Ok guys, wazup? I just watched the Clear Lake ELite on ESPN, how cool. I think this was the real breaking point for swimabits. It was awesome to see them become a real national thing But here's my question. WHAT WILL IT TAKE BEFORE THESE GUYS START THROWING SWIMBAITS ON THE RIGHT ROD?

Think about. Skeet, Double G, Swindle, Steve Kennedy just to name a few pros that did well out there on a swimbait. All of them are sponsored by rod companies that make specialty swimbait rods. And all of them were using flippin' sticks. How come? Lots of guys were complaining about losing fish on the big baits, time and time again. They aways blamed the hooks, the line, etc. How about the setup they're using?

Kennedy was throwing a Hudd on a Kistler Helium LTX flipping rod, for example. How many fish did he throw away because the trailer hook was on the outside? I know that sometimes the fish just don't hit the bait that well, and end up hooked on top of the head. But if he had used a rod made for a Hudd, maybe he would've hooked more fish with the top single hook? The rod had like no butt. There was no way you could set that Hudd hook into a fish with that rod. Granted, you will always lose fish when you're going with the big baits (always when you're fishing a tourney too :+ ). But these guys just lost a ton of fish up there. With the simwbaits being as popular as they have been in the last year or so, don't you think some of these guys would ask for a rod from their sponsors, like the Daiwa LT or Okumas?

Ok,here's my last thing. Everybody always talks about how the pros are doing their best to get the fish in as fast as possible, and not have to risk fighting them too long. So why would you risk that and fish a swimbait on a flippin' stick? If I was fishing an event like that (once again, IMO), I wouldn't take chances with the wrong rod. Like the Hudd at Clear Lake. I'd be going with the Okuma 7'6" or 7"11" XH and at least 20lb. line in that stuff out on the lake. So if you want that big gal in the boat ASAP, why fish with wrong rod?

OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now.:+ Remember, this is all my personal opinion. So what do you guys think?

Bass + Fisherman= BAASS ADDICTT!!!