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Dear Jonn, My comment denoted: ""The $50 covers the shipping and handling costs""!!! FYI my friend--- Shipping cost is not limited ONLY to the "shippers charges". There are several factors, that need to be considered. MATERIALS COSTS: $$$$ "shipping containers (rod tubes)" ---ARE NOT FREE! Internal wrappings/cushioning, tape, and the like. Marking/Labeling: materials, machine(s) and labor LABOR & PROCESSING COSTS: $$$$ Handling---several person(s) may be involved, they DO NOT work for FREE. TRANSPORTATION COST: $$$$$ size of package--- (theres added costs for containers over 36", over 48", over 60", over 72", and over 84"!!! weight of package--- added insurance (objects over #100). COSTS!!! involve MANY factors EX: When I ship a fishing reel to Calif for OEM service--- round trip shipping costs are $10 - 20 and thats only covers the SHIPPERS FEE. Insurance is EXTRA! and, that doesn't even cover the handling costs.

Shimano "Compre" Series

You're on! I'll can also show you "the spots". Better fishing, I'm mean catching, is just ahead.

Wow Joe, Those are impressive!!! I'm ready to place an order! Tomorrow too soon?

Works for me.

Rod Warranty(s) Rod manufacturers warranty their rods against "defect in material and workmanship". Rods that are broke due to missuse or abuse, are not covered by most warranty(s). OEM's rod warranties vary----1 year, 2 years, 5 years and Limited Lifetime. GLoomis offers an "expeditor program"---the only one in the business--- if you break a rod by accident, or the like, you can get a replacement for a nominal fee of $50 (regular ground delivery---for a speedier service, $60 gets it their in 3 days). (The $50 covers the shipping and handling costs ONLY---NO FEE for the replacement broken rod). Call GLoomis, order the new replacement rod, it'll be delivered to your front door. Remove the NEW rod from the shipping container and put the broken rod into the shipping container, affix applicable return shipping labels to the container, give it back to the shippers driver. It's that simple. That's the best any OEM offers.

GLoomis and Shimano have the best rod warranty in the business.

If an anglers wants to get into GLoomis rods, the GL2 is the entry level. For a few dollars more, the GL3 is choice. The GL3 is built for toughness and an IMX for increased sensitivity. For heavy duty fishing, such as heavy jigging, muscling fish out of heavy cover, and the like, the GL3 is recommended way to go. The IMX series is the best all around rod series. The BronzeBack rods are a GL3 and IMX blend. GL3 for toughness and IMX for sensitivity. The GLX series are super-sensitive rods--- very light--- the best in the business. The GLX rod wall tube is a little thinner, (less weight), over the IMX. The GLX is not a rod that I'd chose for muscling out BIG fish from heavy cover. The GLX is so sensitive, that I can almost feel a fish staring at the bait.

Mark, I wrote an article, "Float Fishing...", that was published in the previous issue of the ISA Newsletter. Long rods Superbraid line (that floats) small swivel weights leader with applicable hook and the opp end tied to the swivel stop-knot, and floats (fixed or slip) Very informative info and very productive. You can use a variety of live bait, plastic worms, grubs, or the like, that are effective.

Only if Norm finds the weighted divers boots are not adequate, and he still gets swept away by the currents.

Norm, For faster water wading, I'd suggest looking into boots that divers wear. You can also add additional ankle weights, as needed.

fish 1: I hear Norm coming fish 2: I'm heading for cover, in the water willows

I've had Hodgman breathable waders, various models and styles, for over the past 10 years, and have not had any leaks or problems, to date--- (knock on wood). I generally purchase a size larger, so they fit looser, and there's extra room--- to minimize excessive stress on the joints when I bend, kneel or raise my legs. Excessive stress on the joints and seams will cause problems and result in premature failure. Is see some anglers that have waders that are nearly skin tight. I also see some anglers pulling on the material, so as to get their waders stretched over their bulging torso, which puts undue stress on the joints/seams. Some anglers need to keep in mind, the breathable material IS NOT made of latex.

Chest high wader will hold several gallons of water---(water weighs over 8 lbs per gal). Filling waders with water, and hanging them upright, will put an excess amount of stress on the suspenders & the sewn and glued seams and joints, which may cause the joints/seams to fail (tear or separate).

Holy Moly RodS, That's a lot of rain!---10-12"? WOW! I'm sure no one else expected that either. It'll take a least 2 weeks for the lake to get to normal. I had plans to be in the TC area, last week---targeting smallies. Due to some last minute family matters, I didn't make the trip. Pushing my trip back a couple weeks. Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound, and didn't get locked in. Those fish will be there---they won't go over the dam. The 2wk of Sept thru the end of Oct, is another prime time. Lots of BIG LMB and SMB can be caught then, as well as, pike, walleye and panfish. btw---the bigger tiger muskie average around 20lb! PS---check out Lake Macatawa, the Grand River & Silver Lake, the Kalamazoo Lake and River, and the PM Lake in Ludington. The Rivers, open to Lake Michigan, attract Lake Michigan pike---they migrate in the lake and river, starting about mid Sept, spend the winter, spawn in the spring and then move back out. There's also some huge crappie that reside in the lake part of the PM. Focus on the old sawmill area, SW region of the lake, and the cabbage weeds. A boat launch is on the north end of the PM Lake. The rivers also contain a good population of walleye---some BIG walleye.

Vexilar Color Flasher is a very effective tool. It's easier to distinguish objects by fine tuning, the "colors". Green week signal Orange medium signal Red Strong signal. By adjusting the sensitivity, you can pick out fish in weeds and wood. You can see the fish move in and out, up and down---pretty slick. The tranducer with dual cone angles, 9 and 19, are very handy. Very usefull when fishing deep water and on sloping areas, and sharp drop-offs. 19 degree cone angle----the dia at the base of the cone angle is 1/3 of the signal depth. Ex---at 30fow the cone dia is 10ft. When a fish signal shows up in the cone angle at 19 degree, switch to the 9 degree mode, if the fish signal still appears, the fish is near the center of the cone angle, if the signal is gone, the fish is in the outer cone angle area. On steep drops offs, like rock ledges, or the like, you can pick up fish, that are hanging close to the rock ledges. Watch the signal movements---you can see the fish move in and out or up and down. When a fish or (signal) appears on the dial, raise your lure or bait 1-3 feet--- pause and very slowly lower your lure or offering. Watch the fish as it swims toward your lure--- when the fish gets near, the signal turns orange, when the fish gets the bait in its mouth, your lure (the green signal) turns red!!! Lift and you've got the fish. You'll see the fish take it before you'll feel the bite or feel any tension. Pretty slick. You can also find bottom transitions--- hard to soft and muck--- very important when looking for perch and walleye. With my Vex, I can track a single spike (maggot) free falling to the bottom in water depths 20-30 feet. Now that is sensitive.

Gary, Good info, thanks for sharing.

Berkley offers a variety of "minnow" looking baits, with a fork or "v" tail, that are good lure choices for the "shaking" method. (The Gulp Alive minnows and leeches are great for bass and walleye). You need an adequate amount of weight, so as to keep the line taught, to effectively impart action on the tail of the minnow, or to get it to "dance in place", so to speak. I've found that the "dancing in place" is more effective than lifting the bait up and down. There are a variety of alternate lures, than are effective. Yamamoto "Kut-Tail" worms & thin Senkos Lunker City Fin-S minnow Zoom finesse worm

Don, High water? You call that high water? I heard that the top of the K dam is still visible. Can't you find a parking lot that is under water?

Tim, I personally didn't research the SMB in the DuPage river. The info I got was based on the IDNR studies conducted on the DuPage, before the SMB stocking. They found no SMB in the stream. The habitat appeared to be suitable for SMB, therefore the stocking program commenced. Perhaps they were there, eons ago, before polution wiped them out.

Rich, SMB were not native to the DuPage river. SMB were stocked in the DuPage, (early to mid 90's), during a test stocking program. 125-130 SMB, including some large primary breeders, in the 2.5 to nearly 5lb range. The fish adapted very well. The Dupage is now one of the premier midwest SMB streams.

Phil, Rigging a Yamamoto "Twin-Tail" grub, 4, 5 or 6", rigged weightless, is an excellent topwater presentation. I rig them using an EWG G-Lock, Gamakatsu hook. Select a hook size that is 2X the dia or thickness of the plastic body. They can be fished on the surface, subsurface and crawled along the bottom--- a very versatile lure.

Okuma offers a nice line of Bait Feeder/Runner spinning reels, in light, med, med-heavy and heavy action, at affordable prices. Their line of reels can be used with mono, as well as superbraids, from 4lb to 50lb line. The reel drags provide a very smooth operation. The Bait Runner tension adjustment is very fine, even a large fathead minnow can pull line off the spool. The Bait Runner/Feeder reels are ideally suited for the float/drift angler, as well as the bank angler, tight-lining for catfish, carp. Walleye anglers find the bait-runner reels ideal, for drift fishing. Set the baitrunner tension to the desire setting, place the rod in a rod holder, and commense drifting. When a fish grabs the bait or lure, and swims off, the reel spool turns freely--- the fish feels little to no resistance. When you're ready to bring the fish in, turn the reel handle, the drag setting takes over, and crank in the fish, with the preadjusted spool drag. The nice thing about the reel feature, is you won't lose your rod over the side of the boat, or pulled out of the rod holder, when a fish hits and takes off. Some avid stream anglers, that drift/float fish, prefer this style reel to conventional spinning reels. Also, a superbraid line is preferred---reason: the line floats.

"Tail slapping", is merely a fish propelling itself, as its tail is near or above the surface. A fish rises to the surface, turns its body, and descends to the depths. A fish propells itself with its tail, which results in what sounds like what some call, "tail slapping", when its making a fast descent, after reaching the surface. When a fish rises slowly to the surface, and returns to its depth, his head goes down first, and its tail is near the surface. A slower moving fish, doesn't make the tail slapping sound, unless it has been spooked, generally all you may see is a swirl or the tip of its tail momentarily, just before it descends.

Yes. $7.99 (MSRP $9.99) -10% ISA member discount = $7.19 Tax 7% vs 8.75 - 10% at other stores.