Darren.

I posted this or referred to Pat Cullen a while back in a thread RW started on high-end reels. Excellent article, proves the worth of an Ugly Stik, LOL

Not yet. Mine is in town, but UPS says I'll get it on Friday. Not sure why they can't deliver today... grrr.

Definitely pore over the articles here. Something I always do when I go to a pond/lake that is unfamiliar is to look for downed trees, docks, stumps, etc. Always find fish in these locations. Next, for simplicity, I stick to stuff I know that works for me - soft plastics. I fish for fun and sport, not for money, tourneys, etc. So I try to maximize my time on the water fishing what works for me. There are times I experiment and try to learn a new technique, or try a new style of bait...

No experience building rods, but you start an interesting topic! UL fishing is so fun. I go a step "further" and will use a simple long pole fixed length of line, Asian-style floats and go to town on anything that bites. Total blast. Basically I'm talking about cane pole fishing, LOL. I bought a really nice graphite pole that collapses to about 28" which makes it perfect for hiking. No reel, just pole, line. Are you looking to build a 1-piece UL at say 4'6" or a 2-piece rod, longer?

I've not had the uni-to-uni fail me, either, but I normally tie a modded Albright/berto/etc. knot. With my new LTW rod, I'm having to get used to the micro spinning guides. So the Alb... knots flow smoother through the guides than uni. The FG is cool, but something I've tried numerous times to do. I've determined that for me, it just isn't worth the time or effort when the others work just fine. I know it'd probably be a tad better for the micro guides, but....

I agree, although I do believe DSG should have indicated as much if these are "open box". That is on them, and could be considered false adver- tising, technically. However, it is an item I wanted, and the price was too good to pass on, therefore I'm not as concerned if it has a box or not. There's always the recourse of returning the product if one is unhappy, or feeling deceived. As for me, if it arrives damaged, unboxed, whatever, I'll do what I need to do with DSG to fix the situation.

Welcome aboard!

Definitely a head-scratcher. Mine shows it's coming from NJ. If it is "new" but minus the box, I'll be fine, though I may talk to the local store manager about it, or send off a note to their corporate office. DSG has always been very good to us for purchases, returns, etc.

It is an interesting revelation. Out of curiosity, did yours (and anyone here who ordered one) ship out of New Jersey? If they're all coming from different states, it could be that each store's display model was the deal - the ones they keep behind display glass. Still should have been listed as "open box" IMHO. It is still an incredible deal even so as these puppies are well over $99 on eBay.

Allow me to agree with Montanaro, but side with Dypsis. You can skip with either, but you'll have more success using spinning gear. I consider myself pretty good with my bait casters. I've spent time learning to skip and such, but it is just that much easier with spinning. In my humble opinion. That said, a ML rod that loads good will work on the casting side. I can skip with just about any rod on the spinning side.

Thanks, Bill. And likewise to you and the rest of the gang!

They look good!

Please accept my condolences, my heart sank as I read your note.

Huge! Great catches!

I use braid on all my reels and always tie on a leader. Not because of visibility or such, but a leader lasts for quite a few lure ties, whereas my braided main would be going down more quickly if I kept cutting and retying on it. So aside from all the opinions whether it is necessary or not to use a leader, you can go the economic route like some of us do. All a matter of opinion and confidence. No right or wrong way to do it.

Lots of great fisheries in our area. Never fished the Langley area ponds, though.

Some of us happen to like smaller reels. I've caught too many bass to count in sticks, under docks, in thick grass, in stumps, etc. I've not found a bass I couldn't handle with my Stradic 1000 reels. Love 'em, prefer them plain and simple. Never had an issue with drag that applying my palm to the spool couldn't help with. I've got a 2500 FJ on order, but if the 1000 was available at time of purchase, that's what I would have bought.

Welcome aboard!

Regular PP is a 4-strand weave, while SS is 8 strands. Both are same in diameter equivalent. I just started using the SS this year, and so far I really like it. Very smooth, casts better (further, IMO), and is much quieter coming thru the guides. The noise doesn't bother me, though. So I'm still feeling out the SS, but am quite pleased with it, no negatives at all. I bought a big roll this past summer, so should last me a long time.

For me, braid for mainline is a no brainer. So much easier to manage, no line twist, etc. If you opt for fluoro, you can buy a spool or two and it'll last you a long time as leader material. My .02.

Hefty kitty cat!

I use yellow PowerPro (regular) and PowerPro SuperSlick on all my reels and add a leader of varying pound testage. Yellow is easier to see (IMO) and for my old eyes, is perfect for line watching. None of my spools have faded to white yet. If I feel they get too "old", I walk off the spool down to the backing, and tie it on "backwards" so the newer line is on top.

Well, honestly, when I was testing it out, I didn't feel it made *that* much of a difference. Totally subjective, yes. But my catch rate is fine by me with copoly in green - the color of my waters which can vary from no clarity to 10 feet of clarity depending on conditions. I'll still use FC on occasion...

I'm a huge fan of the 1000 Shimano reels. The Stradic FK sounds like an awesome upgrade. I've not found a species that I couldn't handle with the 1000 size; however, you'd be fine with the 2500, as well.

I'll occasionally fish a similar pond with a buddy of mine. I've tried jigs, etc., but the most success has been soft plastics like a weightless wacky worm either a 4" Senko, or Zoom finesse worms. But success also comes on a mojo rigged minnow from Zoom - something in the 3-4" range, with the mojo weight pegged up about 18" and the minnow rigged on a small 1/0 TX style hook. And welcome to Bass Resource!