MacJig

You know I really agree with you. I especially cringe when professional bass fisherman are called sportsmen. I really find it hard to compare the talents of a great football player or baseball player with someone who does well at fishing. I don't know, for me it just doesn't equate. But call it what you will fishing is a great way to invest one's time.

Ok. Well I guess you can substitute sport with hobby, past time, waste of time: your choice.

Fishing is by far the best sport there is. That may be my opinion but I know many of you agree with me. So, I take a moment to thank the person who introduced me to the sport, my dad. It was back in the '60s and my dad would take me once a year at the end of August to the Thousand Islands to fish for pike. It was a sport that I learned to love because of him. We would rent a cottage, go to Alexandria Bay at night and fish all day. I can still hear the sounds and see the lights of the large ships as they slowly moved down the St. Lawrence at night. Certainly it was a young boy's dream. That went on for a full week. I learned patience, dedication and persistence in catching fish from him. That was a long time ago but it remains with me today. What is your story and who do you thank?

Yeah it's really hard when that gray-haired Man in the mirror screams back "I'm you!" Ugh !

I agree. I mean when the look of a rod and reel combo screams out ... "Fish me", I am sure to oblige. When the look screams out ... "I'm boring" , good chance it's left behind!

I only have a Sportsman's Warehouse around here. So, their rod selection is limited. If I wanted to buy a rod and it wasn't in stock at the warehouse then I would buy it online. But I typically don't like doing that!

Funny. That sounds like me. If the reel doesn't match to the rod, it doesn't go on.

Funny. I didn't know they made pink rods! I would hate to be one of the bottom rods in that collection. It's probably suffocated by now! ?

So when purchasing a rod and/or a reel, how important is bling to you? In other words does aesthetics play a major part when selecting a rod and reel? For me, it is somewhat important. It isn't because I have to have a sharp looking piece of equipment. It's that I prefer one. I'm really not into that standard black and or gray that melts in with every other black or gray rod in my collection. I like some color, some flash and generally my eyes will go to that rod that has more of that bling. It makes me want to fish it more. Abu Garcia, St Croix and yes even SixGill rods have some of that bling that I think really makes them look sharp. Abu Garcia, 13 Fishing, KastKing reels can look ... A+. Do you feel the same way or does color, flash and bling mean nothing to you? What brands or models are standouts for you?

I appreciate your help. I have kind of the same issue! If my longer rods sit too high they're going to hit the ceiling. So in solving one problem I create another! ?

Many thx! Do you find that it comfortably holds 24 rods with reels or do you have to really use some imagination to fit them in?

Maybe some of you know what I'm talking about. You know, those circular rod holders that hold maybe 15 fishing rods but are hard to get to when you need to get a rod in the back. The ones I have do not turn. So if you want to get a fishing rod in the back you have to pull the whole unit out, reach in the back, grab the rod and then put the rod unit back again. Of course that process knocks everything out of sync. Is there a better option out there: maybe one that has a swivel at the bottom that you can turn? I'm game to buy one if anyone can recommend it!

Well, if that shirt catches bass like that ... I'll take a dozen !! ?

Well, I'm sure the beer companies like hearing that ! ? Must be contagious !!

Here's another. So when I marry a rod to a reel I feel like they both have to have the same price value. If I buy a $200 rod then I feel like I need to marry it to a $200 reel. If I have a perfectly good $80-$100 reel already in house (and in great working order) I'm hesitant to set it up with that rod. In my mind it's not an equal . So some reels just sit there with no rod to call their own until, of course, I pick up that $100 rod then I conduct a ceremony. I'm getting better at this but not totally there.

I'm stressed out just reading this. ?

Thanks. I'm on my road to recovery.

Do you have any fishing idiosyncrasies? You know, those things that border on the superstitious that you apply to your fishing experience. I know I do; at least a few. For one thing I refuse to use red bullet weights or red weight stoppers. I don't know why! I just convince myself that if I use red I'm not going to catch fish. So if I have red on, I try it for a few casts, take it off and put on either black or green pumpkin. I have a buddy that says he does well with red. It just doesn't work for me. I'm sure color has nothing to do with it but in my own thinking it does. What about you? Anything that would be considered a fishing idiosyncrasy even bordering on the superstitious?

Thx my friend. I did buy an Okuma spinning reel but haven't used it yet. We will see.

That's funny. The pit boss in green pumpkin was #1 for me last year. Always have one tied on. I've tried some of the Googan plastics but never really got into them. They are tucked away somewhere in partial packages. ?

Funny you should say that about Okuma reels. Probably, no certainly, the worst reel I've ever owned was an Okuma. It was a casting reel. At that point I swore off Okuma forever. Their customer service, at least for me, seemed non existent. I've just recently started coming back with tiny steps. But that Okuma reel left a sour taste in my mouth!

Oh man, for me the Pit Boss in green pumpkin is dynamite! I really don't mind the scent all that much. In fact, I put some of my other plastics in The Pit Boss package just to pick up the scent! If they didn't act like such a junior high knuckleheads I'm sure more people would buy their product. Some of the Googans are okay (Jon b, lake fork guy) but others act like snotty nosed Junior highers! Just hard taking them seriously.

And yet if you watch some of those YouTube videos you would think that they catch bass on every cast! Well, I tried and failed.

Boy are you right. I started fishing them last year. Nothing. But I won't give up !!