Team9nine

“Don't Belive Everything You Read/Hear” - probably should just leave it at the title and not go beyond that. The differences of opinion you get on some subjects on these forums, and we’ve all seen and been a part of these multipage drawn out threads, can be just as confusing and “unhelpful” as a “pros” or “writers” advice or story you mention. Knowledge and information sharing has never been greater, but that has its own downside to it. You’ve got to figure out some way of cutting through the “noise” and huge variety of opinions, otherwise it will be a long, expensive journey.

Which is what I found out with my situation I mentioned earlier in this thread, and why I simply sold my 2 Pfluegers off for parts - was better to go with a different brand than deal with those issues on an ongoing basis.

Those were the whiners and they were mostly wrong ? FFS and 360 are a level beyond.

Spinnerbaits on monofilament - almost nostalgic on the water today - lol. Traditional Fall patterns on our local reservoir are just now starting to kick in. Better late than never.

Love/hate relationship here. From the standpoint of what you can learn about fish behavior, I think it is pretty awesome. But from the standpoint of how technology has changed the sport, not just FFS but also Power Poles, Spotlock TMs, Hi-def mapping, floggers, etc., it has made it to where I have almost zero interest in trying to compete these days (fished tourneys for 25 yrs), or in watching the pros fish/compete. I've just about stopped following the circuits outside of seeing how a few friends fare in certain events. Most of the skills I admired in certain professional anglers are now a thing of the past. It's become a look, cast and catch affair in so many events, and it's only going to get worse, I'm afraid.

This ‘paper thin, tear their mouth’ stuff is way overblown. Maybe if you’re trolling cranks on a short line or similar, but for casting and fishing light jigs in open water, especially deep, micro braid is the way to go, and I’d next use fluoro before ever considering mono. Mono works, but you lose so much sensitivity and control compared to the other two line types, it’s not even funny. I’m well over 4,000 crappie caught this year already, and every outfit I have is microbraid, and I don’t downgrade my rods, either. High quality ML graphite rods for everything. I do use 4’-6’ leaders though, and that provides almost all the downgrade you need.

My first Pflueger was a Cabela’s only Summit spin reel (30) I picked up in their Clearance bin. It turned out to be one workhorse of a reel, and became my favorite crappie reel for several years. When the bail spring mechanism finally gave out this past year, I tried to replace it with a similar model. It was no longer being made, so I eventually went Trion in the same size. First surprise was the lack of an AR switch - disappointed, but I can live without it on my crappie stick. But the bail mechanism started failing before summer’s end after just a few months of use. Their higher end stuff may still be good, and have better parts/repair ability, but I sold them for parts to recoup some of my investment and bought two new reels of a different brand. I’m not tough on my gear, but I fish a lot, and everything I own has to be good for the long haul. Its why I don’t change brands much or try new things. It gets too costly in the short run, and I’d rather fish than shop.

If I’m not chasing bass, you can just about bet I’m chasing these guys instead. Nothing like finding and fishing schools of crappie on structure in deep open water. All my ML bass outfits pull double duty in this regard - just change out spools to the microbraid stuff. From my last two trips...

Dropping down to 4-5 lb test should get you there. The original PP in those weights will be much thinner than the 10lb 832, and less mass than mono. Should be able to get that distance easily if you’re already close. Add a leader if you feel necessary, but it may or may not work well depending on the bobber specifics.

I use these little retractable tape measures. Super lightweight and they never rust. Measure the fish vertically so it never touches the ground. Also great for girth measurements if you get a fatty - and I can color coordinate or accessorize with my holey jeans ?

I don’t think he’s suggesting professional tx fishing will disappear - it’s actually experiencing a good rebirth at the moment. What he did suggest is that the old way of companies spending all their marketing money on professional anglers is changing, and they are seeing a smaller slice of that pie, which is being taken up by those with large social media presences, both within and outside the tournament world. Winning isn’t quite as important as it used to be unless there is also the reach from social media platforms to compliment the traditional marketing efforts.

Back around 2010, PP marketed their 3-5 lb test line as “microline.” It was it’s own separate sub-category in the lineup and had that listing on the box. I believe they have stopped using that sub-category, but still sell the line as regular PP (Spectra microfilament) in those sizes, which is what I buy and use now. Might have to do some looking though as not a lot of places sell those lightest sizes. They are listed as available though on the PP website.

I tried Nanofil for a year and a half as my primary crappie line. I really wanted to like it, and it has some great characteristics - long casts, quiet, very sensitive, hi-vis coloring (came later); but I, too, couldn’t get past the line weakness/breaking issue, both direct and with leader knots. In the end, it was a deal killer for me. Had friends use it in higher pound tests that didn’t have the line break issues, so who knows. Might be worth a spool to try just to see. I presently use PP micro line (3, 4, 5 lb test) for all my crappie fishing and it is solid. Used it for years now and have made believers and converts out of many friends.

I can recommend the Lew’s Mach 1 Speed Spin for $70 from TW. I’ve used it heavily the past couple years as my primary finesse reel, catching thousands of bass with it, and it has been solid. I have the 200 size (they don't make a 250). I would also NOT recommend the Trion. I bought it as a replacement for my Pflueger Summit that I was very happy with, but the Trion didn’t even last one summer before it started breaking down - and it didn’t have an AR switch, which is a killer in my book.

Been throwing them heavily for about 2 decades. Current favorite is the Damiki Vault, but they all work. Color choice is similar - they all work. Stick with good old silver and gold, or go fancy. Like all baits, retrieves vary based on activity level of the fish.

Overkill - why lug around 1.5 pounds of tackle when you can easily get by on just 4 ounces worth? What you can stuff in a pocket or two vs. what you'll have to carry in a backpack or tacklebag? Carry a hundred worms with you when in reality you'll be lucky if you need and use 4 or 5? Different strokes for different folks

FOMO = fear of missing out. Most people feel like they have to drag multiple outfits with them to cover every situation imaginable, and then multiple tackle boxes to have a bait for every situation they might encounter, and then fish like they have to catch every bass in the lake. I approach it from the other end of the spectrum. I want to bring as little as possible, giving me maximum mobility, and then try and catch everything I can using a limited number of baits in the most ways (presentations) possible.

You can back-calculate and get a rough idea on actual reel speeds. As an example, using a faster reel in the 31” IPT range, and using a generally standard steady quick retrieve at between 100-120 rpm (handle turn rate), after a little math you end up at around 3 mph. This would be a very common trolling speed. If you burned a retrieve in at 200 rpm, which you probably couldn't keep up for any extended length of time, you might brush 6 mph. Slower 5:1 or 6:1 gear ratios probably put you in the 1.5-4 mph range. Most every fish could probably chase down those typically slower speeds. Faster fish like pike, musky or even bass in very warm water can sometimes be caught trolling in the 5-10 mph range, so in those instances, you couldn't reel faster than the fish could chase and eat.

Very possible. Pondweed (one word) is a general term for Potamogeton species, of which there are several. They can all hold bass, but there are several different varieties. Most are pretty common. Here is a pretty good overview with pics: https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/pondweeds

FOMO kills guys. Have a half dozen different shapes and styles thrown together in a mix of half a dozen different colors. Been carrying my tackle bag like this for about 4 years now. Can't say I've ever had a color bleed issue, but if I did, so what. It would be to my advantage because I'd now be throwing something they've never seen and can't be bought in stores or online

No issue here...look in my shirt pocket in the pic below. It's all I ever need to carry in the way of plastics on a trip. You know your waters - a few styles, a few colors, and some terminal tackle to fish it all with and you should be good. Heck, I've even bass fished for an entire month using just a single piece of plastic for every trip - no tacklebox whatsoever YMMV

I’ve used a couple spools of it. Not my favorite, but a lot to like about it and a very solid line for the money. It, PP and YGK are all I throw anymore.

An overnight inch and a half of rain had the ponds stained and high, so I expected a shallow wakebait bite - but the drains weren't flowing, and after one complete pass around the first pond, I had not a single bite. So I went back a couple hours later with the spinning gear and Ned rig, and proceeded to pop 7 real quick down just one side of the same pond sitting just outside the weedline in deeper water before having to head back home. I'll be back tomorrow with spinning gear in hand to make a full circuit Left my usual sun hat at home, so had my regular hat pulled down low to shade my eyes - works well other than looking a little funny

Just saw this topic, and thought it was interesting because I just picked up a couple new spinning reels (Favorite 2000 series) and ran into this where it seemed like I just keep grazing my knuckles with the bail arm on retrieve - just enough to be annoying. Went to the garage and measured after reading this, and lo and behold, the bail arm is about 5-6 mm closer to the rod blank/foregrip on these reels than either my Daiwa, Shimano or Pfluegers on the same rods. Doesn't look any different from angle or frame length vs. the others just looking at it, but my knuckles know it is - lol.

Inline spinner in the fall; jigging spoon in the summer, and a small jig/soft plastic in the spring.