J Francho

They are not. Gizzard shad: Dorosoma cepedianum Hickory Shad: Alosa mediocris The latter survive in large ponds just fine, if it deep enough.

American shad and hickory shad are common on the Great Lakes, not to mention other herring from Alosa genus, like bluebacks and alewife. They get quite large, and many anglers target them at certain times of the year. The shad darts pictured above work well for them.

60 lb. is not enough, you need to up to 100. You'll probably want to invest in crimping tool, crimps, and some connecitng hardware. Or, as Dwight said, get a few pre-rigged titanium leaders.

I'm curious about the model numbers here - I don't recall ever seeing a steel framed spinning reel. If they are working flawlessly, and you are confident they're up to the task, then fish them, and enjoy them. Shimano, then and now, are built like tanks.

That's what I see hanging out of the mouth of the fish in the FB posts. I don't get the feeling he's a color guy.

If the line starts flying off the lip, put it back. Otherwise, hang onto it, and fish!

This is how it should look. Thanks Big Bass for putting it up. I was afraid you were getting a "gap" at one end. In that case, it calls for a shim adjustment. Carry on!

Not sure if I do know him or not, but on tough days on the bays, in the sort of conditions you describe, a tail color can be key. I used to buy worms with a bright tail - there were quite a few Powerworms, which replaced my Culprits, that had them - and do better than just plain. These days, a dip in JJ's Merthiolate or chartreuse does the trick.

Almost all reel decent spinning reels have shims to adjust how the spool fills. Line diameter, type, and manufacturing variances account for this. Some companies provide a couple extra in the box with the reel. Thinking about this more, this reel has what is known as a "long cast spool," and it is meant to stack higher to the base of the spool, which was meant to have the line come off the spool unimpeded during the cast . If it's too much to the base, then removing a shim will shift the stack of line more toward the top of the spool. However, if it's not leaving a gap at the top of the spool, just leave it - it's working as it should.

There are plastic shims under the spool. Remove one, and it should lay correctly.

Rich Z. is friendly acquaintance of mine. Met him a couple times when I was doing the NYBASS seminars. The guy has had some health issues the past couple years, but still goes out and slays them. Fishes for stripers all winter. Black Culprits were my go to back in the day.

Trust me on this.....if what you say is true about that dude, eventually, he'll be fishing alone. I watched a club of 30+ dwindle to four because whiners and cronyism.

Michigan cricket.....

There's quite a bit of smuggling going on via our shared bodies of water. I've noticed a much larger presence of border patrol on the lake in the past decade or so, probably since around 9/11. I'm thinking that's the reason. They're creating a source of record and paper trail in case they identify some illegal activity. Understandable, and not too difficult to comply to.

I actually like to use steel bullet weights when using a big plastc, and very little weight. 1/8 oz. tungsten in front of a big 12" worm is dumb.

New York banned the sale of sinkers under an ounce a few years ago.

I know at least one of our sponsors, Siebert Outdoors - a small company - has been working with alternative materials for a while now.

It's all good, @TheJman....I was just trying to figure out how to keep the thread cooking, as to inform, have discussion, and educate without getting into politics. Something to ponder: where is tungsten tackle made? Will there be tariffs added to it in the future?

If you have all the proper documentation, you can call in from the water. I can't 100% remember the whole process, but it's relatively painless. Run into the same thing over on Erie, by Buffalo/Niagara R.

The second this turns into a politics discussion, I will lock it up, and suspensions will be issued. That means limit the discussion to how you think this affects anglers and tackle manufacturers. I don't think it amounts to much, though an all out ban on lead seems imminent, and not out of the question.

It will also get wet, if you put it in the water.

That definitely makes a difference. "Steelhead" are simply rainbow trout that have responded to favorable environs - food, water quality, etc. The process is called smoltification. Trout raised in fish races (long pools) don't benefit from this, though can get pretty big. I'll try to find a picture of a male with the typical kype jaw.

Famous quote by St. Anthony.

You can also ask whether the fish was taken deep or shallow.

Once had a banner day fishing for smallmouth on a single, small point. The action was so furious my uncle actually started casting out an unbaited gold bait hook on a split shot rig, and caught them. I've some wild days, but that one takes the cake.