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J Francho

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Everything posted by J Francho

  1. I thought this as well, but less pockets = less searching for that thing you know should be in that pocket. It NEVER is there. I totally eliminated the problem by using a boat bag that had zero pockets. Trust, opening and closing zippers on a moving boat during a tournament is not fun.
  2. Good thing that isn't what the OP asked for. Throwing crankbaits would be fine, it's the retrieve that would suck.
  3. I used to bring a bag that held six 3700 boxes, then I stuffed everything in a waterproof BPS boat bag. No boater ever blinked an eye or made a comment. As a boater, I didn't care what you brought as long as you kept it in your area, and were ready to go in five minutes when I said we were going to move. Sunds like this would be a good option for you from Plano: https://www.planomolding.com/fishing/storage/tackle-bags/z-series-3700-tackle-bag
  4. Just got mine. I can recycle the other 43 pairs. Well, I'll keep the Texas Tackle ones, but these are much better. Thanks @moguy1973 for the bird dog on that one!
  5. I only fish five or six different types of baits, ]and only one at a time, based on where and when I'm fishing. So, I pick that one.
  6. I don't know what to think of the numbers. The people that take part in the surveys are usually pretty avid anglers in their area. I did it for years with Lake Ontario smallmouth. I don't think those surveys are included in their big overall angler hours data.
  7. I know a few custom builders that use those type of rod savers and they do work. I don't use anything, and only lost one rod that was in a rod holder. Fun fact: all my SC Avid rods float with any reel as long as it's less than 8 oz.
  8. I thought they tracked harvested fish?
  9. From your choices, I'd get the 40# braid, though that would be a lifetime worth for me. That 3000 yd. spool better be about as cheap as a 300 yd. spool, because that's all I'd need for several seasons.
  10. Actually, they've spread that considerable investment across many price points, offering a range of products varying in quality and tolerance of components. A $150 reel uses the same basic form factor as a $20 reel. They do, they just don't need as much and don't need to pay them as much. Like you said, computers automate many of the steps. Yes, every manufacturer does this. Spend the least to deliver a product that meets specific targets. Assembly (and disassembly) might be complicated, but this hasn't changed in over 30 years. Baitcasters are virtually the same for even longer. Seems like there is more complexity in lure design than anything I've seen in a spinning reel. Most of this was solved with better automated cutting of crown and pinion gears. Once the switch from a worm gear to this set up, that torque issue went away. It's the very gear application that allowed use of composite frame materials. CAD has been around for almost 50 years, and has been evolving the whole time. It's not like 1995 happened and suddenly reel resigners went from paper and physical prototypes to digital modeling. He's wrong about certain aspects at least half the time. Often it's bit of embellishment in order to get more clicks and views. It's good to watch him break a reel down to just individual parts - he's skilled there. I enjoy watching it once in a while with the volume off. I wish there was a site where they just break the reel down, without the commentary - stick to the task. Every single one bolts it in to some sort of self serving outcome. You can point the same criticism at me, since I received the reels for free. But, had I not been given the reels, you wouldn't get the article because I'm not buying them. In case you're interested, here's a comparison between a top of the line hand tuned reel, and an entry level reel, from seven years ago. Both are in use to this day. I'm not super fond of the inexpensive reel, but it has functioned well as a general purpose reel for spinnerbaits, traps, and other moving baits. It's still smooth. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/reel-review.html I was teasing a bit about the reliability of online reviews. Most are shills, or people that immediately type words in the boxes after getting the box they ordered. As always, you will get better data from here, where someone actually ordered and used the thing for a time. The truth is, any company that's been around for a while isn't out to sell junk - they get rooted out fast. The one's in it for a quick buck are easy to spot. Next year they are selling something else that is trending. That Tatula you are looking at is a solid deal at that price. Sales are always nice.
  11. I've done this three times in the dozen or so years I've been kayak fishing. Only once was I alone, so I left my stuff there, and ran back to get it. The one time I was alone, I luckily picked a really good shore spot to launch from and had a pretty good day.
  12. I have four production rods with micros and two custom builds, one is a special wrap. None are spinning. All I know is none of the single foot guides bend on normal sized guides. Quite often I find a bent guide on the micros. Some of my rods are over 20 years old and have been through quite a bit. I do t abuse my stuff, but it all gets used. I stand my my statements. They are delicate, knots do not pass freely, and I don't see any appreciable casting distance increase. They do look nice. If you're not having issues with them, have at it. I haven't broke any and there's only one I don't use regularly anymore because it's an 8' medium cranking stick that I don't have much use for the past few seasons. I'd like to rebuild the swim bait rod with larger guides though. That's a whole other thing though. That one looks goofy with the tiny guides on the big blank. It works fine as is - casts as well as my inexpensive Guide Select.
  13. They had it figured out in Finland.
  14. Okuma Guide Select is a good gateway to SB rods.
  15. First it was the bills on the DT10 breaking, then the bills on the DT Flats just pulling out of the bait. Never bothered trying any others. I have a ton of older balso baits from Rapala that are great, but the ones I tried in the mid 2000s were terrible. Terrible enough for me never to buy them.
  16. I have a slow sink Hard Gill that is deadly prespawn and spawn on the ponds I fish. Once it warms up, it's too choked with slop to fish anything but a hollow frog.
  17. Jerkbaits are a spring and fall thing here. For hard baits, a Rebel Deep Craw has produced more smallies than any other lure.
  18. Get a compression test and independent inspection, then get a nice long on the water test drive.
  19. I like smaller guides, but I'm not a fan of the micros. They're too delicate, knots don't pass a freely as with larger guides, and they do not impact casting in any real world way. They are light, and look nice, especially spiral wrapped, but you need more on a typical build.
  20. Skeeter is owned by Yamaha Outboards, so any boats from the past 25 years should have a Yammy on it. They're good boats. I'd make sure there was a reliable Yamaha mechanic and possibly a factory service center located close by. I don't hear too many complaints from Skeeter owners. The ZX is their entry/mid level bass boat, not their pro level.
  21. I tried to come up with something that used a degenerate triangle, but couldn't draw a straight line to it. Nice to see you posting again.

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