SirSnookalot

That's a good site to learn various knots. IMO there is no need to have a phone app for knots, one should already have their knots of choice perfected before they leave home. Using a knot new to you out in the field could mean disaster. Whether I'm fishing bluegill, bass, snook, tarpon or marlin, it's the same 4 basic knots I've been using for eons. A knot should be the last thing to think about, tie it right and forget about it.

Using the same diameter backing as the mainline will probably tie a slimmer knot. I do not use backing, don't like the knot buried in the spool. If I'm investing several hundred dollars in a rod and reel I'm going to spend a few extra dollars and go straight braid. On occasion I will add braid if needed but usually it's a total new respool.

A heavy rod is not needed to land heavy fish, but at times it's a big help to pull fish thru cover and/or to handle heavier lures. Not knowing the waters or any other specifics I might use a rod like that for trolling or bait fishing. It probably will not load up too well to be effective casting lures.

Can't recall what it was a bench or platform maybe, the photo was taken at a marina.

Good point, only photo worthy fish is one that needs 2 hands (or 2 people) to hold it up.............lol.

Xmas, 1975 Key West, Florida. Caught this Cobia on a bass spinning gear as that's all I owned at that time I didn't know I should have been using salt water gear. Have caught many bigger and harder to land over the years, but this one stayed in mind.

My hand somehow migrated to the foregrip maybe 50 years a go and hasn't moved. Especially with spinning gear my rod balances better, easier to work a bait, and my hand is in perfect strike position either to set the hook bass fishing or getting a big strike from something like a cuda or tarpon. I would never own a rod without a foregrip.

I agree with A-jay, not a thing wrong with a President combination. I especially like the foregrip on the rod, that extra leverage IMO for a younger fisherman that hasn't developed adult strength.

I like to use a Bomber boink a doink, as effective in fresh as it is in salt.

Fish will come up, but if a deeper depth is desired there a couple of things that can be done in addition to using a deeper diving lure. Both these methods are used in saltwater every single day, a wire leader will take the lure down a bit deeper or using a light egg weight just above a swivel is the most common ploy. Same basic concept is used in trolling, using a torpedo style trolling sinker.

They may be ok, but I have no interest in using them and this is why. I don't have a problem with a rod that is already pretty light and comfortable being too heavy for me. I use nothing but spinning and the way the line comes off the spool a larger first guide makes more sense to me, line coming off too fast can cause a wind knot when hitting the first guide. Only thing I care about guides is that they don't rust out, the blank IMO is what really matters.

I have replaced engines many times, but only for commercial trucks, the money spent gets replaced fairly quick and it's just the price it costs to do business. Don't always think it's a good idea to put too much money into a depreciating asset if it isn't earning you money. Spending 50% of the total value of the vehicle just to get it back on the road is something that I would not do.

Congratulations.

And I'm going the exact opposite way, don't even want to be bothered with a camera or smartphone anymore.

Thankful for lousy weather. When the surf is up the fishing can get hot, 1 day in particular earlier this year my buddy and venture offshore, 20 mph with 5 footers. About 9:am a squall comes thru, heavy rain, wind and surf pick up, then the bite turns on. For about an hour either one or both of us had a king, bonita or sailfish hooked, squall passes thru and the bite was dead.

From a ROI standpoint, length of time to become profitable, not locked in to lease contract, cash business, less overhead, no employees, hours and available for both the morning and evening bite.............YES ! Not suggesting the OP do this, but down here in FLA a good looking babe in a bikini has them lined down the street to buy her dogs, and that's fact.

Only 3 with any kind of consistency, Overstock when they sell krocodile spoons for 1.99 DOA, for my jerk shads BPS for hot lips bucktail jigs. Any thing else I buy local.

I don't have an Orra but I have 5 Abu sorons in various sizes, been excellent performers, I've had them a number of years. IMO a reel cannot be evaluated until it's been heavily used over a lengthy period of time in all weather conditions.

I use a leader 100% of the time, if for no other reason having braid tangled in a treble hook is a mini nightmare.

Tornadoes are really bad. I know for a named tropical storm or hurricane a different deductible is in force, do insurance companies do the same for a tornado?

This is one of the reasons I'm giving up bass fishing.

This is basic real estate 101, location......location ......location, meaning there has to be a lot of fishermen in the area and the location is easy to find. From a business standpoint I can't think 1 reason to open a small scale tackle shop, except having passion over ride common sense. Between the start up capital investment, the on going business expenses and personal living expenses is a ton of stress. Every business has it's ups and downs, but the thought of waiting 3 years to become profitable kills that idea from the git go for me. The internet is great tool but for a small tackle shop I'd say don't count on too much on line ordering, a web site to point out location and directions is fine. I'll forego my own business resume except to say in 40 years I've always owned one and it wasn't easy. From a personal standpoint I much prefer a business where I can solicit as opposed to waiting for people to walk thru my door. Interesting side bar that I was not aware of. Watching the History channel yesterday Modern Marvels was focusing on the mobile food catering business. I always knew about the blue collar lunch trucks at job sites, but didn't know about the gourmet and specialty foods, these trucks cost a lot of money to set up. What I found interesting were the hot dog vendors with a cart that was fairly inexpensive and making upwards of a 100k a year. I see them in Florida and it appears they are working their own hours and I always see people stopping to buy a dog.

After 40 + years of freshwater boat fishing I don't do it all any more. I do bass fish just about everyday but my main focus is saltwater, even though I get offshore quite a bit I don't enjoy as much as I used too. Whether I'm fishing fresh or salt access has become a major problem, just so much new development in my area. Absolutely no kind of fishing I like better than fishing off a beach, Florida is a good place for that. Almost every beach is legal to be on as long as there is public access to enter, property owners only own up to the high water mark.

No, with the exception of 1 conventional offshore ocean outfit I don't own a b/c, my spinning reels get a drop of oil every now and then and that's all the attention I give them unless it's time for a professional service. Whether it's necessary or not I do put a coating of lube on the spindle just above the nut when a reel is first put into service. Only 2 spinning reels have mono or copoly both used in saltwater, 1 is a dedicated outfit for one species which is used almost daily, the other is a reel I only use on drift boats, which sees little use. There is an inlet I fish at almost daily, it's easy to troll my line out there in the current.

Once I used up my first bottle I didn't buy it again, not because it doesn't work (it does), but using mono or copoly infrequently I employ an alternate method. I soak my filler spool in warm water 10 minutes or so, then spool up. Once the line is on the reel I troll out the entire line and I'm good to go. After each outing my line gets trolled out so I'm ready for my next trip, on occasion I will soak the spool in warm water to limp it up again. Trolling out gets rid of the twist and soaking reduces the coil, especially with spinning gear I feel it's important not to overfill and use to heavy a line.