SirSnookalot

Rigs not so much. Enjoying an 8' rod with a cabo 40 reel that I purchased about 4 months ago. Been using jigging spoons and waxwing lures, good stuff.

I've yet to balance any combo and never will. Initially I like them to feel comfortable but using a wide range lure weights the balance is constantly changing anyway, not in the least bit bothered by it. I do understand fatigue, gladly I don't suffer from it, IMO it stems from not being in shape or not having your muscles conditioned. A golfer that plays every couple of weeks will get sore and tired, one that plays everyday will not, no different with fishing. If you cast enough and do it daily your muscles will get conditioned against soreness and fatigue. That said with age we aren't the same as were 5 or 10 years ago, at 68 I can attest to that, I've lost strength.

Can't say I hate as I've never used it. If the object of F/C to be invisible, why not just put on a FC leader and use a line that manages well. I've use F/C leaders many times, have found zero advantage in getting more strikes, from species they are not line shy to ones that are supposed to be very line shy like mackerel. I did find that my knots were not as good with F/C leaders, leader material is not the same as main line. I'm, a braid user and love it, with 1 exception and that's for using lures that continuously spin 360 degrees ( barracuda tubes), the line twist especially on a spinning reel is real bad. I can troll out mono or copoly, not so with braid. At present I have silver thread 14#, cost was about 5 bucks for 270 yds., has worked well but no better or worse than any other brand.

I wonder about being overly technical. Do people not feel the lure working thru the water, then adjust their retrieval accordingly? When I'm working a lure, especially too fast I can always feel it and I slow down. Maybe I don't get it, but I fish combos light in weight to ones that are pretty heavy, don't really get worn out or tired. My retrieval speed is always varied, often with in the same cast. Being too mechanical and robotic just isn't for me, I am working my baits not just reeling them in, surprising how many strikes I get when my lure is at a total pause and not even moving.

About 50 years ago, doesn't seem that long ago, I spent about a year in Manahatten, actually lived in Union City N.J. My first real introduction into stripers and bluefish, fish from NJ to Montauk. As I understand it there are 3 strains of blues, north atlantic, mid atlantic and south, biggest up north and the smallest down here, it's rare to get blues over 30" here but it happens once in awhile, up there 10-15 pounders are commonplace.

Catch a tarpon med spinning gear light line and you'll never fish like a wuss ever again. hehe

Open water fishing is totally different than fishing in vegetation, imo both line size and gear don't have to be as heavy. Strictly from my own point of view in open water I would use nothing but spinning gear, I don't use anything heavier than 20# braid and a medium or mh rod and that's saltwater. In open water freshwater fishing, again it's spinning and 10# braid is what I use. Catching larger fish in open water is all about your drag, not the line.

I think so too. I just spool up thru my fingers. Have thought about the spooling station, never seem to get around to buy it.

Maybe it's the IGFA, but let me give you 2 examples of what we have here. Barracuda are not game fish, yet people target them all the time. They are very wary and not easy to catch, give a wonderful fight and sporting as any game fish, not too mention they are absolutely delicious. Jack Crevalles also are not a game fish, pound for pound they will give a fight that won't be forgotten easily, we target them. Not the best on the plate but popular table fare none the less. I don't feel too many fish are trash, if they give a great fight that's sport to me. There are just so many non game fish that will pull the insides out of some of the more popular competitive gamefish. I'll let someone else catch those gamers, I'll take the thrill everytime.........

It may be difficult to re program one's thinking on this issue, going with what one thinks is going to work best for them in a given price range is probably the way to. What I think is only relevant to the places I fish and the techniques I use, I'm comfortable with my choices. If I were a gung ho competitive angler price would be no object, I'd be looking for those magic bullets. As it stands I'm not, being strictly a recreational fisherman if I happen to miss a 4 or 5# fish (I do doubt I miss many), it's something I don't get overly upset over. The best fishermen fishing in the best places catch the best fish most of the time. Given the fact there are scores of different brands and models of rods, reels, lines and lures, many used with a high degree of success.

Out of thousands and thousands of casts I've caught only 2 grass carp ( aka white amur, which is a Chinese minnow) on lures

That is awesome.

One of the perks being reaching 65, senior residents no longer need to buy them.

Zero

I don't use fishfinders from shore whether fresh or saltwater. Not that fish are caught all time blind casting into water that appears to be dead, but looking for signs on the water is always most productive. Signs are very obvious, birds working, bait, seeing fish feed and nervous water (that's bait deep enough not to see them but they still stir the water). Then it's just a matter of picking what kind lure is going best suit the water you're fishing in, whether it's a weedless plastic, hard jerk or topwater, etc.

My favorite is the one I caught my last quality fish on. My avatar was caught on a plastic jerk shad about 10 days ago, so that's my favorite.

I have pretty much the same success with both, but prefer hard lures for my freshwater fishing. There is a time and place for each.

I agree. Especially for bass fishing I don't burn my lures too often, bass are ambush predators and I feel most of the time they go for the easiest target. I like to work my lures on the slower side and have no problem speeding up or slowing down my retrieve speed, IPT seem to be more of a determining factor than ratio. Being overly confused never excited me.

Where I originally come from and being raised in the fish business walleye were referred to as pickerel. Commercially caught mainly from Canada on Lake Erie. As far as my recreational fishing went don't recall too many chain pickerel but pike every where. I always wonder who classifies fish as game or non game, I don't believe bowfish are a true game fish. IMO any fish caught on hook and line is a game fish. Some of the so called "trash fish" are harder to catch, give a better fight and make a better meal, what's trashy about that.

Great !

I've been driving 52 years and it's always been this way, people slow down and gawk. It's human nature and I bet more of us do it than we are admitting. I remember when the freeways did not have cement barriers between the 2 directions, just a low railing, we could see much more on the other side then. we did have much less traffic then due to smaller driving population. It's obvious that BR is not a cross section of America, there are no idiots here and I appreciate the fact everyone is so perfect.

Now that I have a few days into it the restoration is starting to happen. Didn't feel my original contractor, (that's an over statement and why I canceled with him) was up to the job. Contractor #2 is a recommended professional from my insurance co and so far I'm pleased. Haven't seen any problems from ins. co, time will tell on that issue and waiting for some reimbursement money. We have about 40' of drywall cut out and hopefully that repair should be completed tomorrow or Wed., then it's on to the painting. Not sure if we are getting new kitchen cabinets, don't wanna say yes and kabash it, that's going to take some time. All goes well I'll be able to put my 8' wide 2 piece work station plus my entertainment center back together, this weekend. Not looking forward to that ordeal with all the components and 6 speakers. I put it all together in the first place myself and dismantled it, everything is marked and diagrammed so it's more a matter of time than hard work. All that said I'm missing some good fishing, been getting out to the beach or ICW for an hour or so pre dawn but that's it, caught a few snook. I need a trip after this, bonefishing in the keys sounds good to me.

You're right about my hand not always on the line, with the exception of bait fishing which I do offshore.

I don't, 1 perk of the golden years.

They sell $500 rods because people are easily brainwashed, people bite harder than the fish they are trying to catch.