desmobob

I have a few decent reels (a pair of Lew's Tournament Pros), one nice reel (Daiwa PX Type R), and two Tatulas. I got the Tatulas last year for something like $92 each. I use them a lot and I think they are an outstanding value and wouldn't hesitate to buy more of them. The T-wing mechanism sure seems like a neat innovation. I have no real way to tell if it increases my casting distance or not... Tight lines, Bob

I dream of a day like that. Congratulations! Tight lines, Bob

+1. Somebody put this thread out of its misery! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

Nice job! It's on my list of things to do... Tight lines, Bob

Thanks very much for the advice, gentlemen. I'll be placing an order shortly. :-) Tight lines, Bob

And, make sure your net is large enough. I lost my PB accidental bi-catch Northern Pike because my very nice Frabill Power Stow net did not have a deep enough bag. Tight lines, Bob

I saw them in the '80s in DC ( or was it Indianapolis?) and Tyler and Perry were both a mess. The fans started heckling, then Tyler spit into the crowd. They had to leave the stage in a hurry when the bottles and debris started raining down on them! The opening act was Sammy Hagar on his "Three Lock Box" tour... absolutely outstanding. My favorite concert was not one of the many rock shows I saw over the years, but a jazz performance. It was David Sanborn performing on his birthday at the Starlight Theater in Latham, NY (in the round; rotating stage) in the '90s. Ironically, I saw Sanborn several years later at the then newly-renovated Palace Theater in Albany, NY and he was horrible... worst concert I've seen! Best concert and worst concert: same band. Tight lines, Bob

I have a Bass Tracker Pro170 and love it so far (second season). The only thing I don't care for is the low, sit-down fishing seats. I'd rather fish standing up, leaning on a butt-rest type seat. Is there a standard height for a seat post for this type of seat? Should I get the adjustable type? (I have a 33.5" inseam.) My seat post bases accept the screw-in type posts. I'd be happy to hear any advice or recommendations. Thanks, Bob

I have a pair of Tatulas and a pair of Lew's Tournament Pros. I love the Lew's TPs, but I think the Tatulas are a steal at just about half the price (I purchased mine from the big auction site for less than $95 each last year). I think you'd be very happy with either of those two reels. The Lew's TPs feel lighter and the Tatulas feel heavier, but more "solid." The Lew's TPs are a bit smaller/lower than the Tatulas and if you have smaller hands, you might prefer them. As with everything, it would be good to find a place with them in stock so you can handle them, especially while mounted on a rod. Tight lines, Bob

I think I need to retract my comment above. Since replacing the light spinning rig I used to use for weightless wacky Senkos and finesse baits with a Daiwa PX-R and a Kistler KLX Finesse Worm bass casting rod, I've been using nothing but braided lines on all my bass rigs. When I bought the newly-released St. Croix Panfish Series spinning rod for my ultralight panfishing, I spooled it up with 4 lb. Trilene XL. It's the first time I've used mono in a while, and it's very light mono at that. I forgot how much 4 lb. mono stretches until I spooled up that rig with 4 lb. Fireline this weekend. Now, I have no more complaints about the sensitivity of that rod. The ability of your older rod to stop moving and go still quickly is referred to as "dampening." In my experience, higher quality rods have better dampening, which makes them cast more accurately and feel better all-around when working lures and fighting fish. I still recommend the St. Croix Panfish Series PFS69ULF... I think it's a great rod for the money. Tight lines, Bob

Most of us old-time canoe fishermen have used ping-pong paddles for quick/easy maneuvering. Keep it on a lanyard hanging over the side.... Tight lines, Bob

+1 I'm in the same boat... new SI (Garmin echoMAP 93SV) after years of basic fish finders. If I'd spend more time fishing and less time gawking at the Garmin, I'd probably catch lots more fish! Tight lines, Bob

+1 That's a great story and a great book. (Lyons also has a "Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told" that is a winner, too....) It's hard for me not to love pike for their explosive strikes, violent fights and airborne antics. But after one of them swims off with a Megabass PopMax, my opinion of them suddenly changes (for a while). Tight lines, Bob

I just picked up a new St.Croix Panfish Series 6'9" ULF. At first, I thought it was the best ever. Now that I've fished it a while, I still really like it, but am finding it isn't quite as sensitive as I'd like. On the other hand, it was fairly inexpensive as far as quality rods go, and it casts and fights fish very well. It has plenty of backbone and a nice, fast tip. I'd buy another one. (I have a Shimano Symetre on mine.) Tight lines, Bob

If things are REALLY tough, and down-sizing/finesse doesn't work, then out comes the UL spinning gear or 5-wt. fly rod. The great thing about it is, even though I'm expecting to catch panfish (which I'm completely happy to do), I usually end up hooking into something interesting. Last night, before the bass turned on, I caught a channel cat and two freshwater drum each over four pounds in about a half-dozen casts with a 1/16 oz. yellow marabou jig on a 4 lb. test UL spinning rig. And it was FUN! Some days, the early morning bite is good and the evening bite is good, but the whole day in between can be really slow. Fishing ultralight with the spinning or fly gear is a fun way to take up the time until the bass change moods. Tight lines, Bob

If you're fishing them in NY this time of year, you'll need downriggers to troll DEEP. Tight lines, Bob

I have a spool of 4 lb. test Vanish in my spool box that I've been using for leaders for two seasons now with no complaints. After everything I've read about Vanish, I feel almost as though I've hit the lottery! I'll pass on it in the future. Tight lines, Bob

I LOVE float tubing and have a couple of tubes: an old Browning Predator (extra-large old school tube) and an Outcast FatCat. The FatCat is a fantastic piece of gear and worth the price, IMO. I have some decent SCUBA fins as well as a pair of Force fins. One of my all-time favorite kinds of fishing is float-tubing for panfish with a 2-weight fly rod in the summer. You can leave the waders at home and fish wet... it's like fishing from an easy chair in the water! My only float tube bass fishing has been with a fly rod as well. It's a blast! Tight lines, Bob

+1!!! Leave the heavy artillery at home. A long medium or medium heavy spinning rod with 14-20 lb. line will do the job. Grab some plain jig heads and big curly-tail grubs from you bass gear and you'll have a good start. Pick up some American Fishing Wire at a local tackle shop in case you run into some bluefish. While you're there, ask the guys at the shop for some ideas on where to fish. Tight lines, Bob

I would love to fish barefoot but I have trouble working the switch on my foot-operated trolling motor in bare feet. I have had incredible service from a pair of Teva water sandals... they just don't seem to wear out after I-don't-know-how-many years! I like Crocs, but after the first season or two, they are a real hazard to wear on a slimy boat ramp. My flip-flops are also Teva. They were pricey for flip-flops but feel wonderful and last a long time. I'd really like to try a pair of Keen water shoes, but I wear size 15EEEE and they don't have 'em in really big and wide sizes. For conventional casual shoes, I would heartily recommend New Balance Cross trainers. I'm on my feet for lots of miles every day (I'm a mailman) and that's what I wear. Tight lines, Bob

I was back in the same area this weekend with a friend who rarely goes fishing. He was dangling the T-rigged D-Bomb I had rigged for him over the side while he watched me untangling my cast from a shoreline root ball. Suddenly, a big pike took a slash at it and startled the heck out of him. I thought that was pretty darn funny. Pretty darn funny indeed, until a big pike later ate my new Megabass PopX and swam away with it like it had been his all along. I'm really starting to dislike northern pike in a big way. Tight lines, Bob

I received my new St. Croix Panfish Series 6'9" ULF and used it this weekend. NICE! It's easily my favorite UL spinning rod of the four I have and I think it was a bargain. Tight lines, Bob

I was out fishing on southern Lake Champlain today. I had a good morning, then a very slow mid-day. As it got late in the afternoon, it started to rain steadily. It was calm and quiet and the sound of the light rain put me into a trance. I was working a long weed line, throwing a T-rigged Havoc Pit Boss and pulling out a nice bass here and there. There was lots of time and casts between fish. I was on autopilot, casting and retrieving, and trying to stay awake in the quiet rainy gloom after an early morning and long day of fishing. At the end of a retrieve and before making my next cast, I automatically glanced over the gunwale to make sure my Pit Boss was looking good, the hook point was still skinned, there were no bits of weed hanging on it, etc. Just as I lifted it out to cast, a northern pike that was at least 8 or 10 pounds came rocketing completely out of the water after it. We were eye to eye for a moment before he crashed back in. I swore so loud I'm pretty sure a few of you guys on the eastern side of the Mississippi may have heard me. If his trajectory was a little different, he could have landed in my lap. I'ver been startled a few times before by bass and pike making a grab at a lure just as I'm lifting it out to cast, but this pike really scared the daylights out of me by shooting all the way out of the water an arm's length away! Turns out it was the beginning of a pike-fest with me landing, getting bit off by, or loosing, two or three pike for every bass. I got tired of re-rigging after every bite-off and I finally called it quits before I ran out of hooks, worm weights and baits. I hate loosing gear, but I sure like the way pike fight! The biggest one I hooked (same size as the one that almost gave me a heart attack) jumped almost continuously. As a matter of fact, I had made a cast then tucked the rod under my arm so I could wipe off my glasses when the pike came flying out of the water as he hit the dead-sticked Pit Boss! They are amazing predators. If they got much bigger, I'd probably give up swimming. Tight lines, Bob

I'll add my "+1" to the thread. InvisX offers trouble-free handling, but is actually one of the least abrasion-resistant fluorocarbon lines out there (according to an independent test I read). Rocks, zebra mussels and northern pike make short work of it! I'd use Abrazx for leader. Tight lines, Bob

Get on over to dpreview.com, sign in, and start asking questions there. It's the forum for digital photography like bassresource.com is for bass fishing! Tight lines, Bob