12 Volt Man

I have made many road trips with my one peice rods without any sort of tube. I just pack the car and put the rods on top of everything else. they can't get crushed or damaged if they are on top. so far so good (touches wood) LOL

for shimano's, just leave the factory brakes on. the ones that come seperate are much stronger apparently but destroy your casting distance. I use 3 brakes on, 3 brakes off. works great.

I agree on bringing a good travel rod and a 4000 size spinning reel loaded with 12 pound test mono. St. Croix makes a very good 7 foot medium power fast action Premier Travel rod (3 pieces) that is really good. its rated for up to 5/8 oz lures and comes with a pvc rod tube for travel but it will fit in most suitcases. I got mine at basspro in Vaughn for around $200. well worth the investment if you like to shore fish while on vacation. compared to the cost of the trip, $200 is nothing enjoy your trip!

what is the model series of your stradic? the newest models, (both the FI and the Ci4 series) have the Aerowrap 2 line lay system (this is different than the normal aerowrap found on the Saros and below and all older model number stradics) that is supposed to be amazing with braided lines. if it is an older model, there should be washers that were included with the reel. these are placed on the shaft of the spool to change the taper of the line wrap. you will have to consult the instructions, but what you can do is add/remove the washers on the spool shaft to give the line lay a cone shaped pattern, with the fat end of the 'cone' at the spool base. this should allow you to put more line on the spool without it spooling off at the spool lip. its worth a try.

I vote for buying the best equipment that fits your budget. this year, since I hadn't bought a new spinning reel in 5 years, I splurged and bought a Sustain 3000FE. I have to admit, I was quite surprised at how much better it was than my older stradics. for the following reasons: 1. cast noticably farther -the new spool lip and line wrap system make a big difference 2. the new one peice bail wire is a lot better than older models 3. the handle that screws into the drive gear is MUCH more solid than the older type that has a slot where the shaft just fits in. 4. even smoother drag 5. I love the new septon paddle handle. 6. the oil port feature, although not new, is really cool. Now, I believe you can get most of these features on reels that are not so expensive, like the Saros for example. my point of all this is that shimano has really improved their spinning reels since they redesigned them. it used to be that daiwas were better for spinning. not anymore IMO. check out a good quality shimano like a saros, stradic etc. and you will be very happy. skip the cheaper models if you can. hope this helps

I agree that a one piece rod is better than a two piece. even though today's ferrule design is 1000x better than it used to be, even on the high end two piece rods, the one piece version of the same rod still fishes better. it is lighter, casts better (better transfer of power as it is one continuous piece) and is slightly more sensitive (again, because it is one piece of graphite). the only disadvantage is that it is not good for air travel. but even a 7 foot one piece rod will easily fit into just about any car (I used to drive a small volkswagen golf and had no trouble), so unless you are flying somewhere, get a one peice rod

probably the best bet is to set the amount you want to spend, and then look at choices based on your amount. otherwise, you get opinions everywhere at all price and quality points. you have everything from St. Croix Legend Elites to Berkeley Cherrywood rods being mentioned here. thats like apples and oranges. both will catch fish. but the high end stuff will be lighter, balanced better, cast better, and be more sensitive generally speaking. that being said, I cast another vote for the St. Croix Avid if it fits your budget. its around $170 or so but you would swear you are fishing with a $250+ rod. a lot of bang for your buck IMO.

I used to make my own for catfish, shrimp etc. I haven't made it in a while, but it was something like this: corn meal flour egg beer salt pepper paprika something like that. you can also substitute unsweetened grated coconut in place of the corn meal to make coconut shimp. mmmmm!

as long as you don't eat a stradic, you will be fine.

the california lead label has been on shimano reels for years now. almost all my shimano boxes have this. the earliest reel that I have the box for with the label was a stradic 1000FG purchased in 2001. that means its been going on for at least 9 years now. some of my boxes actually have in printed right on the box rather than a sticker. some have a sticker though.

probably because this is the time of year that the salmon are running..

I like lures too. the other day at Bronte I had a big salmon hit my spoon so hard it almost pulled my rod from my hands. set the hook and it broke off instantly. still, it was quite a rush. salmon hit moving lures like a ton of bricks. its awesome.

count me in as another one who must actually handle the reel I actually buy. so that means online retailers are out. its also easier if you do have a problem to return it. I ordered a team daiwa tierra spinning reel from cabelas that was out of balance right out of the box (had a distinctive wobble to it which it wasn't supposed to have). Cabela's customer service is very good, so it was no problem, but still, it finished me from buying another reel without playing with it first. the replacement was fine though.

I use a 1000 size reel only for 4 and 6 pound test. for 8 and up I use a 2500 or the newer 3000 sizes. one thing with the 1000 size reels is the drag is not as strong as it is designed for light lines.. so if you are targeting small fish, no problem for the 1000 size. but for larger fish, the 2500 size is better. and manages line better too because of the larger diameter spool (larger coils means it casts better and will have less problems) but for UL fishing, the 1000 sizes are great.

good catch. they retail for $250 at Fishingworld in Hamilton which has competitive prices.

I find that with Shimano baitcasters (the ones with the magnets) you really only need to set them once and then leave them alone. and use the cast control knob for adjustments. I have found that generally 3 weights on, 3 weights off alternating works perfect. after some practice you will be casting without any fear of back lash in no time. I agree about buying quality equipment. I learned on a chronarch 100A, and its still going strong, 12 years later. you get what you pay for. when I was learning, I took the hooks off a half ounze rattle trap and practiced casting in a feild. and once you learn, you never forget. you can not use your rig for a year, pick it up and cast like you never stopped. its like riding a bike or having sex..lol

St. Croix has a whole line of new pink pearl coloured quality bass rods marketed specifically for women. just sayin' folks..when christmas and birthdays etc come around...its another idea.

yeah, flying fish is the sweetest fish I have ever had. had it many times in the Islands. it amazing when marinated in lime, garlic and peppers then breaded and fried. amazing!

do you mean wire leaders or just a ball bearing snap swivel on the end? I use a good quality ball bearing snap swivel on the end that helps prevent line twist when using spinners and it makes changing lures frequently a 'snap'. but I don't use a wire leader unless I am targeting pike.

I agree with that. A nice rare peppercorn crusted tuna steak is tough to beat. no bass or pickerel can even come close.

Vagina jokes aside, probably the best fish I have ever eaten was fresh fried red snapper caught that morning straight out of the Caribbean Sea in Cozumel Mexico. I still dream about it. and the restaurant on the beach and the great rum punch helped a lot with the experience and I have eaten a hell of a lot of fish in my time. good ocean fish like snapper, good grouper or mahi mahi beats any freshwater fish IMO.

used to have one of those snapshot reels. hated it. you can cast much farther with your finger than with the trigger clip IMO. much better off getting a shimano Sedona if you ask me.

I like trilene XL (the red box one) in green colour. it disappears underwater. good stuff.

I don't sign up for those contracts because you can get screwed over if the price drops and you are locked in at the higher price. what I am on is just an equal billing plan: you pay the same amount each month, even though the bill comes out every two months. keeps it relatively easy and easy to budget. its easier on the pocket book to pay a little each month than more once every two months IMO. easier to budget.

I would gladly sell a few kids for a few more Sustain FE reels.. shhhh...don't tell anyone