ww2farmer

Fair enough, I actually own 2 Bionic Blades as well as my many Fenwicks and they are good rods, I find them on par with the Eagle GT, but a step down from the Fenwick HMX. Right now they are on sale for $54, IMHO thats about all they are worth. I just checked the BPS sight, and I think the nearest store to you is the one in Auburn NY, quite a ways from Mass. IF you order one sight unseen beware...........the grips are bulky and the rods are, again just my opinion, rated a little lower than they fish. For example the MH spinning rod I have is quite a pool stick, it fishes like a H power rod to me, it's a great rod for pitching jigs/plastics, I keep it on my boat and let people uncomfortable with casting gear use it, it handles those dutys well.

I have a 2007 Bass Tracker Pro Team 170. It's a great little boat for me, and the occasional guest. I could have gone bigger/faster/more expensive, but then I would have had payments............I like the boat beeing mine NOW, not in 10 years when it's 1/2 worn out.

Depending on length you can find NEW John boats for less than $1000. If it were me I would rather spend more and have a new one , you'll still have $$ left over for a decent elec. motor and battery. Fish it as is for a while, save up and trick it out over winter. Now if you also need a trailer to haul it, then you'll probably have to go used to stay under your $1000 budget.

I launch by myself 99.9% of the time. Here is what works for me: I take my transom saver, 2 rear straps off while waiting in line. I also put the winch in free spool, and unhook the bow strap. I then tie a rope to one of the bow cleats on the front deck ( which ever side I will be tying the boat to the dock is best), then the other end of the rope is tied to the "post" on the trailer the winch sit atop. Back in hit the brakes she floats right off, pull ahead alittle, get out, untie from trailer tie to dock, go park. Whole thing takes less than 3 mins. I do it orginized and neat and am out of the way quickly. I have seen idiots who have 10 people there to help them not do it as well as most guys who are alone with bass/fishing boats.

My hall of shame: Line: Berkley Vanish, every knot I tried broke, and the slightest mishandle of the line also caused it to fail. Lure: Strike King "red eye" spinner baits, Oh they catch fish, but after one fish the eyes fall out of the head, and the wire is bent beyond repair, or at least hoping to ever run true again. The only good thing about these is the holographic blades which I remove and put on other baits. Misc. Tackle: lead Gambler "screw in" bullet weights, they don't last, at least when used on braid, the insert breaks, the wire "screw" falls out, and the braif wears a groove in to the lead way to fast. Reel: boy am I gonna catch flak on this one, by no means is this a condemnation of these reels, just a bad personal expierance: Old green Shimnao Curado...........I had one back in the late 90's that worked great.........once, second trip out sounded like a coffee grinder, was sent back to shimano no less than 3 times with the same results, worked great for a few trips, then got rough and noisy.............got my vest on. Rod: St. Croix Premier, crappy guides, and over priced, IMHO Fenwick builds a much better rod in that price range.

I tend to use the smaller brush hogs in ponds, or in clear water. This time of year when the weeds are thick and the water is "green" I go with the full sized ones. Sometimes I wish they made a bigger one.

I figured that was my reasoning as well....... then I lost 25.00 worth of crankbaits in the "bassy" water/cover......... lmao : One way to NOT lose cranks and spinnerbaits when tossing into the thick stuff is to use braid. Roll your eyes all you want, some days you can pitch a jig or plastic 100 times into a laydown and not even get a sniff, toss a shallow running, wide wobbling crank in there on braid and get smacked. I don't know about you but if I buy $25 worth of crankbaits it's because I want to use them to catch fish...............not sit in my box and look pretty. If I lose a few........hey it's part of the game, they make more every day.

If you don't like them send them to me ;D I'll find good use for them.

Here is dumb question................if you like the Fenwick, why not buy another? Fenwick's are fine rods, as good as, if not better than most in there price range. The 6'6" M you have is a good all purpose rod that would do most of what you described well, and with ease. If your set on getting another rod, I would recomend a 7' rod as a shore fisherman, unless you are fishing from real brushy shores and casting into tight spots, then I would go with a 6'. Also if your looking to use plastics/jigs exclusivly with this new rod I would go with a MH power, if it is topwaters, and cranks I would go ML, but like I said the M you have falls nicely between those and will handle both dutys. I know when I was a shore bound fisherman I always tried carrying a couple rods with me, but it was a pain, 1 rod was all I needed for most days, and most applications

Now this is just an opinion of mine, and we all know what is said about opinions ;D, BUT the reason I think so many people struggle with spinnerbaits (and this can be applied to cranks as well) is they see the exposed "non-weedless" hook and don't use them in "bassy" water/cover. True they can be effective in open water, but next time you toss one, put right in the junk, you would be amazed how well they come through it, and I think the success rate of the bait would improve enough for anyone to gain confidence in. Like I said JMHO

Ha............hey "thecaptain" I think he's just trying to rattle the cage of a certain member who holds those products in high esteem. I think that members initials might be "RW"..............who knows lol.

Pflueger Presidant

I have tried these: Power pro: cast's ok, lossed it's color fast, didn't like it at all Suffix: not much differant than power pro, liked it better than power pro, but still not happy with it. More $ than power pro too. Spiderwire stealth: The cheapest of the "superlines", also not any better or worse than power pro/suffix IMHO, I have more expeirance with this line than the others as my local wal-mart has it, and it's cheaper. Still want some thing better....which I have found, Spiderwire ultra cast: retains it's color for a very long time, the smoothest casting, quietest braid I have tried. As strong and senstive as any of the others, the best baid anyone has made.....yet.

In the spring I like to "slow roll" it over weeds, letting it tick the weed tops, ripping it free when contacts the weeds. In the summer yo-yoing them very fast along the deep weed line produces, and in the fall burning them across flats on warm days, and the same "roll and rip" method as used in spring work great.

Just this past Wed. night, I saw a speed boat up going hellbent for election.......in an area less than 3' deep, full of stumps/debris pulling a water skier. Speechless. But I have seen worse, and I have only owned my boat for 5 months now.

Palomar with braid, trilene with mono, no knot issues here.

Unless you replace that shimano reel with a Steez

Beleive it or not the jig is an EASY lure to master, people/tackle companies over complicate things. Here is what you need for ALL you jig fishing needs coast to coast and in every place bass swim. Colors: only two needed black/blue for muddy to stained water, green/brown for lightly stained to clear water. Sizes: 1/4 oz for shallow-mid depth 3/8 oz. great "general purpose" jig size 3/4 oz for deep and/or heavy cover Match a craw trailer to the size/color of your jig and go fish. Take only the jigs with you for a while, that will force you to learn them. Fish them any where you have caught/seen bass before. You can't fish a jig to slow. Bass will hit them on the fall often so watch your line. Really can't add much to what every one else has said. If you stick with it, the jig will be your go to bait before long.

Jig, catch fish in all season, all depths, all water.

Real early, pre dawn when it's still dark a big black buzz bait if the fish want a bait with a steady retrieve, or a black jitter bug if a stop and go is whats called for. As the sun comes up, Spooks and poppers. Then when the sun is up but the east side is still shaded a spinnerbait or shallow crankbait. When sun gets high I go to the soft plastics in the weeds or under the docks.

I agree about the hooks, but sometimes (not all the time) just SOMETIMES, a bait that runs crooked is a valuable tool, especial around timber/dock posts. I have De-tuned baits at times to get bit. Yeah..........sounds crazy but it works.

My favorite for both spinning and casting is Daiwa. But I do have a few Pflueger spinning reels (Presidants) that I love, and a Quantum casting reel (Accurist) that has really surprised me, and I love to use it as well. I had some BPS Extreme casting reels, they served me well, but, I dunno, I just would rather have Daiwa.

I have lots of Fenwick rods, and while I feel they are probably one of the best "bangs" for the buck, the Loomis rods (especialy the IMX and GLX) are really in a class all there own. If you want a high end rod, for a good price go with the Fenwick, if you want the Best of the Best go with the Loomis.

Team Daiwa Advantage, and it's actually cheaper at $99 MSRP