Falcon Lake & A Tackle Workout...

[lpquick]

WOW! I’m green with envy, awesome tackle and great photos Gary. Thanks for sharing.

[wiper]

[Finnz922]

WOW! I’m green with envy, awesome tackle and great photos Gary. Thanks for sharing.

X2

[Gblaze]

That was a great post- thanks for sharing your insights with the gear- truly valuable stuff.

Hey Sir- u have more hats then my wife has shoes
How many days did you go out- or do u have multiplpe hats with you on a given day?

[Mark V]

That's what my gear wants to be when it grows up!

[5poundhooker]

BTW - what is your PB?

PB= Perfect Beard
Gary also has a hat for every awesome combo!!

Great info. on the equipment Gary, and excellent catches. Wish I could go somewhere like that.
I'm green with envy ( Of the beard of coarse)

[even26]

awesome write-up, but where are the pics of the setups?

[Megabassjohn]

Very nice read man , great gear and Great Lake equals I am jealous

[haoz]

BTW - what is your PB?

PB= Perfect Beard
Gary also has a hat for every awesome combo!!

Great info. on the equipment Gary, and excellent catches. Wish I could go somewhere like that.
I'm green with envy ( Of the beard of coarse)

x2

excellent fishing retreat!

[bronzefly]

What was your favorite setup'?

These are combos I use regularly among many others based on techniques and conditions wherever I may be fishing, but I sure enjoyed fishing the Super Red Demon/Z200 because it felt right at home in the nasty stuff at Falcon! They were all carefully planned out for what I anticipated I'd be doing and the conditions I know exist there.

BTW - what is your PB?

Perfect Beard!! Hey, it's how I roll!

Last years best was 11lb 6oz, but I had calibrated scales on the boat on that trip. I think this fish could have been larger than 11.8 based on the weights of many of the other fish that were caught and weighed, but I'm going by what the scale read, so will stick with that.

awesome write-up, but where are the pics of the setups?

They just showed back up from being shipped back! I don't post pics of my gear all that often, but I do plan to add some photos to The Tackle Trap facebook page sometime soon.

Hey Sir- u have more hats then my wife has shoes
How many days did you go out- or do u have multiplpe hats with you on a given day?

I know that's not true!! Fished 5 days daylight till dark and another half day... I carried at least 4 hats every day to adjust to the rapidly changing conditions. Temps were from upper 40's some mornings to low 90's some afternoons! Dead calm to 4' rollers in very short order. It's a rough place! I pack lightly on clothing and use technical outdoor gear so I have more room for tackle!

Thanks for the kind words guys! Fortunately, part of my business is to put this gear to the test so I can help guys figure out will be the best fit for their intended purposes

[ksachao]

Great detailed product review! Like the way you describe their use

[Reel Old Geezer]

For us bald headed guys - how many hats did you take along with you?

[bronzefly]

For us bald headed guys - how many hats did you take along with you?

"The Ultimate Hat" for blazing sunny times
Outdoor Research Gore-Tex hat for rainy times
Tackle Trap ball cap for less sunny mornings, evenings, or cloudy conditions
Visor for running - gotta keep all that hair from flying everywhere!
I also had a back up hat or two just in case

Shorts, chacos, and a long sleeve UA shirt to help keep sun exposure to a minimum. I went through an entire spray bottle of Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch 70SPF and still ended up with raccoon eyes, tanned legs, hands, and feet!

[Good351]

Oooooh, Chaco's! I still have a Chaco tan and my feet haven't seen sunlight since September!

Gary, what were your thoughts on the 10XD? Any fish up to the challenge to tangle with that bad boy? What gear/ipt would you recommend in a reel for it?

[bronzefly]

Oooooh, Chaco's! I still have a Chaco tan and my feet haven't seen sunlight since September!

Gary, what were your thoughts on the 10XD? Any fish up to the challenge to tangle with that bad boy? What gear/ipt would you recommend in a reel for it?

It was the first time I broke out the Chacos since October and I still have the "stripes" too!

Yes indeed. I tossed the 10XD on the Power Versatile more than any other rod on this trip. The blank was perfect for the 10XD though a little longer handle would have been nice to leverage launch cast it. I was using the Z200HL with about 30.5IPT and was able to achieve satisfactory casting distances. Conventional wisdom would suggest something in the low 20 IPT range for a bait like this, but I tend to prefer higher IPT reels and heavier powered rods than most for deep cranking. I've tossed the 10XD with a Lexa 4.9 and a new Lew's BB1 5:1 and both handle the bait very, very well for those who prefer a low IPT, low speed reel. The right rod to handle this monster deep crank is a little tougher to select, though the Megabass Black Python has done a good job with it as well...