The Best Product I Ever Bought

[Ralph]

I think it would be interesting to see what fishing related products have given the most/least satisfaction. State:

The 3 Best product you ever had
The 3 Worst you ever had

Mine are:
Best: In-Fisherman Subscription
Vintage Rapala Collection
St. Croix Fishing Rods

Worst: Pocket Fisherman (it was a gift)
Bill Dance Signature Rods (cheap bin at Walmart)
Motorguide Lazer RF trolling motor

[iamwalleye1]

Best
1) yamaha motors
2) shimano reels
3) st croix rods

Worst
1)vanish line
2)johnson motor
3)????

[scooter]

The best
1 Yamaha outboards
2 Lamiglass musky rod ( i know think walleyes but man that rod has caught some fish)
3 Series one jig stick about 12 yrs old and still going strong it is my go to rod.
The worst
1 The refridgerater magnets I bought my wife for christmas a few years ago.( I thought she was serious when she said get me refridge magnets.Im still payin for that one)
2 1997 ford f150 2 wheel drv.6 cyl.(thing blew up right across the street from dealership while towing the boat)
3 Cell phone I can now be found anywhere.

scooter

[Cangl]

Heh Heh phew! lettuce catch walleyes or I could carrot less.

(1) Yamaha motors
(2) Shimano reels
(3) Minnkota Maximizers

Worst
(1) Vanish
(2) Motor Guide Lazer (owned one for 2 days)
(3) 3 day's fishing on Fletchers, with winds between 25-65mph
actual daytime high of 8, teens below at night 30+ inches of ice
=+=+=+= one 1.75 inch black bass. Cost per pound??? X( :O

[NC]

1. Mercury 4-stroke
2. Minkota Powerdrive
3. Second seat for wife

1. Cabelas boat cover
2. Cabelas boat cover
3. Cabelas boat cover

[Box]

Best:
1. Polarized sunglasses
2. Shad Raps - about any size, but perch color the best
3. My first graphite fishing rod, a Berkley about 20 years ago. Wasn't best rod ever, but showed me the difference a good rod can make.
<4.> Fireline - the stuff is great.

Worst:
1. Any junk rod - not to be confused with inexpensive.
2. Any junk reel - again not to be confused with inexpensive.
3. Vanish line

Good idea for a thread!
-Box

[Homer]

Best:

1) Cardinal 3 spinning reels: decades of trouble-free service
2) Eagle Claw featherlight rods: bought 'em for perch, love 'em for all live bait fishing
3) GLoomis jigging rods: sensitivity to the max

Worst:

1) Apelco Depthfinder
2) Vanish line
3) Chrysler outboard

[Bucks Rogers]

Best:
1. Herters goose down sleeping bag (been using for 28 years)
2. Crestliner TS182
3. Cabelas Guide Wear

Worst:
1. 1st Wife
2. 2nd Wife
3. 1989 Ford Escort

[TK_551]

Best

1) Lund ProV
2) Chevy Tahoe
3) Evinrude Motor

Worst

1) Yellow Bird Planer Boards
2) McDonalds
3) Spiderwire

Tom
#551

[Gilligan]

Best..
1 Renosky lures
2 Offshore planer boards
3 Precision trolling
4 Fireline
5 Got Cha jigs
6 Fishing Hot Spots maps

Worst..
1 Cabelas hydrotroll
2 Cabelas flourocarbon
3 A fishing vacation with my wife!

[haugboss]

best
1 chartruese triple ripple
2 st croix rod
3 humminbird super 60 (replaced depth rope)

worst
1 catfish charlie
2 spray bait attractors
3 pickled minnows

[Reels]

Best,

1 Yamaha Motor
2 Berkley series one rod. (My first "Good rod")
3 LMS350

Worst,
1 Johnson Motor (Sold to IAMWALLEYEONE- see above post)
2 MinnKota Electric Anchor (anchormate?)- 12 years ago?
3 A flat of half dead nightcrawlers on the way to Canada

I kinda liked my pocket fisherman though. Took it to all the park ponds in Chicago as a kid. ROde my bike to Diversy harbor and fished for perch with it too!

[gpbrown]

Best
1. Vib-E
2. Tender Tubes
3. Fireline

Worst
1. OMC trolling motor
2. non-custom covers
3. owners manuals from boat companies...worthless!

[TK_551]

Reels,

What park ponds did you fish? I grew up in Chicago and live in the Rockford area now. I used to go to Marquette Park Lagoon and McKinley Park. We used to fish in the pond at Resurrection Cemetary as well. Not to mention all the Forest Preserve Lakes.

Tom
#551

[Melonbob]

Great post!!!!!

Best:

1. My Loomis jiggin stick. (first top end rod)
2. My Shimano Stradic.
3. My Garmin 240 (first time away from a bird....lol)

Worst:

1. My Legend Boat (smokercraft - lets hope it floats this year!!!)
2. quantum TiMag reel
3. rubbermaid tackle box - never did find those easy to find add-ons.

That's about it!!!!

[roaster]

The best:
a boat with capability to add and subtract gizmos
wind sock
Shimano reels

The worst:
Vanish fluorocarbon - I recall this stuff cracking apart in my hands
minnkota anchormate
North American Fisherman Subscription

[Reels]

Hi Tom,

Gompers and Humblot park. Also one up north on Diversy Ave. I foret the name. I was a north sider. Also the Chicago river believe it or not. Didnt catch much there, but I was a fishing nut even as a kid.

I did fish Marquette because my grandmother lived on 83rd and Kedzie.

<{{}}><

[TK_551]

55th and Pulaski. My parents still live there. Believe it or not, they pull some decent fish out of Marquette now. Too bad the neighborhood is trashed. A friend of mine's uncle was beaten to death there a few years ago while he was fishing. Terrible. At least they got the guy.

Tom
#551

[tbomn]

1) My bride...best fishing partner ever
2) My houseboat.......1986 and still my second home
3) Ringworms......killers on the river(1/16 0z bullet head jig)


1) First wife...love her, just couldn't live with her
2) 1992 Ford F150 4X4...in the dealer garage, more than in mine
3) Mitchell line counter reels.......oooops!

[Walleyefisher]

Great post Ralph!

Best
#1 Yarcraft Storm TSC
#2 Shimano Reels
#3 Fenwick Techna AV rods

Worst
#1 Smokercraft Fazer
#2 Humminbird Depth Finder (first fish finder) LOL
#3 Galyans Graphite rod (handle broke off the rod)

[Nofish]

Howdy Ralph, from another Ralph!!

Great topic.

Best products, hmmm. I have to qualify this by saying the top three in my world are. essentially, My wifes Wedding Ring (for all reasons associated with it) And 2 and 3 are diapers for my boys. If I didn't have them, there'd be no reason for the diapers!!! LOL

But in the vain of the topic,

My 3 best, in this order
1 - Ranger 620
2 - Merc 225 Opti Max on the 620
3 - This puter

3 worst? Hmmm.....
1 - Dodge Dakota I owned
2 - Everything named Sony (walkman, boom box etc)
3 - The lousy digital camera I have and the software that came with it

That about sums it up

Have fun.........R

[JimmerAB]

Good one, Ralph!

The best:

(3) My GPS (opened up a whole new world)
(2) Minnkota 65 PD/AP
(1) After 20 years in a 12-foot cartopper, my new Crestliner.

The worst:

(1) Color-C-Lector (that was an easy one!)
(2) Pistol grip baitcasting rod
(3) Rubbermaid tacklebox


Jim

[Hutch]

I also agree, a GREAT topic!! Sorry, I broke the rules I couldn't narrow it to anything less then 5.
Best investments
1. B & B bait boxes
2. Glyde-Rydes
3. Katchamn hand line reels
4. Troll Master
5. The ALL-MIGHTY RINGWORM

Worst investments
1. Spider line
2. Whiplash line
3. Stand-up jig head
4. The color BUBBLEGUM in any type of plastic.
5. Camo underware - darn itch weed anyway.

[Tom B]

The Best
1. The 5 Macs that I have had
2. Garmin GPS and the cable to hook it up to the puter
3. Vexilar flasher
4. All Star rods
5. The ring that I gave my wife on our 10-year anniversary

The worst
1.Hummindbird depthfinder, this was the first thing that I got rid of after I bought my boat
2. the motorcycle that I received in trade for the humminbird
3. Trilene XT (Berkeley must have had a bad year with the stuff, we had to respool after EVERY river trip.)

And while it is not a product, I would say that the best discovery that I have made is carp fishing. It's so easy to hook 50-60 10-20 pounders in one afternoon. I love catching big fish!

Tom B

[John Wayne]

Best:
1. Lowrance GPS
2. 50hp Honda Tiller
3. 98 Chevy Extended Cab Z71

Worse:
1. Stren Fishing Line
2. 9.9hp Mariner Tiller
3. 40hp Merc Tiller

Traded both the 9.9 Mariner and 40 Merc on my 50 Honda last spring.

[TJ]

BEST: 1- Shimano spinning reels
2- Richter anchor
3- 350-A sonar/GPS
WORST:
1- Evinrude 4hp. angle drive motor
2- Sears Jon boat
3- Trilene XT mono line

[Jig Master]

Best:
1.) Vexilar flasher
2.) Berkley Series One rod
3.) Garmin GPS III+

Worst:
1.) 1989 Isuzu Amigo
2.) Gas for 1989 Isuzu Amigo
3.) Oil for 1989 Isuzu Amigo

[llg]

What is on that flag a CHICKENHAWK?

Just kidding, was a hawkeye myself for a few years, remember k. arnold, s. kratz......m, s waite, those were fun years in IA bball, Lute, Lute, Lute., AND the FB team is fun too, best college fans in the nation.

Now its gggoooooooooooo GOPHERS!!

[gilly8000]

"If fishing is a sport, does that mean I'm an athlete." That's too funny.

Best:

1) GPS
2) 6 1/2 ft. Ugly Stik
3) Strikemaster LazerMag

Worst:
1) Trilene XT
2) Aqua View
3) Green Olives

[Box]

You "bought" both your wives?? Are they from Russia? ;)

Just funnin'...
-Box

[FJH1]

Nice Post!

Best Products:

1) St. Croix Rods
2) R-A-M Mounts
3) Fishing Hot Spots Maps
4) MinnKota Maxxum
5) Infinate Divider Sytem tackle boxes
6) Daiwa Line Counters
7) Storm Baby Thundersticks
8) Guest Charger
9) Tempress Rod holders
10) This 'puter
11) Cabela's Guidewear

Worst:

1) Risto Raps
2) Chene Anchor
3) Lots more, but I've wiped it from my memory

Best Regards,

FJH

[stevefellegy]

Too many GREAT ones to list, and I won't list the bad ones. But here are my top five...I think....
1. My Genetron graph
2.The original rapala and the "shadrap" revolution
3. pliers made specificly for split rings
4. The age of the "pike boat"
5. WALLEYE CENTRAL

and then polaroid sunglasses and then....

[Spongebob]

Great post Ralph!

Best:
1- My St. Croix rods
2- My Ram mount that secures my bow mount(and any other Ram products including the rod holders)
3- My Off-Shore boards with their White Perch indicators.(Tattle Flags)
4- My 620


Worst:
1- By far, the worst product I have ever been frustrated with .....
Anchor Reins!!!!!
2- Brakes on my Chrysler products
3- Factory OMC kicker bracket for 2000 9.9 4-stroke

The best discovery I have stumbled on would have to be....Walleye Central!!

And most important....Festival foods has, by far, the best produce we have come accross.


Think Spring!!!!
Spongebob

[CI_Guy]

Great post.
3 Best
1) Falcon rod
2) Lowrance GPS with map create disk.
3) Abu-Garcia negative reverse reel.

3 Worst
1) Humminbird
2) Any Atwood pump
3) Champion spark plugs for a Mariner.

[Eyecrosser]

I have spent a lot of money on junk over the years, but the three best things I have purchased are probably,.

1. My Yamaha outboard

2. My Magillian handheld GPS

3. My Berkley lighting rod/Abu-Garcia rigs

[AquaMan]

Best:
1) Lowrance LMS-350A
2) St Croix & FigRig Rods
3) Shimano Spirex
3A) Trilene line


Worst:
1) Hummingbird WIDE 100
2) Vanish line
3) The helicopter lure, the "Glo-Jig", etc...sucker born every minute! <grin>

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just turning cash into water!

[JasonMN]

Best:
St Croix
Yamaha
Guest
Yozuri crystal Minnow
fireline

Worst:
Zercom Colorpoint flasher
Mercury
Risto Raps
berkley vanish
Atwood "disposable" pumps

[TBO/MN]

Yup, I bought both of them, and I am still paying for the present one. I will be paying for the rest of my life.........that's not all bad.

Good Fishin'
TBO/MN Joe Smith

PS...You must not be married, or would have known that.....;)

[stevefellegy]

Okay...I'll bite. What's the address in Russia and what's the going rate?

[stewart]

six good things:
-pinpoint graph.First graph I've used I trust to show fish, though other top brands must be good too.
-Cutco fillet knife.Don't think I'll get a rapala knife ever again. It looks so cheesy though :)
-Loomis rod.
-Gamakatsu hooks
-breathable raingear(sooooo nice)
-jigs

[srj]

Gilligan, was that Cabelas hydrotroll the combo trolling plate/doel fin? If so, didn't it work?
Thanks

[Ferny]

Best
1. 16 footer with a 40 HP tiller. YIPPEE!
2. Vexilar FL-8's and FL-18's
3. Beer... :9 hehe just thought I'd slip that one in.
3.5 Fish-On Rodholders


Worst
1. Jiffy Power auger (Thank God I won it)
2. Vanish line I thought I was the only one who got suckered into that one.
3. Split fire spark plugs haha I'm a sucker I wanted that extra HP out of my 16 horse Spirit.


Later,

Ferny.

[JerryA]

Many good products:
1. Old Mitchell 300/300C spinning reels - still use the first one I bought 30+ years ago, only reel which turns counterclockwise.
2. Ugly Stick rods - not for everything but truly indestructible
3. RoosterTail spinning lures - they will catch everything except maybe a walleye
4. Anything with GoreTex

Haven't had too many bad products - must be lucky.

[LukeS]

Best=1.ranger 620vs
2.toyota tundra
3.merc outboards
4.minnkota trolling motors
5.vexilar products.
6.shimano reels
7.loomis rods
8.owner hooks

Luke Sholter

[ebox]

Best: ABU C3 and C4 reels
Shimano Spirex reels
Merc 150 EFI

Worst:Any Diawa reel except for the line counters
Any type of leach keeper (They all break)
Vanish Line

Great Post!

[Box]

HAHA!!

I am recently married, and I am finding that out! :)

She just calls me her "money-tree"...

-Box

[steve dover]

great question lots of fun
best
every boat I've owned-I love what they do for me.
"headlamp" for nite fishing(goes on your head) felt like a hero when power was out for three days in this area this winter.
Fenwick rods (thankx peter bowman, bought them off him at "yardsale" when he changed sponsors
Worst
had hard time with this part
Quantam spinning reels-only reels ever bought that broke a lot even though I bought their top of line. really never had other brand malfunction.
cheap barrel swivel the salmon is still going
boat top from marina leaked and ripped from start amazingly poor quality for the price-not inexpensive
had bad experience with a burnt pea and bad nut at christmas at grandmothers-to stay more on topic....

[Tom (mich)]

One of the best chains in a while! Not going to limit to three though.

Best
1. Yarcraft 1895 Storm
2. Loomis jigging rod
3. Cabela's Ripcord
4. Reef Runners - any kind
5. Pa's lures
6. Offshore planers w/ tattles and OR-18 clips

Worst
1. Berkley Vanish
2. Pinnacle Deadbolt reel (A hit! Set the hook! whoa! Where's my anti-reverse!!)
3. Berkley Vanish
4. Jeep Cherokee Sport
5. Berkley Vanish

[FJH1]

Wow, looking at these posts it's amazing how Vanish line made the "Worst" list on many of the posts.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Reels]

That is terrible. It hasnt gotten any better around there either.

<{{}}><

[Reels]

Color-c-lector.... wow, thats a blast from the past... yep, that was a bad one...

<{{}}><

[Eyefish]

Easy one for me :
Best
[1] Pro v
[2] Optimax
[3] Duramax

Worst
[1] Okuma line counter reels
[2] Company cell phone
[3] Stren digital scale

[Skillz]

VERY punny....

skz
Good Fishin'!!!!

[Skillz]

Minnesota=walleyes=God's country. Actually heard or read something about the guy who was beaten to death. A real slap in the face of humanity.

skz

[Jay]

Fun topic. Sorry, can't limit it to three though.

Best:
1. In-Fisherman subscription (for 20+ yrs it's put more fish in my boat than all other products combined)
2. In-Fisherman (see #1)
3. Lund 2025 (never fished out of a better boat)
4. Merc Opti (runs flawlessly EVERY time)
5. MinnKota Vantage (best backtrolling tool since Wave Wackers)
6. Lowrance locators & gps (x15 paper graph, 350, 1600 & X-15mt have all been first-class units)
7. Panther kicker lift
8. Eagle trailer (loads perfectly)
9. jig eye-buster
Too many great products to list.

Worst:
1. Humminbird lcr (great if you like cartoon fish pics)
2. Don Dixon "structure fishing" video
3. Vanish line (actually never used it, just wanted to feel like part of the group)

[JimmerAB]

Can I add one more to my "best" column? I was too tired when I posted last night, and forgot about my Shimano Baitrunner reel. Cheers.

Jim

[Skillz]

Fun post. Lots of info on a lot of equipment.

1) The wife's ring. Hand's down best thing ever.
2) Colombia Thinsulate Duck hunting coat. Shell + liner. Deep pockets. Versital to conditions.
3) Carhart bib overalls. 'Nuff said.
4) Mad dog thinsulate gloves- (leather-type palms). Cheap and roll up well to fit in jacket.
5) Rocky 1000 g thinsulate hunting boots.

Moved to N. Minnesota. Not so long ago...

6) Bow fishing equipment. If you haven't tried this, do. Hours of entertainment on hot summer days with nothing better to do. If you can get a 3-4 lb carp early, put it a smoker and try this... yummy!
7) Turkey fryer. Even more yummy!!
8) Small sewing box type thing for walleye jigs. Works perfect for lots of different color jigs, style, weight, etc..
9) Plyer case to fit on belt while fishing. ##### snakes!
10) Head lamp for night fishing. Ever tried to cat fish at night w/o one?

Worst ever??

1) First tin of Kodiak. Just say no.
2) Subscription to North American Hunting Mag + another one to N.A. Fishing. Best thing they offered me was the shiny sticker...
3) Subscription to Field and Stream. Good magazine but where the ##### is this little camo bag they were offerin?
4) $140.00 pair of Oakley sunglasses I dropped over the side the same day I bought them.
5) The banana I ate last time I was out on the lake. Hey- you said produce didn't you?? lol

skz




Good Fishin'!!!!

[water_wolf]

4 Best:
1) My "Retreat" on Silver Lake
2) Lund Fisherman 1700
3) Lowrance LCX-15 MT
4) Vexilar FL8

2 Worst:
1) Bass Calculator (sorry I was young....very young)
2) Hummingbird Crapola fishfinder

I'm sure that after I think about it something else will come to mind under "worst". Try to block out the bad stuff.


Rich Ferguson

[Gilligan]

No.. it was just the trolling plate but the design/flaws are the same. The brass shear pins that lock it up or down shear very easily. I was breaking many of them at 1.5mph and under. And if you want a treat try hanging off the back of the boat and replacing them when on the water. You need a screw driver and 3 hands and hope you time the waves right or go swimming. Got 2 screw drivers on bottom of the lake and nearly myself also. They replaced my first one because it developed cracks in the hinge area. The second one came 'factory direct' with cracks in it. It completely busted off on Erie and joined my 2 screw drivers. I replaced it with the Happy Troller and it hasn't missed a beat, they are the best on the market..unless you got 2G for a kicker.

[Cangl]

Only fish 3 of us caught, most weight, most fish and largest!!
I never got a copy of the photo of that fish and me, had to take the picture within 3ft of my face and fish so as to see the fish. But that bugger was the winner.

[fishy1]

1SMOKERCRAFT boat
2minnkota a\p
3garmin gps 12

worst
1wedding ring
2house
3washer dryer
with the ring came a woman with the house came payments and the washer and dryer I should have bought more fishing produce
}>}>

[brw]

If that's a chicken hawk flag then I want a Foghorn Leghorn flag!!!

BEST
1. Loomis rod-I don't want to put it down for my other rods even if I'm not catching anything on it

2. Cabelas worm harnesses-those little hooks are sharp

3. the cheap rigs I bought for my boys so they can fish with me

WORST
1. HUMMINGTURD FISH FINDER

2. Any lure from Dura Pack--glad those days are over and I can afford real lures now.

3. Normark 50 lb digital scale--bought 2 and they both stink.

[WAeyes]

BEST

1. Shimano Stradic spinning reels (nothing else to say)
2. St. Croix Legend Elite rod (lightest, most sensitive made)
3. Mr. Heater Portable Buddy (warms up that frozen tent nicely)
4. GMC Sierra (does everything I need it to)
5. Dell Dimension 8200 (very zippy)
WORST

1. Bottomline Fishin Buddy (would rather frame in cabin windows with sf)
2. Cabelas Ripcord (just not for me)
3. Ford Bronco II (don't ask)

[T.R. in M.T.]

Best, 1. My Tyee
2. St. Croix rods
3. VIAGRA ! My lovely wife fishes tourneys with me again!
Worst,
1. Motorguide Lazer RF ! Rebuilt 4 times under wro, worked 1/2
day after wro ran out!
2. Cannon portable downrigger
3. My first wifes wedding ring ..... she hated fishing.

[Karl]

By far the best, and I still have it, the first rod/reel combo I ever owned, Shakespear model....hmmmmm2900 I think. I earned the money as an 8yr old, bought it at K-mart 26 years ago. Was proud to be able to buy it and with that combo I got hooked on fishing. AN entry level combo...noted for its intrinsic value(Mom & Dad werent into fishing so I had to learn on my own) Folks encouraging after that but not knowledgable.

#2 Garmin GPSIII+
#3 Foul weather gear by The North Face
#4 Fireline

Worst...
The Pig by Odessey
Spiderwire
Anything by Humminbird

[ETT]

OK I can't sleep so I'll play:
BEST:
1. Gortex Polar fleece sweat shirt from Cabelas. Camo, Dern thing goes everywhere with me.

2. Reef Runner lures (awesome lures)

3. Gatco diamond knife shappening system. (don't cut yourself)


Worst:
1. Berkley Prime line

2. The pig skin boots that were just a smidge tight. (15 years and they're still tight)

3. The pair of 65 dollar (each) trolling bags that my brother lost the first day out. (never even touched them)

[vetspet(ind)]

the best three...mt katadin eureka tent....17 ft grummin canoe....down sleeping bag....used to go to ely minn. every yr...so many great memories..once i got a warm bag and a good tent.....the worse....a windblock ice fishing tent...made as well as any tent on the market but poor design....3,000 yd spool of silverthread line....vanish line...steve

[vetspet(ind)]

seems funny...i have one of those 4hp angle rudes..bought new in 1974 and it still is the best motor i have ever used....never skips a beat...really...steve...and it goes right thru the lilly pads

[Backwater Eddy]

Good Stuff.

1- Cabela's Guide Wear Insulated Parka, Bibs & gloves.
2- Pete Maina Signature Series Bass Pro PQ3000M Reel & PM80XHT-T rod combo's. (SWEET)
3- Gamakatsu hooks.

Not so Good Stuff.

1- Women who say "Whatever or Fine" every time you go fishing.
2- Certified letters from a woman that says "Whatever or Fine".
3- Lawyers who don't fish but who chose to represent a woman who says “Whatever or Fine”. (Bogus)


Backwater Eddy ~ ~><sUMo> ~ ><>

http://home.talkcity.com/ResortRd/backwtr1/index.html

[TJ]

I don't know about produce - strawberries, I guess. But products?

BEST
1- Shimanos reels
2- Lowrance GM1600 w/ FHS HotMaps & Navionics E-Charts
3- Glyde-Ryde Seat Supensions
4- Honda 9.9 hp
5- Cabela's Guidewear (warm & dry)
6- Excalibur Treble Hooks

WORST
1- Berkley Sensithin fishing line
2- Stren Sensor fishing line
3- Berkley Priime fishing line

OK. So I've got a thing about crappy line.

[Marc Bodi]

Hi,
Best
old 16 ft alum boat with tilt trailer(rivers and small lakes)
19 ft renken IO ( lake erie,huron,michigan)
BOMBERS<BOMBERS<BOMBERS

Worst
rubber things for holding 2pc rods together when they are broken down.
Whiplash 20lb line
Atwood boat cover from K-Mart

[Fishnfuul]

Steve,
I had to laugh when you asked for the Russian women address, there really is one! I ran across it as a link on another site.And believe it or not, they don't look like the stereotypical Russian woman..

http://www.athenaagency.com/index.html

[Fishnfuul]

Good post Ralph, here's my two cents worth.

Good stuff:
Shimano reels
St. Croix rods
my boat
Walleye Insider mag
Leatherman tool

Worst:
Packard Bell computer
There's more, just drew a blank on it all...

[mo wally]

There are very fine lines between good product and good idea. The hands down top of my list on good buys are:
1) Cab's 800 onboard charger
2) ' 84 Chrysler 50 HP O.B.
3) Chartruese jigheads, 1/16 oz.

The three worst would list:
1) Shakespeare reels, any make, why there is a plural to this story is beyond me.
2) A Penn 309 in the bottom of Osage River after last years snaggin' run.
3) Shimano 2000, Sahara, fell apart while the wally bite was on one night, not right.

[WillieB]

The best
1) Shakespeare Ugly Stiks

2) Shimano reels

3) FireLine

4) Garmin GPS

The worst
1) 12 pounds of ribeye/delmonico steaks we bought in Timmins, Ontario for a fly-in last year

2) ISP service with AOL

3) ENRON stock

[WAeyes]

Hey TJ,

What did you not like about Berkely Sensithin and how were you using it?

[WAeyes]

"last years snaggin run" hmmmmm.......................

[TM]

BEST:

1. Smokercraft Boat
2. Gore-Tex clothing
3. Lowrance products

WORST:

1. Dodge pickup
2. Motor Guide Lazor
3. Dodge pickup
4. Spiderwire
5. Dodge pickup

[IaCraig]

Fishing Related...

Best:

1. Wedding ring and the family that resulted because of it
2. Crestliner Phantom
3. Whiplash line

Worst:

1. Lazer II trolling motor
2. 3 Cabela's reels.
3. This HP 8660C computer that locks up every 15 minutes....

IaCraig

[phishinwalleye]

This is Great.

best
1. Fishing trips with DAD.....
2. Fishing trips with wife,son & dauther
3. fisher deep v boats
worst
1. fishing in big water with small boat (big waves)
2. having to rebuy new tackle. (after small boat over turned)
3.the" flying lure" as seen on T.V.

[Marble Eyes]

Best:
Stradic and Bantam-Curado Reels
Beckman Landing Net
Guidewear

Worst:
Humminbird Wide Paramount
Fluorocarbon Line
Shakespear Open Face Reel(s)

[vetspet(ind)]

my brother loves his helicopter lure....his daughter bought him the whole deal for his birthday...he listened to the tape and catches a lot of bass on the lures....i took him out to teach him how to coho fish last yr and he got 10...i got 2...next day he got 5 and i got 1 so he must be blessed...steve

[TomPGrouse]

The best:

Yamaha 8hp kicker
New Mr. Pike 16
Trips to Canada with my son and friends-love every minute of them.

The worst:

Spartan Trailer
Spartan Trailer
Spartan Trailer

[Hawg Tracker]

Best Products I ever bought;
My Tracker Boat
My 2000 Explorer
Bass Pro Shop IM8 rods
Berkley Power Worms

Worst Products;
2 new Oldsmobiles
New Chevrolet
New Pontiac...in short..every GM piece of C**P I ever bought.
New Mercury 4 horse motor

[jhsny6]

The Best 3 Crestliner 1850 Sportfish, Interstate batteries, Lowrance depth finders

The worst: Stren fishing lines (always twists}, rubberized undercoating (peeled off first time I washed it}, Irish Setter boots(had 2 pairs split out on me)

[narrows in mind]

Best Easy...
1.X85
2.Aqua Vu
3.New 1800 Pro V (I hope!)

Worst...
1.Eagle Magna whatever plus nothing
2.Magellan Colortrack GPS Junk
3.?? Been lucky I guess!

[Smitty]

Tough to narrow down, but here goes:

Best
1. Fireline
2. Shimano spinning reels
3. The kicker for my boat (can't imagine being without it now)
4. Guidewear
5. Falcon rod (While rarely mentioned here, I think they're hugely underrated for the price)

Worst
1. Vanish line (lost more fish in 1 week than the rest of my life)
2. A huge tackle bag that I'm not sure I'll be able to carry in my older years!!!
3. An early (expensive)underwater camera. Sort of fun, but they've come a long ways since. Coulda had some nice stuff with that $$.

[TJ]

Actually, now that I think about it, it was Berkley "Ultra Thin", not SensiThin. The problem with all three was premature wear resulting in broken lines, lost fish and lures, etc. After the problems with Ultra Thin (circa 1995), I shied away from "XXX Thin" lines. My reasoning was that thinner is not necessarily better or stronger. Nowadays, I believe the line technology has advanced far enough that the manufacturers can produce a line that is thin, strong and durable. I am anxious to try Sensation this season. I'm spooling up some of my line counters with #14 Sensation that has the same diameter as #10 XT. Until I hit the water though, the jury is still out...

[Hogslammer]

That's why they named the line Vanish. The fish vanish before your eyes as the line breaks at the boat.

[REW]

I have to 2nd your comment.
I had a motor like that for many many years - never missed a beat, and I think that when I sold it - I still got about $300 for it.

Take care
REW
the angled drive - would slip right through the weeds as well.

[tj1n]

Good Reading/Post

Best:
1. Fenwick Jiggin' rods (Techna)
2. Fireline
3. Vexilar FL-18 (Ice fishing) - hope my new "Edge" does as much for my soft water experiences this year.

Worst:
1. Deadbolt Reels
2. Rubbermaid Tackle box
3. Hummingbird...need I say more.

Travis J.

[Bob G2]

Best:
1) Cabela's Guidewear Jacket
2) Sage graphite II rods (takes a beatin and keeps on tickin)
3) Zebco C3 reels
4) Redball Brawler waders
Heck, why is it 3/4 items that I have mentioned aren't made anymore?

Worst:
1) Garmin 75 and 38 GPS's
2) I really want to mention my main engine powerplant, but I also don't want to jinx it as it ran good (for once) last year. Hint, Howard _______ Hotels.
3) Ranger Neoprene Waders. Guaranteed to get a crotch leak as soon as the water temps dip below 38 degrees. Now that'll wake you up!

[EsoxProSport]

GOod

1)Chevy Astro Van (Not buying a gas hog Suburban left more $$ for boat)
2)Shimano Reels (not flawless, but perfect customer service)
3)My Boat
4)Berkley Pumpkinseed Powerworms (I know this is a Walleye board, but Bass just won't let them go.

Bad

1)Vanish...

2)Mister Twister EXUDE Plastics... sorry but Powerworms Rule these things even smell bad to Bass
3)Remington Line.. glad its discontinued

[Mud Puppy]

This is easy!

BEST
1- Budweiser(couldn't fish without it!)
2- Perch Shad Raps
3- Fireline
4- Mister Twister Exude Grubs(smallies don't have a chance!)
5- Beaver Dam Tip-ups

WORST
1- Spiderline Fusion
2- Frenzy Deep Divers(caught one white bass with them)
3- Hummingbird Locater

[Big Fish]

Good Post
Best: Optimax
Shimano Stradic
G. Loomis
Glide Ride seats

Worst: Pinnacle Deadbolt (where is that anti-reverse)
Cheap reels I got for the boys (get good ones,why start them out struggling with junk)

[eyewitness]

Wow! I can't believe you listed Irish Setter boots on your worst list. I've got a pair that are 19 years old and I can still stand in 6" of water and not a drop comes through. The tread on the soles is getting to the point where it almost flat, but never have these boots failed in any way. Maybe the newer ones just aren't as good. I'll probably outlive this pair though.....

[Rocketman]

BEST...

1. '98 Lund Prosport
2. '01 Honda 4 stroke
3. Minnkota Vantage


Worst...

1. junk hand tools
2. "fits all" boat cover
3. add on trolling motor transducer

Just wanted to get the "adds" in for the people who helped make me a happier and better fisherman.

Brian Price

[Mike B. (OK)]

Best:
1. Lund Pro-V
2. GMC Suburban (pulls Pro-V)
3. Garcia 5500C baitcaster (my first order from Cabela's 30 years ago when I was 13)
4. Gore-Tex
5. Wild Turkey
6. Trojans

Worst:
1. Cheap vinyl rain gear
2. too much Wild Turkey

[walleyespanker]

The best three:

1. 1775 pro-V
2. Loomis Walleye rods
3. Conditioned Nightcrawlers
4. Walleye INsider and INfisherman mags.

Worst:

1. Wal mart imported crank baits...but they look pretty on my
christmas tree.
2. Big heavy rubber landing nets...fish trampoline right out.

3. Putting down your favorite rod in the boat for only one
minute...and hearing a splash...to see your snagged gear is
now sinking in slow motion :o

[walleyespanker]

The best three:

1. 1775 pro-V
2. Loomis Walleye rods
3. Conditioned Nightcrawlers
4. Walleye INsider and INfisherman mags.

Worst:

1. Wal mart imported crank baits...but they look pretty on my
christmas tree.
2. Big heavy rubber landing nets...fish trampoline right out.

3. Putting down your favorite rod in the boat for only one
minute...and hearing a splash...to see your snagged gear is
now sinking in slow motion :o

[Chartertalk]

Best products not in any order but,

Ranger 621
Merc 225 Opti
Shimano rods and reels
Cabela's Guide Wear
Troll Master
Panther Lift
Berkley Fireline
Offshore Boards
DeHooker for perch fishing
Minn Kota

Worst

Plastic rainsuit remember how many I bought
Stren fishing line always seemed to have a problem with any Stren product
Cheap sunglasses
Motor Guide Lazer trolling motor

[Chartertalk]

Best products not in any order but,

Ranger 621
Merc 225 Opti
Shimano rods and reels
Cabela's Guide Wear
Troll Master
Panther Lift
Berkley Fireline
Offshore Boards
DeHooker for perch fishing
Minn Kota

Worst

Plastic rainsuit remember how many I bought
Stren fishing line always seemed to have a problem with any Stren product
Cheap sunglasses
Motor Guide Lazer trolling motor

[esoxlucius]

1. fl-8
2. Hot-n-Tots, (original, the "new" tots suck).
3. In-Fish

Worse
1. Fenwick reel, Guaranteed to twist brand new line beyond redemption in 4.5 cranks, (or at least by mid-morning).
2. Anything Bass Pro knocks off. BP stuff will work allright until you need it the most, then it takes a big dump.
3. American Angler electric fillet knife. Paid $85.00 and the thing is always malfunctioning and the knife blades are only good for maybe 50-60 perch then they are to dull to cut through the scales.

[esoxlucius]

1. fl-8
2. Hot-n-Tots, (original, the "new" tots suck).
3. In-Fish

Worse
1. Fenwick reel, Guaranteed to twist brand new line beyond redemption in 4.5 cranks, (or at least by mid-morning).
2. Anything Bass Pro knocks off. BP stuff will work allright until you need it the most, then it takes a big dump.
3. American Angler electric fillet knife. Paid $85.00 and the thing is always malfunctioning and the knife blades are only good for maybe 50-60 perch then they are to dull to cut through the scales.

[risor39]

#1 my new(2002)Skeeter zx 2050 #2 2004 Toyota tundra #3 vexilar fl 18 flasher #4 diawa 27 line counters #5 off shore boards #6 precision trolling Ok lots of good produce out there. Worst,geez lots of bad ones too.Like most of us I try to forget those too. #1 Yellow bird planer boards if thats what they want to call them. #2 Pinacle deadbolt reel #3 Vanish line (sounded good at the time) #4 $1200 vacume(sp)cleaner my late wife said we were NOT going to buy just look at. And last but not least BRUSSEL SPROUTS.:-)

[risor39]

#1 my new(2002)Skeeter zx 2050 #2 2004 Toyota tundra #3 vexilar fl 18 flasher #4 diawa 27 line counters #5 off shore boards #6 precision trolling Ok lots of good produce out there. Worst,geez lots of bad ones too.Like most of us I try to forget those too. #1 Yellow bird planer boards if thats what they want to call them. #2 Pinacle deadbolt reel #3 Vanish line (sounded good at the time) #4 $1200 vacume(sp)cleaner my late wife said we were NOT going to buy just look at. And last but not least BRUSSEL SPROUTS.:-)

[Art-Co]

Never let me down..
1) Johnny Walker Black
2) Johnny Walker Red
3) Yellow Tail Wine- to get the wife going

As for fishing???

1)Jointed Shad Raps
2) Lead Line
3)TrollMaster

Can't stand
1)Vanish
2)Color selector- Hey , it was a gift, o.k.
3)New Hot'n'tots

[Art-Co]

Never let me down..
1) Johnny Walker Black
2) Johnny Walker Red
3) Yellow Tail Wine- to get the wife going

As for fishing???

1)Jointed Shad Raps
2) Lead Line
3)TrollMaster

Can't stand
1)Vanish
2)Color selector- Hey , it was a gift, o.k.
3)New Hot'n'tots

[pwrfshn]

Not sure who revived this but it is a great thread all the same:

Best:
1) Minn Kota AP/CP
2) Shimano Tekota
3) Genetron
4) Minn Kota Vector 3x
5) Whitecaps Splashguards
6) Loomis Jigging Rods (finally paid up for a couple nice ones)
7) Stradic 1000
8) Power Pro 8/1 HI VIS
9) Walleye Flashers
10) Reef Runners (red oahe) ;(

Worst:
1) Okuma Convector 15 and 20 and Daiwa Accudepth
3) Original Vanish (we'll see if the new transition is better)
4) Gulp (I personally can't stand the stuff)

[sevenmmm]

........Good.........

Every boat motor I have owned
18' Flatbottom (Alumacraft)
Jigstick from Mattman

........Bad..........

Patriot Powerboat

[bountyhunters]

my wife she,cost 26.bucks for the license. and she;s a keeper ,buys me the best of the toys ,two lunds in the garage ,and I can fish all I want .I.love her.jim

[Keithh]

Geeeze you guys cost me alot of money, got to get rid of the vanish line!

Best
Lead core & raps
lms 350
new anything till I lose it or it breaks
smelly dogs swamp mud and early morning coffe
New Girlfriend (hope I dont break her or lose her!)

worst
The new stuff I get and lose, MY guide wear blew out of the boat and if your the guy that picked it up, wait till I get my new boat I'll catch ya!

X wife 20 yrs of...

[rspahr]

Best:

Shimano Tekota
Trollmaster
Minnkota AP
Yamaha T8


Worst:

Hummingbird Piranha 5
Cheap bin rods in general (they break)
Shakespeare Tidewater TW30LCL

[jwalleye]

Best things:

1. My beautiful wife (best tournament partner I could ask for)
2. Yamaha Outboard
3. Minnkota Co Pilot
4. Cabelas XML rod with Stradic reel
5. Ram Mount products
6. Cabelas guidewear

Worst things:

1. Trolling plate
2. automatic bilge pumps
3. boat without a full windshield (now that the wife is involved)

[pwrfshn]

Why auto bilge pumps?

I'd probably have sunk many times without mine??

[rspahr]

I would have sunk also at least once without the auto bilge. Nothing like forgetting to put a drain plug in when the water temp is about 50.

[j9f]

Best:
1. Daiwa 27H levelwinds
2. Mini divers or jet divers
3. Auto Pilot

Worst:
1. Cannon Speed and Temp (three new transducers and one new monitor)
2. St. Croix rod (best action ever, but I have broken the tip 3 times)
3. Millwakee's Best Ice (friend brought a 30 pack out two months ago... still over 24 sitting on the boat)

[pwrfshn]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

Milwaukees Best is far from the truth!

[mgfishing]

I love this post.

Best:
1) Warrior 177 backtroller
2) Ford F350 Diesel
3) My current home ( Tripled in value in 12 years! )



Worst:
1) Tuffy 16 muskie rampage ( purchased at sport show after a few)
2) Color C Lector ( I will never trust Babe or Roland seminars at the sport show again)
3) North American Fisherman Magazine ( I must have been drinking at the sport show)
4) Drinking at the sport shows

[RANGER]

Good post.......................

Best? - ;-)

Minnkota AP
Mariner motors (Yamaha)
Shimano Reels
Cabela's "Tourney rods"


The worst? - ;(

Vanish line - absolutely!!!!
Hummingbird finders
Tadpolly's (lures)
Anything "Uniden" - ANYTHING!!!!!!

[John K unlogged]

#1 I would have to say my Lund boats. Everyone has been water tight,
good resale when it came time to sell, and I have always felt safe when out on rough water. I'm on my third one. Second would be my Mercury outboards. I've had four. Always been dependable, no real problems to speak of. Third would be my Lowrance LCX-15MT fish finder/GPS. I have had a few problems, but Lowrance has been excellent about replacement. I have had no issues with my current one.

[Terroreyes]

BEST

1. GPS!!! (will never leave the dock without it again)

2. Dowrigger (the most veratile piece of equipment I have. Not just for deep water! Can fish weedy days on Erie when others trolling dipsey's, boards, or just baits can't.)

3. Stinger Jigs (that ain't no plug or lie!!)

Worst

1. BPS trailer jack (almost took my legs off and put a heck of a dent in my bow when it collapsed. Well under the rated weight.)

2. MapCreate (close to useless and WAY too expensive!)

3. Helicopter lure from TV
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[fishhunter]

Yep gotta hate them weedy days :)

[JLDII]

My best;

1. Yar-Craft 1895 Storm
2. Lowrance LMX-19c
3. G.Loomis IMX8400
4. 1969 Chevy SS396 (Totally loaded, hot, BABE magnet }( )


My worst;

1. Mossberg 12ga. (Old "C" elect choke)
2. International Harvester Scout
3. 1982 Alumacraft SV16 ( 47 rivets and 7 ribs replaced after 1 year)
4. My first wife (I'm still paying for that ####)x(

[Longtimer]

3 Best: 1, Fireline 2, Minnkota Bow mount 3, A larger spool of Fireline. The 3 worst: 1, 1983 Tracker Johnson 60 hs. 2, Motorguide bow mount that came with the 1983 Tracker boat and 3, the entire package TV-17 that fell apart and blew up from 1983!

[Dustwaterwolf]

The three best and worst, hmmm... lets see
BEST: (Just a few of them)
1) would have to be the fishing rig I am runnin now
my 1998 Starcraft Pro- Elite 1800 with 135 Opti and ALL the extra bells and whistles, and yes even though I am having issues with the transom I STILL love the boat!!
2)The 1989 restored Chev. Suburban that I bought three years ago that I now drive 246,000 original miles on it, and I would not hesitate to drive it to Pheonix again. (did 2 years ago, avg 16 mpg)
3)NASCAR Tickets- really anywhere, but that was the reason for the trip to Pheonix...really want Bristol Tix bad sometime in next few years
Without a doubt though the best thing that ever happened to me in my life was the birth of my 2 kids, Michaela and Patrick... I love you


WORST: (this is easy)
1) money on the first date
2) an engagement ring
3) a marriage license... (I am now single again..,no more "fine- go ahead" or "whatever" to put up with, thats just the tip of the ice berg)

[Sandman]

Best, 1)Suzuki 2)Gps 3)St.Criox rods 4)T-8 5)Cabelas Guidewear Raingear Worst,1)Vanish line 2)Shakespeare Tidewater Reels 3)VW 2000 Beetle 4)Ford F-150 1999 5)Neighbors

[bigfish1965]

Three best??
Shimano Castaic Reel (201SF)
Custom Made 9'6" IMX rod with Titanium guides yadda yadda (Backwoods Premium Rods)
All my Rebel Fastracs which catch more dang monster walleye then any other lure.

Worst?
Rapala Fishing Line
Anything by 'Red Dog'
Humminbird Wide 100 (omg that thing was awful)

[George Eh]

Oh my gosh some of my favorites made it to the worst list on others, c'est la vie, eh! My 3 favorites 16' Starcraft with 30 hp Suzuki, Garmin 12 GPS, Spiderwire Fusion- it seems to stand up to rocks better than fireline for me The 3 worst Berkley Gorilla Braid, any kind of steel line, dipsy diver- I've pulled that thing so far there's no paint left but never caught a fish with it

[Frogger]

Where did your Guidewear blow out of your boat?

[Freckles]

My best three are:

1. MY LUND 2450
2. MY LUND MR. PIKE 17
3. MY LUND 16 REBEL


MY WORST THREE ARE:

1. A COLOR SELECTOR (SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU WHAT COLOR THE FISH ARE BITING ON)
2. PLASTIC WORMS THAT ATE UP MY TACKLE BOX
3. OUR ALASKIN CRUISE WITH OUR MOTHER-IN-LAW WITH


THE "LAPLANDER"

[Toolman]

It's interesting that many products that made people's best and worst fell somewhere in my good or OK ranges-I guess personal preference or even the quality of the particular product has some bearing on how it got ranked.

Best 5 (3 isn't enough):

1) Tie between Minn Kota AP/CP and Trollmaster Throttle Control. Both are handier than a pocket on a shirt for a troller.
2) Cabelas Guidewear-suprised they didn't make more people's list. Better than sliced bread when it's nasty out.
3) Superline (in particular Fireline and Powerpro are two of my favs). Fireline makes every spinning rod feel like a million bucks! Can't beat PP for most trolling applications.
4) Reef Runner and Rapala cranks. There's a Reefrunner or Raplala that will catch fish anytime/anyplace.
5) Dodge Ram 2500 Quad 4WD w/Cummins Diesel. It's still new, but all I can say is "Wow"!


Worst 3:

1) Stren line. I haven't used any in at least 10 years, but IMO back then it was junk.
2) Huge Plano Guide Tackle box -I could hold more stuff in my pants pockets than that thing would carry and it was HUGE. It sure looked good on the store shelf, though.
3) Every Hummingbird finder I bought in the 80's and 90's. Yes, there were more than one but I'm smarter now;)

[Koldfront Kraig]

Best:

Yami tillers
Gloomis rods
Guideware raingear


The worst:

Spartan trailers
Cabelas digital line counters
Knight and Hale malard decoys - as soon as it gets below freezing they become brittle and crush easilyx(

[K Gonefishin]

Great Thread!!

Best Product more than 3 though

1. Stren purple original 8 and 10lb test
(me only I think still casting...and trolling

2. Wellcraft and Starcraft boats

3. 3 MinnKota Electrics (dumped, banged, submerged, still working.... own three one is 15 years old and still moving.

4. Penn 4300ss 4 family members own and won't buy another spinning reel on the market

5. Garmin 240 Blue, Lowrance 4800M Great products and Garmin Legend.

5. Diawa Great Lakes 47 LC power pro 30/8 with PA spoons
Worst.

1. You guessed it Vanish line Uhh for steelhead not even blugill

2. Hummingbird 200dx and Wide Paramount 3D

3. Sony Electronics (not all but some)

4. Reebok Shoes

[K Gonefishin]

Great Thread!!

Best Product more than 3 though

1. Stren purple original 8 and 10lb test
(me only I think still casting...and trolling

2. Wellcraft and Starcraft boats

3. 3 MinnKota Electrics (dumped, banged, submerged, still working.... own three one is 15 years old and still moving.

4. Penn 4300ss 4 family members own and won't buy another spinning reel on the market

5. Garmin 240 Blue, Lowrance 4800M Great products and Garmin Legend.

5. Diawa Great Lakes 47 LC power pro 30/8 with PA spoons
Worst.

1. You guessed it Vanish line Uhh for steelhead not even blugill

2. Hummingbird 200dx and Wide Paramount 3D

3. Sony Electronics (not all but some)

4. Reebok Shoes

[Erie Captain]

Best: 1.Simrad Autopilot
2.Penn Yan Boats
3.Reef Runner Deep Divers

Worst: 1. Okuma 20dx and 30dx
2. Berkley Vanish
3. Berkley Vanish

[Erie Captain]

Best: 1.Simrad Autopilot
2.Penn Yan Boats
3.Reef Runner Deep Divers

Worst: 1. Okuma 20dx and 30dx
2. Berkley Vanish
3. Berkley Vanish

[Mueller]

WORST
1. Sylvan 14' Super Snapper absolutely the worst boat ever manufactured!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. Zercom Flasher
3. Sears lawnmower

BEST
1. Lund boats
2. Shimano Reels
3. Beckman nets

[Whit]

best
1 shimano reels and fireline
2 frogg toggs raingear (i don't do cold weather)
3 new balance shoes (great for old men)
worst
1 rapala line
2 nike shoes
3 sooooo much of the gadget fishing junk on the market today

[bob oh]

Best

Trollmaster
Fenwick Rods
Toyota Avalon
F150 crew

rod bender bob

[mogefico]

Best:

1. Berkley Gary Roach 6'8" Rods (They don't make the 6"8" anymore)
2. Shimano Spriex wth 8lb XL (My go to perch rod and reel)
3. Big John Electrics (Don't know why I had manuals for 15 years)

Worst:

1. Ford explorer with Firestone tires (Turned in in at 76k as it was falling apart and blue book went to crap.
2. Eagle trailer with Firestone tires (Went through 3 blown tires and wasted my trailer before I figured out they were defective. Anyone for 70mph with a 20 foot boat when a tire blows. Thank you for the trucker that saw it happening and was courtesous to help me get over to the side).
3. Every marine AM/FM radio I have had in a boat.

[flyfishnv]

Best: My son and fishing partner
Divorce Lawyer
Custody lawyer
Macallan Scotch for when the bills for the first two came in.

Worst: wedding ring
aniversary ring
every other darn thing I bought her :)

[WAZ]

I learned to fish at Humboldt Park in the late 50's early 60's. Caught huge bluegills tossing in a hand line(spool of line/stick for bobber and a hook). We picked our own crawlers in the small city yards or found them under wet newspapers along the curbs. In the mid-60's it was stocked with Bass. We caught some in the 10 to 13 inch range. Learned about bass fishing through sports afield and outdoorlife back then. Best fishing was at Turtle Island. Best sleding at Bunker hill. Used to be a Ma and Pa variety store that sold some fishing supplies at Potomac and Washtenaw. Fell in once off a concrete pier near the boathouse. Thought I was a going to die. A grown-up reached down and pulled me out. Learned to ice-skate on the lagoon. They used to have the big time Silver Skates competition. They sprayed that ice it was like glass.
I lived in that park as a kid till 1969. I occasionally return. It has wonderful memories and scary ones as well.
When the family got our first car we would go on many road trips out of the city to far away places like the Skokie Lagoons and Fox river at Elgin, for those ever elusive and tasty Carp.

[ufda]

Good post!

Best
1.) my old "green box" Lowrance. Without that I wouldn't have learned so much. Haven't used it in many many years. I use it as a desk ornament now............ but it still works! I turn it on every once in a while just to see the light go around and bring back memories!
2.) Honda outboard
3.) Crestliner Sportfish

Worst
1.) Chevy Tahoe (I knew better, but....)
2.) Any open face spinning reel w/a trigger (I knew better, but...)
3.) Any "magic lure" (I knew better, but.....)

[ufda]

Good post!

Best
1.) my old "green box" Lowrance. Without that I wouldn't have learned so much. Haven't used it in many many years. I use it as a desk ornament now............ but it still works! I turn it on every once in a while just to see the light go around and bring back memories!
2.) Honda outboard
3.) Crestliner Sportfish

Worst
1.) Chevy Tahoe (I knew better, but....)
2.) Any open face spinning reel w/a trigger (I knew better, but...)
3.) Any "magic lure" (I knew better, but.....)

[ALAN]

best

1.st croix rods
2.daiwa line counter reel
3tracker super guide v16 boat

worst

storm lures
ugly stick rod
fireline



"If it doesn't have teeth and a white spot on it's tail, I don't want it in my boat"

[Dixie Chicken]

BEST
1) I DIDN'T PAY FOR IT BUT THEN AGAIN I GUESS I DID.
MY TWO FISHING PARTNERS. (I DIDN'T GET A RECIEPT)
BUT THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
2) CABELA'S GUIDE WEAR. JUST THE BEST.
3) FIRELINE! NOTHING BETTER.
4) MITCHELL 300 SPINNING REEL I BOUGHT FROM MY UNCLE. HE MADE ME PAY FOR IT IN 1968 SO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I WAS 13. I STILL HAVE IT.

WORST
1) ANY RENOSKI LURE PRODUCT.
2) UGLY STICK RODS.
3) CHEATERS, AGAIN I DON'T HAVE A RECIEPT BUT WE ALL PAY FOR IT.
GREAT POST!

[Jimmy Z]

Best

1) Switching to Apple computers
2) Yamaha outboard
3) Shimano reels
4) My wife 70% of the time


Worst

1) Anything Microsoft
2) Cabela's boat cover that trashed my boat paint
3) Ford Pinto
4) My wife 30% of the time

[MN_Moose]

I see Kevin Boyle every day. what a great guy! Those were some great years!

[bmill712]

BEST....
1. John Deere Riding Mower
2. Soft Sided Tackle Box
3. Cordless Trolling Motor

WORST
1. 5 HP Briggs & Stratton Outboard, new in 2004
2. Lund Baron 2150 Gran Sport (great boat, but try to control it in a 30 knot wind on Francis Case) It's a sight to see with my 9.9 kicker, 74lb trolling motor and 2 drift socks all deployed at once.
3. My hunting dog. I had to leave the country for 5 months with the military and came home to our new 85lb house dog. He'll never hunt again.

Life could be a lot worse....

[BD]

Fishing related:
Best;
1) 1973 Lund S-14, 20hp Johnson + Spartan trailer, all still in use!
2) "Made in France" Mitchell reels
3) L&S Mirrolures
Worst;
The list is to long to type out.

[WALLEYES_ONLY]

best

1.st croix rods
2.daiwa line counter reel
3tracker super guide v16 boat

storm lures
fireline
berkely lightning rod

[Dave VanDoorn]

Great thread going here:
1. Humminbird 777c2

2. Lund 2001 Explorer with Yamaha 80 four
stroke.

3. Cabelas Guidewear "8yrs and never a drip"

4. Minnkota AP.

5. Shimano Calcutta reels both the Te and B

That the five most dependable and best performing products that I've purchased. Now the worst:
1. Johnson outboards "just would never run"

2. St.Croix 2pcs rods "love the 1pc"

3. Peep sights for my 30/30 winchester

4. Berkley fishing rods

5. Bass Pro AA batteries

Thanks

Dave

[CarpetBagger (unlogged)]

Mine:
1. Honda 9.9 FourStroke
2. TR-1 Autopilot with throttle control
3. Okuma Catalina Line Counters

Worst:
1. berkley vanish for leaders (junk)
2. Daiwa sg27s for runnin dipsys (junk i think i got some bad ones but i never bought em again)
3. wire line

[Browner]

Great post!!
best
1) ranger 621
2) trollmaster
3) Diawa linecounters
4) Tica spinning reels
5) G loomis rods

Worst
attwood anything
vanish
anything bought for my wife
cmc kicker lift
lowrance transducers for x-15

[bigbuck]

Awesome post!! Gettin' some great chuckles at some of the replies.

Here goes my top 3 Best
1. Shimano Aero 3000 (graphite,with the trigger) It has not let me down yet but has been retired by my 2 new Sahara's (1500-2500) and new Stradic (2500)
2. Abu 6500 C4 w/85lb PowerPro (awesome up on LOTW last summer)
3. St. Croix rods (MH Musky and M Casting)
4. Wife that loves fishing almost as much as me

Worst:
1. Berkeley Rods (not sure which one, we're going back 10+years, the twist handle broke while mounting my reel)
2. Garmin 140 Fishfinder (It did not even make it out to fish, I hated the resolution in demo mode, replaced by Eagle 320FishMark)
3. Rental boats that break down

[AlW]

Best
75hp 3 cylinder Evinrude
Fisher SV-3 boat
6500C Garcia reels

Worst
Any dealings with Crystal marine
First time on Mil lacs with the wife and 45-55 winds and rainy so hard you couldn't see, in a new used Crestliner boat that almost sank it leaked so much.

The 75hp motor that came on same crestliner that was just overhauled...and had three cyclinders at about 70-80 psi and one at 20...

Al

[jiggingrick]

Best
1. GLoomis rod
2. Tahatsu 8hp fourstroke kicker
3. ReefRunner deep diver cranks
Worst
1. fireline on my spinner reels
2. 40hp mercury motor on a 14ft trihull
3. any Ford vehicle

[Beach]

Best:

1. Ranger boat
2. Fireline
3. Windstopper pullover
4. Pre-tied snells
5. GPS

Worst:

1. Anglers Edge Marina
2. Bait attractant
3. Out of state fishing license
4. leeches for Canadian trip

[MIke2]

1) Cabelas Guideware
2) Skeeter 1950
3) Cabelas Guideware
4) Yamaha 200 EFI
5) Cabelas Guideware
6) Yamaha T8
7) Cabelas Guideware

I think you get the picture

[shiprex]

Best investment:
1) Vascectomy (the best $10.00 co-pay I've ever spent)
2) MWC Tournament entry fees: I learned more about walleye fishing while trying to compete, than any other money invested in magazines, videos, etc.
3) College education.
4) Berkley, Fenwick, and St. Croix rods (some I still love after 10-15 years)
5) Shimano reels
6) Yamaha 4-strokes.
7) Power-pro and fireline.

Oh, was this in regards to fishing, only. Disregard 1-3 above.

Worst:
1) Fluorocarbon line (various brands...I've tried many)
2) Cabela's reels (but I like Cabela's)
3) Cabela's entry-level gortex raingear (ditto)