J Francho

Camera, scale, and skills! Good job!

You're gonna eventually want a heavy power rod, and not just for punching. Here's a better rig. It takes half as much weight to get the same penetration, and the weight leads the bait straight through the mats. I use 1 or 1.5 oz. skinny trolling weights, Spro 90# splitring, cheap split ring for the sinker, and an Owner Rig'n Hook in 4/0 or 5/0. Works great.

Call Daiwa USA (562) 375-6800, ask for Toby. That collar is easy to replace, if they have the part. If you're not confident you can do the repair, send it to Mike @ DVT.

At first I was ready to lock and load on the "hide thread button," and then I was like

Oh man, I did that same thing probably the third time I launched a boat, more than 20 years ago.

Now we have the same record, lol. Dallas won, and I beat the #1 team in my league.

My avid/sol combos float.

Many barbless proponents say the barb doesn't matter and they don't lose any more or less. Your being honest, and I appreciate that. Those big ones always find a way, don't they? I guess that's part of the fun.

You might prefer the X then. My hands are never up there, so I don't care how it's made. I suppose the rod would be lighter without. I do prefer a full rear grip for moving baits though, and I don't like tiny knobs on the butt for split grips. You'll figure out what you like. And really, you get used to what you think may not like.

It's a rig, not a bait. Donkey rig, drop shot, droppers all involve multiple baits when rigging. Semantics don't really matter, you like it or you don't.

Lots and lots of good stuff out there for them. It's a fun platform to work on. From back when crank side plate screwed into the yoke posts.

That's because it's over a decade since they made them.

It's a little on the high side of a fair price range. If it's smooth and working, it's every bit as good as MUCH more expensive reels purchased brand new. I'd call it a good pickup.

I've always gotten mine with "some rigging." My Prowler Big Game was an angler package, and some was installed. I saved over $800 buying it this way. What's funny, I ended up putting the many of the accessories where they're usually installed anyway, but that was a pretty well thought out boat. The FreedomHawk 12, 12 UL, and 14 all had a couple recessed rod colders, and they were out of the way and useful. I rigged the Moken 13 myself, and the smaller one I used (a 12?) was loaded with recessed holders, lol. The Jackson Coosa I'm using right now has a couple of recessed rod holders. I actually line recessed holders, and prefer to have a few unused around the boat. It helps when landing a fish - lip the fish, and put the rod in a free holder while you get the fish unbuttoned. Otherwise, they are flush mount, so they're out of the way, unlike RAM, Scotty, and rocket launcher styles. Things like anchor trolleys, sonar/GPS units, battery boxes, paddle holders, and random pad eyes you install for whatever accessory you want "attached" to the boat, are best installed by you.

I don't remember the details. Elaborate?

The guy was asking at almost midnight the night before fishing if something was worth trying. The tone is unnecessary, and I don't think this was about the actual cost of the accessories. The last quote answers the original question perfectly. I peg weights with toothpicks. Been doing it for years. I will say, asking about the fishing conditions is always a good idea, and engages the OP in a conversation. The rest of it, however discourages this. Maybe there's a better way to word your posts? I'm not the best at this either, but I make an effort to be polite.

You might want to handle them - it's not really larger than many foregrips. The skinny section behind the reel seat on the rear grip makes it, and the "bump" behind seem bigger, when they're pretty close to other full grip rods. An exception would be Loomis, their foregrips are pretty skinny. You have to have it in your hand, side by side with other brands to get what I'm talking about. It's one of those pick what you like things.

Eaten.

I like the term "Quick n' Dirty" over "Poor man's" C-Rig. There's nothing particularly expensive about a C-Rig. When you have a certain set of tools, and you want the bait to do something, or get through some cover to get to the fish, then do it. Don't worry if it's correct or not. Deal with the drawbacks as they occur. It beats not fishing and scratching your head because you didn't bring your "such and such" rig tackle.

You mean all I had to do was type that one sentence? I think I might be getting close to my weekly character quota for the wee

The guys that are exclusively barbless contend that there's no drawbacks to this. If that's true, then I'd expect no change in technique and tactics. I'll just say this, banning barbs would have a greater impact on my fishing than a rule against something like umbrella rigs or "strolling." I'm not convinced that the barb serves no other purpose than to hold the bait to the hook. I'm also not convinced the nominal tissue damage caused by the barb has a greater long term effect on mortality than does barbless. Lastly, I DO think barbless are easier to remove. In certain situations, I've pinched the barbs down. Don't tell Paul Roberts though, he'll bring crow wings next time he's in town, lol.

Depends on the club. I generally fish team format "opens" nowadays. You see many of the same faces, and none of the BS you can get in club politics. I'm gonna be fishing anyway, so it's just added bonus to throw some money on the table.

He's linking trends in Siberian weather to forecasting weather in the western hemisphere. There are many models predicting a long, cold winter for the midwest. Longer and colder than average.

Generally, small clubs make their own rules, and they're passed by a vote. You usually need a quorum and rules changes are passed by majority or some percentage of the votes. Unaffiliated clubs can basically use whatever rules they deem necessary for a level playing field. Kind of the same as the FLW ruling in the OP.