FishTank

12lb Seaguar Invizx. I use it for pretty much everything.

I like a Med Fast rod around 7' and with a 7.x reel with 12 or 15lb Sunline Natural for buzzbaits. Not a fan of braid with buzzbaits for some reason.

This was my first year fishing from a kayak and after some advice and my own trial and error, I found that I like to take one setup or maybe two. I like to keep as simple as possible. The setups I like to use the most are a St. Croix Avid 7' MH and a Shimano Curado or a G. Loomis 783C GLX with a Shimano Core 101MG. Both can handle just about anything. If I was picking new a setup, the Curado and St. Croix Avid would be my pick.

I agree that I don't think its fake. I can remember going to a tackle show that had a Loomis dealer and there they had both the green and blue NRX rods with no ID of any kind. They were marked in the rod rack. They were just for show but they were the real deal.

I am kind of ill built and don't mind a slim/athletic fit if the shoulders fit. I wear a 34-36in pant and a 48-50 sport coat. Most clothes fit me like a tent. I have found a few things at Duluth Trading Company that fit (jeans and athletic fit shirts) but I have reached the point where most jeans won't fit me either.

I have a few. My issues is that my arms are generally too big to have a base layer (like a polar pullover) but a thin one, like the Patgonia Capilene or the Smartwool 250 seem to work. I still have issues with the shirt getting hung up in the sleeves. I have a few shirts with those weird thumb holes but I would rather be able to wear a flannel shirt or something more my speed. It feels like some of the jacket fits have changed as well. I use to be able to wear some of the athletic cut jackets but the shoulders and arms are too tight now and they're too loose around the belly. It's almost as though the manufactures (Arcteryx, Marmot, North Face, Mammut, Patagonia, etc) don't make the athletic fit for athletes. It use to be that the sleeves and shoulders were bigger and the jacket through the waist was slimmer. I guess I am just getting old and frustrated that nothing seems to fit me right.

2.0z, you're getting to swimbait weight. I am not sure the SLX is equipped to handle something that big. When I tried it out, it reminded me more of a finesse reel. I would look at a Shimano Cardiff, Calcutta, Tranx, Daiwa Lexa, and maybe the Abu Garcia Beast or the Winch.

So I was looking for a cold weather (30 degree) jacket and when I found a few that I liked, I noticed that they had no insulation in the sleeves. I don't think I can recall ever seeing a jacket that was insulated through the body but no insulation in the sleeves. Why would companies make a jacket like this? What purpose do non-insulated sleeves serve?

Fished Okeechobee on a tour when I took the family to Disney over Christmas many years ago. It was a blast. I hate to say it but the fish in the area we went to seemed to be like pets. We could see one 5lb+ bass after another but nothing big would bite on what I usually fish here (soft plastic, crankbaits, etc). The guide had me go to live bait and the bite was on. At $20 a doz. for shiners, I would be prepared to go through 4 doz. or so, easy.

I say go for it. Fish until your body and mind says no or if the pond is frozen.

Hope things workout. Sure is a good looking dog. We had a husky aussie mix and it was high energy, all go and no stop, athletic dog. We trained her to go on a leash next to me when I road my bike since our daily 5 mile walk would just get her warmed up. The long bike ride at good pace and a weighted vest was needed to wear her out.

Nice. The Pop Max colors are ones I have never seen before... Awesome.

Anything big fished slow. IMHO, once it's cold the bigger fish go deep and tend to inhale baits gently using as little energy as possible. So I like to use big jerkbaits, large (but not huge) soft-paddle tail swimbaits and jigs with a larger trailer and I fish them really slow. I think the key is to find the fish first. If you find bait fish, somewhere close by are bass.

The guy I fish with each week has 4 of them. Some are in better condition than others but they still work great and catch a lot of fish.

Kind of my philosophy. I always thought when a pro fisherman puts their name on a reel it's just a gimmick to cash in on. Generally the quality is compromised on the product and the pros are left to keep pedaling it. To me when I see someones name on a reel, a rod, or especially a bait, I am inclined to walk the other way..... Of course I say that and I just bought 2 Quantum KVD Tour Rods. I have yet to find an issue with them. I would definitely would not have payed the regular retail price though. But for what I payed for them, they have been a lot of fun to fish.

Not that I have ever seen. Usually Shimano, Daiwa, St. Croix, and G. Loomis are excluded (plus many others). I bought my DC at Dicks during a customer appreciation sale and got it for $199.00.

I have the same rod and with the older Calcutta 251. Works great. I use it for just about anything and everything.

G. Loomis 783C GLX and a Shimano Core 101MG.

I had one a few years ago. I never caught anything on it, not one fish. I ended up getting snag one day and donated it to Davy Jones Locker. One of the only baits I thought would be a bass magnet and it ended up being a total dud.

I don't think there is. I could be wrong but the RC series was originally made for Bass Pro Shop and it expanded from there. I thought it coincided with a Rick Clunn series of equipment. The baits as I remember were not well received as they seemed cheaper than the other Lucky Craft baits at the same price. I think after they were discontinued BPS came out with a XPS crankbait that was almost identical. The Lucky Craft LC DD DRS maybe the closest.

Smackdown is the smoothest I have used but Power Pro is still my favorite.

Looks cool. I don't know how KastKing fans will respond to the higher price tag considering their other offerings are about half the price but if it's worth it, why not.

Oddly enough, I did the same thing. For free, why not.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Curado-Baitcast-Fishing-CU200XGK/dp/B07453C64P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=curado+k&qid=1573535787&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMTJRRUJNNFFSMVNDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDUwNTc2Uk5FOEVWVVBaV0ZWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxODU2OTlZQzVKUzRNVUxWWEomd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I have the Curado K and the DC. If I had to choose, they are both great but the DC is definitely worth the extra cost. Great reel and just fun to fish.