VolFan

Lighter and longer leaders let it level. I am a huge fan of this technique on a Carolina rig.

Armor All on the shaft is what has been my best friend in this. It works pretty well. Apply as needed.

So it’s not the same as straight fluoro. With braid to leader all of the stress is put on that length of fluoro (however long your leader is). The braid doesn’t stretch so if there’s a little malfunction there’s only the length of your leader for cushion. With all fluoro or mono it is spread more equally.

@A-Jay ’s problem is clearly too many nice reels. You almost certainly kinked/burned the line tying the knot. Braid + anything wrong in the leader leaves no cushion and the leader loses. I would also ditch the leader and either go straight bright or straight fluoro.

@Harold H People use white perch, not white bass that I am aware of. The white bass runs are way down but white perch are very prolific and easy to catch for everyone…except me for some reason. I have an almost comical inability to catch them. Spots make better baits to my palate…

I use spotted bass for catfish bait on the Catawba chain in NC. It works better than anything and futility works to control their population.

Hey I am not aware of anything similar - that’s why the advice is so easy. Right now is definitely a bad time to buy. You may want to keep your ear to the internet, contact a few dealers and see if you can get someone’s trade-in on a bigger boat. There’s a place here in south Charlotte that is a SeaArk dealer and they always have a few discounted at end of season each year.

Oh I’m not kidding! I’ve climbed around on them! It’s a perfect big TN lake boat!

Having looked at boats, you want a SeaArk Easy 200 or Big Easy if you want to go big. Great aluminum boat for fishing but many of the amenities of a pontoon boat. It can be heavily kitted for fishing and/or have sweet couches for lounging reading whatever. The SeaArks are built heavy so if you like to back and swim or camp you won’t have a problem with gel coat or fiberglass. If you have it for a few years and want to sell it just give me a call.😀

Yeah on a warming trend you’d be surprised how many big fish will eat a big wake worked slow shallow around dawn.

Habitat is more important than everything else combined but we’re way off the original topic. Lmb are basically bluegill with way better PR and advertising, and taste deliciously similar.

Physics is generally undefeated in the long run - use a heavier buzz bait and a plastic trailer instead of a skirt, OR use a heavier bait with a smaller wing and smaller skirt and stop overthinking the reel. Although collaborating with the Reel Monkey is part of the fun…

GREAT reels!!! Lmk when you get tired of them!

Is it polite? No. But they may not realize it, and with kids or dogs involved all bets are off. Absent some kind of private property they have the same privilege of using the same spaces you do. My wife and I like to go skip rocks on trips, it’s a weird thing we do. There’s some core memories there. But we don’t do it near people fishing. But throwing rocks in water IS fun.

We got 11” of snow this past weekend. I know that’s ’a dusting’ for most of you but in Charlotte that’s a lot! Broke my favorite shovel…😢 RIP Poly Scoop…Ypu scooped many things over a decade and a half of service…

$4K ish, not including tackle... Soooo…about $12k once I get everything I ‘need’…

We have about an inch on the ground and are supposed to get 5-8”. Nothing for you guys more north but it’s the most we’ve had in a decade.

That was about as aggressively dumb as it gets. Can’t stand prosperity and then gets beat on the next play for the tuddy. Oof.

Darnold was sliding towards turning Into a Panthers Pumpkin again with a dropped snap then sack but really got it together that last drive.

So like a fish vulture?

Has @Glenn gone full Patriot West??? 😀

That’s good eatin’! How’s your ice looking? I’m not optimistic Charlotte is going to miss this.

I am concerned for Stidham’s personal health and safety early in this game. I expect Vrabel to come after him with everything the first few drives to not let him settle in.

You’re probably right - Stidham hasn’t played almost at all so I could see it being Pats 24-10. Vrabel appears to have signed the same contract with the devil that Bellichek had(or maybe the devil signed with Bellichek…). I don’t think the Rams do anything with the Seahawks and that one isn’t competitive- 31-17 Seahawks. It may just be Glenn’s year. I caveat that with this is all dependent on Sam Darnold not turning back into a Panther Pumpkin.

I’ll take crazy lows and feet of snows over a half inch of ice any day. You just can’t do anything with ice and it breaks EVERYTHING.