SirSnookalot

I agree with the above posts. I personally use masking tape, electrical tape works well too, whether it's b/c or spinning, and any kind of line I'm using. I make 3 overhand knots and cinch it down, or just the tape over line method. Better than even chance if you get spooled by a fish down to the knot, it's not going to hold anyway.

I don't think live bait is cheating at all, just not my preferred method. It can take more effort to find and catch bait sometimes. What I do find cheating and I know many will disagree, is using a product to enhance the smell of an artificial lure.

The snap swivels made with BB swivels aren't too bad, the ones made with brass barrel swivels are too bulky in my opinion. I have only seen 1 barrel snap swivel break, something pretty big hit a guy fishing in the ICW. I use duolocks, have never had one fail in wither fresh or saltwater.

I have another spot for ya, no mocs or gators just bikins and these......

Some of the better fighting fish are the ones with a flatter profile, especially if caught in current. Fish like bluegill in freshwater and a permit in saltwater.

We get coral snakes around here in the home's landscaping, I've never seen one but others have. What I saw with about 90% certainity was a moc, I treat them all as mocosins. Our canals are very high here and I fish on top, snakes and gators are usually in the water, but it only takes one to give ya a bad day.

Tide change around 6 am tomorrow, should be pretty good next 2 days. Went offshore this morning, don't bother....caught 2 5# bonita, rather have been snook fishing.

A real man don't need a gun for a cuda, just jumps in a grabs them by the tail. It is pretty neat looking.

Forget about striper, I'll take a permit over anything swimming, very hard to catch using artificial lures (live crabs are best), fight is something pretty special with long runs, they don't give up.

2 schools of thought, 1 is a tight drag with heavy braid and drag them in. The other is to set your drag just enough to get a good hookset, slight increase or decrease in the drag is pretty easy once the fish is on. I have no idea what my drag setting is, it's all feel but I would think it's no more than about 3# or so for bass as I'm using 15# braided line.

I had almost the exact experience with Amazon. Normally I will not buy a rod on line, but I wanted this particular 8' Okuma. The rod came USPS and with out opening the flimsy box I knew the rod was broken, and it was. I called Amazon (India), they over nighted with FED EX the same rod from a different vendor, it arrived perfect the next day, maybe 2 I don't quite remember.

I could be done with freshwater for while. Went to my peacock spot (did get one) which is under a bridge on a cement slab inches above the water. I have seen a few dead snakes there before and was always a bit leary, yesterday I saw a live one less than 18" away from me. Scared the crap out of me when I saw the light colored bands, I lit up the side of the bank so darn fast. Luckily the snake paid me no mind, but I'm not pressing my luck at that place anymore for 12" peacock.

A-Jay exactly right. To an "outsider", that is not a fisherman, hunter, gun lover or other outdoor activist, some of the posts on BR probably seem as stupid to them as some of the posts BR members think are stupid on FB. My wife could care less about fishing or hunting, she thinks BR is stupid, asked my how I could talk about fishing line for 5 years.

It's one thing to bank fish Florida community ponds and canals, lots of shoreline access. Fishing a natural inland lake there are just so many "clearings" that you can fish from shore, many are pressurized from other bank fisherman. With a small boat or kayak, not only can more shoreline area be fished, but deeper water and other species too.

Not bait rod at all, just an all around spinning rod for throwing lures up to about 3/4 oz. Bait rods are heavier, many baits weigh several ounces themselves without using any additional lead.

I get up at 12 -1:00 most of the time, I'm fishing usually at about 4 or 4:30, but it's always at the ocean. My bass fishing is done mostly 11-1, gets too hot. In the winter, when the bite is better, I like to get out from 4 until dusk.

About 3 years ago I bought an Allstar IM10 redfish rod, med 8/17 spinning, it was on sale at very attractive price. 10 minutes after leaving DSG I stopped at a canal, the rod casted like a dream, but that was the extent of my enthusiasm for it. I hook a bass that was a pound or so and the rod had the backbone of a wet noodle, a redfish rod huh.......within minutes I was back at Dicks.

A braid ready spool is a rubberized strip on the spool, or an elastic band that the line is slipped under. Whether my reel is " braid ready" or not I always put a piece of tape on the spool before loading it up, I even use tape to load up my mono on a conventional reel.

It's all what you make of it, you don't have to accept invites from people to be on their friends list or invite anyone yourself. If one's interest is news or sports for example, FB links to many sites and news feeds are updated all the time. If the interest is in family and friends, FB a good way to keep in touch and get their feeds. There are groups of all types, whether one just chooses to follow or join and be a participant. There is really little difference between a specific group like BR and FB, except on Facebook the subject matter is limitless, there is also instant chat too. If pretty much the entire world is doing it, there must be something to it.

I've caught and used live bait but I really don't care for it too much. It takes time to hunt the bait down and catch it, I need to carry more equipment with me than I'd like, I fish heavier gear if no other reason than to handle the weight of the lead. I find it a little boring to be "baiting and waiting", I'd rather be "heaving and retrieving". On the positive side it's extremely productive, hard to get skunked. Certain species are very difficult to catch with out live bait, in those cases it's really a must. I get more of a thrill casting with lighter tackle and artis. LMB and peacocks are 2 fish that I will never use bait for, snook and cuda once in a while if I'm just standing around and chewing the fat with my homeboys.

Looking at the marine forecast, it stays where it is right now thru Saturday. Staring Wed. the tide will be going out about sunrise, should be snook heaven later in the week.

Heading right over my house. Ought to bring the mutton snapper in.

As a recreational fisherman it has no place in my arsenal. If I were to use one ( I've used many umbrella rigs for ocean stripers) it would be a tool for trolling, I'm going to save back. I've caught 2 bass on drop fly rigs or double flukes and it isn't all that much fun, these fish swim together and come in like seaweed, 1 bass on the line IMO is a lot more fun. Catching 2 peacocks would be a real trip, they swim in different directions.

Who's whining? No one can control the forces of nature, being the weather, you just have to fish it accordingly. You happen to be in Miramar, peacocks are all over the place there, caught tons of them in canals adjacent to I-75, those neighborhood ponds are killers too. Any place in the country I have fished I look for the hot bite, especially in Florida something is going on 12 months of the year, that doesn't mean you're going to score every time out. Fishing isn't magic, it's putting in your time, eventually something great will happen.

I don't see it too useful for anything else, put some bait on it and chunk it out. It may say muskie on it, I'd rather have a shorter rod to pull those fish out of cover. If there is little cover I don't think a rod that heavy is needed, only to handle the weight of the lures.