webertime

As a former bicycle mechanic I've got a bunch. #1 most painful thing ever... when a brake or derailleur cable cap comes off and the cable starts to open up/fray you have a dozen or so little pins just sitting there covered in grease, oil, dog p00p and whatever else they rode through. Then get one jammed under your finger nail and have it pop out the skin over knuckle behind the nail. I wanted to die. Then cames the infection and swelling under the nail...

I worked at a Hardware store in High School and as a college Freshman. The things I learned there about home repair/upkeep, small engine repair, gardening, tools, electrical, etc. have saved me so much money since then it's not even funny. Go into an Ace or some mom and pop hardware store and see if they have an opening. Sure you might sort nails for 8 hours one day, but the next you could be helping a guy with something and just small talking and find he's a fisherman with a hot daughter. Just an idea to look into.

Think of the bait as being a dude that had a few too many beverages and is walking home. Slow, not so straight, bouncing off bushes, trees and weeds. Just sort of stumbling back to the boat.

I've done everything you are looking to do with a 7'6" C-Stick LTX and it was pretty good at them. I understand the current model C-Sticks (Wild/PG) have a bit softer tip than the previous versions. I had a MH Wild for about a week and the hook hanger drove me nuts (short drive) although it was a really nice feeling rod. The Okuma does get really nice reviews as well. As a 3rd option (GOOD ONE TOO) look on ebay for Quantum PT Swimbait rods (7'9" or 7'11"). I have the 7'9" and it is sick, more moderate action than either of the two you mentioned, so it will do better with the DD22's. I have thrown 4" and 6" Spro's, 6" Hudds, Matt Bluegill and Perch (soft), Black Dog Shellcracker and Lunker Punker, as well as the 7" Tru Tungsten swimbait. Handled all of them with no problem. Best of all they are $40-$70 depending on what they are asking for them now (reg. $200).

Lamiglas 734C (7'3" Medium) and Shimano Compre 6'10" MH XF have both worked well for me.

I used a 7.1:1 PQ with 6" Hudds,BBZ's and Mattlures. I had to force myself to sing "Row Row Row Your Boat", just to keep the cadence slow. It worked, the first day I did that I got 6 LM totaling 25.6lbs. I know it sounds goofy but it helps when you have a high speed reel.

I throw the BBZ 4" and 6" a lot. I use a 7'6" H Carrot Stick with 50lb braid (PP or Tuf Line) and no leader. I've thrown the 4" on a 7' Avid and 6'10" Compre as well with 40lb braid and it works, just not a ton of distance on the cast. Hint, get a fast sinker 4" and fish it like a rattle trap in/above weeds.

Lots of Pickerel and some nice LM as well. definitly try to do the boat thing, the shoreline gets pounded by people.

Wunderground and Windguru (similar to what Dwight posted).

Beavers for me. Slammed them yesterday with a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss.

www.overstockbait.com has 1lb spools of Yo-Zuri Hybrid in 4,6,10,and 20 lb tests for $29.95. I ordered a 6lb test spool... and wondered, "How many yards is a 1lb Spool?" 8000... Just a heads up since so many of us love this line and this is a pretty crazy deal.

I fished with the 7'3" MH and really liked the rod, lighter than a 706 Veritas. I used it for Ikas/Senkos, Buzz Toads and Jerkbaits and it worked very well for all those methods. However the hookhanger is perhaps the worst design/location in the history of hookhangers. Especially if you have big hands and are using a treble bait (ouch). If cutting it off a new rod would be something you'd consider go for it, I almost did. I ended up returning it and getting a lightly used St. Croix Avid.

Spinners, Rooster Tails (any willow blade Spinner) Panther Martins and Mepps XD's. I love Rooster Tails bc the blade allows them to run deeper, ie you have more control in current, which helps a lot. Yo-Zuri Pin's Minnows are killer as are Phoebe Spoons. I find fatter bodied lures/blades catch too much current and get pushed by the fish or don't get deep enough. Always cast upstream and reel it in just faster than the current, allow it to swing by you and reel it back up to you. Trout are pretty pragmatic animals. They are almost always facing into the current waiting for food to get washed to them. They stay in the "slower" water in a river, behind stones and washed in wood, undercut banks and at the bottom of pools. The larger trout tend to be closer to the head of pools. They are the dominant fish so they get first dibs on the goodies getting washed down stream. Keep the stockies and put back the natives, keep the pure/smart bloodlines in your rivers.

Those look like a softer Yum Money Hound

I've got 734C and 703S Excel rods, they are fantastic rods. A 734C with a 50/1 sized Curado is an amazing combo for most anything except for flipping big jigs and heavy cover. The ONLY knock I can say about them is the bronze paint is rather thin on the blank so around the hook hanger gets worn a bit. Absolutely nothing functionally bad about the rods especially for ~$100 and made in America. (Rumor is they are the same blank as the Certified Pro).

Fished a tournament out of Missisquoi Bay on Champlain yesterday. I got a 3.8lb (weighed at weigh in) Largemouth on a Stanley Ribbit. We boated 35 Largemouth 1.5-3.5 lbs it was a crazy crazy day TruTungsten Frogs, Rage Shad, Ribbits and Timber King Spoons were the hot topwater baits. 1.5-5 FOW. I also pounded them by flipping T-Rigs but don't hold that against me Side note, a guy weighed in a 5.21lb Smallmouth what a BEAST!!!!

As someone that has worked extensively in the cycling industry... Their bicycle components/shoes make up ~20% of their business. This ought to tell you just how large their fishing business is. (Rowing and Snowboarding are drops in the bucket for them) The 2012 models "to me" should be fine. The "downgrading" of the names is purely marketing, "Golly I can gets myself a Curado fer $150!". If I have $200 to spend I'd still look at Shimano even if it was called the poop-slinger-delux, not necessarily purchase it, but I'd have to look.

Chronarch G = Curado E. Curado G = Tweeked Citica. (one more bearing and some polishing) Citica G = $10 more than last year. The Compre Rods look pretty cool though.

Lamiglas Excel 703 awesome for Senkos, Tubes, Shaky Heads and Dropshotting. A very comfortable rod

My buddy pretty much exclusively fishes with Quantums and he's REALLY getting tired of the backlashing on the higher end models. The buldge on the palming side of the reel puts the magnet adjustment right under the nuckles of his index and middle finger. When he casts them he inadvertanly turns the magnet adjustment way down and I am treated to a beautiful song titled "Buzzz FITZ! G.D. That Dial!!!" I've read others have the same problem. Palm the Catalyst and see if you think that it would be an issue. IMHO the Revo is a nice reel, but if I had $200 I'd get a closeout Citica and match it to a closeout Crucial (TW and ALFC respectively)

Ordered mine wicked early Friday AM (7-1) and got it in the mail today.

A wacky rigged plastic or a keel weighted hook perhaps.

Same here

Maybe the fish at a deeper depth were in more oxygen rich water and survived? (the Bullhead) That's what happened several times to the pond I grew up one. It's a combination of water temp, wind, & nutrients in the water (run off from heavy rains). In this case a massive die off of plant matter due to an algae bloom knocked the oxygen level way down. It's definitely a kick in the pants for that pond but if it has gone through similar cycles in the past (without the kill) then it should recover in time. My bet is that you had a lot of rain that washed phosphorous rich lawn fertilizers into the water shed that feeds that pond and the same thing happened. Especially with fish already stressed from the low levels it wouldn't take too much to kill them. As for the Bullhead, those fish are as durable as they come.

Unless you hit a Moose or perhaps a Cow at high speeds you will not damage the Powderhound. I used to work is ski/bike shops and we had one come back for a warranty (someone tried to break into it and just messed the thing up). Yakima asked that we destroy the box... 3 of us took hammers and ourselves to it and the thing (when closed) laughed at our efforts. A sawsall on the other hand, showed it who's man. Get some foam padding(~1/8" - 1/4" thick) for the bottom and sides to prevent too much slippage and marring of the rod and you should be fine for a long time.