Paul Roberts

I'd want to know. Taking the time to get a length and girth suggests he's curious too. How often do we get to size up such a fish in person? Not where I live anyway. I'm betting everythingthatswims will be finding a few more such beasts.

Depending on how old he is and how often he'll be fishing of course, I'd lead him out of spin-cast ASAP. Good for very beginners, but he'll leave it behind quickly. The main problem I've found -even in the better quality ones- is retrieve speed. They just can 't keep up with what most lures require. I have one of the fastest, with a retrieve rate of 24"/turn. But, to get that a large spool is used and it's a big lug of a reel, making the rod feel somewhat top-heavy, esp in younger hands. And it's still pretty slow compared to spinning and most casters nowadays. I'd go less expensive bc of this. The 33 will likely function for years, but it is darn slow. And then if you see enough of him, and he likes fishing, get him a spinning reel. Just my .02.

Easy: Nichol's Mango. I even use them as a slop bait. Nowhere they can't go.

I'll share a little story: I have a ton of energy. But I burn a lot of fuel. One day three of us were trolling for trout along thermal bars well offshore on LakeOntario, with side-planers out and the downriggers stacked. After a morning of excitement, the sun got high under that brilliant sky and things got… contemplative. We three sat in silence, watching the sun beat off the water while the motor chugged and the downrigger cables hummed. Eventually I got up and grabbed a sandwich from the cooler. Two bites in and a spark of energy shot through me and I started enthusiastically describing to my listless companions just how exciting it is to have a big chrome steelhead strike, me doing my best wild steelhead strike arm gesticulations. Probably my whole body was involved. I know that I was no longer sitting. “Often they’re airborne before the rod has a chance to respond!” I exclaimed. “Suddenly there’s a big steelhead leaping over the waves, its sides flashing blue-silver in the sun! And suddenly it dawns on you... ‘Which rod is it?!!’” No sooner had I finished my dance, when a brilliant chromer leapt into the air just off port-side. We stared and it suddenly dawned on us: Which rod is it?!!! Just then one slammed down and the drag started screaming. After the fish was boated and put in the box, it wasn’t long before we were all sitting like lumps, watching the sun beat off the water and listening to the throb of the motor and hum of the cables. After a bit, Jon said, “Get Paul another sandwich.”

Try the NE forum. Or NY Bass site.

No see um.

Just a gorgeous fish.

Answers so often come down to personal preference. But since you mention stain and limited cover -these come to mind: 6" Worm -any. With limited cover I'd fish on a jig head, or Wacky. 4" or 5" stick worm -Senko or knock-off, fished Wacky. Could even fish under a float while you tend to the youngsters. Creature bait -I like the YUM Sooie (old Hawg Caller), Ozmo, or Hula Grub. I like the Jewel Finesse jig head. Since you are comfortable with cast-n-retrieve, how about a paddle-tail swimbait? Good in open or light cover. Hint: Boil the tails for 20sec. (but not in a pot you would eat from). Let us know how things pan out.

From the BR calculator. I didn't look very hard for appropriate equations; There may be better out there.

This is a big chunk of the issue right there I would think.

No. I've had them surgically removed. I rely on knowledge, experience, and a keenly trained mind. That said, this is fishing we're talking about so the aforementioned might in the best of light best be described as... self-conjured voodoo.

I was going to ask about spool size... I am using US Reels (extra-wide-spools) and can use FC up to 12lb (.012") without much difficulty. However I'm using ~2000 size spools for lighter stuff .008 to .010. As said, line formula (brand/model) matters quite a bit. Some are more wiry than other. I'm using BPS XPS FC now and it has been a nice line. In the past I've used Vanish to 14lb but found it too soft and easily damaged for my bass fishing. As to putting line on, I tend to get some twist too -which is exacerbated by the wiry nature of FC. But the line settles down with fishing, probably from being stretched some. Once it's "settled" I have virtually no trouble. Oh, I also back-reel rather than use drag which doesn't allow twist to build up.

Yes, all but one are 7ft. Wish they'd expand the line, actually. I think that the ferruling makes for a stiff butt and mid section as in both rods the movement is well out there in the tip. The M is, of course, lighter out there. The MH has a heavier (more powerful) tip. Sight unseen I'd have ordered the MH but upon seeing them I felt the M had enough power to handle the 10 - 14lb lines I use most often. The M will certainly make a fine soft plastics / topwater rod, and for heavier grub and tube applications, and possibly light (3/16-3/8) jig-n-trailer use. I do a lot of standard sized (3/8-3/4) jig-n-trailer fishing and for that I like a powerful tip for detection and hook-setting. The MH will likely be better for that but, again, I haven't so much as strung one up yet, much less cast, much less hooked fish.

Ah! They don't look like the alewife I've known. Heads are too big, shoulders too robust. It may be bc I'm familiar with the Great Lakes form. Looking at Google images of alewife/river herring I see mature ocean-strain alewives are more robust. I bet that's it: Yours are closer to ocean-run strains. Thanks for the follow up.

I've been popping jig heads into my fly-tying vice and tying on little wire barbs like the ZMan Shroomz has. Takes very little time. I stopped gluing plastics because they erode lead over time. What a mess they can make if I leave lead in contact with soft plastics. They begin by discoloring the plastic then dissolving / disintegrating the lead resulting in lead that will crumble and smear. Probably about as toxic a form of lead as you could have. I now store lead and plastics separate, taking baits off the heads if I'm not using them soon.

Ditto.

Casting tackle has some clear advantages over spinning for some applications. Lures that "pull back", esp on repeated chuck-n-wind: spinnerbaits, CBs, swimbaits, over-sized lures, ... . Then there's wrestling fish from dense cover. BCs make this a lot more enjoyable with less wear and tear on reels and wrists. But spinning has some advantages: -Distance casting with lighter weight baits (like FFF mentioned, I've done really well with weightless worms thrown from a distance) -Casting lighter, or wind resistant, baits into the wind -Ease of changing lines with spare spools -Risk-free skipping (any newb could do and with cheap gear) -Risk-free casting surrounded by brush and trees -Exploring new waters where you might wind up... surrounded by brush and trees. A MH spinning rig is my GoTo when exploring new small waters from the bank. -Big fish bolting at boat-side via back-reeling.

After 2 years overseas, and coming back to the aftermath of catastrophic flooding that devastated and/or re-made most of my fishing waters, I need to get reacquainted. Some of my very best waters were nearly wiped out and won't reopen until next year. All were impacted. Got some hoofing to do. Wish me luck.

I just ordered one -M spinning; Hasn't arrived yet. I did get to handle some at a store though -the M and MH spinning sticks, and I liked them. They may compare with my one-piece rods. I will have to cast and fish it before I can really say too much. You won't get a "new toy" review from me. Both I handled felt very powerful, very crisp, and I spent an inordinate amount of time at the store pressing the tips to the floor trying to gauge their power distribution. The M appeared fast, even XF (at "M spinning" power), of very high modulus (rigid) graphite -nothing rubbery there- with a very powerful butt. Shake them and nothing happens! I really had to press their tips to the floor to see them flex. "Popping" the rods (accelerating and stopping abruptly) showed some tip movement. The M -the one I've ordered- felt to me like a MH stick with a M tip and I'm expecting to use it as a soft plastics and topwater rod -not what I'd usually do with a "M" spinning rod: I can't quite imagine finesse fishing with it (grubs, lighter tubes and lighter jig-worms) and it's a bit long for a jerkbait rod. Remains to be seen.

Biggest trouble for me is strike detection. It's easy to miss fish even in ordinary conditions, but wind playing with your line has an exponential effect. Stuff that helps: -Get out of it. -Wind at your back. -Fish close. -FC line can help bc it's density bucks wind a bit better and it can sink below the surface film. The worst can be braid bc of its slack-line insensitivity. -Fish lures that can add tension to the line.

LOL, that is, as you said, "ridiculous!" And impressive. That drum had reached adult (piscivore) morphology: more terminal mouth and deep shoulders. Ever try to catch a little fish with your hands? They can see, they can feel the water pressure around them, and if you manage to get lucky, they're slippery. Piscivorous fishes -whether its a bass or drum- are impressive. I used to do some falconry with a master falconer. What made him shake his head was not all that speed but what experienced birds could do in-close in a fraction of a second.

I didn't like the "fishing backpacks" I saw. Even bought a fancy looking Browning one and ebayed it pronto. It was a cavernous thing meant to hold several 3600/3700 boxes. The fishing packs I looked at -although this was a few years ago- just didn't have all the little details that make a pack really work for me. I ended up at an REI store where there is a huge selection and found a pack that works great. It's well thought out with more compartments to organize things, rather than having all the stuff rattling around in big plastic boxes. I carry smaller boxes each designated for a lure or technique type, which I can easily add or remove as water or conditions change through the season. I keep designated 3700 boxes too, but they are for warehousing at home. What I like about the pack I chose is the separate compartments for lure boxes, rain jacket, snacks, sunglasses, sunblock, etc.. . I esp like the many small pockets and sleeves within the front zippered "office" pouch where I can put terminal tackle, nippers, hemostat, thermometer, file, multi-tool, tape, scale, leader spools, reel spools, etc... Mesh side pockets hold water bottle and fish rag. Shoulder straps are well padded -tackle weight adds up quick. It's been durable too, in perfect shape after some years of use. I guess my advice is if you don't find something you like -and I suggest you really look before you buy- find a place with a big selection of packs and go to town.

Since you asked... "Buccal pressure" -suction. Bluegills, being mostly mid-water suction feeders, produce some of the highest BP's bc of their small mouth and powerful muscles. Drum are primarily benthic suction feeders feeding on insect larvae and as a group drums are known to specialize on mollusks. However, as freshwater drum get big, they become more piscivorous, and their morphology actually changes with the mouth angling more upward. They certainly have the equipment to generate some serious suction.

I've been using kite string just to take up the space. But... DVT's comment about adding mass to the spool is something I hadn't considered; A detriment to casting distance with a casting reel. Cotton string is very light -until it gets wet, and if it is wetted unevenly, that could be a real issue. I'm not sure whether my backing gets wet or not, but it certainly could. Thanks, DVT. Really nice having your expertise here.

I always have. Just made sense. I'm now replacing drags washers on some old reels and one old ABU, I'd picked up at a garage sale for 5 bucks (and affixed to a kiddie rod), had the drag not backed off. To get usable drag the star had to be wrenched down really hard. Upon opening her up I found the main drag washer flattened, even curving against the inside edge of the gear. That's being remedied today.