eric1978

Big smallies don't care about rope...they ain't trout.

Until that big smallie turns 'round and heads back into his rootwad and you have no control over him. Then you say bye bye. Big smallies and 6# test don't play well together. Light spinning tackle is good for having more fun with smaller fish and more heartbreakers with big fish. Power Pro has alleviated the latter to a certain degree, but it still holds true generally. Both, just depends on what mood they're in. But IMO, you have to have at least one of each to cover most of the bases.

I agree with Mr. Dallas. Neither one can do it all. I can't take just one. Gotta have at least one spinning and one BC. If I had to take one, probably the spinning rod. No, the BC. No, spinning. Dammit. You'll regret it either way.

If they invent a reel that does that, I'll flip three bills for it. Dirty mind, you.

Sunday night bump. You know you want some Loomis in your life.

To me it's not a matter of whether or not a particular rod and reel will catch fish...they all will, of course. And a Pinto will usually get you from point A to point B. That doesn't mean I wouldn't rather drive a Ferrari. I find fishing with quality equipment more fun than fishing with junk. It's more arousing to the senses and makes for a more enjoyable experience...for me. That's all. It's more fun.

It's not the "Loomis" way, it's the correct way. When you say action instead of power you are making a totally different comment than what you intended, and you'll either misinform people or they just won't know what the hell you're talking about. Keep doing it your way, whaddo I care? But it helps to at least sound like you know what you're talking about when you bullshit people.

And I was just explaining why you're totally wrong even though you talk like an old pro. Don't preach incorrect BS to people if you don't wanna be corrected.

One doesn't have anything to do with the other. Action is dictated by the rod's taper, not by its thickness. You can have a very slow telephone pole or a very fast spaghetti noodle, and everything in between. Here's an illustration of action:

L, ML, MH...these aren't actions, they're power ratings. Actions are slow, fast, ex. fast, etc. Do you need a basic lesson in rod engineering?

It's time to move a couple rods again. Loomis CR722 GLX -- Baitcaster, 6', medium power, fast action. Excellent condition aside from light soiling on the cork. Been on the river maybe a dozen times. A more versatile rod for stream smallie fishing does not exist. $240 firm. St. Croix Premier PS60MF -- Spinning, 6', medium power, fast action. Bought this one off Ham last summer but I didn't really need it and I don't use it enough to justify keeping it. Good rod, pretty good condition. Not mint but plenty of years left on her. $50 I'll upload pics per request if any of y'all are serious about one of them. Come pick it up if you live in the St. Louis area, or I can ship it for actual cost (on you) or we can arrange something else...whatever.

Hey Jack, I got a St. Croix Premier PS60MF spinning rod I bought off Ham last summer. 6', medium power, fast action, USA made, very versatile rod for canoe fishing. I have too many rods as it is and I don't use it enough. You can have it for what I paid for it...$50.

I know, it's a nasty disease. Actually, I've been thinking about selling my CR722 GLX baitcaster. Great river rod. Interested? $240.

I think you have your double entendres a little confused there. WalMart is pure, unadulterated capitalism at work. Not exactly Karl's cup o' tea, if ya know what I mean. Spincast reels are worthless. A mid-level egg beater and St. Croix rod will make you much happier for not much money. If you wanna be real happy buy a Stradic and a Loomis.

As negative as I made it sound, it's still one of the best values out there for a totally serviceable solo. My main problem with it is it's just a hair too short to comfortably and conveniently overnight with...so if you're not worried about that, I'd say go for it. But it's long enough, tracks well enough, is light enough, and tough as hell. All you gotta do is swap out that horrible factory seat and you're good to go. I didn't mean to turn you off of them, Jack. I still like mine, but I'm a perfectionist, and nothing short of totally ideal is ever good enough for me.

LOL I'd take a coffee can full of worms. Red can. Hills Brothers.

It's not so much the length of the rod that makes it challenging. It's having line everywhere and trying to cast while you control the canoe. If you're in a pool of frogwater it's doable, but as soon as you get into some current and you have to make course corrections, everything goes to hell because there's just too much going on at once. Fly fishing is best left to stopping and wading situations like Ronnie said in another thread. Bring a spinning rod with you to cast at nice looking spots while you float.

I hiked the Buffalo River Trail, so I've seen it and know how beautiful it is...and it is beautiful. But it's something like a 5 hour drive from the Lou. Makes it tough to get down there when you have to pass dozens of other great streams on the way. But I still wanna get down there badly...soon...and I will.

I've hit most of the main arteries now, at least parts of them. I'd like to explore more of the smaller streams that are harder to access, see more of the SWMO streams that are so far from St. Louis, and finally get down to the Buffalo. And on the bucket list, like Al, I'd like to do complete river floats, from headwaters down to at least the end of smallmouth habitat in single trips: Meramec, Gasconade, Current, and 11 Point. I'd also like to go back in time and spend a whole summer floating the entire undammed White.

You won't like the seat, trust me. It's horribly uncomfortable, your butt slides off of it constantly, it gets burning hot in the summer sun, and needs to be moved forward and raised a couple inches from the factory position anyway. Dick's has them on sale occasionally for $400, so wait for a sale (Disco 119 AKA Guide 119...same thing). Forget fly fishing out of it. I've tried. Unless you're in dead flat water it just doesn't work. And forget standing in it. All that said, it's a decent solo for day trips. I hate it for overnights because of its limited capacity for gear, so I now take my Penobscot instead even if I'm solo.

There's no way it's a felony. Whoever told you that is either misinformed or being dramatic.

So awesome. So jealous. Looks like a great time in a beautiful place. Now get back to work so I don't have to hate you.

Hey Tom, do a little digging through the archives on this forum. There are plenty of old posts that hash out your questions in painful detail. But to quickly answer: Two people and some gear? Yes, a tandem canoe. A jon will work, too, but if you're wanting to float water as skinny as Tan Vat, you'll need to go canoe. Canoes are the most versatile watercraft for most of the miles of Ozark streams (to avoid argument I'll add IMO, even though it's a fact). How do you get back to your car? Hire someone to shuttle you or take two vehicles and shuttle yourself...obviously you need a floating buddy for the latter.

You sure this isn't 1985?

Holy crap! At 43. Wow, just like that. This thread is destined for failure.