails go on finesse jigs like the Eakins jigs. If the water is below 52 D I will use an Uncle Josh jumbo pork frog.

There are some glass rods out there in your price range that are really good, if you like the properties of glass. St. Croix and Lamiglas come to mind.

MalteseFalcon provided a darn good list. Bomber Balsa B and Norman Fat Boys are my go to baits. I toss the SK 4S as well. If I want something smaller, Bandit 100's are hard to beat.

There really is no big deal with this type of bait. It's one more option to look at when attempting to trigger a strike. As far as fishing from a J-boat, I have several friends who do and just overhand cast B baits. They do very well. The bait, as said has a different profile, and fall than other baits. Give them a chance and soak em' where you would a jig or T-rigged tube and you might be surprized. Keep an open mind. HAVE FUN !

I concur. Check your PM for info on how to grab one.

For flippin I like the Lamiglas 806 and a Revo SX. The 806 is honestly tip heavy but has a shorter rear grip. For Pitchin I like the Lamiglas XMG50 704 and the Certified Pro 764 ( my favorite ) with the Revos. I have $772.00 total invested in these three set ups new. I'm very happy with them. My Excels won't be here for two weeks. We'll see how they effects my preferences.

Good bait. Cast well. ShaneJ has the set up I prefer. Owner twist lock, the biggest the bait will handle.

I really like YUM products but the buzz frog is a bit lacking in action. If You want a subtle gurgle as you retrieve, it's okay but I like a lot of noise and Rage Toads make it. The buzz frog is made of a tough material and they last a bit longer. I run braid and a big Owner twist lock and the hook up ratio with that set up is pretty decent. Fun bait to fish !! I'm praying for 55 degree rain brother.

That was the one thing I mentioned to my fishin buddies this past week. I have allowed myself to become cluttered, both in the boat and in my thoughts. I want to be versatile and proficient in as many techniques as reasonable but the lure selection issue has become out of control. I could rid myself of at least 1/2 of my crankbaits, jigs and plastics and be fine. I will admit the reason I have every color Bandit 100 series is that I want to see if it works better than the four colors that have caught em' already. I am committed to approaching this year different and fish what I have BETTER. Awesome thoughts everyone !

My local tackle dealer has Outlaw Baits tubes in 50 bags and that makes them pretty reasonable. I might be wrong but Net Bait has bulk quantities I think.

I can't tell you which one to buy because I haven't used the Vendetta. What I can tell you is I have the Excel 734 and the 7116. The Excel 735 was, for me, far too stiff for a pitchin stick. I kind of wish I waited because I heard Lamiglas will be offering the 764 in the Excel series very soon and I love that blank and own 2 Certified Pro 764 rods. When the Excel 764C hits the streets, I will be first in line. Note: They will NOT be telescopic. Lamiglas has done a good job in eliminating the tip heavy feeling in their longer rods. Try to put your hands on one if you can. Good luck !

I have three Trions and two Presidents. I hate rose wood handles but the rest of the reel is outstanding for the price. One of the best values out there. Look up BPS for the item and read the dozens of user comments. That may help you out. If Pflueger made a handle option with a T rubber grip I would replace them for the right price.

I did look at one. It has one more bearing than the AC500PT's I have now. I picked them up for forty two bucks a piece well over two years ago. I like the older version a lot. They have the PT grade bearings and have held up exceptionally well. The weight is negligible.

Speed Trap in Crystal Craw if cover allows. Yum Dinger after that.

I have one of the chartreuse blue backs in their shallow diver. Runs about three feet tops. I met a former L J employee who shared the design was a bit different in the flared side ribs were to create the deflection rather than the normal over size square bills found on other shallow crankbaits. That combination was to allow for a tighter wobble and deflection. I throw in around pad fields and it has caught a fair number of fish. I still like Bomber Balsa or Sisson balsas for pad fields nad downed wood.

What studies ? I would like to know what percentage of you guys use an EWG style hook over a straight shank ? How's your hook up ratio to real strikes ? Now that might be a study if we get a good number of responses. Just a thought.

You Bubbas are so nasty. This question was read 927 TIMES ! What does that tell you. Somebody is curious. Believe it or not there was an experiment where custom rod builders progressively offset the guides from the tip back to the first guide. That guide could end up almost on the bank's side ( in relation to the reel seat ) if it was a long blank, i.e. steelhead or noodle rod. GOOD QUESTION YOUNG MAN !! You guys make me laugh though.

I use soft scrub. Wet the cork and apply soft scrub and gently work the grime off and rinse well. If you have ever fished eggs as steelhead bait you would know what a grimey cork rod handle can look like. Here's another tip I use. When I get a new rod with a cork handle I seal the fills ( That's the blemishes that are filled with cork dust and a binder ) with crazy glue. I put a light bead on the fill. The liquid crazy glue permeates the fill. I let it dry well and lightly scuff the grip with 400 grit paper until smooth. The water will not wash the fills out and handles last 10 times longer. I have 15 year old rods and the cork handles look great. The soft scrub after the seal doesn't hurt a thing.

All of the above AND Luhr Jensen Hot Lips. Don't let that goofy lip design fool you, it is a very effective bait. For 5 bucks you have got to try one. Their color selection is pretty darn good.

There was an episode on Classic Patterns with Terry Scroggins flippin mats in Florida. He demonstrated the snell knot and the result of lifting against the weight. It did cause the hook to rock up. His comment was there is generally a layer of silt that can cover a bait but the rocking will expose it and the rocking equated to a tremendous increase in hook ups, almost always in the bass' "nose." He's pretty good at what he does.