islandbass

I know the technique you’re using and matter of fact, my first fishing outing of the year was last Thursday using that standard rig you described. When I saw a to. If algae in the spots I wanted to bass fish, I said, “Forget it,” and sadly switched to trout mode. My first question to you is what kind of cover does your body of water have? Grassy? Muddy? Rocky? These should influence the strength of line you choose. Under normal conditions, 8# mono is more than adequate. Also, losing a lure to a snag is “part of the game” and you have to readily accept that. It can happen on your first or last cast. Sorry, but this risk is a given and even more so if you are shore bound like me. You also readily admit you might not have tied your knots well. Many knots work well well whether you use 6# or 20# test like the improved clinch and palomar knots for mono. These are the two I use for that trout rig and many bass fishing applications. Another place I’d explore is your casting mechanics. Learn to allow the weight of your rig to maximize casting distance. If you hear your rod whip by your ear before the weight had a chance to load the rod, that usually a sign of mid-timed mechanics that can lead to line snapping. You could have also had a bad batch of line. The game is afoot for you to find the true culprit. Keep us posted.

It is strange how the airline policy is not applicable both ways. I hate to say it, but the worker might have been doing his job. Just read my post up above for my reasoning. I initially thought the checker in my situation was a no good thief too. I shudder and cringe at the thought of having to break a higher end rod in that position.

The overhead risk isn’t so bad. I just wait until the overhead luggage is set and put my bundled 2 piece rod on top. I also keep both pieces encased in pipe insulation. I found out by asking an alaskan airline agent when I got stateside and she confirmed it with an apology for the disconnect. Overhead okay to Mexico but not okay returning to the U.S. ... for crying outloud.

I couldn't have said this any better. Well said!

If portability and convenience are high up on your list, I would go with a 3 piece, or if the rod is going to be greater than 7' over all. If I could get away with it, I'd go two-piece. Also, don't forget to check with airlines as they can have different carrying policies, even within the same airline depending on whether you are exiting or entering the US. Let me give you a personal example. Alaska Airlines allows you to take a two-piece rod as a carry on to Mexico. Awesome. I also assumed that the converse should be true. Unfortunately, it is NOT. 30 minutes before the flight (returning to the US) the checker tells me that my two piece rod was could not be taken as a carry on. It was too late to get it through non carry on. If my sister-in-law were not there, I would have lost my shimano clarus rod. I was upset but in no position to argue. I honestly felt like the checker was trying to pull a fast one on me, but researching it after the fact, it turns out he was right. Unfortunately, the rod got "lost" with my in-law anyway so I'm out a rod, lol, but from now on, I make sure I have the room to pack it in the luggage on the way back. This is just me, but I would go on that "low" end because it could get lost or stolen and I'd feel a lot better if and when it happened that I didn't give away something like a Loomis escape rod.

I’ve been looking at those sst rods for the longest time especially to fill a couple holes in my salmon/steelhead Arsenal. Thanks for nudging me closer to them. You are right about those okuma rods. Even my light action that’s practically a UL has handled 3-4lb bass incidentally caught. Talk about a blast of a battle.

Go with the okuma. I have their 7’ light action rod and you can’t beat its bang for the buck. Ill admit it, I use this rod more than my bass rods. I’ve been in a panfish wave these past few years, catching crappie, gills and trout. It will cast that rapala Minnow but as already mentioned the appropriate line is also a crucial choice to make. Although not ideal, but it is functional, you could Carolina rig that minnow (the size 5 one) with a light weight, say 1/8 oz if you’re desperate for casting distance. I’ve done it so I know it works. Give yourself about a 2’ leader

Is that zebco 33 micro smaller than the regular 33 platinum? If you want to teach him how to use a spinning reel then do that. The smallest abu Garcia cardinal Is the perfect size. Only about $30 and Walmart should have it. It only weighs like 6.95 oz. both my kids learned to use spinning reels before age 7. My daughter learned to use a casting reel at 7 so it is definitely possible. However, you need to be cautious. If you let them use a bc reel or a spinning reel you’d be afraid to lose, then go with that abu g cardinal I mentioned. My son dropped a good number of his rigs into the lake never to be seen again. Had one of those had my curados on it, I’d be forced to jump into the drink lol. Id rather lose a zebco 33 or that tiny abu g spinning reel than a curado, lol.

I'd look at those bottles of KVD line conditioner one the shelves, thinking, "Ah, come on. That's just a bunch a hooey." Now I'm starting to re-evaluate that belief. The testimonials and enthusiasm by my fellow anglers here is quite compelling.

What’s the difference between a “hair stylist” and a barber? ... About $20.00, lol. I lived near or on military bases in my youth. I liked going to the barber on base. They cut your hair quickly and neatly. I too recall getting the shave down with a barber’s razor and the tuning they’d do on a leather strap. It was so cool. I was ten and didn’t even have peach fuzz for whiskers yet.

This 1 x 10^1000000000000000000. If I were drinking something as I read this, I would have spit it all out onto my monitor. The only thing that would have made this better is if it were animated and the words revoked faded in and panned forward, increasing in size, after a loud sound of an old school stamp (think those old date stamps), lol.

Right on! I’m gonna pop some popcorn ? awaiting the next report.

Thanks, BankBasser! I really appreciate it. I look forward to seeing how your initial observations of sensitivity from “land” fishing, which I also know too well, lol (I coined it cul de sac fishing), will compare to “on the water” fishing.

Was your call comparison apples to apples, ie, rods both in the same power and class, same line used in both cases? With the reputation of IMX being primo in the sensitivity department compared to some of its competitors, it might not be as surprising. Can you give a guesstimate on sensitivity on a scale of 1-10 for both rods? I realize it’s subjective but the curiosity is killing me, lol.

This says it all. To the op, I agree with you about your golf analogy. Better equipment might not make you a better angler but it should make the fishing experience more enjoyable. Same thing with gear for just about any hobby. Lance Armstrong could out cycle me with a huffy, even if I had the lightest carbon fiber bike with campagnolo record or Shimano dura ace components. It ain’t the bike ... it’s the engine. Put a steez casting reel on a Loomis nrx and I can still show you I’d get just as skunked from the bank with my first rod and reel, which I dubbed my $20 “Walmart Special”. The extra money for the higher end reels gives you refinement from with the enjoyment factor is kicked up another notch. Fair warning. Once you go try the next class of reel up, you might find it harder to go backward. Something about the dark side they say. ? fortunately for me, I am disciplined enough to know for my needs and purposes, I need not go higher than the curado class of reels and its counterparts. As a bank angler, I know there will be days I just won’t be able to get to the fish and as a result, it won’t matter whether I use a high end or low end rig.

I recall learning the same things about braid. I remember being blown away at the feedback braid transmits, so much so that I jokingly say it would turn an ugly stik into a Loomis. The only “bad” thing, not really bad but to be mindful of is that same zero stretch trait can backfire on you in one way. You could actually yank your bait away from the fish — and that risk increases when you can see the take. So when I use braid and can see the take, I make sure they have it first.

Personally for me, yes. This is MHO, but I like that stretch. I think it helps if we react too quickly and when playing the fishes. If you ask me, the worry of stretch is overrated. It not like mono is a rubber band. I have yanked baits away from fish about to take my lure with braid while crankbait fishing. I was blessed once to see a big mama bass suck in my crankbait, and I got too excited and set the hook. I managed to yank the lure out of her mouth milliseconds before her mouth could fully engulf it. I yanked it so well my lure came flying right at me. Luckily, my ninja quickness and flash-like reflexes allowed to perform matrix moves to prevent the lure from hooking me in the face. I watched the whole thing as if it were in slow motion as I saw the lure whiz by my ear. Then I stepped out of the way again as it returned. My first time using crankbait with braid, I learned the meaning of zero stretch. Will I ever use braid again? Sure, if that’s the line that’s on, but I will stay mindful of how I set the hook, lol.

Maybe it was from a bad batch or a nick/wear higher up the line. Since I don’t like to leave things to chance before I retie, I check the next 20’ or so of line above for wear. Cutting off and re-tying is moot if somewhere above that point is a nick or bad spot. Sorry you lost those fish. It’s always a crappy feeling.

I like mono,10# as a general rule but environment will influence my decision from this starting point. I’m going to assume that they’re casting rods and so you ought to be able to use up to 14# mono. I would also try to use a limper mono. Also, as a general rule, the thicker the line diameter, the less your crankbait mighy dive. Some companies like rapala, and correct if this is no longer true, assumes or presumed use of 10# mono for the depths their lures dove. So from that point, anglers would have an idea of how to gauge diving depth with a thinner or thicker diameter line. Crankbait fishing is is a blast. My first fish was caught on a size 5 floating Rapala minnow. You really could use any line, but mono is economical

I prefer to use the arbor knot. If braid is my main line, I will use a mono backing. I think I spend less time tying the arbor knot than I do trying to put the line through the whiffle holes, lol.

I’d say the lightest most folks would probably go is 20# braid. It has the mono equivalent diameter of about 6# test. That is pretty thin so if you think 10# Fluoro was on the thin side, 20# braid might be as thin or thinner. Check the mono equivalent diameter of 10# fluoro for a comparison.

When you can’t decide you have always have the bait monkey option ... GET BOTH! ?

I store mine horizontally out of necessity. And I do so with no reels attach. @JustJames that is sweet!

Thanks. Matter of fact, as I read your post I kept thinking to myself, I do all those things too. Either I wrote this, lol (not), or riazuli thinks very much like me. Even the writing style. As the saying goes, great minds think alike. ?

Get him the superhero fishing rod of his choice. They’re perfect in length and size. Both my kids started out with those. A princess one for my daughter when she was 5. She learned to use a spinning reel at five but sometimes it’s a bit tough size wise if the have smaller hands. She learned to use a curado at about 6. She’s now 18 and doesn’t fish with me anymore. Same deal with my son. Got him to the zebco 33 by seven and spinning reels shortly afterward. He’s 13 now. I still have my daughter’s princess rod and I’m keeping it for sentimental reasons. Still have my son’s zebco. It is on standby for that newbie who might want to come fishing with us. And tell him that his rod is not a light saber. Batman, spider man and Superman rods are on the bottom of the lake as a result.