Team9nine

Denali Rosewood MH Shakey Head rod (7’), Daiwa Exceler 3000, Sufix 832 10# braid to 8# mono leader

Terminology also plays a huge role in the confusion with this topic, and 'modern' or changing definitions over time only exacerbate the problem of trying to convey knowledge. It's already happening in this thread. Just MHO

High percentage spots are always high percentage spots for a reason - think "community holes" - they are community holes because the fish always use them and people continue to catch fish off them year after year. Oftentimes it becomes a timing issue on these areas, either seasonally or daily. It usually comes down to a structural reason, but even that goes off the rails and gets confusing when we don't stick to proper terminology (see similar current ongoing thread). That said, you should always be on the lookout for smaller, or more subtle features, either isolated or related to larger structural features as these frequently get considerably less pressure. They just don't often have the size to hold large schools of fish, but instead smaller groups or a lone big fish.

? Thermoclines form on most of our natural lakes (glacial lakes), though there are a few “two story” lakes where the thermocline isn’t restrictive to deeper fish movement. These are typically lake trout and cisco lakes.

This book has all your answers whether natural lake or man made reservoir. Hint: Natural lake structural features (bars, humps, saddles and reefs).

That’s right around the corner ? With these electronic issues, a picture usually is worth a thousand words

Pics would really be nice when the ice allows. Where are the two units located? Bow and console? Are they both doing the exact same thing? Did you try swapping the units to see if the problem repeats or does it just stay with one unit? Are they running off separate transducers or the same one? Separate black boxes for each, or the same one? Are the units linked together (Ethernet)? These are same basic questions to check and answer to try and pinpoint the problem.

Decent chance it was the Loco Special...they're heavily owned by Rapala and he has a joint hardbait sponsorship deal with the two companies.

Those Cardinals were my favorite, too, though mine were all black versions as I recall. They were good reels, though

I believe this ^^ is at the heart of the matter. I seem to recall that around the late 1980s or into the 1990s, a lot of marketing effort was put into the front drag advantage by companies, primarily that bigger space on the front of the spool allowed for larger washers with increased surface area, and hence better drags. A lot of bass fishing media (articles, etc.) at the time also supported this. That kind of led to rear drags falling out of favor, but like you, my favorite spinning reels at the time were rear drag models that had clickers built in, often a numbering system so you could repeat settings easily, as well as the convenience of "on-the-fly" adjustments without getting your fingers in the way of the line while fighting a fish. Eventually, most everything went front drag style, and I morphed into a back-reeler whereby I could lock down the drag and still maintain total control of everything, albeit in a different way - lol.

Just for perspective, here’s the two hooks in question aligned similarly. Differences are subtle, but still there. Standard EWG G-lock EWG

…or the “Big Game Boomers”

Leader; 7# or 10#, maybe 12# depending on water/cover conditions.

Nothing much, but it is a Feb. bass in Indiana, so there's that - lol. Only open pond I could find within walking distance. First 60 degree day of the year. Will only last one more day though, then freezing cold for about 10 days. The pink blade bait comes through in the clutch...

Took advantage of the 60 degree weather to change out the oil and lower unit lube on the boat. Everything checked out, and now just have to get past this next long cold snap before being able to get out on the water - but the boat will be ready to roll.

Straight fluoro here… Biggest pro - better sensitivity than nylon mono/copoly but still very similar stretch attributes. Biggest con - having to put up with all the fluoro bashers on this site ?

Nice score! I don't think I would melt anything original Ditto. People still pay good money for them. On the baits, Ditto made a bunch of different models just like most other manufacturers. I believe the little snake bait pictured was called the Verifier. The original was a 12 inch version and described as such: "The curly tail coils about 540 degrees and the slow-sinking worm is available in 24 colors and color combinations." Wouldn't surprise me if they ended up making multiple other smaller sizes as you mentioned under that name. Here is the pic with the write-up: Here's a list of a few other Ditto baits they made over the years you might look into (Whip Worm, Baby Eel, Gator Tail, Fireclaw, Sizzler, Cutthroat).

Pink was the “hot” color for me right before ice up, too. Drove by half a dozen ponds today and only found 1 mostly open. Will probably try for my Feb fish tomorrow there. Fingers crossed - not my best water, but got to take what’s available.

It’s what I prefer to use ? though you can design a good system around most any line type.

Both

Been there before - no fun. You're going to be sore for a while. Make sure you get checked out and take plenty of time to rest and recover

For me, it (fluoro) just lends itself to a much more adaptable/flexible and consistent system - a nice blend of sensitivity and stretch - that can easily be pushed in whatever direction you want to go. There are some inherent difficulties and challenges with the ultra-low stretch properties of braid to work around, some which could be done more easily than others, but all would require some degree (and cost) of specialization to accomplish in my case, since my equipment purchases are largely set at this point. But as mentioned, there are a few techniques where those (braid) properties are the right qualities for an application, none of which require leaders, IMO (referring to baitcasting).

I've switched over the years as I've aged and gotten away from tournament fishing. Go back 10, 20, or 30 years ago and it was power, first, next and last, with the only exception being horribly stingy waters with predominantly small bass (like the Ohio R.). Now days, it's probably 80% finesse first, and often all day without change. Power comes out to play just when I feel like throwing it, usually when I'm after a specific bite due to weather or water conditions, or sometimes when finesse has been slow and I just want to check out a few more areas in the little time I have left to fish. Both are fun when they work, and I don't really care how I catch them anymore, as long as I DO catch them.

My thoughts align with what these guys said ^^ In my book, braid doesn't belong on a baitcaster except when it does, and those times are few and far between.

I have a good mix of both (old/new) in multiple sizes and haven’t seen any noticeable difference in depth or action between the two.