MickD

Braid with a fleuro leader is about all I use any more. I really like the sensitivity. With baitcasting I usually use about 25-35 braid with a 14-20 leader, about the length of the rod, using double uni knot which has always been reliable for me. With spinning I usually use 10 pound braid with 6-12 pound fleuro depending on what I'm fishing, double uni knot. Only caution is that the knot will get beaten up by going through the guides, and I think it is appropriate to cut back and retie every now and then, depending on the number of casts. In Canada, fishing 10-12 hours a day, I retie every other day. The double uni is easy with a little practice. Mick

I have fallen in love with 10# Power Pro on my spinning rod for just about everything. Long, effortless, casts, no problems with tangles or line memory, seems very tough. It is undoubtedly the best casting setup I've ever tried, even as good as 4 # mono, except much more forgiving. I don't know if it is necessary, but I use an 8# fluerocarbon leader on it since I'm worried about fish seeing the opaque braid, and if you use a leader, you need to learn the double uni knot, which at first is tough, but with practice becomes easy. And remember every other day or so, retie it as going through the guides can deteriorate the strength of the knot. I have read that others use braid without leaders in everything except crystal clear water with no problems. If tying directly to braid, learn the Palomar knot for your terminal knot. Easy and will not slip.

Don't look back, just enjoy. There is no such thing as too many fly rods, so if it isn't right, buy another. I think, as you do, that if you try stream trout, it will be just right.

Keep in mind the string started asking about catching 10-14 inch smallmouths, so erring on the light side might be better than erring on the heavy. I still think a 6 weight is plenty unless the rivers are big, the casts have to be especially long, or the flies have to be big streamers. None is likely for 10-14 inch fish.

Ultra clear and low- long casts required. If 4 pound mono is tough enough for you, fine, but I find it too fragile. So on a clear, low, long cast river I fish I used 10 pound Power Pro with a six foot 8 pound fluerocarbon leader. It casts a mile (better than any 6 or 8 pound mono I've tried) and is tough enough to take some contact with rocks. Only down side is you have to tie a good double uni knot to get the line and leader connected well. After some practice it is not hard. I use super flukes on a 3/0 hook, no weight, and the smallies leave wakes once in a while rushing up to them. Tennessee shad color and bubble gum. Bubble gum is nice if the fish are hitting them because you can see them so well on the retrieve. Very little to no action is required.

My son and I use silver buddies in deep water both vertically and on long casts and have little trouble with snags. We encounter weeds and rocks, very little wood, which might be a different issue. I think I remember an article recently in which the leading hook of the front treble was cut off, maybe one of the rears, too, and it prevented snagging without significantly affecting the action. At the right times of the year, they are very effective. If fished vertical, they are a piece of cake to fish-even jigging-challenged guys like I am can do it. Another time they work very well is if you find midsummer pike off Canadian lake points in very deep water (40-50 feet). Just hang the boat over them and jig the silver buddy-usually pike cannot resist. Oops, talked pike on a bass site again.

I have not experienced the IMX rods yet, but made two 7 foot Loomis Bronze crankbait rods. They are said to be a blend of graphites in order to get the light weight, sensitivity, and still have a sort of soft action for cranks. They are in fact super light, a pleasure to cast, and handle big bass with ease. I love the rod. Some recommend glass for casting cranks, but if they ever tried one of the loomis crankbait rods, they would never go back to the heavy, dull, unresponsive, glass rods. The ones I made are the light end of a series of two or three crankbait rods that Loomis offers. I like them on the softer side because I use braid most of the time, cast lures smaller than 1/2 ounce a lot, and softer rods are easier on the arm for casting for long periods of time. I'm only talking about baitcasting rods-not sure if that is what you are asking about.

Buy the best rod you can afford, I really do believe you for the most part get what you pay for in rods. In spinning, the rod is more important than the reel, so stretch a bit on the rod. I would go 7 foot for river bass-I like the extra length for maneuvering the tubes on retrieve, and especially if wading. For a boat or canoe, the extra 6 " of length is less important. I have the Legend Elite 7 footer mentioned earlier, as does my son, and we love it. Since I made the rods myself, the price was about 40% less than retail (and with better guides). I also have a mid level Loomis that costs a lot less than the Legend, and seems to me to be as light and responsive (guess that conflicts a little with getting what you pay for- but Loomis and St Croix make some really great rods)

I agree with previous posting recommending 5-6 weight. I would go for 9 foot. #9 would be too much rod (unless streams are very large and you are casting large streamers) and would be more tiring on the caster than necessary. I don't happen to have a #6 so use my #3, and it handles the fish OK (~2 1/2 pounds) but is not quite enough rod for the olive wooley buggers that are the best smallmouth fly around here. I have an #8 and a #9, and they are just too much rod for stream smallies. They are good light salt water rods. Go to a store and handle a #5-6vs a #8-9 and I think you will be able to tell right there that the #5-6 is right in comparison to the heavier rods.

I'm pretty sure those who argue your line is twisted are correct, and replacing the line and respooling with new of any brand will only repeat the problem - unless you change the way you respool. Note that the line is not just loose on the spool, it came off the spool then wrapped around itself when the tension was removed. If it were just stiff line it would tend to come off the spool, but would not wrap around itself. I agree with someone who said you probably can fix it by dragging the bare line behind the boat for a while. Except for the Cabela/Daiwa "Capricorns," and maybe some others I don't know about, the right way to spool a spinning reel is to observe the bail action from the exposed end of the reel spool. If the bail wraps in a clockwise direction, let the line come off the line source spool conterclockwise, and the line spool source does not rotate. That is right for your Stradic. Check out your instructions and you will probably get these instructions and a nice sketch of them. 6 pound test line of just about any quality will be soft enough to work well on your Stradic if installed without twisting. Mick

Before you buy, do an Ebay search for the reel you decide on. If the seller has 100% satisfied buyers, you will likely not go wrong (on brand new reels). This way you can get a $240 Quantum PT Tour for about $180, or if you're stuck on Curados, Curados for about $160. I just did this for a Quantum PT Tour and it casts like a dream! I expect all the $240 reels cast like dreams, and from what many are saying, the about $200 Curados are very good. As I said once before on this forum, it would really be great if we had a spot where we could try out a number of reels. Anyone know of that spot?

Don't look back, just go fishing. Shimano has been in the mainstream longer than Quantum, so will have many more advocates. I really love my Quantum spinning reel, don't remember the model, and their PT Tour casting reels are really smooth, and just a little above the Shimano price. You can go nuts with all the hype about the different options, but the bottom line is that you get about what you pay for, and I expect for what you paid for the Shimano there are not a lot of options that would offer you more. One thing I would offer you as a strategy next time you go out for a purchase, check out Ebay. You may find what you want at a lower price. Mick

Let's restate the field we are dealing with-this is a bass fishing site. So we don't have to worry about runs against the drag of 100 yards or more. We are dealing with a few feet or yards. With spinniing, it's all about the rod. And with any technology, with added price there is a diminishing return. Usually what you get with rods above $90-100 are better guides and more guides. And that is not a lot of gain. I have never had a guide fail except for grooving the tip top. So put on a new one every few years. As for the reel, anything above about $80-90 will not yield much advantage. It will all be in long term durability and smoothness. But not a lot. With bait casting it is all about the reel. The more money you put into the reel, the better reel and fishing experience you will have, and going up to well over $200 will get you significant performance advantages. My opinion, with spinning, get the most expensive rod you can afford with a good $75 reel, and with bait casting get the most expensive reel you can afford with a good $100 rod. Watch for sales. and Ebay. At this site we tend to get a little anal about the small stuff, so use your judgement and you will do OK. We have all fished with less than the "best" and have had a lot of fun. Really expensive tackle won't make you a better fisherman, it will just make fishing a little easier or more pleasant.

I think the most important aspect of bait casting rod selection hasn't yet been specifically mentioned, and that is that the rod action needs to be matched to the weight of the lures you will most often be casting. It must flex quite a bit on the cast in order to load properly and cast easily. Many select a rod that has too heavy an action and find that it is very tiring (hard on the arm) to use for long periods. Most of these responders are experts, so they may consider my point a given, but I think it worth mentioning.

Lots of good opinions here, and remember, it is all opinion. There is no absolute answer. I find Shimano Stradics to be quite good when new, but having worked on a few, find them a little cheap feeling and not quite up to their price. My favorite reel right now, and I admit my opinion changes as I try other stuff, is the Daiwa/Cabelas Capricorn/ ?? series of reels. Silky smooth, good drags, great bail closing efforts, comes in a variety of sizes. Metal housings, never fails. I think you get what you pay for, for the most part. But do we need a reel that will take a tarpon run of 150 yards if we are fishing for largemouth bass that can take at most about 10 yards? Don't get enamored with the $400 reels. You don't need them. Better to buy a $100 reel instead of $400, and buy a $200 rod. Or build the rod yourself for $100. With all technology, there is a diminishing return curve of performance vs cost. With reels, after about $100, you don't get much for your money, with rods, after about $150, same story. Don't get sucked in.

I have used Bionic Blade casting rods and found them very good. I use a 6 1/2 foot medium action casting rod in Canada every year. It is 2 piece so travels well. I would expect the spinning rods to be good as well. My advice would be to try to match whatever rod you can get with the type of fishing you will be doing, and with crankbaits, you want something a little soft on the tip compared to what you might use with fishing suspending jerk baits. It is not as important that you have a Bionic Blade or an Extreme or a Loomis as it is that you match the action with what you want to do with it. If I remember correctly, there are a lot of Bionic Blade options, so try to buy the one that best matches what you are going to be using it for.

Doesn't sound like a problem to me, sounds like an opportunity to buy another Curado.

Bill Norman Deep Baby N in Gel Craw finish-I've done better with that lure over the years than any other, although around here it seems to have slowed down. could be the fish have seen it too much. I've caught LM Bass, SM Bass, Rock Bass, Carp, N Pike, Red Horse Suckers, Walleye, Perch, Salmon, & Crappies on this lure.

I have a great deal of respect for the opinion of many of the members of this forum, and they are advocating the usual brands, but I have to testify that the Cabela's XML 2 piece ML 7 foot spinning rod I just made for a gift for my daughter in law turned out to be the lightest spinning rod I ever made, even lighter than the St Croix SCV 7 footer I made for my son earlier. My son's rod had titanium guides, and the Cabela's had gold SIC's. I haven't fished with it , but it sure felt like a really nice, responsive, rod when I finished it. I have an 8 weight Cabela's fly rod that I made from one of their higher level blanks, fast action, and took it to Belize. It did very well casting in the wind there, and the guide used it for a while and commented that he thought it was a great rod. I would not dismiss the higher level Cabela's blanks. I really doubt that they make them, and maybe some of the experts on the forum can tell us who really makes them. Are they Loomis IMX's? Mick

I just received my Grizzly Hobby Lathe, and surprise, it works only with a drill with a 41 mm housing nose, which I think might be only with a Grizzly 1/2 " drill. Since I have two other drills, and was planning on using them, I am disappointed. If I have to buy a Grizzly drill + the lathe it costs almost as much as a more versatile mini wood lathe, so I'm sending it back and am going with a real lathe. Thanks for the tips, fellows, but I think the Hobby Lathe makes sense only if you don't already have a drill and plan to buy one anyway.

Jannsnetcraft.com is worth a look, also. Order their hard copy catalog. I recommend checking around whenever you have a specific blank in mind, you might find some sales, clearances, or just someone who hasn't updated their price list to the latest higher prices. Mick

A great string of posts-nice work guys, but you are a little over my head-can you tell me of a good souurce for spiral wrap 101? thanks, Mick

Thanks, Riverwarrier, for the lathe tips. I sure do learn something every time I open this forum! Mick

If you cheat a little and go pike fishing be sure to have a firetiger-check out the version of firetiger that is made by Terminator- it is a really good color for pike, even in clear water. It has a triple color effect-green chartreuse, then ends in hot orange (very bright orange). Looks so good in the water I almost want to strike it. I use it with a bright chartreuse or hot orange 5 inch grub as a trailer to make the whole thing look bigger. I don't even cast spoons any more for pike. Sorry bass zealots for adding this post.

Re: If you think your going to be turning more than cork, and some other harder meterial for the grips I would reccomend RIKON Mini Lathe combine that with a good quality chuck and you can turn just about anything you want. Plan right now is to just use for light stuff, but I'll have to compare prices to see if it makes sense to go higher. I noticed a Wilton light duty lathe on Amazon for only $100, thought it would probably do what I need to do. Have any experience on Wilton? thanks, Mick