Darren.

Well, as I stated in another posting the other day, I'll probably buy 7.1:1 from here on. I can control my speed by how fast I turn the handle. Maybe if I were a tournament guy I'd want one for each type of setup as then I'd probably have the same reeling cadence and not worry about which gear ratio I have in my hand at the time.

Lexa! Got a 7.1:1, it is a beast, casts weightless 4" senkos to boot! Love mine. I believe the answer is Yes. You can put cork knobs on the Lexa. I saw someone, not sure if it was here in the flea market, or on ebay where a guy had replaced his Lexa knobs and was offering the originals for sale. Just took a (slightly blurry) shot of my 100HS. Phillips screwdriver and you're set.

I'm curious as to what length leader we're talking, 12-18"? Every braid-to-leader knot I tie comes through my guides for the next cast because my leader length varies between 4 and 8'. Even a super tiny swivel would potentially nick the guides, I'd assume?

Good. With the Spring Classic coming up, I'm having a hard enough time keeping the baitmonkey under control.

I just bought a 6'6" MF Premier casting rod and yes, it definitely is stiffer than my other Medium rods. I'd place it between a M and MH. That said, I would have NO problem using it in thick cover. Plenty of power and durability in these. My buddy has a 6'6" ML Premier spinning rod and has caught 7 pounders on 10lb braid+leader. Personally all the "big" bass I've hauled out of thick cover have been on true M rods. Two have XF tips, one has a F tip.

You talking spinning or casting? Either way, it'd probably work fine so long as the rod can load up whatever you're wanting to skip. I skip with medium Compre's, other rods all the time, the Compre's are M XF....

Read the same info. So as part of my investigation-before-buying I talked to a number of fishermen in my area who are Costa wearers. One does the silver/gray, the rest do green/amber. Actually, some of them are off-shore dudes who use the blue, but up here in the Chesapeake Bay/James River/York River, green seems to be the choice.

Curious. Why would you avoid it on weightless? I use it all the time. Are you not referring to weightless TX rigs, wacky, etc.?

x2

On that thought, I also have two Shimano Spirex reels. I like the double handles and quick cast features. Great reel for $50, if not having instant anti-reverse is an issue... While the Exceler didn't tickle my fancy, the new Lexa spinning reel definitely is. The experience I've had with my Lexa 100 bait caster has wowed me to Daiwa's quality.

I went through the research on this late last summer after I finally decided that glasses were worth their weight in gold after pairs of cheapies kept crapping out on me. Now this is me, obviously other folks are good with their choices, so... That said, I opted for a pair of 580G green mirror. I fish fresh water 99% of the time, and the one time I went out striper fishing in December (Chesapeake Bay), they were awesome. So taking the 580Gs out on the local reservoirs was an amazing experience, and I can't wait until spawn so I can see the largies sitting on the beds with even more clarity. I also opted to go the eBay route, and only from reputable sellers with 99.6% rating or higher. So my 580Gs are indeed legit, and cost WAY less than through local/web retailers.

Welcome, Jeff!

Maybe global warming is good for bass fisherfolk! More year-round fishin' for the rest of us! LOL!

Might just do that, but will be difficult to justify to the CFO of the house if there are deals at the other locales, LOL.....

When I fish a jig over 1/4 oz, it's usually with 15lb P-Line Floroclear, under that weight, it depends....

Under $100 would have to be the Shimano Sahara. Solid reel for $80.

Ooooo I can't wait for spawn!!!!!

From eyeball experience: I use P-Line Floroclear and Yo-Zuri Hybrid. They sink more slowly than pure FC line, obviously (at least to me). Will float, but not like pure mono. IMHO, the two I mention are the best of both worlds for me.

Been tempted by the Super Slick, but am quite satisfied with regular PP, especially given the price difference. Just picked up 10 and 20 lb PP on sale at BPS, so should be set for a while now.

Always appreciate the wisdom from Hank and others. I have four boys and it has been trying at times to take them all fishing. But each has had great times and I hope many more. While leaving my stuff at home is oh so hard, I feel it is necessary to give the kids front and center attention. Now that they're getting older though....

Not fished them yet, but been meaning to. Saw that Walmart locally is now carrying a variety of 6 packs for around $4. Might pick up a pack of their drop shot hooks...

Spring will be here soon, Doc. Welcome!

Welcome, sir!

Welcome, Kenny!