garland

I recently bought a Daiwa Tierra to compare to my Stradic and have been favorably impressed. Best casting reel -awesome line handling! The Tierra is supposed to handle salt water well. The Stradic is still a great performer but the Daiwa seems to be better. No long term results however. G.

My son started out fishing at the age of 6 with one of those toy spin cast plastic outfits from Toys R Us that his uncle had given him. Second time out he caught a 5 pounder and then a 7.5 pounder. The wimpy rod was totally bent over with the tip way under water and I have no idea how the reel was able to haul the big one out of the slop we were fishing in but my son managed to get both fish into the boat (with me just about having a heart attack). Needless to say my son is hooked on bass fishing and the spin casting rig can catch large fish. I'm working on my son's spinning skills however and in the meantime a zebco 33 has replaced the cheapo but has not caught comparable fish.

Thanks T-Rig, I bought the last two Ichiban had and fortunately they were in the same color as the one I lost!

After my query of a week ago or so I finally discovered what the lure I was trying to identify was: a Yo-Zuri Arms Swisher- a banana boat with a rear prop in a small size of 2 1/4". Unfortunately it is discontinued and even more unfortunate is that I just had a nice (or not nice) pickerel decide to run away with my only one. What a great productive lure on my Weed filled pond. E-bay has 'em going for $20 or so. Probably not worth it. ...but then again...!

Hi Guys, This lure really nailed 'em last week and I'd like to find a few more. It's a small top water lure made of clear plastic colored in a bluegill pattern. It's about 2-1/2" long, sway-backed shape like a Sammy but with a prop on the rear treble hook. Any ideas? Thanks. Garland

George Welcome is right! Bass taste like the water they come from. Most fish do.

If I could just keep the darn pickerels away I'd say the perch colored shallow Shad Rap is my favorite. It seems in my area the bigger bass go more for 'em than the small pesky yearlings that hit other lures I like. The flat profile helps hook retention where fatter crankbaits my inhibit good hook penetration. The jointed Minnows work well here in Massachusetts for larger fish. I used to like the old wood Fat Raps but have lost my last. They were good for the big'uns! Floating- top water techniques used for all the floaters ie. cast wait twitch wait twitch then slow erratic retrieve. ( I fish weedy ponds almost exclusively in eastern Mass.) G.

I've been using a Tierra 2500 for a couple of months and find it is my favorite reel. I 'd rather switch lures on the Tierra/ Fenwick combo instead of picking up the Stradic/ St.Croix laying there all ready tied on. With a 6 1/2' Fenwick HMG I am casting farther and more accurately then ever before with no fatigue. and no line handling problems at all! Great Reel!!! G.

Hey, That's not bad! It's 45 here in massachussetts right now and I'm considering going out to wet a line myself. G.

Twice recently, I've had a good size bass hooked on a crankbait cruise straight at the boat and come unleased right as it cruised under the boat. Anyone with similar experiences and or solutions?

Thanks, Guys! I realized I posted to the wrong forum but thanks for the replies anyway! This will be my third rod building project, but first in a while since my flyrods for trout in my youth. ... a few years ago!!! Garland

I'm planning on building a few spinning rods and was wondering about the quality of blanks as sold by the various venders. Are the blanks always first quality, ie same as used in a company's made up rods? I'd hate to go to the trouble of assembling a rod to have it not perform as well as a "store bought" sample. (I'm assuming I can assemble at least as well as the professional. )