mixermarkb

I'm a big Lews reel fan, and I've not had one of their rods in my hands on the water, but from playing around with them in the store, they just don't seem to be "there" yet. They are fine, feel good, but just lack *something* when you compare them to a Loomis, Falcon, St. Croix. It could all be in my head, I could really be missing out. Go up to sportsmans and check them out yourself, and if you fall in love, get one. There is just something about the ones I've held that remind me of a bass pro or abu veritas, which again are fine rods, just a half step behind the three I mention above. It's all opinion though, and what works for me may not work for you-

Awesome info.

I'm sure falcon uses guides that are imported, but I'd be surprised if any blanks other than on the HD series are imported. As far as I know, the whole HD series is an import line.

Went back and deleted a bunch of my posts, sorry if a few posts that were responses to mine don't make sense anymore. I would really like to see this thread stay going and get back on topic on what specifc rods and reel setups and what techniques you guys are using them for- what can I say, I'm a tackle geek/addict...

The guys that really understand the physics and materials on rod blanks astound me. Wile E. Coyote Super Genius!

Nice!

Sounds like a solid day.

All I'm saying is instead of "fishing buddy" my profile tag should be "token donkey"

And once upon a time, there was print media, that mostly dealt in actual facts. You could slant it with editorial bias, and they did, but at the end of the day, if you printed total lies they were right there in ink for someone to call you out on, or sue you over and make you run a retraction under the ad for grannie panties and sundresses on page 12...

24 hour news infotainment is the among the worst thing to ever happen to our country. The sensible ones talk for maybe an hour reporting actual news, which leaves 23 hours for the nutjobs to rant and rave and polarize and divide, all to make a buck.

Never pay retail! Staying single til 35 no doubt helped, as does eBay, Craigslist and online classifieds on a couple forums. I don't have near the money to spend on gear now with a family, nor as much time to use what I've got. That's at least a 15 year, maybe 20 year (holy crap I feel old!) on some of the Loomis stuff, collection. Getting started, one falcon bucco medium spin combo and two casting, one m/h fast action for bottom baits and one medium moderate action for everything else would get a person a good bit of the way there-

This is the arsenal, daily load out varies, but normally 10 or so in the boat, depending on season and lake. Bull Shoals, LOZ, and Twain all need pretty different stuff- counting them all up, looks like I pretty much am tied with Dave at 30 or so- 2x falcon low rider 6' UL spin, lews UL reel, 6 pound Nanofil- crappie/white bass 2x G. Loomis GLX 6'6" medium spin/shimano 2500 reel/6 pound Sunline Sniper flourocarbon- grubs/small keitechs/tubes 1x G. Loomis NRX 6'10" ML spin/shimano 2500 reel/6 pound Sunline Sniper flourocarbon- Ned/dropshot/split-shot 1x Falcon Cara T7 6'5" Jerkbait Special/lews BB-1/10 pound Sunline Sniper Flourocarbon- Jerkbaits 1x Falcon Cara T7 6'8" Angler of the Year/lews BB-1/12 pound Sunline Sniper Flourocarbon- Spinnerbaits 2x Falcon Cara T7 7' medium cranker/lews BB-1/12 pound Sunline Sniper Flourocarbon- Warts/Squarebills 1x Falcon Cara T7 7'3" Deep Runner/lews BB-1/12 pound Sunline Sniper Flourocarbon- Rock Crawler/DT-10-16 cranks/Lipless 2x St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7'10" Magnum Cranker/lews BB-1/12 pound Sunline Sniper Flourocarbon- 6XD-10XD style deep cranks 1x G. Loomis IMX MBR-782 6'6" medium/lews BB-1/40 pound Sunline braid/15 pound mono leader- Sammy/Gunfish 2x G. Loomis IM6 7' PR-844 med/mod/lews Speed Spool/40 pound Sunline braid/15 pound mono leader- redfins/super spooks 2x G. Loomis GLX MBR-843 7' MH/lews team gold/16 pound Sunline Shooter Flourocarbon- finesse jigs/Texas rigs 2x G. Loomis NRX CRR-873 7'3" heavy/lews team gold/20 pound Sunline Shooter Flourocarbon- football jigs/Crigs 1x Falcon Cara T7 7'2" McClelland Swim Jig MH/lews team gold/16 pound Sunline Shooter Flourocarbon- bladed jigs/flukes/senkos 1x Falcon Cara T7 Amistad 7'3" Heavy/lews team gold/16 pound Sunline Shooter Flourocarbon- big swimbaits/football jigs 1x Falcon Cara T7 7'4" McClelland Heavy cover/lews speed spool/20 pound Sunline Shooter Flourocarbon- flipping jigs/beavers/flipping tubes 1x B&R outlaw 7'6" heavy/lews Tournament MG/50 pound Sunline Braid- Arigs/Swimbaits Guest Gear- 2x 6'6" lews medium spinning combos with 8 pound nanofil- grub/ned for guests 2x 7' M/H Lamiglass Excel casting (for wife/guests) 1x 7' H Lamiglass Excel casting (for wife/guests) 1x 7' M/H Lamiglass Excel cranking rod (for wife/guests) 1x 7'3" H Lamiglass Exel casting (for wife/guests) I sold the last of my old shimano curado reels that were on the guest rods, and haven't replaced them yet. Will either be lews refurb laser speed spools or most likely refurb bass pro pro qualifiers from the outlet store. Planning on picking up a few of those, just so there is a spare or two if someone backlashes one. I also have a couple of Bass Pro spincast reels for my 8 year old. He's ok with spinning gear, but the spin asters are nice to have him throw a Fin or swimbait on. I don't mind guests using my real gear if they are decent fishermen, but I've found keeping good but less expensive gear in the boat is better for teaching purposes. See the other thread about rod breakage from high sticking for why- I have to work this weekend with the nice weather, so my cabin fever is still in full swing- what's in your rod locker? Let's see!

pm me an offer-

Fair enough Abk. I am as guilty of generalizing with politics as anyone is, although you right wingers generalize most (kidding man, kidding). I do hope we can find some civility in the national political discourse, because most of us aren't as far apart as the infotainment folks make us out to be. Middle doesn't make ratings, ranting from the edges makes ratings and ratings makes dollars, but those dollars don't really help us solve any problems. I'll shut up with the politics now before Dave won't sell me anymore Ned heads..

I don't see the difference between a company polluting as much as the law allows, and you keeping every fish the law allows you to keep. It seems like the exact same action to me, using the resource to the legal limit, rather than making a choice to self police and say, keep 3 or 4 fish when the limit is 6, or taking steps reduce your pollution just because it's the right thing to do, even if that means a bit less profit at the end of the year.

Ok abk- that is a little harsh- I don't think you guys want to rape and pillage the world, but I do think that the attitude is business first, environment second. Isn't it the GOP line on clean energy that it is just too expensive to be practical? I'm sincerley asking and not trying to be insulting to my new friends

Thanks Saluki. 30-40% is bad, but wouldn't say a majority. I do hope the MLF format, or a gadget like Sam is talking about, takes off and replaces live weigh ins, but I'm still a supporter of tournament fishing, because I think it has helped popularize catch and release, and by doing so help to further conservation ideals among a political group that generally doesn't look at conservation of resources as a priority. I think tournament fishing is important to fishing a whole because of this, and originizations like B.A.S.S. are vital to the protection of fisheries in North America.

What's the science on delayed mortality after release? I'm not comfortable saying a large majority of tournament fish die, without seeing hard data. Having said that, I am totally in favor of MLF type tournament rules, because "know better, do better".

First off- all fishing, catch and release, derbies, catch and keep, commercial- has an effect on the resource. Keeping your legal limit each time out, simply says to the world that you are such an inconsiderate jerk that the law has to step in and protect the resource, because you are totally incapable of sharing and leaving some for the next guy, or the next generation, on your own, without threat of brown suits putting your butt in jail. Second- Outdoor sports, and sport fishing in particular, are one of the few ways the right and the left can come togther and protect our planet. Fishermen and outdoorsmen have been a driving force in the clean water regulations, and other needed conservation legislation, passed over the years. Personally, I'm a beliver in man made climate change, and I'm a beliver in man needing to be a good steward of this planet that we have been given by God. We may not agree on much, but those of us on the right and the left that like to see a bass explode on a spook, can get some things done to keep that around for the next generation, through our common bond of fishing. Nets full of dead fish make the radical folks in PETA just as mad as it makes me and Champ188, and they will work even harder to make what do for fun illegal. Adding fuel to those sorts of fires further separates the right and the left, and makes finding common ground on conservation issues really freaking hard. So, yes, eat fish. Keep a few, but for *%#'s sake, don't be a total dick about it just because you have some point you think you are proving to the world. All you prove is that you are the one person I've met on this forum so far that wouldn't be welcome in my boat.

Hey Abk, don't blame us democrats for this one- we are supposed to be the tree hugging hippies... lol

I feel like Jackie Gleason in the smokey and the bandit movie where he had that stress monitor that beeped.. I know you are just trolling, and I'm falling for it, but jeez dude, sorry about whatever it is that makes you act like this. Teeny weenie, mom didn't hug you as a kid, the other kids were meanies to you in daycare, idk. Maybe it's just genetics, since it seems to be a family tradition to pillage the resource to its full capacity, but I'm thankful you go to TR and not Bull Shoals. You clearly aren't ignorant, so I don't have any explanation for the greedy, butt headed attitude here in this thread, and total lack of common sense and care for the resource. I wish I did.

Saw them try and get it started in the backs of a few creeks, and it never took off. Maybe climate, but more likely the level fluctuation in Bull. You guys at TR have no idea how lucky you are with how stable your lake is.

Well, I'm glad he can't put up numbers like that in January then. I watch folks come and fish where I keep my boat on Bull Shoals. Lots of them keep everything they catch. Thankfully, most of them don't have a clue and can't catch much, so it's almost like they are getting back at the lake for running a knife through the couple they catch. My wife likes fish, I'll keep her some crappie or whites, and a Wally if I run on one. I've even kept a couple of 12" spots from time to time, because at one point it seemed like we had too many of those in Bull at the time. Keeping a fish or two is ok. All I really want is for possession limits to be observed. We don't have the resource to come and keep limits every day for a week to fill the freezer. It happens WAY too often. If a person wants to keep fish, go ahead, but obey the laws. ALL OF THEM, EVEN THE POSSESION LIMIT, WHICH IS NOT JUST *THE POSSESSION THAT YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE AT THE LAKE* LIMIT. It includes what's in the freezer at home, so if you haven't eaten what you kept last time, don't be greedy and keep what you catch this time!

I wouldn't say that most of those who have commented on this thread can't put up numbers like that at the end of January. For lots of us, it's one of the better months out of the year to fish, and that's really just a pretty standard day on the lake with a Jerkbait in the winter. I'm glad to see it though, because it tells me the fish are getting back to normal from the flood. As far as tournaments go, to me, they are enjoyable, and a good way to measure how much you have learned about fishing. I do like the idea of MLF type tourneys becoming the norm, and I do wish a few of the circuits would consolidate. There are a lot of tournaments, and fish care in some of the smaller ones leaves something to be desired. As far the orginal poster goes, they weren't his bass, no one is calling him out for posting the pic. I don't see why he wouldn't hang out and learn/gripe with the rest of us cabin fever guys on here.

Pretty fish- I would have taken pics and gotten a replica mount, but I'm not gonna throw too many stones at the guy. I've got a smallie and a largemouth both on my wall. I look at both of them and pretty regularly catch bigger now, and wish I had let them live. Everyone has to learn their own lessons I suppose. I bet there are a few more that size swimming around in Bull.