Hooligan

I disagree with your opinion. My Stella is worth every penny. If I had the disposable income to replace all of my spinning reels with Stellas I'd do it in a heartbeat. In terms of the ugly green reel in the original post...man that thing is hideous!

Outfits: never wear pink fishing, unless it's Breast Cancer Awareness function or month, you'll get kicked out of the boat every time. In all seriousness, though, you can run most everything you're going to fish with those two rods, provided you can cast them. If you want to dedicate a jig/worm rod to the MH, you could always have one rigged and throw whatever else on the M.

Just curious, why do people like split grips with techniques that require you to chuck the bait around all day>? IMO full grip handles allow me to throw all day with more comfort. Everyone likes different things. I prefer split grip for the comfort as well. I never questioned the fact that people like split grips. My question was WHY?? do people like split grips for these techniques... I like split grips because the rod is less likely to rub a scar where I had surgery on my distal biceps tendon, for one. It rests on the inside of my arm where a rod typically hits, and can be rather irritating, if not painful, on a full grip rod.

There are a bunch of rods out there in the 6-8 60 6-10 range marketed as pitching rods. Rods from Loomis, Shimano, Cabela's BPS, a bunch of other manufacturers. If I'm in tight cover and pitching jigs and spinnerbaits, most often I reach for a 6-10 Pitching rod. A pitch is a type of cast, it's moving line off the reel, is it not?

One of the best ways we catch eyes and sauger in tailwaters around here is just a jig and minnow, or Gulp Alive minnow Grub. 1/4-3/8 oz ball head with or without keeper, depending on water depth and current. Every so often, we'll go up to 5/8 oz on jigheads in order to get down in the current.

Rattle Craw, It was a variant of the bubble craw. Can't remember who made it. The spoon is an old Red Eye, as previously mentioned. I wish they still made them in that profile.

Frabill conservation series. It isn't as likely to damage slime coat as other net bags, it isn't as heavy as rubber, and it won't rot like rubber. They're spendy, but very nice nets.

I'm a fan of the Smith line, a recent convert from Costa. Smith has a photochromic copper that's one of the best lenses I've fished for most light conditions. It does well in low light, all the way to bluebird days and clear water.

In regards to the Cumara, I've found that the only real drawback is that the dropshot rod, really is just that. It's a one trick pony, not the greatest rod for working any other rigs or baits. It's "OK" for running light split shot rig, but it isn't good for much else. If you're after the 7'2" for a Senko rod, the CUS72M is an alright rod for it, but I prefer the CUS68m. It just has a better feel, and seems to have a touch more power. The Avid 6'8" Med X-fast is more comfortable for me throwing Senkos and other light Trigs. It has enough in the blank from start to finish to manage slightly larger baits without an issue. A 5" Senko doesn't feel like you're overpowering the rod. I have several Cumaras and they rank high on my list for quality and sensitivity; it's my favorite rod series outside of my GLX. The Avid, however, ranks higher for the purpose indicated here in my opinion.

It's got a bit of a gold hue to it naturally, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's old. I fished the line last year quite a bit, and it was OK. For the cost, it isn't worth it to me. There are comparable lines for a lot less. Then again, I'd rather fish Tatsu anyhow.

I've been tossing inlines and other soft swimbaits on my 7-11 XF. I'm rather fond of it for that, as well as throwing big spinnerbaits.

Love the sub walk. You can make it work really fast, you can work it slow, you can work it very erratic. It's a great bait with a tremendous variety.

If you're solely targeting black bass, either the Largemouth or Smallmouth "Bass" rods from Sage are the way to go, bar none. They're the most accurate sticks for casting big bugs and provide a lot more leverage than the typical 9' rod. They cast hair, foam, and big bugs much more efficiently than any other rod I've ever cast. They're not distance tools, a 70' cast is about the limit; as a point of reference I can shoot my 10Wt with a Triangle Taper the entire line and about 15-20 feet of backing for something like 130-140 feet of cast. The Bass rods are really stellar rods, a much nicer rod than the Avid. The finish is better, the components are higher quality, the warranty is better, and the service from Sage is second to none. You're going to drop $175-$200 more for the Sage, but it's worth every penny to me. They cast easier, are less tiresome, and more accurate.

More expensive rods are typically higher modulus, more sensitive, and of greater overall quality. What this translates to is that the user needs to be a lot more careful with the rod, they're not something that you can abuse and get away with like a cheaper rod. With almost every rod I've broken has come the realization that it wasn't the rod or blank's fault; it was my own. You don't leave a Diana Grade Superposed sitting in the duck blind all season and expect it to perform flawlessly, just like you don't leave an NRX sitting on the deck of the boat an entire season and expect it not to have issues. You take care of them, they typically last longer and will be worth the money in the long run. If you're going to abuse it, much like Ike, quick drop and grab another, slapping the deck with it, high-sticking hooksets and the like, well...expect the same durability that he's seeing out of his gear.

I have fished with a few guys down there, but the two that I'd recommend are fly tackle only. I know some others but I couldn't, in good conscience, recommend them to you. PM me if you'd like, I'd rather not say anything in public about my experiences with them.

True, but I prefer them to run in an arc, so to speak. Don't ask me how they get that way, if I could figure it out, every single one I own would run that way. My big inline baits for muskies are the best for being erratic.

I catch more fish on buzzbaits that don't track true than a "true" bait. for that matter, when's the last time that you saw a baitfish swim in a straight line? a little left, a little right, a little of both; that's what I want my buzzbaits to do.

Usually I'm using 3/16. If the wind is heavy, I'll bump to 1/4. If it's really deep and the wind is heavy, I'll go as high as 3/8.

Tatsu is without a doubt the most versatile, best made, most sensitive fluorocarbon currently on the market. I've had zero issue with it in regards to stretch, knot strength, or abrasion resistance.

Owner Wacky, Tru Tungsten weighted.

Bottom is the old style Lindy Little Shadling methinks.

I'm throwing a lot of a local handpour. It's been a good bait for me thus far. Throwing them on a 6/0 Beast weighted, or 8/0 weighted. I'm using Tatsu Fluorocarbon in 20lb and love the rig. The other bait that I'm throwing a TON on some of the Western waters I fish is the Suzy Sucker from Shack Attack http://www.shackattacklures.com/acatalog/6_Inch_Suzy_Suzy_Sucker.html It's one of the most productive muskie baits I fish in Spring, and it's been incredibly productive for me this year with fish over the 7lb mark.

CUS72M It's the best shakey rod in their lineup.

Great bait to use in transition zones. I've fished the Thug pretty extensively this year with really good results. It works very well in vegetation, ripping out of it really well, as well as on hard bottoms and bouncing off rock. LIke the bait a lot.

FS is a Fenwick Spinning designation. It isn't a casting rod. It's a glass spinning rod.