J Francho

Never any hurt in that. You should see some of schmeg I see in the levelwinds of reel that get sent to me! I once even got a reel that had a french fry in the crank side! LMAO.

It does not.

From a friend of ours over on the local forums, Jim K. Cool Footage:

What's the logic of putting the batts up front?

Wouldn't touch one with a 10' flipping stick. Sorry, I just watched so many friends jump on these things, and NONE of them are in service. They all broke. This is a case where they should abandon the name.

I'd just put a drop of oil on them, and fish it. If it still squeals, then a deeper clean is required.

Uh yeah.

I do use braid and a leader sometimes, but for getting started, I find simplified setups work best, then address issues IF they come up. And yeah, I run a shorter rod - 6'3". I've been testing a 7'2" White Bird, and I'm digging the longer length for now. It doesn't have a huge rear grip though.

I used to be able to get it at Lowe's. Now I just order direct. Wear dish-washing gloves.

6-6 to 7' medium/fast rod and a 2500 size spinning reel. Pick your poison - everyone has good options for either when you get above the $100 mark. I'd be using 8# Tatsu or Invisx, but you'll hear a bunch of guys say braid, or braid with a leader. I just find fluoro is much more sensitive than limp braid. You're always going to have a semi slack line presentation with unweighted plastics. Braid does not excel in these situations.

Oil the spool bearings.

Finesse Wide Gap: Octopus Circle hook Notice the hook points. Different hook sets. You reel set the Corcle hook, while you sweel set the former Wide gap hook.

I say stop thinking and start doing. Pond fishing is about tossing something that stands out from the crowd.

Not even close. 5-12. My partner that day caught a 6-0.

Commander 140 450 lbs. Prowler Big Game 550-600 lbs. Malibu Stealth 14 550lbs. Ultimate FX 15 Solo 600 lbs. ATAK 140 550 lbs. Radar 135 475 lbs. DO some research, get some seat time. There's PLENTY of big guy boats out there.

Blanking is a fluke. Placing high is fishing consistently well. Winning.....eh, everything has to go right, or you're just lucky. I hate those, "blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut" days.

Type "Hidden Lake East Point, GA" into google maps and it take directly there. Sorry, OP. Not from the area. Hopefully someone will come along and help.

I just keep plugging away. Overall standings don't concern me. It's a lake by lake deal.

Keep at it. River smallmouth fishing is uniquely satisfying. This is from my first trip to Erie. Also happens to be my personal best smallie.

Use a spinning rod for light baits, under 1/4 oz.

I have a White Bird spinning rod, WBR-721MH Drop Shot Rod. It is perfectly serviceable as a budget priced rod. It's a little long for me as a DS rod, but a great length as an all purpose rod. It would a great pond hopper rod. I initially felt it wasn't as sensitive as my $200 Avids, which I use as a benchmark. When fishing, it's plenty sensitive enough. I have a 2500 size reel, spooled with 20# braid and a 8# leader. I could feel the 1" pencil weight touch down on the bottom, and the second bump of it fall over. That's all I need. I've caught over 50 fish with it, and it's held up well. I would definitely recommend for someone on a budget, and looking for a durable rod. That said, it's not as sensitive as a rod in the "magic" $100-150 price range.

I just use a triple surgeon's knot.

See, I want to catch the pike.

Cortland Toothy Critter is a good one, and relatively easy to find. It's marketed as a fly leader, but it works great for typical bass gear. 20# size should be plenty. Also, my friend spends two weeks on the St. Lawrence pike fishing. He uses homemade steel leaders with big hair jgs and bunny strips for pike. He catches some impressive smallmouth as a "bycatch" as he puts it.