Globadoc

Someone on eBay had one for sale last month -- ask him if he remembers the brand name, perhaps? (listing here)

I tend to use Cajun Red so that I can see when (if) we're getting close to the backing, just to avoid testing that knot much. Certainly any other line with a distinct color would work.

I have to admit - I thought it was a choice when I first read the title: "wife, girlfriend, or fishing rod". Not sure which I'd choose, though.

My Team Starting Five 7'-0" St. Croix Triumph ML-F / Pflueger President 6735 (Spinning) 6'-8" BPS Carbonlite M-XF / Pflueger President 6735 (Spinning) 7'-0" Abu Garcia Veritas M-F / Pflueger President 6735 (Spinning) 7'-0": Abu Garcia Vendetta M-F / Abu Garcia Silver Max (Casting) 6'-6" Berkley Lightning Rod / BPS Enigma (Casting) (Bench) 6'-8" St Croix Mojo Bass M-XF / (Injured reserve - awaiting new spinning reel) 6'-6" Gander Mountain Advantage IM6 ( 2-pc spinning rod - good for road games)

Funny story that I can identify with. I have been fishing several times with my father-in-law (God rest his soul) and his bent 9 foot bamboo cane pole with the yarn and old hook. No matter what equipment my son and I took with us, he ALWAYS caught the largest fish of the day. ALWAYS. The old man could really get it done.

To stay within the spirit of the experiment, you have to use the Zebco 33.

So a lot of you would agree that skill trumps equipment, but equipment is crucial mostly for certain techniques where feeling light bites is important - nonmoving, bottom contact fishing. So, are we all nuts for buying expensive $150-200 rods for crankbaits, spinners, etc. when a $60 rod will suffice just as well? (Then of course purchasing a more sensitive rod for the finesse stuff...)

Picked up a Gen 1 7' casting rod yesterday. I mistakenly took a Gen2 up to the counter to ask about the sale price. The area supervisor was in the store and was savvy enough to read the tag and know that it was not the one on sale (VTC70-5 vs VNTC70-5). Unfortunately, she looked it up on the computer and let me know that there were no more in the store's inventory. Even more fortunately, I found a Gen 1 in the bucket of miscellaneous rods in the back of the sporting goods section. Thanks for posting this. I had an 1-1/2 year old Silver Max in the garage that pairs with this one perfectly.

Question, especially for those of you blessed enough to own rods costing greater than $150: If you downgraded your equipment, (for example, if you had to fish with an Ugly Stik or a Berkley Cherrywood) for the season), how much do you think your fishing results would be reduced - even if you use the same techniques you use now? Do you think you would catch fewer fish? If so, how much would it decline? For conversation's sake, let's take durability out of the picture (which I agree, would impact your ability to stay on the lake). I'm just wondering how much we depend on our equipment rather than good ol' fashioned skill.

Well at least it hasn't been just me. I wish I had had a scale to weigh them just to test it out, but I only had the feel to go by. It took me a few trips to realize that something just wasn't the same about this one. Man, I miss the old one.

Last year, I replaced my beloved Veritas 7' M spinning rod due to a broken tip. The new Veritas (same model) just doesn't feel as light or as sensitive as the first one, even with the same reel, line, etc. If I had bought the second one first, I think I would have gotten rid of it. While it's not quite a rock, it just ain't the same and I'm certainly not enjoying it much. Have any of you have ever had a problem with two or rods of the same brand that just don't feel the same, no matter what?

Has anyone tried the new Rage 6'8" MXF yet? How does it compare to the Avid or Mojo?

I received a coupon in the mail for buy one, get one 1/2 price on Tec-Spec rods, so I may have to go get a couple of them. But in looking at the current lineup, there is no 6-10 ML. There is a 6-10 M/F Spinning designed for drop shop/shaky heads and a 6-10 MH/XF casting designed for soft swimbaits. You may want to recheck those technical specs (bad pun intended). Edit: looks like the shaky head dropshot rod is a medium light, although it is listed on the tag as medium. My mistake and apologies.

Dear Fishing Gods, please let my local Dick's put the Tec-Spec rods on clearance. And by the way, make it a day when I have disposable cash on hand. Thanks in advance!

Choosing rods by color is interesting. Aaah, the things we do for our ladies. At any rate, your local Gander Mountain has the Quantum Response series, which is black with blue accents. This week, it is on sale for $49.99. I have not used the spinning rod, but I have the microguide casting rod and it seems pretty decent for a $50 rod. Similarly, Dick's has the TecSpec spinning rods for $60 (but there is ALWAYS a $10 off coupon somewhere), and it is smoke grey. The TecSpec Elite is $20 higher but it is blue.

Senkos and Dropshot minnows. Not so easy to do on a medium-speed river, but I've seen it done and just HAVE to try it this year.

Ask me 4 weeks ago and I'd have said my 7' Veritas. Lately, I've had a million times more fun chasing smallmouth on the river with my St. Croix Triumph 7'ML-F.

Thanks - I'll try it and see what happens. My gut feel is that it will feel a tad stiffer (as in broom handle) even though it is only a little more than an inch shorter. I'm just p****ed that I lost the receipt. This should have been so much easier. (Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!")

Curiosity: why do some of you hate split grips so much?

My beloved 7' M/F Veritas Spinning rod has a broken tip (about 1.25" from the end). Unfortunately, I've looked everywhere (three times) but I do not have the dang receipt. According to AG customer service, my best option without proof of purchase is a "non-warranty repair", which would be 45% off the retail, plus the $9.95 s/h. Apparently this would not require me to send in the old rod, just a picture of the break. I can remove the tip from the broken fragment and place it on the now 6' 10" Veritas rod. How much do you think that would change the action/feel/usefulness of the rod? Would it be worth doing or a recipe for further disappointment?

Picked one up yesterday. Tried to get a second one 45 mins later, but they were out of stock. Thanks for the heads up!

The new ones (69xx) have been out about six months now. As far as I can see, the new ones have a braid ready spool (so is the old one, once you put mono backing on it) and a new soft touch handle (not that the rosewood handle bothers me in the least). To its credit, the old one still has the spare spool. The "old" 67xx reels are being cleared out in a few places (surprisingly even at my Wal-Mart) for about the same price as the new one is available online. Has anyone tried the new ones yet to compare? Is there a compelling reason to choose the 69xx over the 67xx?

Easi Let's just call it a stoooopid day.

So, I ordered the wrong *bleeping* rod. I now have the 6-9 casting but really wanted the spinning. This sucks double because it is out of stock online at less than MSRP. Except for casting the 1/8-1/4 oz jigs, etc, ow different would the two rods be? Don't answer that - I already know. Got to sell the casting and wait for the spinning to be back in stock.

I have a reel of PowerPro 30# that is fading a bit, but otherwise still seems sound. When it fades, it is still somewhat green, but the whitest parts are still darker than Nanofil. So, why do we get rid of faded braid line (but still fish lines in translucent orange, red, white, green, moss brown, etc.)? Has anyone really noticed a difference in their results?