Jig Man

If I were buying a new baitcaster it would be a citica. The most important part of your setup is the rod. Without exception every rod I own has cost more than the reel which is on it. I have both the IMX 843 and 844. For a general purpose rod I'd pick the 843. I use it for spinnerbaits up to 3/8, buzz up to 3/8 and jigs up to 1/2. The 844 is what I use for 1/2 spinnerbaits and jigs over 1/2. I also have a 783 and find it to be good for tubes and medium spinnerbaits. I don't like it for jigs at all.

I have 4 different sizes and just printed labels for them and stuff them in without any dividers.

Check this link provided by avid. I have switched to this knot. It is small and needs no glue. It has not broken at the knot once since I have used it. http://www.stripersonline.com/Pages/Articles/article_arby_albertos_knot.shtml

I always drop shot with Power Pro and a fluro leader.

Not me. I have a dozen and a half molds and all of them are 2-4 different sizes in each mold. You may have to have a custom job. You can buy the blank mold if you know a good machinist who will make you one.

I haven't seen any in stores in a very long time. Bucktail doesn't seem to be a material of choice for most companies. It is one of my favorite dressings for swim jigs and treble hooks. You might have to buy some spinnerbaits and a couple of bucktails and make your own.

Most any of the top 10 can make you happy. I suggest that you decide how long you need the boat to be, will it fit in the garage, whether or not you want a dual console, and how big of a motor you want to run. Then select the tmotor and electronics. Once you settle on those big items it is time to look at floor plans. Look at all the options and floor plans offered by the different companies which you can do on the internet. When you have narrowed your field it is time to go boat shopping and color selecting. Be sure to take along pencil and paper to take notes on what you see and like. If you have a digital camera, take it with you and shoot several angles of the ones you like. When I just go out and start looking at boats on lots, I come home dizzy and can't remember squat. Buying a new boat is a lot of fun and if you get one suited to your needs it can keep you happy for years. My brand ranking for the top three I like are Champion, Bass Cat and Ranger. I like the Champion best for two reasons: dry ride and simplicity of box lid and lock design.

St Croix Avid rods are being discounted at Bass Pro. I picked up a couple at a $$$$ savings. They had been $180 and I got one for $120 and the next week the other for $111.

For your offer to trade your rod for mine. Though your rod was not exactly what I wanted it got me to look at the St Croix Avid rods. Since then my wife bought a 66 M and I bought a 63 MF. They are both very good pieces of equipment. I never would have looked at them if it weren't for you. Yesterday I caught at least 15 bass on the 63. It is a great rod. Thanks again.

I have been using it for the last 5 or 6 years. Academy has some sissors that do a fair job. For a while I kept a sharp knife on board but I bought a Power Zap at Bass Pro which I now use instead of the sissors or knife. It also allows me to mend and or modify plastics.

Thanks for the feed back. I won't be able to look for them since yesterday was my last trip before I go into winter quarters myself. I was wondering if they go off somewhere and suspend of just what they do. The area where I am fishing has lost its shad concentration lately. Do you suppose the smallmouth are out there somewhere around the shad?

All spring summer and fall there have been a lot of smallmouth mixed in with the lmb and spots on my favorite banks. These banks are rocky and ledgy. One of them is rip rap. Usually 1/4 - 1/2 of the fish are smallmouth but the last 4 or 5 trips have only produced a total of 2 smallmouth. Yesterday we took 30 bass off the rip rap and only one smallmouth. If they don't winter in rocks, where do they live in the winter?

Yep I'd say you have a problem. Colder water is usually clearer and the sonar works better.

I don't know how you set them up but when we tried it we followed the instructions on the pack put the bobber stop on the line 8-10' above the jig. Next we put on a little bead. The actual bobber was against the jig with the bead above it. The knotted stop was wound up into the rod. It was cast out and the jig allowed to sink and the line pulled down to the bobber stop. That put the jig 10' down. As we rattled and shook the jig and wound in the line the bead and bobber left the stop and worked its way back down the line to the jig. When we reeled it in the bobber was back against the jig therefore negating its usefullness.

FnF can be anything you want it to be. It is just like any other kind of fishing. If you don't plan to take the time to learn how to do it don't spend the money. When I got into it the rod choices were limited. The longest thing I could find was 8 1/2'. If I had do overs I'd get at least a 10'. If you just cast it out and let the world do your work you might as well stay at home. FnF jigs have to be worked and a slip bobber just won't do it. It will slide up the line and you will wind up with the jig next to the bobber. You might be able to have some success with a 7' rod but we use leaders as long as 12'-14'. You really need for the leader to be long enough for the jig to reach the bottom on bluff ends and shelves. We started out with a kit from Punisher jigs just to see what they used. Since then we have made our own jigs. I don't use it a lot since I go south for a couple of months but my bud who stays in MO has some unbelieveable days. http://www.punisherlures.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,34/category_id,42/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/itemid,78/

You can buy the washers where you buy the lube. Change both of them every time you change your lube.

I was doing a little refreshing this morning and decided to look up threads on rod action. I have run half a dozen unsuccessful searches in Bass Fishing and Fishing Tackle. I guess I don't know how to use the search engine on this site.

Procraft is now part of the Tracker group. You might find something on their web site. A for the scratches, I'd start with polishing compound. If that didn't get them move to rubbing compound. If that doesn't work then wet 600 grit sand paper.

I just traded an IMX SJR 843 for that 782 and first time out I caught 6 bass on it using a tube with 1/8 oz insert. It it a great rod for that application. I am goint to use it Wed. and also a new Avid I found on closeout at BPS today for $111.

Palomar for drop shot Everything else San Diego Jam 'cause it is fast and I can tie it with gloves on

Be sure that you get a product that is designed to be used on the material that your cover is made from.

Good luck. I tried some vinyl repair kits on some ATV seats. The holes were covered but it looked nasty.

I have been using the tubes for close to 10 years and have never had any damage to rod tips or eyes on the home made or purchased system. A bud of mine has had his boat with homemade ones since 1994 with no damage.

I really don't know where it might be found. It came standard in my Champion 206. Here is an interesting concept. http://www.customrodracks.com/pictures.html

In one of the rod lockers in my boat I have an Osprey rod organizer. It works well for 13 setups. There is also room for a few on the bottom of the locker under the 13. I had one boat that didn't have anything so I took 2 pieces of plywood and drilled holes in them with a hole saw. In one of them I put golf club tubes and attached it to the bow end of the locker. The other one I attached to the back end of the locker and used those holes for rod butts. It worked pretty good and was still in the boat when I sold it. Another option would be to use those rod socks. That way you could just dump them in.