J Francho

Who is "removing" it? Taking responsibility is something you actively do.

That is one gnarly looking buck! Looks like fun - everything except the being on the ice part, LOL.

Spit on them if they squeak!

You don't need a 7:1 reel. You're using the rod to move the fish, not the reel anyway. The difference between 6.3:1 and 7.1:1 is about two inches per turn. In other words, the "7:1" thing is pure marketing. Look at the IPT spec, not the ratio. You probably save one crank per cast retrieving the bait. That makes the faster reel, "nice to have," but not a necessity.

For you, probably not. Based on your posts, you seem to take VERY good care of your tackle, and I bet you keep the drum clean.

Brian, mods are human, too. I know I've been experiencing some difficulty separating my bias from my moderator duty. Thankfully, Glenn and the rest of the team can work together to keep the forum on track.

Trust me, I rode his butt all week about his style, lol.

Very, very, very few baits don't catch fish. When I think of a "bad bait," I think of consistency issues or poor construction. Outside of that, bait style selection is more important than actual baits themselves. When presented with a thick, shallow weed bed, something like a crankbait or spinnerbait probably isn't the best choice. A topwater hollow frog, jig, or pegged Texas rig worm or creature would be a better choice. Similarly, if bass are position just off the first break in open water beyond the weed line, that diving crank might be the best choice. Baits are just tools made to solve fishing problems.

I had a friend that threw a Heddon Tiny Torpedo on a 7'6" Ugly stick. It looked so awkward, but he had the cadence down, walking that little devil into some pretty good fish. A personal best, in fact, down on Santee-Cooper:

I'm really surprised they went so far to replace items damaged by the defective product. Warranties usually exclude this kind of liability. Nice to hear of them doing the right thing, though. Spares you an insurance claim.

A 7' MH/F would be a good general purpose rod to get started with. 80% of most bass fishing can be done with this rod, and it's serviceable for the other 20%. Once you learn new techniques, you'll discover what you want for the more specialized techniques/baits. There are a lot of good options at the $100 price point out there right now. Bring your reel to a store, and mount it to several rods and see what feels good.

I love watching guys toss spook type baits and suspending slash baits with long rods. Looks uncomfortable to do all day. Give me a short, lightweight rod, that's ever so slightly tip heavy, so I can spend all day long making light twitches straight down, with minimal effort.

I hesitate to make this recommendation since these are long discontinued reels, but I use Daiwa TD-X HSDL reels for pitching. They are left handed, which makes it easier for me to make the pitch, since I am a right hand caster, and having the spool release on the top of the reel, along with the ability to reengage the spool using that switch is a huge convenience. Most reels from Daiwa allow you to flip the thumbar up to reengage the spool without touching the handle, BTW. This reel just pits in a comfortable location. You can find them on the used market, and usually on the cheap. I think I paid less than $50 for mine, which were lightly used.

I use a shorter, as well as short handled casting rod, an Avid AVC62MXF. For walk the dog style baits, I like a x-fast tip for quick recovery time after each twitch. The medium power flexes into the mid section nicely, offering some flex along with stretch in my copoly to protect the small treble hooks, and keep constant pressure on the fish without pulling free.

I think you're referring to a pitch, not a flip. Flipping doesn't involve any of the reel until you hook a fish. Then you reel it in. No brakes required. Pitching, on the other hand, is easier with a free spool. Brakes rarely come into play since spool speeds are slow enough not to make a difference. It's all in your thumb at that point. In either case, you want a strong, aluminum framed reel, with a heavy, yet smooth drag. Any other features are just preference. http://www.bassresource.com/fish/flip-pitch.html

Inactive fish don't bite. But you make a good point about activating the school. I'm not sure you can turn around an inactive fish, but I definitely think that a active fish can turn on a school that is otherwise shut down. Get one to bite, and the rest may follow. My point was merely that location is more important than magic baits.

For that, I would use something more abrasive, but not enough to scratch he soft brass. A soak in something like Perfect Solution (http://www.perfectsolutioncleaner.com/) might even loosen up the grime. Whenever I see that junk in a reel, I replace the soft washers with Carbontex. No need to polish metal washers, as the Carbontex seat themselves, and create a "bed" in the metal after a short break in term.

No oil on the drum or the shoes! If you're seeing "scorching" it's probably oxidized oil.

We pour our own out of lead. I've used tungsten as well. You can feel more, but it's really just more of the same info you get with lead. More feel doesn't always equate to useful info. It's not anything useful, and I do fine with lead. Feel for the bite, not the bottom. That's what your graph is for.

Blemishes? Where are there "blemishes?" Sounds like something is worn past it's useful life, or you are looking too closely for defects.

See what your missing? You don't have to be a pro to do this either.

I use Blackbird micro swivels, two actually in the terminal rig, for my steelhead/trout float fishing. They do pass through the guides without issue, but will hang on the cast. They are tiny, and can be cut with scissors easily. Thankfully, no fish I've ever caught owned a pair of scissors. They are rated up to 25 lbs, IIRC. The fish I catch are in the 10-20 lb. range, and I've never had one fail. You'll break a leader first. BUT! Keep in mind, I'm using a 10-15' light power, slow action rod. http://www.redwingtackle.com/

I have an AC62MXF that I generally use for spooks and slash baits, but also makes a perfect sniper style spinner bait rod.

You can know all the secret baits, and rigging tricks, but that won't help if you can't find active fish. Find the bass first, then figure out what bait will work best in those conditions. Work from the top down to problem solve and identify any patterns.

I'm gonna call it like I see it....... MACARONI!!!!!!!!! :eyebrows: