Lucky Craft Man

I might be a little different in my preferences. I used to use a medium power rod for crankbaits and jerkbaits and I would land a large amount of fish hooked on this rod. But for me the trouble was in hooking the fish (especially on long casts). I do not have a powerful hook set (from years of being a Crappie fisherman, I have a bad habit of setting the hook to softly on Bass), therefore, I wasn't hooking a large percentage. I switched to a medium heavy power rod and my hook rate percentage went up. I do lose slightly more (not many more though) fish on the medium heavy power rod, but since I am hooking more, I am coming out ahead. Though, in the end it is a personal preference. I have tried at least 7 different rods out until I found the one rod I am comfortible with using for jerkbaits and crankbaits.

Has anyone ever used one of these? More specifically the Gary Klein 8'0" Flippin' Stick? I was looking at this rod and it is one of the only rods manufactured by a large company that is a spiral wrapped rod (or revolving guides as they call it). I'm just curious how this rod is.

Where in Erie were they hitting HPBB? I may go up there this Saturday (if I don't have to work and it doesn't rain too bad).

I have seen poeple use this type of hook as a trailer for a rubber toad lure where the two hook points would go into the legs of the toad and attatch to the main single hook that would be rigged weedless into the toads body. Though, with the shank of the hook not being welded, I don't know if this would work all that well.

I have the Eagle Fishmark 480 for the front ot the boat and the Eagle Fishelite 480 for the consol. Extremely good fishfinders (and in the Fishelite 480's case, very good GPS unit as well). I have never used the 320, but if it's anything like the 480, you will be very pleased.

It's funny you brought this up. I too have a BPS Extreme flipping rod that I do not like at all. I went looking for a 1 peice (I don't like telescopic butt sections) with not as high of a lure rating. I ended up finding and winning a Custom G Loomis IMX 7'6", one piece, split-grip, spiral wrapped flipping stick off of e-Bay for $127 plus shipping. This was the deal of a century except for the fact that the rod broke in half during shipping and I am back to looking for a good flipping stick. What I have been using in the meantime, which I may just stick with, is a 7' Heavy Power Cabelas XML rod. I find it a little easier to pitch with and is a lot more sensitive then the BPS stick. I did find a use for my BPS Rod, though. It makes for a good bucktail muskie rod. So if you want to get into muskie fishing, you already have a good bucktail rod.

Like I said, I'm just screwing with you. It think it is just funny because the stereotypical bass fisherman has a few pounds to lose. Enjoy it while you have it. I'm in the same boat as RocknFish, I'm 19, just hair shy under 6ft, and weigh 140. For about 3 years I was stuck weighing 125-130. No matter what I eat, no matter if I drink weight gainer, or whatever, just can't get past the 145 mark. I'm sure that will change, but I'll enjoy it for now. Don't worry, when you go over the 30 year mark, gaining weight will be so much easier and the closest thing to a six pack you will see will be the beer you have on the boat.

Forgive me for my ignorance on rod design, but how does a split grip improve the fulcrum point? I would assume that be decreasing the weight behind the reel seat by removing weight (i.e., less cork), the balance point would be shifted further up the rod away from the reel seat (but the fulcrum point where you are holding the rod wouldn't change). This shift in the balance point would increase the amount of "resistance" you are pulling against to set the hook (which is why tip heavy rods feel uncomfortable - at least to me they do). I try to balance all my rods so the neutral balance point if right where my hand position is on the reel. The rods that are perfectly balance at this point feel lighter then rods that are actually lighter, but aren't perfectly balanced at the reel seat. I assume I am wrong here, since I have no rod building experience and being that I highly respect the Reel Mech, I am hoping you can explain this to me. Thanks.

I personally don't like the feel of the split grip. I cast two handed, so I like to have my hand that is on the lower end of the rod on cork and not the blank. I used my buddies split grip rod for about 10 minutes, which was about all I could stand.

The G Loomis Rods are winning the fight for a reason. I have the 7'6", MH Power, Mod-Fast Action, G Loomis Crankbait Rod (CBR906C) and this thing is unreal for Rattle Trap style baits and deeper diving crankbaits. What I found to be a great jerkbait and shallow crankbait rod are the old Bass Pro XPS performance rods (the new ones aren't as good). Though, I think for crankbaits and jerkbaits, more money should be invested into a very good reel so any rod you are comfortable with will do.

I just saw a 6'6" MH Avid at Dick's Sporting Goods for $99.99. It seemed like a nice rod, but I have no need for a rod right now. You may want to goto your nearest Dick's (if you have one in you area) and check them out.

I use pure fluoro on 2 rods only, my crankbait rod and my jerkbait rod. There is only one reason I use the pure fluoro on these two rods as opposed to mono or hybrid and that is because it sinks. Here a quick story, my buddy and I were fishing the exact same jerkbait over a submerged weed flat. I was catching twice, maybe three times as many fish as he was. Also every time I would bring my lure back, there would be a trace of weeds on it and he would never get into the weeds. He quickly switched to a reel with fluoro on it and was catching as many fish as I was. The moral of the story, that extra foot or two that a sinking line like fluoro gives you with jerkbaits and crankbaits can be invaluable. I hope that answers your question as to why someone would use fluoro..

if you look on Yo-Zuri's web site (http://www.yo-zuri.com/Products/ProdLine/HybridLineChart.htm) the Hybrid 6 lb. test line has almost the same breaking strength as the 8 lb. I like having the thinner diameter of the 6 lb. and it seems to handle a little better. Therefore, by going down to 6 lb. has only benefits from what I see. That would be my recommendation.

I had a similar question to yours as to what line I should use. I ended up buying a ton of different lines and using them to figure out what I liked. Here are the six lines I ended up really liking and now use exclusively: 50 lb. Cabelas Rip Cord Si Plus Braid (for flipping and pitching) 30 lb. Cabelas Rip Cord Si Plus Braid (for surface frogs, carolina rig, small jigs, chatterbaits, etc.) 12 lb. Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon (for crankbaits and jerkbaits) 12 lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line (for spinnerbaits, senkos, tubes, soft jerkbaits, etc.) 14 lb. Cajun Red Mono (for surface lures other then frogs) 6 lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft (for drop shot, finesse, all spinning rod applications) These are the best from my personal testing of many different lines, but you may find another brand you like more.

Here would be my list: - G Loomis Rods - Shimano reels - Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line - Any Gary Yamamoto Lures (especially the Fat Ika) RW are you still alive? Actually my true list would include: - Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon (I was able to break 12 lb. test with my bare hands) - Gorilla Braid (They shouldn't be allowed to sell that crap) - SPRO Frogs (I couldn't hook a single fish - though from what I hear I got a bad one with a denser then usual body)

Has anyone used this? I thought it would be a novel thing to have to see what type of bottom there is in various lakes I fish as well as a useful tool for ice fishing. Is it worth the money and is there anywhere I can get a good deal on it? Thanks.

Here maybe a dumb question, but how can you tell a Northern Strain Largemouth from a Florida Strain one or any other strain Largemouth that may be out there?

To me, it's a no brainer... LC Pointer 100 SP.

Bobby, I received my free lure (3/8 oz. White Cavitron Buzzbait) on Saturday and I want to thank you for your generosity. I use Cavitron buzzbaits exclusively and it is always nice to have another soldier to add to the fleet. Thanks again and I will be sure to continue to spread the word about your products.

Thank you for the heads up. I've been looking at that reel for some time and taking $50 off made the decision very easy. Hopefully in 3 to 6 days I'll have it in my hands.

The CBR906 is unbelievable. Great Rod for lipless crankbaits and is very good for the deep divers as well. I would highly recommend this one (I got mine brand new from e-bay for $142.50, w/ shipping was 167.50)

In the last year I expanded my G Loomis Collection from 0 to 6 (it is true, you will not stop at just one). My 6 are: Custom made IMX 7'6" Heavy Power Spiral Wrapped Flipping Stick Crankbait Rod 7'6" Medium Heavy Power (CBR906C) Senko Rod 7'5" GLX Medium Heavy Power (BRC893) Frog Rod 7'2" Medium Heavy Power (FGR863C) Spinnerbait Rod 6'9" Medium Heavy Power (SBR813C) Mag Bass 7'0" IMX Medium Heavy Power (MBR843C) of these 6, though they are all very nice rods, I would have to say that the Mag Bass IMX rod is my favorite. It just feels the best to me and is the most versital (since the other 5 are more technique specific). I would like to hear about other members collection as well as which one is your favorite?

I assume you are not talking about Lucky Craft jerkbaits. I don't think there is any jerkbait on the planet that works better than these. So far for me, the most overrated lure has been the Fat Ika. I use this lure a lot, but I only managed a few with it. I will keep trying and hopefully I will have a break through.

I have (or should say had) 2 SPRO Frogs. One I hook up with very well and the other one I couldn't catch a fish to save my life. The difference between the two? The one seemed to have had a hard body and is actually tough to press down. The other one is very soft. I gave the more dense one away to my nephew (he justs likes to collect lures) and still enjoy catching fish on the other one. You may be experiencing the same thing. I would say try another soft frog or take a chance and buy another SPRO. Good luck.

I know, but the prospect of getting a free evolution jig is a suspenseful thing. Sorry about the excitement.