Raul

If you are a follower of the "match the hatch" school of thought then with your arsenal of shad imitator baits you are in deep trubble, yep, you are not going to catch fish because your baits don 't imitate the forage base ....... but I 'm a stubborn skeptic ready to disqualify such school of thought, I think it 's a load of hooey because I know that bass is a fine tuned predator ready to pounce on anything that may not necessarily resemble something in nature a bass could eat like a spinnerbait or an in-line spinner if you present it right, in the right location. Lemme exemplify : my uncles have dairy farms, dairy farms that obviously have to produce the food for the cattle, their lands are irrigated by wells, those wells draw the water from underground and pour it into ponds, ponds that have stocked fish in them, I stocked them with bass, bluegill and tilapia ..... there 's no shad, no minners, no shiners, no crawfish in them, there never was, there will never be. Ok, crankbaits in blue/chrome, black/chrome, shad which are classic shad imitators catch fish in those ponds; flukes, worms, grubs in classic shad/minnow colors like white, silver flakes, you name any possible color that may mimic a shad/minnow also catch fish; let 's take it a step further, anything in classic rainbow trout colors also catches fish on them and for obvious reasons ( warm water all year long ) there 's no trout in those ponds. Jig n 'pigs, the classic crawfish imitator also catches fish in them ponds .... ponds that don 't have crawfish in them. This very same example can be extended to many lakes and other ponds I fish, so much for the "match the hatch" school of thought. : So, don 't bother trying to imitate the forage base, all baits will catch fish if you present them right, in the right location.

About two or three weeks ago we discussed the same thread.

There is no such thing as too much of an upgrade, if I had all the choices we now have back then 3+ decades when I started fishing I would have started with GLoomis or StCroix. My philosophy is: spend the most you can right here right now once and for all so you won 't have to spend in the future unless you want another. This doesn 't mean in any way I 'm implying that you should spend right now 200+ plus in a rod, what I mean is to spend your money wisely, there are plenty options out there. -GLoomis GL2 are cheap compared to other GLoomis models and are great rods and a quantum leap forward from that Fenwick you have in mind. -StCroix Avid are also top notch at a good price, better than GL2s just a lil bit more expensive. -Falcon Cara is another great rod for the money -Shimano Crucial for what I 've heard are similar to a GL2 in characteristics. None of those rods I mentioned exceeds the 140 dollars mark ( depending upon model & length ) which is really not that much for what you get for your money when it comes to lightness and sensitivity. You are asking: Am I better off learning on a Fenwick GT ($60) for a year or two before I make the big jump? Why spend 60 dollars now and more in the future ? 60 + the cost of the future rod = nonsense. Why nonsense ? because under those conditions you could have purchased an even better rod right from the begining.

Yeah, at $260.

Terminal tackle: beads, swivels, sinkers, snaps, hooks. Beads are used to create a clacking noise when the sinker hits them. Some alse say that they create flash to attract the fish, personally I think that 's a load of hoot, but the clacking sound is for real.

Oh yeah !

Okie dokie Flechero, here 's my take: I purchased a couple of Magnesium TS ( All Purpose & Crankbait ), first hand everything in the rods seemed fine, weeeelllll, that was until I went fishing and mounted my reels on them, forget about the balance, the sensitivity & all that stuff, that has nothing to do with the comfort of the handle; remember I said I hate Avids & BPS rods because of the bulbous handle ? yep, the diameter of the handle in the Magnesium line is greater than the one found in the GLoomis, Shimano & Berkley rods I 'm used to, this problem affects me and any other small handed everyday Joe ( and there are thousands like me in the world ), with my 200 size reels the greater diameter of the handle means less "palmability", it 's like having a pebble in the shoe, this issue is enhanced in the Crankbait rod; the palmability problem can be solved partially by mounting a smaller reel, I say partially because the pebble only got smaller but is still there, you know what I mean. Conclusion: got small hands ? Kistler Mag TS is not for you and looking at the pics of other Kistler models the LTX is also not for you. Ok so that was my first negative impression ...... until I hooked my first fish, when I set the hook the rod immediately rotated in my hand, something that took me completely by surprise, I reacted quickly and did something common anglers that have fished with pistol grips, to contrarest the rotation of the rod under pressure I placed the handle butt against my chest to fight the fish and reel it in, something just didn 't feel right. Why the heck the rod rotates ? maybe the spine ? maybe one of the guides is misaligned ? I know that that rod has the spine on the top but that 's not enough reason to make the rod rotate that way when submitted to pressure, I inspected the rod to check the guide alignment and it was fine, everything seemed fine :-/ ..... until I hooked another fish and same ***** happened :-?, but this time I was able to find the place the rod was using as pivot point to rotate: the reel seat, when under pressure the reel slides to one side ( the reel handle side ) causing the rod to rotate. Before crap happens I decided it was better to leave both rods alone and fish with my other rods. My friend Tony from San Luis told me that night at the lodge that he also experienced the same problem with his rods ( Mag TS too ) that very same day; mine rotated to the right ( my reels are righties ) while his rotated to the left ( his reels are lefties ). Obviously we weren 't going to leave it like that and we inspected the reel seats more throughly, yup, the reel doesn 't fit snugly in the reel seat so there 's a certain ammount of looseness, the reel slides which causes the rod to rotate when under pressure. Conclusion: Kistler has been using Batson reel seats instead of the traditional Fuji reel seats everybody else uses. I 'm not saying Batson products are crap, but the particular Batson reel seat used in the Mag TS is highly inappropiate. From the 16 BCs I 've got only 2 fit snugly in that reel seat, that leaves me with 14 reels that I can 't use on those rods. My friend Tony came up with the bright idea to add tape to the reel foot and it works, adding the tape makes the reel fit snugly ...... why the hell should I have to tape the danged reel foot ?, I paid 180 dollars per rod, add to that the 15% sales tax and that elevates to total to 415 bones, for 415 dollars I think I deserve a couple of frigging reel seats where I can sit all my reels. >

Jumped on the Kistler wagon, not satisfied .... it won 't ever happen again , I 'm sticking to what I know and GLoomis has never failed me.

The Chronarch 50 Mg and the Chronarch 100B are two completely different animals, the Chronarch 50 Mg is anything but NEW! as advertised, for us guys enthusiasts of Japanese tackle that reel is older than dirt LT, that supposdly new reel has been on the market for a long time hiding in the obscure caves of the Japanese market with another name: Scorpion Mg. What Shimano did was to give it a face lift for the world market: 1.- They increased the length of the handle form the original 70 mm stock handle to 80 mm handle found in the Chronarch 50/51 Mg 2.- They removed the 4x4 SVS and replaced it with the common VBS, what 's the difference between both brake systems ? the 4x4 SVS can be adjusted externally and internally while the VBS can only be adjusted internally. 3.- By removing the 4x4 SVS they managed to shave 0.3 oz from the reel reducing the weight of the Scorpion Mg from 6.2 oz to 5.9 ounces found in the Chronarch Mg. Cronarch 50/51 Mg: Scorpion Mg: The differences between the Chronarch Mg and the Chronarch 100B are: 1.- The Chronarch B is a much larger reel than the Chronarch Mg, the Chronarch is a full sized low profile while the Chronarch Mg is a petite reel. 2.- The Chronarch B is heavier than the Chronarch Mg by a lot, 2.9 ounces is a lot of weight when comparing both, in the real world: Chronarch Mg feels like a feather, Chronarch B feels like a brick after having the other one in your hand. 3.- Chronarch B has HEG gearing, Chronarch Mg doesn 't, besides, the gears in the Chronarch B are bigger. 4.- Chronarch B is ion plated ( hard mirror like finish extemely durable, the one found in the Stella and the Calais ), Chronarch Mg is painted and coated with special coating that supposedly makes the reel salt safe. 5.- Chronarch B has cold forged handle, Chronarch Mg has stamped metal drilled handle 6.- Chronarch B has escape hatch mechanism on the non handle sideplate to access the spool, Chronarch Mg has the conventional tab/screw mechanism. 7.- The Chronarch B has 2 more bearings 8.- Since it 's a larger reel the Chronarch has a larger spool ( same design but more capacity ). There are some other differences between both but those are the most noticeable ones. In esence, you are paying 20 dollars more for: Cold forged handle 2 more bearings HEG Ion plating More line capacity But you gain 2.9 ounces in weight Side by side performance, the Chronarch Mg whups Chronarch 's 100B rear end when it comes to casting the small stuff; the reason is: since the spool is smaller it weights less, it needs a lot less effort to break the inertia and make the spool rotate. And I know it because I have the Chronarch Mg, the Scorpion Mg, The Chronarch B and the Metanium XT ( Japanese version of the Ch100B ). All of them are superb reels but when I prepare my setups I prepare them with a specific application in mind, the Mgs are for the small stuff, the others are for the 3/8 + oz stuff.

Ok, here 's the deal LT, what you pay for is technology, components, design and materials. To give you an example with reels that are identical in shape & size, so you can make a comparison. What 's the difference between a CU100D and a Chronarch 50 Mg ? CU100D has sealed bearings while Chronarch 50 Mg has ARB ( anti rust ) bearings, ARBs are more expensive than sealed bearings. CU100D has alumium frame & sideplate while Chronarch 50 Mg has magnesium frame & sideplate, magnesium is lighter, more expensive and more difficult to work with, the weight difference between both is 1.5 ounces. CU100D has duraluminum drilled spool while Chronarch 50 Mg has the same duraluminum spool but further lightened ( more holes so you can understand ). And we can continue listing differences, the CU100D has a price of 200 bones while the Chronarch 50 Mg has a price of 250 bones, in escence you are paying 50 dollars more for: ARBs, Magnesium frame & sideplate, 1.5 ounces less and further lightened spool. What advantages do those differences give you ? Weight difference in paper doesn 't sound like much in the real world is one heck of a difference. ARBs are not exactly anti rust but actually means they are more rust resistant, according to what I 've heard they are as 10 times more rust resistant than ordinary stainless steel bearings, besides that, they have a different configuration which allows them to spin more freely, in the real world this means that you can cast with less resistance to spool rotation, easier casts with less effort. Having more holes the spool weights less, a few grams may not seem much in the paper, in the real world it means that you can cast smaller baits with less resistance, your baits will fly more ( more distance with the same effort ). Those marginal differences ( bearings and spool ) can mean 2-3 feet or more in your casts, it 's marginal, 2-3 ft isn 't much ...... well those 2-3 ft may be the difference between reaching a spot and not reaching it at all. Now Dodge is going to come and say that magnesium rusts with salt, that is true but that doesn 't mean that the reel is going to melt in your hands, been fishing with magnesium reels long enough to tell you that ain 't never going to happen. However when you own a magnesium reel you have to be careful not to mix salt and magnesium ( even though Shimano claims that the special space age coating they use on their magnesium reels makes them salt/brackish water safe I wouldn 't bet on it ). Once you have reached certain price level the gains are relatively marginal in performance or weight, it 's you who decides if such gains are worth it. Now speaking about the DC ........ still haven 't found a baitcaster I can 't backlash thoroughly and efficiently, I bet I can backlash that 650 dollars baby.

Here we are having trouble between wavelength and luminosity, we know that light is formed by multiple spectrums, the ones we can see ( colors ) and the ones we can 't see ( UV and above, infrared and below ), that one is measures in nanometers but luminosity is another thing, luminosity is measured in lumens or candles, if the luminosity is high ( like in the middle of the day on a cloudless sky ) the light that can penetrate will be more so less visible colors will be filtered, also, add to that that the light penetration is inversly proportional to the turbidity ( ammount of suspended particles ) and to the "color" of the water ( dyes ) there 's a huge element of uncertainty when it comes to those tables you see printed telling that at X ammount of feet Y or Z color is no longer visible, yeah they tell us at what depth that color dissapears but they are not telling us the ammount of lumens used to do the test nor the turbidity of the water used to perform the test.

Another thing to add. When we talk about the ability to see color or not the histological evidence shows the animal has both types of cells, rods and cones, the fish is able to see color, but when we talk about seeing colors we immediately assume fish can see colors the way we do, there 's where the thing gets tricky, we assume, that 's the point, but what we assume can ( and in most cases it is ) be entirely different from our perception, for starters fish like bass can 't see colors the way we do because they see color like we do with polarized sunglasses, they have another type of color perception. Back in the old days EVERYBODY said that dogs were color blind, now we know dogs are not color blind, they can see green and blue but can 't see red so they can 't see colors like yellow or orange, they don 't have the cells to see red. Wonder how a predatory bird like a hawk can see a small prey like a mouse several hundred meters away up in the sky ? Nope, it doesn 't look at the mouse, mouses and many other rodents create paths as they move around and mark them with urine, the hawk is capable of seing such trails because under UV light the urine glows like neon, the fresher the urine the more it glows, birds like hawks have cells to detect UV light, the bird is not looking at the mouse, it 's looking at the urine trail left behind by the mouse, where the trail stops the mouse is.

You can fish a senko with any line you like.

The lightest domestic market reel you can get without going bankrupt in the process is the Chronarch 50/51 Mg ( 5.9 oz ), the Steez is the lightest available ( 5.5 oz ) but at 450 bones it 's anything but light on your wallet.

Either an Arkie head or a flipping head.

IB, you described it perfectly, stereo vs THX ( but the Cherrywood is more on the monoaural side ) so you are getting the idea, catching bigger fish ? ---> probably, catching more fish ? ---> most definately. Let me give you an example, my friend Pedro has always been cheap, obviously you know I 'm anything but cheap when it comes to tackle, we went fishing about a month ago to Zimapán, the fishing was tough, the fish weren 't biting hard; he was fishing finesse worms with a Garcia Conolon rod/Scorp Mg, me with my GLX/TDZ. While I pulled one fish around every 4-5 casts he was pulling one fish every 10-12 casts, same retrieval speed, same spots with the added advantage he was fishing from the bow, I was in the back of the boat so I was fishing "used" water, after about a couple of hours of me whupping his rear end he finally asked what I was fishing with: R.- a finesse worm ? :-? , P.- what !?!? , R.- yup, same bait you are fishing with , if you want I can lend you another rod So I gave him a IMX/Ch50Mg I had right next to me. P.- Oh wow ! man it weights nuthin ! R.- Pretty light huh ? C 'mon man make some casts. At the third cast he set the hook on a nice two pounder, 4 more casts another fish. As the hours continued he began catching fish pretty much like me, at the end of the day he said P.- Ratz ! I gotta get me one of these, how much ? R.- 230 bills P.- R.- C 'mon Pedro, don 't give me the look, you spend more on other things that you seldomly use like your scuba diving equipment, how many time you went diving last year ? P.- Errrrrr..... two :-/ R.- How many times you went fishing last year ? P.- Almost every weekend R.- There you have it, ok, know that when scuba diving you need the best you can afford because your life depends on it, but you fish a lot more than you dive so the 230 bones isn 't really that much for something that you use almost every weekend. Is the Conolon a bad rod ? no but compared to other sticks it 's from earth level to heaven.

The is a big issue if you purchase a Chronarch Mg for that rod, you won 't want anything else in the future.

Weeeeellllll ...... we 've got Muddy & the Mook Squad, I guess that 's as good or even better than Harry n 'Charlie. And yes Valley, BM mag is that bad now. >

Cork is still relatively cheap, looks good, has antislippery properties, it 's highly impervious to the elements, it 's light and I think it has a special place in people 's heart. Other products like EVA or Hypalon may not have all the properties cork has. Why leather when there are other synthetic materials that can be used ?

CAPS LOCK, YUCK ! : Yes, there are baitcasters that can perform finesse technique with small or light baits & light line. Even though it 's all in the thumb having the right tools like the appropiate rod and the correct baitcaster help a lot.

No sir, that was not Venus, it was Pluto, Pluto is pi$$ed because atronomers decided to demote it from being the 9 th planet of the solar system to celestial body, besides it 's misalignment with Neptune is creating bad vibes that probably will be eliminated next time Saturn crosses the horns of Taurus.

BCR804 has a fast tip, BCR803 has a an extra fast tip.

BassMasters magazine is light years away from what it used to be, not only has gotten thinner through the years, the content is scarce, poor & teaches nothing, hell, it doesn 't even have the adventures of Harry n 'Charlie anymore ! >

Electronic circuits.

The Mossyback is located between the GL3 and the IMX, I have GL2s, IMXs and GLXs, from all of them the best bang for the buck are the IMXs, it 's lighter and a lot more sensitive than the GL2, a hair heavier and just an itsy bitsy less sensitive than the GLX but costing 120 bones less. The scale would go in ascending order: GL2 GL3 Mossyback IMX GLX I don 't think those extra 2" in length in the BCR are going to make that rod more sensitive than a MBR IMX 2" shorter.