12 Volt Man

the Jointed Shad Rap (in yellow perch colour) is one of the best baits I have ever used.

so is the X-Rap Shad (non jointed). both are amazing.

I actually really like the 407. it saves a lot of time depending on your route and it is such an easy drive compared to the constantly plugged up QEW.

one tip that helps is to get your 407 bill billed directly to your credit card.

so when you pay your credit card at the end of the month, you pay the 407 bill too.

makes it very simple.

having said that, I think your friend should try and fight it. tell them what happened and see if the charges can be waived.

^

thats part of the reason why I believe the newer shimano's eliminate line issues so well.

the one peice bail wire with the cone shaped part adjacent to the line roller means that the line slides immediately over to and on the line roller without getting caught on anything. the older ones often would get the line caught between the wire and the line roller itself.

the older stradics/sustains had the cone shaped part but it was not one peice so the line can still get caught. the new bail design is great.

but then, Daiwa came out with it first and shimano just copied it and improved upon it LOL

I have several Loomis rods and I have to admit, they are my favorite. I own a few IMX's, and a few GL3's. I do prefer them to my St. Croix Avid, but it is still a great rod and arguably more bang for you buck. the Loomis GL3's/IMX handle/cast better but they are $100 more.

what I really like about Loomis is their tapers. The SJR782 is the best best spinning rod I have ever used. I prefer the GL3 version because I much prefer the handle style over the IMX version (which I also own).

and some of their tapers are quite unique. for instance, there is no comparable St. Croix taper to the SJR700 GL3 Mag Light ex-fast spinning rod. it has a very light tip but a strong butt section. its like a hybrid rod -bottom half is a jig rod with some power, top half is like an UL rod. its such a cool little rod.

I can't wait to see what future tapers are available with the NRX graphite. even though they are pricey, maybe one day I will have to own one..

shoulda boughta daiwa

I think that used to be true as far as spinning reels.

but not anymore IMO.

the new models of shimano spinners have blow right past them IMO. the new models (the 2008 and up ones) with the new spool design and line lay system (and the one peice bail - yes, that daiwa came out with first LOL) are fantastic for line issues.

last week I was up north and fished my Sustain 3000 FE with 8 pound mono and fished the entire week without a single tangle, snarl, wind knot etc. and the spool was full.

this has never happened to me before. usually at some point inevitably I get at least some problem somewhere.

needless to say, I was very impressed.

and the newer model shimano spinners cast incredibly far too. noticably farther than previous models.

the blanks will likely never be available:

http://tackletog.com/cal/2009/04/23/its-official-loomis-to-exit-the-blank-business/

Loomis no longer makes blanks available to rod builders.

once they are gone, they are gone.

I used to use spinning gear all the time.

then I went through a period where I literally didn't use a spinning rod for 5 years. loved my chronarch/loomis combo.

then, I read an article on ultralight fishing in In Fisherman magazine and bought a fancy UL rod (a Loomis) - was so cool.

then, that basically caused me to 'lighten up' my fishing so I generally use spinning now (with 6/8 pound line) and smaller baits and only dust off the baitcasting rig for the salmon run in the fall..

for those learning to use a baitcaster -practice practice practice. after while you cast without thinking and you never backlash (unless you cast into a tree lol).

also, buy quality gear -when you get good is when you can make the cheaper reels work. not the other way around. start out with good gear to learn on. it helps a bunch.

not sure why people are saying these are just a shimano product with a Loomis name on them.

shimano has owned Loomis since 1997. 13 years so far.

and I think some people think they just bought them yesterday..maybe because they just heard??

the thing is, Loomis branded rods and shimano branded rods are completely different and might always be.

no shimano branded rod is anything like a Loomis rod and vice versa.

shimano rods are made in china. Loomis rods are made in washington in the USA.

these new rods are no doubt no exception.

personally, I have not been a fan of any shimano branded rods relative to Loomis and St. Croix rods. they are just not as good IMO.

for the best of the best, I think SC and Loomis are still tops and they are still made in north america which is good in terms of quality control.

shimano rods are not.

He’s the sole reason I bought that crappy Quantum Hypercast back in the 90’s when I was 12yrs old

Bill Dance got me to buy that quantum garbage LOL

with some companies, when you invest in an expensive rod, you get a good warranty behind it.

I just recieved my Sage fly rod back from washington, the butt section broke when it was slammed in my car door by accident.

they made me a brand new bottom section and only charged me the shipping and handling. no charge for the actual rod or labour.

I was quite pleased.

Hopefully, Loomis will continue with a great warranty on their expensive stuff.

update: the shimano rep over on tackletour responded to my post and did verify that there WILL be some changes beginning Aug. 1st. but he does not have all the details yet.

time will tell.

doubt that it has changed. there is a shimano rep that posts on another tackle forum that I visit. I will post a question to him and get back to this board.

stay tuned.

yeah, I saw a beautiful great white heron while on vacation in the Keys several years ago. beautiful bird.

from what I understand, southern Florida has a white colour morph of the Great Blue Heron that has yellow legs, but it is only found in florida.

normal blue herons have grey legs.

egrets have black legs, as your photo shows.

I am quite pleased with how my career has turned out (I am a wastewater treatment plant operator). but it took a lot of education and time to land the position. Demand in the field is high and the jobs are competitive. it took me a full year of applying to get in even after I had my education done and was licensed by the Ministry of the Environment.

the reality is, good jobs will take time to land, thats usually the way it works. so don't panic. it takes time.

in the mean time, try to get something just to keep cashflow coming in. it prevents resume gaps and shows future employers you were making good use of your time off in between 'real jobs'.

one thing that you might consider is once you are working again is doing night school at a local college or university. I did this for two years and earned a business certificate from the University of Toronto while working days at the wastewater plant. you can do a few courses per year, basically you have class one night per week for 3 hours. it is a good way to upgrade skills, get a diploma on the wall and pad that resume for future employers. You can also do online courses too.

here is the link for U of T's continuing education school. no prerequisites are required so anyone can apply:

http://learn.utoronto.ca/site3.aspx

have a look around.

as far as the education thing goes, it can be tough out there if you don't have the degree or diploma. thats the reality of the job market these days. I did a university degree and a year of college and it was still tough. the Bill Gates's of the world are the exception, not the rule.

thats where something like nightschool can really help. a family memember of mine recently got laid off from a management position after 12 years. He is running into issues because he didn't finish university way back when so he doesn't meet the educational requirements for anything remotely close to what he was doing. it sucks.

it sucks because you can be an expert in your feild, have great experience and some yahoo in the HR department puts your resume in the 'do not call' pile just because you don't have a degree or diploma. its crap if you ask me. but unfortunately, it happens all the time.

best of luck and keep your head up. you will find something and look into upgrading your education with nightschool. it can only help.

-12 Volt

Theres lots of people who just love to witch, and you can never make them happy no matter what you do. I say this from experience, 20 years in retail

I agree, the public can be tough sometimes. I worked retail for many years too.

however, there is no excuse for the attitude that at least some of their staff have displayed in the past.

they would have been fired had they worked where I used to work had they acted so rude, thats for sure.

in my experience at the le baron mississauga location, there is one staff member in particular that I know had a very bad attitude. this person is probably still there.

some of the other staff have been much more helpful and courtious. but its that one person that leaves the bad taste.

I agree though, there pricing can be good, and its nice sometimes to go there and not be swamped with people because most of the time Basspro is a zoo.

I could have sworn there used to be a long triangular gate there years ago. however, i was looking at current pics of the entrance of the park and there is no more gate there. LOL.

never mind then

I will post a report tomorrow!

was looking to hit Bayfront park in Hamilton early tomorrow for bass/panfish, but have never been in the am before. there is that big gate at the entrance to the park. do they close/open it? is it open all the time? was looking to go fairly early but I don't want to get there too early and not be able to park inside yet.

does anyone know?

thanks.

actually, when i go there, i know what i need and don't need their help

me too.

but if you want to buy some rapalas you need them to unlock the glass cabinate. thats like pulling teeth sometimes LOL.

actually, I have to agree that some of the staff there can be a bit rough with customers. sorry, but its true.

often, they act like you are bothering them when you simply ask to get some rapalas out of the glass case they have them in. its like they hate working there or something.

since bass pro came around, I make the trip out there instead. they are much more helpful and generally seem happy to be there.

they have had them in their online catalouge this year, as a few months ago I was looking at them. they were in the front section.

now, they are gone from the catalouge. just a screw up.

they certainly will still sell Shimano stuff as it is the leader in sales for reels in North America.

I just had an orgasm.

whew. LOL.

those were AMAZING pics!

what a great trip you had!

monster pike, and that first smallie is MASSIVE!

I think a good quality two peice rod would be better than a telescopic rod. most telescopic rods out there just aren't that great IMO.

if you really want to go with a really travel friendly rod that can literally be packed into a bag, a few years ago at Bass Pro I bought a St. Croix Premier 7 foot Medium power 3 peice spinning rod, that came with a really nice codura covered rod tube for I think around $200. I am sure they still make this three peice model.

I pack it in my suitcase when I go on airplanes for vacations. its a great rod and very travel friendly, especially for air travel and it obviously can be packed in any trunk of a car.

just something to consider.

I used to put my 6'6 one peice Loomis in my little old Volkswagen Golf, no problem. just put it up in the front seat and lean it back through the console.

so you don't need a big car to have a 1 peice rod, just don't get a 7 footer

I agree - if you can go 1 peice, go 1 peice. more sensitive, lighter and that weak spot of the ferrule is not there. I know modern rods are better than the two piece rods of old, but still if you can swing 1 peice its good.

I do find that they cast much smoother than two peice rods.

for a spinning rod, sort of an all purpose stick, I would suggest the G. Loomis GL3 SJR783-2 spinning rod, which is med. heavy power, fast action, two piece. for up to 5/8 oz baits and up to 15 pound line I think..although 10 or 12 would be probably max. with a spinning reel to avoid excessive line memory etc.

I have the SJR782 in GL3, 1 piece (medium power) and it is amazing, but its only rated for up to 3/8th oz. baits. I tend to fish on the lighter side, I use mine with 8 pound test mono. It cast a 1/4 oz. crankbait across the lake!

I like using the Loomis spinning rods in the GL3 flavour, as I much prefer the handle style to that of the IMX/GLX rods. the IMX spinning rods have a lock nut that screws down onto your spinning reel and you are holding it when you are fishing. I don't really like that. the GL3's have a reel seat where the lock nut screw up from the bottom so you not holding it while fishing.

minor I know, but if you are going to spend $200+ on a great rod, comfort should be a consideration.

I also have a St. Croix Avid 6'6 spinning rod that is great too, I think some of them are available in a two peice configuration as well.

best thing to do is go to the tackle store and check em out!