islandbass

@Glenn indeed, it is certainly risky, but the rewards are worth the endeavor. I also agree with you 100% those myths you mentioned. where I fish the rip rap has potential for bull dog spirited smallies from the shore and I will gladly give up some pencil lead for the opportunity to battle them on 6# test. indeed 6# line because it is easy to break off and I can retie in and be back in action in less than a minute. I used to use invizx when it used to be about $8 (yeah, a longggggggg time ago, lol) but discovered 6# mono pretty well for the most part. after some time and experience, you will develop a feel to sense a snag about to happen. Then, you proceed to pop the rod to avoid the sang. It becomes second nature and an instinctual motion/reaction. also, we shorebound anglers don’t have the luxury of coming up to the bass by boat so every opportunity to target them from the shore must be taken advantage of. And if it to DS the rip rap, the. So be it 😂😇😎

@Alex from GA Hats off to you for giving 10# fc a try on a reel that size. I have never done more than 8# on my spinning reels and only because it was invizx, which to me is a fc that seems more limp than other fc lines. I just saw some big game fc at Walmart and was thinking about trying it on a casting reel so I hope you report back on how it does with your bc reel.

@Bazoo You’re welcome. The snag risk does exist and because of that, I have stopped using standard DS weights. IMHO, for rip rap these weight are not cost effective. I have not purchased DS weights in over 15 years. So to answer the $64,000 question… A special set of pliers exist that river anglers in my area use to cut and prepare pencil lead when targeting salmon and steelhead in rivers. When I really got serious about DS fishing in rip rap, it was starting to get costly. I could lose 3 weights in ten minutes. The gears in my brain started working on ways to resolve this issue. Since I target salmon in rivers too, I already had such pliers and pencil lead. Once in a while, even for me, the light 💡 bulb turns on. As I was going through some fishing gear, I noticed something about coil of pencil lead I was staring at. Hey… it’s the approximate shape of regular DS weights …. Ding, ding, ding! I will use the pencil lead instead of DS weights. I am happy to tell you that this was an excellent solution. A pair of lead post pliers can be anywhere from about $10-23 and there is a pair from PLine that I am currently using. Consider buying these pliers as an investment. Here is the scoop. I just looked at Amazon and a pack of 25 1/8oz DS weights is $10.78 doesn’t seem so bad, right? 1/8 oz = 0.125oz x 25 = 3.125 oz => $3.45 per oz Okay. A 1lb coil of pencil lead at Walmart is about $5-6. 1lb = 16oz = $2.90 per ounce. Doesn’t seem much cheaper, but I soon discovered that pencil lead has one superior advantage — and that is, I had the ability to customize how much lead you want to use — on the fly. The Amazon example shows a set of 1/8oz weights. What if your situation called for 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, or even 1/2 oz? You’d be forced to buy all those other weights. That adds up. Not to mention, losing them in the rocks might start to get upsetting. Speaking from experience, lol. The 8” lead post pliers I have https://a.co/d/aIl1h8f they make a 6.5” version that is cheaper and just as good. Here is a YouTube video I just searched for that shows what to do and I was pleasantly surprised he mentioned drop shotting. The video is 3 years old and it is kind of cool that others too have realized this independently as I did the way back in about 2006. I guess great minds think alike 😇😂😎 You could even add a swivel, but I don’t. Lastly, I used an improved clinch knot tie the line to the pencil lead, but modified in this way — I will only use 3-4 wraps and snug the knot lightly. I do not want a full on tightening that is normally used when cinching a knot. The reason is that tying it this way allows me to break off easier. In a sense, it acts as the clip of a DS weight does to break off. islandbass = nerd 🤓

If you are going to bottom fish ie drop shot , weighted t rig, etc. , be prepared and expect snags. That is just the price of doing business and an option when the more active presentation aren’t working. drop shot in rip rap is a killer method. I won’t hesitate to risk the snags and break offs when the non bottom presentations have been exhausted without success. I am also a shore bound angler so I’m speaking from experience 😇

AirXD would be perfect. There are two piece models. I have one but it is a casting rod. Unless your environment has tough cover, I’d lean on medium power, fast action. If your environment allows for it 8 to 10# monofilament of your choice as the strengths are very manageable for younger kids to use without too much trouble. The AirXD is no slouch and while it might be “cheap” price wise, it is not cheap quality and performance wise. I have caught 3-5 pound bass and even pink salmon with mine, no sweat. I see no need to spend more on a rod for a 10yo. As for the reel, if you have a decent 2500 sized reel to spare , I’d let him use it. If you’re willing to spend the full $150, then buy the Daiwa or shimano spinning reel with the money remaining in the 2500 size. My daughter used a 6’6” casting rod and reel when she was 7 so a spinning rig in the hands of a 10 yo should be easy peasy lemon squeezy 😎

Hot dog, what gives? Never knew I had a tool monkey. 🐒 I shouldn’t have clicked on this thread, as I told myself I don’t need one (ever) but now maybe I want one. I have gathered that I’d probably go red since I already use other red tools, electric and diablo blades. Thanks, guys. 😝

Jigs for me two. I finally got my first couple of jig caught bass last year and I’ve been fishing since 2004. Granted, I did write them off and pretty much quit, I knew deep down that was not the correct mindset or approach. This season, I’ve been having great production with t-rigged baits, that the jig has been on the back burner and I’ve nearly forgotten about my commitment to get more familiar with them. I’ll tie in a jig next time I go fishing.

Congrats. My state started with Cabelas maybe a decade ago. It’s about 40 minutes away and then not too long ago a BPS. it is strange since trout and salmon are king. I imagine that my Cabelas and BPS are not nearly stocked (lures, line, hooks, etc.) as fully as other stores where bass is king, but it they aren’t too bad and I get to see some bass lures I couldn’t otherwise get unless I bought them online. What’s that rattling noise I hear? Perhaps your bait monkey is shaking up his cage, lol. Even if you don’t release him, I bet he will find a way out, 😂.

I am sure we can all relate. As a shore angler, there is no pattern. If I catch one bass on lure A, lure A 99% of the time will not catch another bass. It’s as if the bass that was caught released some chemical that warned the other bass to steer clear, islandbass is fishing here, lol. 😂

Sorry to hear that!

So true! I forgot about that. I get around that a number of ways. 1) position the spool in the same way as a bait caster. I remember seeing in my symetre’s manual it was not necessary to spool it coming the opposite way. 2) for my other reels, if I’m not willing to soool them like my symetre, I cover the slit with painters tape. There might be a little “bump” or hiccup but it is minimal and won’t damage the line.

lol. Just use painters or scotch tape, lol. That said, I will use that little white strip of tape until it loses its stickiness, 😂 In addition, I like the companies who add a slit to the spool 🧵 to secure the line since it eliminates the need for tape or the beloved white sticker.

I use them when it’s cold and I’d like to use some for the summer. I am quickly finding out that my tolerance for the heat isn’t what it used to be and I can get baked quickly and easily. I now bring spf 50 and Glenn’s article could not have come at a. Ore opportune time.

That is entirely up to you and how much time you invest on improving all aspects of your game. I got to the mid 80s quite fast without a coach because of my amateur knowledge of physics, will, and determination. Back then, I could hit my 9 iron 160 yards and I’m barely 5’5” lol. Mid 80s was as far as my natural talent would take me and even then I knew I had to get a coach to make any more progress. However, kids and life get into the mix and I gave up the game. I got back into golf just recently, but being much older, I know I’ve lost a lot of swing speed. The will is there but so is reality. I am nowhere near as fast in swing speed but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the game. Last bits of advice. It takes work and effort to maintain your swing and skills. You will go through ups and downs (slumps) and wonder what the heck is wrong. When you practice, don’t just whack balls. That’s just wasting time. Have an intent with every shot on the range. Maybe you draw or fade the ball. Maybe you hit your iron lower (punch) or maybe 50% or 75% of the distance you normally hit it. “Play and hole” on the range. The game is a lot of fun. Glad you discovered it.

@Darth-Baiter from your description, it got me thinking maybe that first “hit” is a strike to “stun” your bait and the second “hit” is the kill. 😇

@J._Bricker: Nice! It’s home sweet home for me. 😎lots of Smallies in both lake Wa and Union. Then you got saltwater behind the space needle in your pic.

What do you call an alligator wearing a vest? What kind of wave does a fly surf? *********** An investigator A microwave

A nice shot of the lake during sunset earlier this week. Someone left a make shift rod holder and I decided to use it for this photo. I really like the glass and mirror like surface that yields a nice reflection but colors in the sky, in which the photo cannot give due justice, steals the show. The colors were more vivid than ultra4k.

Rods > Reels I have bass, salmon, and trout/panfish rods and most of my reels must be able to handle bass and salmon. Therefore 100-300 sized bc reels, and 2500-4000 spinning reels.

Regardless of line, you need to periodically check its condition, but 40’ from the end is an odd place to break. Perhaps a kink formed. I would check the guides. Run a cotton swab through each of them. I had a recent experience with my line fraying and I was getting upset that this line was a bad batch. Turns out my rod tip lost the insert.

@Darth-Baiter I couldn’t believe it worked either and it was a pleasant surprise. Good point! It never dawned on me that the shape of the stainless steel should matter. But having it in a shape roughly that of a bar of soap does make it easier to use. 😇😎

I also don’t care for the smell and I hate when I transfer it to my steering wheel. There is something I call a magic peanut. A small piece of metal kind of in the shape of a peanut. You rub your hand on it (with water and sometimes dish soap like dawn but sometimes it’s seems to work better without the soap to remove the smell) and it takes most if not all the smell. you can find it in those kitchen stores and it was meant to remove the smell of garlic from your hands and it seems to work for reasons I don’t know. Stainless Steel Soap Hand Odor Remover Bar https://a.co/d/ff0Ocmt please note I’m not promoting this or selling item. 😇

Honk x 10^10 This is usually done by me freeing a snagged lure and I’m just relieved I didn’t lose it.

@casts_by_flyDon’t give up on them!!! I was in your boat for years without one ding dang bite since 2005. I signed off and wrote them off. I decided to give them another try within the past 2-3 years with a 1/8-3/16 bait t-rigged and something in my brain just switched on and I started catching them regularly now. One thing I think didn’t help was not realizing that the movement of my rod to impart action or life when “small” to me above the water were actually large moves under the water, and thus, moving them out of the strike zone too quickly. I think being mindful of what I did to impart action in smaller bits seemed to really help increase my odds. Also, I noticed longer rods (as in 7’ +) moved the lure much more than I thought. I will throw in the other creature, craws, and “bug” (sweet beavers, rage tails, pacas, etc.) in this category. Just caught a nice one this evening on a beaver type lure tonight. Even the Walmart Creme creatures kick butt. I do use scissors to cut the middle flaps length wise to add some action. All sizes too. Standard brush hog, small b-hog and even the baby b-hog. Good hunting! To the Topic Things I like but aren’t seemingly popular: * using inline spinners, spoons * using mono for most applications * using 2-piece rods. I have my true “bass” 1-piece rods, but the reality is the 2-pieces fit in my trunk unseen. The true rods though I love them do not get much action. Things I don’t like or care to try or just can’t seem to get around to it * Super pricey lures, because I am a shore angler. I just lost my rapala glass husky jerk tonight because the wind blew my cast off my intended target and it got caught on an old piling. Had to break off. I was tempted to swim out to it to save it. 😂 If I had a means to recover them, it would no longer be an issue * I appreciate the benefits of braid and what it offers, but it doesn’t meet my needs and therefore I don’t use it. 20-30# braid can be hard to break off from the shore and I don’t like the idea of the line remaining underwater will be there to potentially entangle animals or people. Update: I forgot to include that the bladed jig has been zero, zip, nada for right now. 😭 I’ll giving another some time in the future.

I never reconnected with mono because I never disconnected from it. 😂 Just respooled one of my reels with 8# test. It’s my preferred line choice for most things.