Darren.

Well then, you are well versed in the world of the Stradic!!

Fake or not, that's a BEAST!

Excellent! I think you'll really like it.

Based only on in-store handling of the GX2, I feel it is a bit soft on the tip, which would explain your thoughts on how it handles/recovers/twitches a worm. So for a budget rod with your 6' requirement (I love 6' rods, too), I'd recommend you look at Bass Pro Shops. There are a couple series they have with 6' M power rods depending on your budget. Their Graphite series is quite inexpensive and a decent, fairly sensitive rod for the money.

I powered my yak fish finder with a Makita battery. They work great, compact. I don't tend to binge buy fishing gear, well, not true if you define binge as a bunch of stuff in one outing. it is the single buy of a rod I don't really need, or a reel I don't really need but can't pass on the price. My wife knows of my buying issues. She says I'm a marketer's dream.

I'm just glad they don't make fishing equipment!! I'm in love with the M12 lineup. Got the brushless impact, hammer drill. Multi tool, hackzall, circ saw, and my pride and joy: 18v 10" miter saw...oh my. I only wish they had an 18v chainsaw...

I have some control, then I lose it, then I get it back, then I lose it again. Slowed down a bit on fishing gear though, because these days it's all about power tools... Milwaukee has become my best friend. Home Depot knows me by name. At least I am FINALLY finishing projects around the house. So I pay for tools and do the work myself rather than pay a carpenter waaaay more to do the work...and have no tools to play with afterward! So right now I'm suffering from a Tool Monkey attack.

Welcome aboard! Don't fish NC often, so will defer to the folks from NC to give you advice

I know the feeling. I worked for a telecom in Rochester, NY in the 90's that was bought by a very flamboyant and not too great of an owner...who ran the company out of money. I took a RIF as did my entire management line (I was an IT manager)...tough, wasn't really fishing much then... But these things happen. Good luck finding a new job, and enjoy what fishing time you can get with it!!

KEEN Men's Waimea H2 Sandal Saved my toes a bunch of times!

Welcome aboard, David!

So glad to hear they were wearing PFDs and no life-threatening injuries. Agree with @hunterPRO1 that it likely could have been a much different outcome if not wearing them!

My guess is the dye has changed. I haven't used red in maybe 4 or 5 years

I definitely wouldn't go for red Power Pro - unless their dye has changed. It bled all over my Quantum baitcaster...haven't used red since.

x2, got these, as well as Boomerangs with me on the yak.

Yeah, daydreaming about fishing then a rude awakening always snaps ya back to reality. Been there quite a few times. In some ways we're like this:

Could also be the patent has expired, assuming the R2S was patented, which I would think so. Kinda like generic drugs, gotta wait so many years before we can buy them after a product first hits the shelves, but once that patent expires, it is game-on. If it even works like that for fishing lures...

They're falling for your wiles, laddie! Keep throwing sweet nothings at them and they won't stop! You might need to call Larry Dahlberg and give him some tips on Muskie fishing!

Welcome aboard!

Boomerang snips are excellent, but there something else you may not even think about: Kid's Fiskars scissors from Walmart! They really do work well.

Thanks, it worked this time...odd that. The way he thumb-bars is what I was thinking it was, and how I do it. So good on that. And man did he bring in two fat bellied bass!

Palming a spinning reel for me is either to add to the drag, or to stop the fish from taking line. When I use my thumb on the bait caster I'm doing something very similar, exception being ability to reel in with added pressure as can on a bait caster. Not the same, but almost the same in principal. Regardless, I still see no need - in how I fish - for back reeling. Based on how others describe it, I feel my overall technique does the same, with drag. I.e, being able to slow a fish down and turn it. [[BTW, the video page would not load for me, security issue apparently. Either the redirect was being intercepted, or their security cert expired...either way, I decided not to pursue. Chance you could embed it in the post?]]

I know of "thumb-barring" I do it myself, but not always. What I consider the equivalent on the spinning reel is palming the spool....

That's a *great* question! Drag is good on one, not the other?

4" for me. I've caught tons of 6 plus lbers on down with them. 5" was my PB, though, but I just don't have as much success with 5's. I've got a 6" that I rarely use.