J-Doc

I don't think the fish really care if the heads are painted up all pretty like. My buddy makes some with epoxy and he catches fish with them........and they are just wadded up balls of epoxy. Looks like a big ole lead weight. The bait is what catches their eye. :-)

Here here!! Thanks for posting!

So I picked up a St Croix Mojo Bass 7'11" heavy rod that handles upt to 2oz and 30lb line at Bass Pro this weekend (Broken Arrow). It was the closest thing they had in the store to an inshore rod without going overboard. They didn't have any Shimano Tidemasters or other rods. I was about to give up and simply order online when I found this one. I like getting a hands-on view of products before I buy online. This rod is a TON lighter than the big ole Eagle Claw rod I tried. I refunded it since it was 2 piece. I had a feeling it would break and since I fell into some price money from a golf tournament, I found the funds needed for this new rod. Overall, I'm VERY impressed with the capability this thing has an how lightweight it is. It has more backbone than the Eagle Claw and it was as big as a pool cue (no joke) but it's lighter and feels more like a graphite rod. The tip is just fast enough and sensitive enough for swimbaits and other heavy baits. I bet I could fish 1 to 1-1/2oz jigs on deep ledges with this thing no problem and feel the bite too. Overall I'm very happy with what I got and I'm happy with the price too. My new Cardiff looks really slick on this new rod. Can't wait to try it out! Thanks to Feathers and Fins for the suggestions/help!!

Oh, and this rod will also function as a potential redfish rod also. My buddy lives in the Lake Charles, LA area and fishes for redfish often. I hope to take a trip and visit and now I will have my own equipment I can bring with me. The Mojo has a 14-16" handle roughly yet its still light and has a strong backbone with a soft tip to feel the bite. Does this sound like a really good all-around "heavy-gear" rod? I know that Cardiff is the equivalent of a Warn 8000lb winch! :-)

So I won some money in a golf tournament and I'm in the market for a quality rod now. I'm thinking the St Croix Mojo Inshore MIC70HF because it's large enough for striper, versatile enough to use for large swimbaits, A-rigs, the occasional catfish trip, and just adequate enough for the occasional stiper outing. I'm mainly a bass guy but if I start having luck with stripers, I may look into getting a more specialized rod. Seems as if the Mojo could work for my bass fishing and cover a little of everything? Or should I just go with the St Croix Tide Master? I like a long handle on these heavy rods and the Tide Master seemed to be a bit short? I just got the Cardiff in today and MAN O MAN! That is a hoss-daddy of a reel! LOVING it! I spooled it up, tied on a heavy plug to simulate an A-rig (slightly lighter than an a-rig) and I think it cast further than I have ever cast on any reel. It just kept singing as line flew off the spool and the plug was sailing like Tiger Woods hit a golf ball. This thing has a lot of power in it too. I'm ready for anything now. Thanks for the help! I'm liking this setup so far.

Oh, I heard they are opening in late June. KNowing construction...........this is a push. I bet they can meet the schedule for June but getting the store fulling setup, stocked, staff trained, etc. on a store this large, that is a very tall order. I'm thinking July at least!

I for one miss Sportsmans. I may be an minority but I loved the smell of the store when I walked in. (haha) I was happy to be in a sporting goods store and the bait selection was incredible. They prices were great when they first opened but when they were hurting, they raised their prices a little. It just got worse. I still miss the store though. It was a fun experience. I'm sure I will enjoy the new Cabelas too. I've only been in one and that was in Dallas and it's a little bigger than this one. Maybe the same size? I know their selection was CRAZY good and prices were good too. Problem is, I will be their too often. I LOVE supporting my local shops though. They often have better stuff that is taylored to the lake. As for striper gear, being a total NEWB to that area, that would be a great value. I hope to get into that more in the next coming years.

I heard the place on the way to the lake just before you get to P Creek (Wolf?) is a reputable guy. I can't remember if he is certified on Yamaha but he works on all of them. Is J&J the little place on the left on the way to the Rogers airport? Just off the 4-lane? If so, I called several places to get an idea on how much my rebuild would be and they were $1,000 cheaper than anyone else and I hear they are a good shop also.

My wife will.....well lets just say it won't be pretty and I would catch a lot of grief if I buy another rod. (haha!) I will stick with a cheap rod for now to get something that will work this season. I'll definately look at the Shimano for sure. Good suggestion. I think I'm going to take the Eagle Claw rod back and exchange it for this one. This Ugly Stick is a 1-piece rod and not a 2-piece. I had looked at it also but decided to go with the Eagle Claw and didn't notice it was a 2-piece until I got it out of the truck or I wouldn't have got it. http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_133389_-1?Ntt=ugly+stick+catfish+casting+rod&Ntk=All This one looks pretty good for the price and will work for the few times I'll use it. It's definately a pool cue! haha! I ordered the Cardiff and with Johnny Morris's points system and a few birthday gift cards, I got a new Cardiff for about $30 with free shipping. THat's a deal!

I'm ordering a Cardiff today with Free Shipping at BPS! Whoo hoo!!

Is this "too much rod"? I bought an Eagle Claw big game rod (7' 1.5oz-2.5oz) but just noticed it's a 2-piece and with a rod that stout, a 2-piece seems like a bad idea to me. How does this appeal to you? http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Power-Plus-Trophy-Class-Trigger-Rods/product/20662/118932

I see you have a Calcutta B for your reel. Is a Shimano Cardiff "good enough"? It's half the price and all I can spend right now. I want it for A-rigs and occsional striper fishing.....just to give it a try now and then. I want something that's got a strong backbone and will hold up to braid for A-rigs and 12lb flouro with 20lb stipers attached to the other end.

I would love to see Greg win the whole thing on his home lake. He's a great guy and deserves the glory at least once.

I guess it's possible. I saw a really large "something" surface in the middle of the channel 2yrs ago. It was easily 5-6ft long. At first I thought it was a diver surfacing and in trouble because it thrashed around. Looked large enough to be a human. Being curious of what I just witnessed, I idled over the spot and saw the two LARGEST fish arches I've ever seen on my sonar. Whatever it was, it was as big as a person and there were two of them. I thought maybe a big gar or paddlefish. Then the thought of a big blue catfish occured. Whatever it was, it was huge. Wish I had downscan and sideimaging. Could have been interesting. Back on subject here.......I haven't heard of anything recently but I know a 50lb cat was caught on a trotline in Van Winkle a few years back.

Were you on Beaver and catching that many? Yhe pros were having a really hard time.

Well good luck this weekend. Post some pics and a report as usual. I bet the FLW guhs wjll be entertained watching you lnad big fish while they grind away. Haha!

I swear....one day I need to get you to teach me some things on stripers. I'll even sport gas money and buy the bait. :-) Been really busy lately. Maybe in a few weeks? You make it look so easy and so fun. I'm a bass guy but I'd like a crack at some of these big guys. As Zona said recently..."Tell Mr. Green Jeans he can wait" haha!

Oh good grief. People are way to PC these days and this is silly. They didn't harm anything, they didn't do anything wrong. Sgow me a rule book that says you can't ride a Sanpper or Cub Cadet to school.....

Yes and I love that FLW still fishes Beaver. I would just like to see the BASS guys struggle on my home lake. :-) A striper tournament.........man that could be fun. The weigh-ins would be thrilling!

The first BASS tournament was held on Beaver Lake many years ago with Bill Dance taking second place on a plastic worm. I think its only fitting that BASS should return one day. Tournaments bring a lot of income to the local economy, promote the sport of fishing to a vast audience, helps attract new folks to the sport, encourages people to get out and fish. Why do I want to perpetuate my sport? It belps prolong my favorite sport by creating demand. Demand creates industry. Industry creates inovation. Inovation creates better equipment, baits, gear, promotes better govt managed programs for lakes which promotes better fisheries, etc. I don't think that's a stretch. I think bass tournaments are a very good thing. Bringing attentiin to an already public lake creates a ton of benefits for that lake in the long run. This is a public lake, not a private Bill Dance style stocked pond. :-) People are going to fish it regularly regardless. Falcon has enougb bass and a good enough fishery, it can handle the added pressure. Besides, this is Beaver. You gotta KNOW how to fish this lake to be a real threat. :-)

Yeah I know. Don't get me started. Beaver shiuld have made the cut. Its not a spectacular lake for a tremendous population of 10lb + bass but it is still a quality lake with tons of bass in it. It's a challenging lake with all of the pressure it receives in weekends and locak tournaments but that makes it a better lake in my mind. The fish are smart and you have to be smarter to catch a really good one. Thats how I look at it. I wish B.A.S.S. and Bassmaster saw it that way too. I love my home lake and would love to see it get some praise. And who wants to fish Falcon? Really?? Who wants to catch 8-12lb log donkeys. Where is the fun in that?? (Excuse me, I need to go plan a trip to FALCON) :-)

I agree, that is a large meanmouth. Further proof that Beaver's fish quality is thriving and growing. B.A.S.S. won't come to Beaver Lake because it has a reputation for being a bad lake or hard to fish. All the more reason to have folks like KVD explore it and find some big ones. We all know Beaver has good fish. I just wish it got some deserved notoriety.

I so need to go out with you one afternoon and learn more about fishing for strypers/hybrids!! Hahahaha! Best I have ever done was 50+ with a buddy in a very large school. Your trip seems much better considering you were probably by yourself. Do you guide? Hahaha!

I thought Sam's closed down? I hope not. Wait, that may have been the other place just across the tracks on the other side. Interesting thread here. I often forget to try the downtown places. Some I had not even heard of before. I FINALLY have some new places to try. Tired of the same-old same-old. Flying fish in Bentonville is getting a lot of business lately. I personally like it but some don't like it as much as Catfish Hole and other places. These two are not close to Beaver but........it qualifies cause' it's a FISH place! (haha)

An A-rig with Rooster Tails on a school of whites? I think I just fell out of the chair! I'd need a deep sea rod combo for that! The last school of whites I got into were 16-17" and 3-4lbs a peice easy. They fought like yellow-fin tuna and would almost pull my spinning rod out of my hand they fought so hard. If I through an a-rig with Rooster tails into a mad school of piranah style whites, I'd definately need a super duty rod because I'm betting I'd catch 3-5 fish on almost every cast. BOY What fun that would be!