Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

What to get him depends a great deal on the type of fishing he plans to do. 
A good 6' spinning rod/reel combo of medium action is a good all-around 
choice for bass and most other species.  Of course if his old rod that was 
stolen was a baitcaster, then that's probably what he would want and he 
chased bass.

Lure choice again depends on what he is after.  Rather than go into a 
lengthy discussion trying to offer suggestions for all species, can you tell 
us what type of fishing he does?  Is he primarily after bass? Trout?  

Let us know and I'm sure that you'll get lots of suggestions to spend your 
money!

-Joe-

    
    Why not get him a gift certificate? That way he can pick out what
    he wants.
    
    Walt

    I second the gift certificate as "every" fisherman/fisherperson has
    there own taste to what they like/dont like.

    As Joe said, a 6' med action spinning rod with medium sized spinning
    reel is fine for the average casual angler fishing for whatever happens
    to be biting.
    
    The brands you mentioned are fine.  Most major brands make quality gear
    these days.
    
    However, I too like the gift certificate idea.  Calling 1-800-BASSPRO and 
    having them send you a catalog and gift certificte would be real easy
    too (shouldn't be a problem getting it in a 2-3 days).  And any fisherman 
    would love to be handed a catalog and gift certificate for Christmas...
    
    -don
    
    (geez, maybe I should forward this to my wife ...8^)  

    I concur with all thats been said about the gift cert... God forbid
    you buy him somthing like one of the Legends zip guns.... ;^)
    I dont usually find 'good' equipment in dept stores. But we have
    expceptions. Day in and out, the best 'BASS' equipment can be found
    at BassPro.. Hey, give a call if your NOT going to go the Gift Cert.
    route.   If you need somthing for under the tree, I can guarantee, you
    can find good stuff at Northern Bass. (Where are you?)
    
    Jack 264-9108  (shopping is my life..)

    Hi, you might also want to check in the BASS PRO SHOPS catalog, they
    have some excellent combo's that are very reasonably priced. I work in
    NIO too, I will bring my catalog in and have it in my office as of
    12\22, call me at 5-3483 if you want to look at it. We can talk out
    options from there.
    
    regards, don

    Thanks for the replies.  If my son was really into fishing then I think
    we would have gone with the gift certificate but he's more of a general, 
    go to the nearest pond or stream and throw a line in type person.  So, we 
    ended up at Zyla's and picked up a nice combo, some tackle and a tackle 
    box.  
    
    George

    George
    
    Just get him one of those Shimano PrePacks, I got one for my daughter
    last year and its not a bad rod and reel, I would get one of their 2000
    model reels, that gives you 8-12 lb test flexibility
    
    Brian

	Couldn't find a topic on fishing line, thought this one would do.

	Several months ago someone was asking about Kevlar line from Dupont.	
	I saw the first ads (for me anyway) for this line in The Fisherman
	over the weekend.

	Kevlar is used for making bulletproof vests, among other things,
	and is supposedly stronger than steel.  It's no stretch, and like
	a fibre.  It's out now in I think 80lb, 100lb and up strengths.

	Sounds like super-heavy-duty stuff!

	Ken

    Ok on the new line, several have been review in the fishing mag,
    most from oversea, both braided etc. Does anyone know where you
    can but some?   I understand since it does not give, you dont
    do a hard hook set with a graphie rod else it will shatter.
    
    I have just a fish in mind for that line, I know they make
    a ? 40-60 lb test that is about the size of 12-15 lb test line.
    
    
    jb
    

    re: .last few
    
    	sounds interesting (and expensive!).
    
    Does anyone know if Kevlar degrades like mono does? discarded mono is
    pretty nasty stuff to birds, etc, and I'd hate to see some new
    non-degrading material taking it's place as bird traps.
    
    			Robert.

    I'd be real careful about making a switch to Kevlar line for any type
    of fishing. I have experience with Kevlar thread and my hands will tell
    you that it can cut to the bone without much effort (ouchie!) and it'll
    do an accellerated life-test on stainless steel (say g'nite to your
    guides).
    
    Unless there is some gain in ultra-blue-water maxi-weight fishing I can't 
    see what advantage Kevlar line would give you - but I can sure see a lot 
    of red flags...
    
    /dave

 A good example of the advantage to using kevlar line is in cod fishing.
Frequently you are fishing in 200-300 feet of water. Much easier to set
the hook with a no stretch line than mono.

    	Not positive, but, I think the ads I read said it's braided and
    coated (impregnated?) so the surface is more like mono.
    	Sounds real interesting, wish I could see/feel some...
    
    						B.C.

    The current issue of Salt Water Sportman mentions a new line by Fenwick
    that is braided polyester (I think) and is sold only in 30#, but has
    the diameter of 10# mono. Also claims to stretch only 7% which is 300%
    less stretch than mono. 
    
    I'll get the article and try and post it tomorrow. If this stuff works,
    it might be a major advantage over dacron because of its thinness and
    over mono because of its lack of stretch. One more thing, they said it
    does not absorb water at all, whereas mono does.
    
    I'm a little skeptical about trying a brand new line. I was one of
    those burned by Duponts "Prime" copolymer when it first came out and
    was the worst stuff I ever used. Broke every time I got a fish on. It's
    not on the market any more.

    gee, is this true for all Copolymer Line, I have just switch to
    Silver Thread Clear 12 lb line, and its great when I catch a fish
    that is 3 lb, but so far every time I have tried for a large bass
    the line breaks.  Should I go back to Monofiliment ?
    
    thanks jb
    

    	The Dupont Prime was a co-filament line.  An inner core covered by
    an outer sheath...  I hated it too.  The Silver Thread is a co-polymer,
    just a different recipe from standard mono.
    	If you're using 12 lb. -Blue Label- Silver thread it's a class line
    and is guaranteed to break at -less- than 12 lbs.  If you're using
    either the Black Label or the AN40 it will have a "normal" rating.
    	I use 12 lb. Blue Label in Florida for Snook, Redfish, Jacks, etc.,
    and they're all a whole lot tougher than a Bass so if the line is in
    good condition it should not be a problem unless the bass gets wrapped
    around something and can really pull.
    	If you're fishing heavy cover all day you might want to check your
    line more often.  I'd normally be cutting off and re-tying more like
    ten feet every few hours.
    					B.C.

    Here is the blurb from the current issue (August '93) of Salt Water
    Sportsman about Fenwick's new line:
    
    "Fenwick has created somewhat of a revolution in fishing line. It's an
    84-strand polyethylene line that's akin to Dacron, yet has half the
    stretch (7%). Called Iron Thread, the new line is currently available
    in 30-pound test. Its diameter is comparable to eight- to ten-pound
    mono, yet is over 300% less stretchy. That means greater control over
    lures, easier detection of subtle strikes, faster hook-sets, and the
    ability to use heavier line with a thin diameter, which makes it less
    visible and creates less drag. Unlike monofilament, Iron Thread does
    not absorb water and retains the same strength wet or dry. Fenwick,
    5242 Argosy Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92649; (714)897-1066."
    
    Sounds pretty good. May even be a candidate to replace dacron for cod
    jigging. I'll probably experiment with it, but not til next year since
    I just made a major investment in Dacron. If anybody tries it, how
    about posting a report?
    
    Art
    

    Last night the Berkley folks talked about their upcoming braided line. 
    They said it will be thin in diameter like 8 lbs but have a break off
    strength of 60# and virtually 0 line stretch.
    
    they did point out that this is going to be a big hard bait type line
    for things like spinnerbaits and crankbaits.  They said that because
    there is no line stretch a hit on this line will really feel jolting if
    your not expecting it.
    
    Brian

    
     Not only that, but I'd bet thay recomend a level wind reel
    for this type of line. 
     
                                           Kiv

    I read in the Springfield paper the other day, that Gary Loomis, Loomis
    Rods, is voiding any warranty claims on broken rods if the owner was
    using this new type of no stretch line.  It seems there have been a
    number graphite rods broken while setting the hook on fish with this
    line.  
    
    Regards,
    Greg

	I've been using the offset shank, sluggo/worm-type Gamakatsu 
	hooks for ice fishing this year.  I really like these hooks.
	They're so sharp it's hard not to hook yourself up while handling
	them.  So far so good with the fish - my flag:fish ratio is almost
	1:1.

	While picking up some more hooks the other day, I noticed another
	type of Gamakatsu hook called a "Shiner hook".  It's hard to describe
	in ascii, but imagine a J with a short shank and a really exaggerated
	lower end/loop.  The loop part is much wider and flatter than "regular" 
	hooks.   Since I'll be using the hooks this winter with shiners and 
	smelt, I figured I'd give em a try.

	The guy at the Hudson tackle annex said they use them a lot in Florida
	for largemouth, but this is the first I've seen of them.  They look
	like they'd work great for lip/nose rigging, but they supposedly can
	also be used for dorsal fin area rigging (which is how I usually rig).
	
	Has anyone had any experience with these "shiner" hooks ?  
	Any comments ?

	/Ken	

    
          Ken sounds like a kahle style hook. The reason you like this 
      hook so much is your using it for what it was designed for 
      (live bait) fishing. I and others use these (kahle) hooks
      for plastic worm fishing also.
    
                                           Kiv

    yeap, sounds like a kahle hook, yeap, used quite a bit down in fla,
    since alot of fishing is done with live golden shiners
    
    performance hooks are a variation of the kahle and work very well for
    plastics
    
    -donmac

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the "sluggo" hook that looks
like this:
			o
			|
			 -
			  |
			  |
			  |
		       \  |
			\_|


It's more like this:      o
			  |
		   /      |
		   \_____/


So the second one is called a kahle hook ?   I haven't use em yet, but I plan
on giving em a try (even though the first one above has produced excellent 
results).

Thanks!

Ken

    correct, the first is known as an offset shank worm hook, the second
    a kahle, look in the BPS master catalog and you'll see them in the hook 
    section
    
    -donmac
    

	Well, I put the kahle hook to the test yesterday, and it's been
	retired :-/   I lost a *big* one on the tilt with that hook, and
	I attribute the loss to the hook.  From what I felt, the shiner
	was half swallowed, when I went to set the hook I felt something
	with a lot of weight (compared to the 2lb LM I had just caught 
	minutes earlier), and then I felt the hook slip right out the
	mouth...   I have a hard time seeing how the hook will set with
	the point bending in so much.    Back to the offset shanks.

	/Ken