FlipnLimits

Boston Baked Beans and Burnt Peanuts. Also a few Chompers products. FL

Good point, I have noticed this also. As a general rule, rods in the $150 and up range have better cork, atleast with less filler. My old Croix's held up very well and the minor filler that did fall out made the cork feel as if there was More grip. Mind you, little fell out because the cork is pretty good quality with Croix. We are picky people, we fishermen. lol PSTV, you may like Croix, if you haven't tried them. Great selection for sure. Slightly tip heavier but I really like that.

Dr. Phil can buy us rods in any length and action we want. Are you listening, Dr. Phil? LOL Come on guys, back to fishing About the foam stuff......I'll post some positives I've noticed. Doesn't get slippery when wet, as I thought. And doesn't get hot as I thought it might. Negatives...LOOKS! And the jury is out on how long it will last. And as for Shimano rods, my inside scoop from a rep was that the Crucial line will be much improved, more akin to the Cumara line. FL

Had a couple on loan from a friend that's sponsored, thought they were nice. I like the stiffer lines of rods like Shimano used to be. The new Crucial is softer. I really like Cashion for the sensitivity for certain baits. No foam or cork on Cashion but sensitivity can't be beat. They are good workhorse rods, like I like. Not super light, but grams don't matter to me. There are great rods out nowadays, it's a matter of trying enough to find what you like. I fish a lot and seem to find the work horse apposed to the high tech, high end stuff. I tourney fish and seem to break 'em on accident often enough so warranty comes into play. Shimano is over the counter so replacement is effortless and FAST.

Just my opinion, but the foam doesn't fell different enough, good or bad, to make the change from cork. Meaning, cork lasts forever with just minimal care and it always looks good!!! Foam, I can see it fading over time or shrinking. I haven't had the new EVA foam long enough yet to say it has faded or shrunk but I don't have those thoughts with cork, so why change?! I guess I'm a purist and just like the cork and see no reason for change if it works. Sounds like you are thinking along those lines also.

The frog doesn't matter as much as the action does. Try to get your frog to make as much commotion as you can, that will call the fish in heavy cover. The rod, well, you already should know a pretty heavy one will be required. FL

The reel seats are rather sweet! I hear they are moving back to cork and getting away from the foam grips. I hope so anyways. FL

Thank you Slone! Was good to finish one off finally. Now to get one in the bigger series where there's some more cash! If was a fun day out there and fishing has been pretty good lately for yours truly.

Crayons? They do seem to eat just about anything. LOL FL

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Kids have a way about doing these things. I don't fish the big pond so I can't help with recovery. FL

The Rapala is a good scale and the Xtools is also. I use the Rapala and have an Xtools for a spare. The Xtools culling tags are ok if you switch the attachment piece to a safety pin style. FL

Not sure when all of this started but I remember when the last place team or person started to receive a trophy for "attending" the contest. I knew something was wrong with this mindset and here are we are a couple decades later and we can't even make jokes. Nowadays, kids are wimps and cry to mommy or their teachers because they aren't competitive enough to fight back for themselves. And as soon as a kid has ambition, desire, or is anxious to do something, he gets fed some meds to calm him down. We are heading towards being a country of mindless zombie-like goons. FL

F/C is a tool just like rods, reels, and baits. It's us, as fishermen, who must find where it's most beneficial. I use FC for one application only and it's perfect for it. It's a light bait with a slow action rod, and the line has no chance to break. And I use FC for this light bait because it casts easily on a longer rod with a full sized reel. So again, a tool for a certain job, just like braided line. Everything else works well with XT or XL for me. And the 3K yd spools last a long time, even with very frequent line changes. FL

The winner thought one of the bass was a carp doing circles for some reason. (was on a bed) He cast to it and caught it. Was his first cast of the day. Fantastic!

I wouldn't think so Will have to get in touch with this gentleman. Thanks for confirming. I also notice he posted above.