Raul

I swear I can 't feel the difference between a GLX worth 100 dollars more than an IMX. Which only proves point I 've always mentioned, the rod may be manufactured with the best materials and all that gets to a dead end when your senses can 't feel the difference.

BPS ' XPS fluorocarbon IS[ Toray Super Hard Strong and it costs half of what Super Hard is worth.

Here 's the deal with swimbaits, there are basically 4 limitations when it comes to swimbaits: 1.- Gear limitations: gotta have swimbait gear wether you like it or not, it don 't have to be the most refined or the last scream of fashion, it 's gotta be capable of handling the baits even though some swimbaits are light enough to be fished with heavy gear it may not be the best option. 2.- Physical limitations: being young and strong helps a lot when you fish all day long with a bait of most of the others guy 's average catch. 3.- Economic limitations: gear may not be the most expensive but if you want to catch fish on swimbaits you gotta pay the price, GOOD BAITS ARE EXPENSIVE !!!!!!, when you are used to fish with a 20 cent worm paying 15,20, 30 or more bones for just one bait it may seem that you just blew your last functional brain cell when you purchase. 4.- Mental limitations: if you keep on fishing with one shakey head for average fish that 's exactly what you 'll catch, average size fish, same applies to every other bait, as long as you continue with the "numbers" mentality swimbaits won 't be for you. Catt mentioned a good point: a 2 pounder will eat a bait the size of a Mattlures bluegill or baby bass, it 's true ..... but you aren 't after a 2 pounder, you are after bigger fish, if you are after numbers there are better ways to catch a limit of 2 pounders than with a swimbait. I don 't mix swimbaits with my arsenal, I have an arsenal of swimbaits which is a completely different thing, I 've got swimbaits of every kind: floaters, sinkers, wakebaits, suspending, hard, soft, hybrid, you name it.

Yup. What for ? realistic doesn 't mean they are good, the Mission Fish looks like crap and gets a minus 10 in the "realistic" department however is one of the best swimbaits around and has been a proven fish catcher for years :. The Lucky Craft Amago & Real Bait get a 10 plus in the realistic good, killa looking bait department and so far I 've caught nuthin on either. If you are going to buy screw the "realistic" department, get proven baits and if they look realistic it 's a bonus.

I cut the hook with pliers into two and even three pieces and remove them, after all, how many cents is a hook worth ?

The Sol and Alphas are great reels, the Alphas Itö is even better, but compared to the Pixy for light line & small lures it 's like comparing your everyday drive to a F1 car. I wouldn 't recommend the Presso, it 's for even lighter line plus it only has a 70 mm handle. BTW, I wouldn 't recommend 6-10 lb test braided line either, it 's as thin as a hair and it will break easily if you rub it against a rock, you want 6-8 lb diameter then you 'll have to go higher, 20 lbs braid minumum.

Matt, it ain 't spam, it 's the tuth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and Brian please: I know it can be frustrating but don 't give up!, more truthful words have never been spoken, listen to what the man says, he knows a few things about swimbaiting & swimbaits.

The first three lures I 've ever purchased were 2 Mepps Aglia #1 in-line spinners ( which I lost many moons ago ) and a Rapala Original Minnow size 9 in rainbow trout pattern that I still fish with, it 's 35 years old.

Pic taken at TW headquarters:

Yup, they are pricey but that 's what they are for and if that was your worry ( the bait getting all beat up ) you should have clear coated first, now it 's beat up so adding the clear coat won 't make much of a difference. As how the paint will react when being clear coated who knows, it may work or it may change color, make it milky or bubble up ruining it more that it already is. I 'd say leave it as it is, most of my pricey baits ( Jackall, Megabass, Evergreen, LC, etc ) are all scratched up and full of teeth marks. I think of it as battle injuries.

Accuracy is something you develop through practice, it may be true for you but not true for me, I 'm equally accurate with both. Flechero chooses by line size, spinning for lighter lines, bc for larger lines, that 's a good line of thought if you don 't have a bc reel for lighter line ( and there are reels for that ), besides, when you increase the line diameter you need to increase the size of the spinning reel or the spool won 't be able to handle the heavier line, it also increases the weight of the set up, bigger reel = more weight. To me selecting one over the other has to do more with the available room around me to swing the rod to make the cast, with a spinning reel you can cast with little room to swing the rod or in rod positions that are more difficult for a BC reel.

For what I 've heard Bagley is kaput financialy.

Super tunning may mean changing the lubricants ( specially oils ) for less viscous ones, there will be a in improvement ? yes, as long as the lubricant is there. It may mean poilshing a few parts, yes, there will be improvement, changing bearings, for 40 dollars ? nope I don 't think so. Tunning may mean a lot of things, for example, change your vehicle 's air filter for another one with more porosity and you gain a couple of horsepower, there you have it, your vehicle is "tuned"; same thing applies to reels.

For 40 dollars I don 't think there 's much "super" in the Super tunning.

A 20 lb domestic goose A texan hat A pair of ladies underwear ...... sauropod size ! A seagull A pelican A bucket Plastic bags Potato sacks Sandals And the list goes on.

If were faced with the dilemma of only two rods ( which I faced for a long time when I was a student or when I go on foot patrol ) I would go for a Medium Fast action for cranks, topwaters, jerbaits and finesse techniques, and a Medium Heavey or Heavy Fast action for bottom bumpers and spinnerbaits.

Destilled water only.

My man, you know how the spoon was invented ? a guy is eating his lunch, drops a spoon overboard accidentally and a fish strikes it, or how about the famous french fry worm ? a couple of guys went fishing, hooked french fries, casted in the lake and caught fish with it, but that don 't mean you are going to fish with your silverware or with your shore lunch. Besides that, if you gimme a fat check with a 6 figure number written on it I too would say wonders about your product.

Then anything else that can be said matter not, if you like it then get it.

The difference in line pick up is 2 inches per turn Add 0.6 oz in weight because of the heavier gearing Add the Instagage II system Add bigger knobs Add $ 30 bones. I dunno is the extra 2 inches in line pick up is worth 30 dollars, as for the Instagage II system, well I think of it as the flipping switch in some of my older reels, I can count the times I 've used it; perhaps being the Instagage more friendly I could use it more; the increase in weight isn 't much and after fishing with an almost 10 ounce reel like you 've been doing I don 't think its would matter much to you; bigger knobs ? hmm, bigger how big ?; stronger gearing ? could be. As for the Curado, bad business, you won 't get near as what you paid for it. What is it good for ? crankbaiting.

Trilene XT Big Game P-Line CXX Those are good lines for fishing rocks.

They don 't tear to pieces when a teethy toothy critter like a gar bites 'em. Kidding aside, it 's a matter of what depth you are planning to fish because there are many kinds of hard swimbaits ( floating, suspending, slow sinking, fast sinking, shallow runners, mid deep runners ).

X3 Want another option with a little more durability ? try Zoom 's Trickworms and Finesse worms

Which LC ? that 's an easy one:

Friggin '[move]AWSOM !!!!!!![/move]