Quillback

Looks interesting, last thing I need are more jerkbaits, but this Rogue appears to occupy a niche that my other baits don't fill.

I have a Gen 3 STX, and I've never had that problem, but I've read forum posts where it has happened to other people. I'd get rid of it, either demand a refund or ship it back to Revo and demand they replace it, not "fix" it.

Zoom, baby, Zoom!

Man, 3 lb. bluegill is truly a monster!

The last couple of weeks I've been dragging t-rigged tubes and jigs on relatively shallow rocky flats on Table Rock. The bass are in those areas are feeding on crawfish. The tube has been working better than the jig, so far at least, but things will change as the water warms. You've got to be versatile, willing to try different presentations. Jigs aren't necessarily a heavy cover thing either, at least in this part of the country. Dragging FB jigs on rocky structure or gravelly points at certain times of the year will catch fish.

It's not an accident, he was operating his boat at too fast a speed for the conditions, but yet I agree with you that it is risky, it's not necessary to take a risk like that, but Ike rolled the dice and he's lucky he walked away unhurt.

You should be fine with that Solstice, and I use 6 lb. floro (Invisix). I'd spool a lot of cheap mono on that Solstice as backing then tie on a hundered yards or so of floro (or braid) and save a few bucks. I've got a couple of the BPS Xtreme spinning rods and they'll work for drop shotting, they're on sale now for $79 and IMO it's good value for that price. I'd go with the ETR68MLS myself for a DS rod. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Extreme-Spinning-Rods/product/11092205011617/#chart-container

I forgot to add that I like to fish the 3/4 oz heads on a 5 power or at least a 4 power rod. It makes it easier to pop it through the rocks and the extra power is helpful in setting the hook on the bigger fish, usually you'll hook them in the bony roof of their mouth so you want a good hookset to drive the hook through the bone.

I used the Cabelas XML S663-1 last year, it worked fine for drop shotting, light and sensitive enough (on sale for $109). You'll increase your sensitivity no matter what rod you use if you use floro or braid with a floro leader.

I like 3/4 or 1/2. The 3/4 will really dig into stuff and make some noise and commotion.

I've thrown the Biffle Bug type jigs the last couple of years, usually with a Beaver type soft plastic on it. I like it on rocky/gravelly banks, doesn't do to well for me in mud. Excellent post-spawn bait, and big fish like it.

I guess I'm crazy too because I like to rig mine t-rigged but with a 3/0 Mustad wide gap tube hook. I really like Dry Creek double dipped tubes, especially their Alabam Craw color. It's green pumpkin with subtle orange highlights on the tentacles.

Only reason to watch da Raidahs is when the camera focuses on the fans in the stands in their goofy outfits. But with Big Al gone they might be able to put together a good team in the future. In today's NFL you have to have a quality QB, dunno if Pryor will be that QB, has a chance, but I have my doubts.

Yes I do live in Arkansas, and you're right there were snakeheads in Big Piney, just a few from what I understand, and they did rotenone Big Piney and it's tributaries. Something like 50 miles of stream they treated. My understanding was that they got them all, but maybe not according to your sources? I haven't seen or heard anything in a while concerning this outbreak. Hopefully they got them all, if they get into the big river systems then they'll be here to stay and they'll probably spread throughout the south.

I didn't realize that snakeheads were getting numerous, sounds like they are.

Heard the tourney guys killed them on the A-rig this weekend on The Rock.

Thankfully I can record it as 10 PM is past my bedtime. That being said, it's a lousy time to show Day 3. I guess Sportscenter must get higher ratings than the Classic.

Yep, that's how you tell them apart. I've been told the orginals were made of a denser plastic and would rise on a pause much slower that the newer ones. You can get the newer ones to rise slower using suspend dots.

Yep KVD is a class act. JVD mentioned last night that one of the family traits is that they are very competitive, he respects his uncle but he loves to compete against him.

Another option is to buy an unpopular color, that you might get a deal on Ebay and then send it off to a custom painter.

Saw JVD last night in the Springfield MO BPS give a DS session. Maybe 25-30 folks there, plenty of empty seats. I would expect on a Saturday and with KVD you're going to have a bigger crowd, but if you get there a bit early you should be able to snag a good seat.

I just picked up the Simms version of the Buff at the Classic Expo. I've worn it twice now, it's lighter than the Buff I wore all last summer, it has breathing holes which, so far at least in the cold air, has eliminated the glasses fogging issue I had with the Buff. It also has front and back neck flaps which eliminate the "neck creep", exposing the lower neck to the sun, which sometimes happens with the Buff.

From what I've seen so far, the estimates can be off by a few pounds, so looks like we might have at least 3 guys who could win. Definitely going to put some drama into the final weigh in!

Well all I can say is that the rep I talked to (and he was very knowledgeable) said that both green and blue blanks are painted, just a different gloss level used on the green. He said that the weights of both types of blanks should be the same. After talking with Gary Loomis, who discussed the manufacturing process for the graphite that's used in building these rods, it's very possible that there may be slight differences in weight in the graphite sheets that are used to build the rods. I got the impression that 3M, who manufacturers the graphite, can make changes in the amount or types of materials used and won't necessarily notify the rod builders of these changes. So I can see where rods that are manufactured at different times using the same components, may have slight variations in weight and these differences could be because of variations in the graphite, the resin, or the manufacturing process. I'd say the weight difference you're seeing is less likely to be caused by the paint that by other factors.

Had a long talk yesterday, at the Classic Expo, with a Shimano rep about GLX and NRX rods. One of the things we talked about was the finish on the Green NRX vs the Blue NRX. Turns out that it's a painted finish, not epoxy or some kind of clear coat. The coat used on the greens has more of a gloss to it that the coat used on the Blues. But, according to the rep, who is very knowledgeable about the manufactuiring process, it's basically the same paint, just a different appearance. So there should be no difference between the two models because of the paint appied to the blanks. He also mentioned that they have to paint them for UV protection for the resins that are used when manufacturing the blanks. So even though the blues appear to be "unpainted" they do in fact have a coat of paint. If you're a rod junkie the expo is worth visiting if you're in the area. Had long discussions with Gary Loomis and Gary Dobyns. Also talked quite a bit to the Shimano folks and Phenix folks. Even though there were a lot of folks at the show, not too many guys will walk up and talk to these folks who build rods for a living, so you can get quite a bit of one on one time if you're willing to start a conversation. And they really don't do a sales job on you, there's some of that, but they're for the most part just talking rods.