Team9nine

Rock Hopping 101 - One outfit, one bait, with a couple spares in my pocket...then cover some ground Here's just a couple from the afternoon.

You can easily tie a bad Palomar, and most instructional diagrams of the knot fall short in this regard. It all centers around what you do with the loop formed in the beginning. As for the Alberto, it is similar in that more exactness in crosses is better than not, but whether you use 5 or 6 or 7 wraps up/back won't make a noticeable difference in strength. The knot is still 30% stronger than a uni-uni, so even slight variations in strength still make it superior in that regard...and look how many people swear by that knot. Some knots are simply more challenging to tie for some than others. I have ones I struggle with, too. My point is that if tied as shown in the diagrams, regardless of how many wraps they suggest, this knot is solid. Any failure I've ever had with it can be traced back to something I screwed up when tying it. The best thing, though not always possible, is to have someone who is familiar with the knot watch you tie it. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what you're doing wrong when you're not quite sure what "wrong" is... As for tips, I hold the loop and the line going through it pinched with my thumb and forefinger, then wrap up with my left hand. After wrapping up, switch and pinch the top of that sequence with your left thumb and forefinger, then wrap down with your right hand. I'm right- handed, and that seems to keep everything in place we'll.

Actual braided line has been around since at least the 1930s or so in the form of Dacron and similar variations. Gudebrod was one of the more popular names promoting the stuff. But the real big advancement in that technology, and the launching pad for "braid" as we term it now came back in 1993 when Randy Dearman won the Texas Invitational using Spectra Lynch Line. That line was new and had only been on the market for a year or so, but Dearman's win put modern high tech braids on the map. Fireline, a fused version of the same basic material by Berkley was introduced a few years later in 1996.

No new name needed here. I tie it like all the diagrams show, give or take an extra wrap or two, and have never had an issue with this knot. If it ever fails or causes problems, then you did something wrong when tying it. Like the Palomar, it's the closest thing to bulletproof I've found.

No downsides here - change things up a bit. Try lighter weight jigheads, different plastic combos and different retrieves. Also, shorten your existing plastic if feasible. See if that helps.

I noticed yours went after the one red treble hook - and people say they make no difference

Could you edit the above into something a bit more coherent please. The only line that makes sense is the last one. The rest I'm still trying to figure out...but in regards to what I think was related to my post, some further details to clarify: The Technical Inspection Association, a German entity that provides testing and certification for that countries businesses and products, found that in nylon based lines tested, when pre-stretched for one minute to 75% of it’s breaking strain, their (respective lines) breaking strength actually increased by 1/2-1 lb. depending on brand, and their stretch (% elongation) dropped between 3%-9% from original calculations. In other words, pre-stretching your line can make it stronger and less “stretchy”. To my knowledge, they did not test fluorocarbons. Given their findings, just "catching a bass" would not in any way affect your lines strength as you summarized.

I do it all the time with nylon/copoly - works well and there's at least one study showing it actually strengthens the line. It also takes out some of the initial "stretchiness" associated with nylon based lines. That said, you have to be very careful doing it to fluoro. If you pull hard enough to induce permanent deformation, you have potentially weakened the line.

Blue crayfish - they really do exist...

Yes and yes. Also change presentations often.

You don't - sounds like braid isn't for you Sell it in the flea market or give it to some kid to use....or come off a few yards of that Big Game line and just spool it correctly

Yes, though it is to a degree, not usually a complete absolute. Lots of factors involved including degree of pressure, size and structure of the bass population, and type of presentation.

Gorgeous fall day - a little to nice, actually - lol. ENE post front breezes and bluebird skies, but we still managed a decent crappie catch given the conditions - just no slabs.

That was pretty much my experience when I was "new boat" shopping a couple years back. Really wanted a Lund Fury XL as my first choice, but they absolutely would not budge even a little on price, options or add-ons...so I bought a brand new Alumacraft

IBTL - could care less whether a forum banned someone or some company. I'm free to leave or not participate if it bothers me, and owners have the right to operate their site however they see fit - been there, done that. Have no need for the rods/reels because of easy access to so many others I have a lot more experience with.

Ned Rig and similar finesse variations...

Miss getting the boat out on the lake whenever I want, but have to admit these small lakes/ponds are doing a good job keeping my mind occupied. Another bank walking excursion after work tonight. Here's a few...

Not certain exactly what your issue is (define "melt" please - as in ice cream cone?, or just sticking together?). I've got packs of Zman baits that are 3 and 4 years old and still good as new. Kept them in the boat. Kept them in the garage. Kept them in the house. No difference. Some favorite non-Zman baits though are tiny brush hogs, 4" lizards, Finesse worms (<5") and Erie Darter Jr.

Depends a lot on time of year at all those places. Morse, 12 pounds is solid most of the year. Geist, 12-15 pounds through the summer to win, 18+ in the spring. Monroe, so variable...8-10 pounds to cash, 12-18 to win. Raccoon, some days 9-12 pounds wins. Late fall or early spring could be 12-18 pounds.

Looks like we have enough members to start our own bass club - Second Chance Bassmasters

Here is a story worth sharing from last night. Made a quick trip over to a local lake to play around more, trying to dial in a finesse setup and presentation. I catch several solid fish and am happy with the way things are shaping up. I'm working my soft plastic back near a steep shoreline when a bass comes up from the deeper water at my feet and sucks in the bait. I see the fish, set the hook and the line snaps - broke right at the leader knot (braid/fluoro). I'm bummed a bit because it looked like a nice fish, but it's not totally unexpected as this combo is on at least it's third trip without a retie, and has probably accounted for landing about 60-70 pounds of bass over that timeframe. You simply have to retie every so often if you don't want this to occur - no knot or line type lasts forever. I sit down to retie, quickly realizing I don't have any leader line with me. So I'm about to do one of those fun experiments where I get to learn something - I tie a duplicate bait on, now going straight braid. This all takes a few minutes, but upon retying, I stay sitting on the grassy bank to keep a low profile (just in case) and cast my bait out to the exact same spot. Retrieve the same way, and get bit again in the same manner. I set the hook, get back up to play the fish, and promptly land him. Remove the new bait from his mouth, then look a little closer and sure enough, deep in his mouth is the first bait with about 2.5' of fluorocarbon tag line streaming Exact same bass, very next cast after breaking him off minutes before. How often does that ever happen? Anyway, I go on to catch a lot more bass on the straight braid setup, including the largest of the night. The fish simply didn't care this go round. Here's a few pics.

Still on a solid bite here in Indiana. Picked up a few more on a short trip Monday before a line of storms moved through the area. Cooler weather also has the crappie bite picking up, so trips have been back and forth between those two species - hard to pick one over the other. Good problem to have

This question dates back to 1979 and that year's Classic. Here's a little history on the debate the first time it came to the forefront. Fun to see the question still debated nearly 50 years later 1979 Debate I 1979 Debate II

It's their inherent design that makes them bend out easier. Going to have to go heavier wire like Gammi Superline EWG as mentioned above.

Coon - better quality at Cat, and less boat traffic, but didn't want to drive that far.