JPD

Don't worry Ryan, I'm just as jealous as you are right now... Nice job Dave

Roy's bang on... if you're looking to expand those categories from that point then each of the 3 would have their own set: You may also want to add a terminal section: Hardbaits: Crankbaits Minnow Baits Top waters Jigs Spoons Soft Baits: Swimbaits Soft Plastics Top Waters Minnow Baits Wire Baits: Spinnerbaits In-Line Spinners Buzzbaits Chatter Baits Terminal Tackle: Hooks Jig Heads Weights Snaps / Swivels Line

Just got off the phone with Dave who will be doing daily video Blogs for his site while he's down at the Bassmasters Classic in Shreveport, Louisiana. I'm sure there will be a behind the scenes feel to it. Something to definitely check out... Go Kelly!!! JP

What are you using it for Peter? BTW... you're gonna love the reel.

Hi workwear, I have been fortunate enough to use the Cumara's for the past year and I can't say enough about them. The difference between the Crucial and the Cumara is quite a bit. The guides are SIC rather than Alconite, the blanks are lighter and more sensitive being IM-10 rather than IM-9, the split grip high density foam and custom handles are a dream to handle as well. The best part being that they both have a lifetime warranty. They are one of the best I have fished with and unless you are looking for a big flipping stick which they do not have in that line up I would not hesitate to try them. If your need to now about specific actions or lengths please feel free to ask. JP

Thanks for all the kind words guys. It really does feel good knowing that the information on the show is found useful by the viewers and that they can apply it to the soft water season coming. That will be our goal throughout the show, making information the focus. Thanks Dave for the show push and as always really loved your gar show with Nick... too funny. For those that missed it the show will repeat on Sunday night at 9:30 pm and if you guys haven't registered for the Great Gear Giveaway contest, do so... there is a bunch of great stuff from the show that is new to the market for 2009 and some tried and true classics. Here is the link: http://www.wfn.tv/gearweek/contest.php and try to help each other out with the voting... this is a big community that should be able to do well in these contests. JP

I doubt you will find much of their stuff at the show but yes they do make a great product. The Nestraider is not only a bed fishing bait since it has great swimming action with the tail and a nice glide on the free fall. Pitching it into weed clumps has been successful for me too. I have also used the Bully Wa and find that it casts a country mile, has good hooks and you can actually walk the dog with it due to it's keel under the chin section, the front is also tied nicely preventing the rubber from slipping back and tearing like typically happens with Scumfrogs... just be sure to have a long strong rod with at least 50 lb braid. JP

Sorry to hear Lew.

Thanks Louis... I didn't know they were running a promo until yesterday. The show with be called Getting School'd and it definitely has a different spin... more of a product showcase with great tips from pro anglers and cool new products coming out this year. There is a ton of information and is really geared towards helping people get the most out of the new product that hits store shelves every year. There will be a bit of on the water fishing at the end of each show but it will be focused on tips and tricks to help you load the boat your next time out. The show will debut on Thursday, February 12th at 8:30 pm JP

My boat is with CoOperators under the house policy Justin and you know how much I use it all year!!! Way cheaper than State Farm... give me a shout if you need more info, JP

Mike, there are a few general rules to fishing certain lures that will help you increase both your hook up and presentation.. Steve has the right idea here... Any horizontal running lures like: Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, Rattle Traps etc... use Flurocarbon line.... 12 lb for Cranks and 14-17 lb for Spinnerbaits or Traps - Reason - Fluoro Sinks and is virtually invisible (one exception - Jerkbaits - best on braid if looking for very erratic aggressive action) Any Vertical Lure (bottom Contact) like Tubes, Grubs, Flipping Jigs or Texas Rigged Plastics.... 50-65 lb Braid for Jigs and Plastics, I use 15-20 lb Braid with a Fluro Leader for Tubes and Grubs - Reason - Better feel and hook sets in cover Topwaters like Spooks, Pop R's, Chuggers etc..(except Slop Frogs) - Monofilament - 12 - 14 depending on cover around - Reason - Mono floats... keeps your bait running better Frogs in Slop - 65 lb Braid - Heavy rod Hope this helps JP

Sorry you feel that way Cannuck2 fan, I really have never noticed that and probably most others as well since Shimano is still the highest selling rod and reel in Canada by leaps and bounds. A couple of things to consider when you see a price difference from the US, volume will improve a stores discount and Canada doesn't have the sales that the US does, the other problem is that since Shimano products are made overseas, they also deal with duties and brokerage fees to get them here unlike companies like Quantum and Shakespeare that are US based, a fluctuating dollar doesn't help either. When the prices didn't go down immediately, people cried foul even though booking orders were done at a higher rate... a little unreasonable on the consumers part if you ask me. In the end, Shimano only suggests a MSRP... it's the stores that set the final price unlike companies like Sage who set the market and retail price for their dealers. I have seen Cumara's that have almost $100 difference, that's also why we as consumers can try to find the best deal amongst the dealers. Are car manufacturers any different? How about electronics or chain store furnishings, even Walmart has a huge difference between US and Canada. Some people are willing to spend $50 in gas to save $60 and some are willing to pay more for the convenience of having everything in one stop... to each is own I guess.

Just to give you a heads up Canuck2fan, Shimano is the only company that I know of to offer a limited lifetime warranty on 5 different rod models. Convergence, Clarus, Compre, Crucial and Cumara ranging from $69 - $200+. There is a lot of value in these rods. The better part is that the warranty center is local, Peterborough and usually takes less than two weeks or better yet you can drive out there and handle it.Most stores will even swap over the counter on higher end rods. I have waited up to 4 months for some of my warranty rods from other very reputable companies. The Cumara's are just over $200 depending where you shop and they are IM-10 with SIC guides. Other companies charge well over $300 for product that isn't even as high a modulus or have the same guides. The price increases will be just about across the industry due to the US dollar fluctuation, nothing else. I don't think that "gouging" is a great word to choose when describing companies trying to price their product. Remember that the market sets the price and if anything, Shimano is well within the limits of pricing if not below average for the product. Just my 2 cents JP

I have used both and still have both on my boat but cannot do without the side imaging on a Humminbird. The technology far outweighs anything on the market that I have seen in fishing sonars. I have also found the GPS to be more reliable that my Lowrance unit which seems to get ornery every so often and misplaces the GPS Module... Two years and never had a hiccup with the Humminbird... I will give a slight advantage to the Lowrance on the graph but very marginal once you learn to read the Humminbird. The Navionics chips are instantly loaded rather than trying to figure out which part of the chip you are fishing in and the depth shading is adjustble. Plus you can save your screen shots including the side images. Pretty cool units. JP

Why are so many people on this board so intent on taking a shot at BPS all the time? BPS does support Canadians by employing more of them than all of the tackle stores in Canada combined. They also donate more to local fishing and conservation clubs than anyone. To say that they have the same selection as Le Baron's is ludicrous. It's not even close. Le Barons does have better pricing on some things but has no where near the store, selection, employees, tank, seminars or bills to pay. Let's try to compare apples to apples here. As for BPS.. I have never seen another store get more people interested in fishing than BPS. There are more and more people enjoying this great sport because of the look of the store and the ease of it all. This is not to bash any other store because I have friends who own fantastic stores like Fishing World, Angling Outfitters, Angling Specialties and Gagnon's and they all do a great job. They will also reap the rewards of newbies being introduced into the sport by BPS. The sheer fact that BPS doesn't rock bottom their prices like Walmart does should speak volumes of their integrity. They easily have better buying power than anyone else but still choose not to try and eliminate the competition by trying to starve everyone else. BPS also has supported quite a few individuals from this board and have never expected anything in return. I think they have been an asset to this industry and I am very grateful they are around. If you get the chance, go see the store. It is incredible. My jaw dropped by the amount of taxidermy and the sheer size of it all. It is a work of art. Regards JP

Definitely a spun hub Rizzo... buy a new one and have the old one re hubbed and keep it as a spare... you should always carry a spare.

Like others have said bearing don't mean too much for a couple of reasons. If the bearings are not a good quality you can have 20 in a reel and in very little time it will feel like a bag of marbles. Shimano only uses sealed ARB bearings (anti rust) also the gearing is all cold forged which produces the most durable gears that make your reel feel like new 5 years from now. I have 3 Shimanos that I have put through hell and back again and they were bought in 1992, 1994 and 1995. That means a lot to me considering the amount that I fish. When you incorporate the longevity of the reel into the price they really are not expensive at all. I paid $220 for a Chronarch that has lasted me 16 years... that's less than $14 per year for the reel. I spend more at Timmies in a week and that never catches me any fish!!! Buy it once, own it forever... it holds so true with almost anything these days like rainsuits, graphs and boats... buying the best you can afford will always save you money in the long run. JP

On Erie and Lake Ontario a 20" fish is typically 5 pounds or more depending on the time of year. I had a 7.21 in a tournament that was only 21". The obviously are thicker come the fall and much skinnier after the spawn in early summer. The lightest legit 20" I saw was 4 pounds but this was right after the spawn on the New York side of Erie. JP

Actually Mike they have a ton of really great deals going on there right now. They are selling the new Shimano Saros Spinning reels for $129.99 plus if you did the reel trade in they came down to $105... that's below cost!!! The Curado's were on fire and they sold out at $150 with the mail in rebate... They have a ton of Strike King Shaw Grigsby soft plastics at $1.49, Storm Swimbaits at $1.49, Lucky Craft Rick Clunn crankbaits at 50% off for $9.99, all zoom 30% off, BPS tubes and stuff, 4 for $10... and that's just for starters.... I can't figure out how they can do it for that with their overhead!! I haven't gone through the Musky section but there was a ton of other stuff at a big savings. I loaded up pretty good on the Zoom and the Shaw plastics.... where can you get 20 - 7" worms for $1.49? This Thursday the oil goes on sale and the Plano/BPS 370 trays are 5 for $10. There is more but I feel like I am starting to sound like a commercial!! JP

I have to agree with Marc and Blake. That reel is perfect for casting situations since it is a low profile reel which is far less taxing on your hand and wrist than a beer can style reel. We pounded them super hard on Salmon at night this past fall throwing spoons and they didn't even flinch. The reels can exert 15 lbs of drag tension and hold over 150 yds of 65 pound braid. Definitely a steal with the $50 rebate going on right now. JP

The Cumara rods are Shimano's new bottom contact Premium rod. I have used them and they are incredible for both lightness and sensitivity. These rods are developed with split grips, high density foam, SIC guides and im-10 graphite and are above the Crucial's. The also have a lifetime warranty. Depending what you want to do with it, there are 8 casting and seven spinning models available. Nothing super heavy and nothing ultra light. If you let me know what lures or species you plan on using it for I can help you out with picking the right size and action. JP

Only the newer style higher horsepower motors and some four strokes have actual automotive style alternators. The rest have the stator and rectifier which charge while the fly wheel rotates around the coils with magnets attached to the fly wheel. (which is still a type of alternator but not automotive style that is belt driven) Most of the newer motors are changing over however. JP

Just a reminder that Dave's new show, Fact's of Fishing, THE SHOW will be premiering tonight at 7 pm on WFN. I have been waiting a while to see this one since I couldn't make the screening that a lucky few were able to attend... an hour and a half to go!!! JP

Sounds like the original owner knew he had a problem which is now your problem... not very cool. If it leaked the first day you took it out I can guarantee it leaked the last day he took it out as well. Bottom line is that this has absolutely nothing to do with BPS like it has already be mentioned. I would be going after the guy that sold it to you but it should have been done ASAP, not after fishing for a year with it. JP

Please exhaust all of your options before guaranteeing that they won't help you. Have you dealt with the BPS Tracker department in Vaughan Mills or was it a call to the US? Just have the original owner call in the job if all other options are used up like Rick said. Starting a war with BPS will not win you anything since Tracker Marine is a completely separate division in that store. That would be like cutting off your face to spite your nose. Let me know if you are still having trouble and I could make a call for you. It may or may not help but I can always try. JP