SirSnookalot

The spillways have been open since last week, I have a friend that has been killing them there. Be careful at Forest Hill, it can be very dangerous at night or early in the morning, I don't go there any more. I've been fishing more open water with lower sea walls. Snook tip of the day, feather on the incoming and lure on the outgoing. I suggest having a pier net.

IMO if one is intent on learning a new technique or how to work a specific lure the time to do it is on a slow bite, if you are productive then you you may have learned something. Catching fish on a hot bite is fun but counter productive as far as developing a skill. The negative to a slow bite is getting discouraged, failure often times is the best teacher.

Less is not always best for ones needs. Recently I bought a new reel and opted for one 3 oz heavier than my initial thought for a reel choice. My decision was based on the length of my rod, I do believe it worked out well, both reels were very close in price.

On the stradic 4000 fi that bearing already comes inside the knob assembly. I recently replaced my knob and had to remove both the bushing and bearing from the old and use them in the new knob. I do believe that same exact bearing is used in knobs of other models as well.

The real fact is you don't need but a few techniques and different types of lures to catch any kind of fish any place. Practice at what you want to accomplish and you will be successful. Learn the nuances of the fish you are targeting.

I never had a rod or reel problem form using braid and I've used it almost exclusively for may years.

It's a matter of personal priority, If I have an available "photographer" (last time I had one with zero talent, lol) and the fish in my mind is photo worthy, sure I like to have a pic. It isn't my priority just to snap a pic of just any fish or to tote a tripod along with me. Most of my boat fishing is done offshore in the ocean, a camera mounted can be more of a liability than an asset, it just gets in the way. I've posted some pictures that I probably should not have, maybe I bought a new camera or phone and wanted to test it, or a new fishing combo, the redundancy is getting to be stale.

Only if you want one. I prefer spinning, I wouldn't consider a b/c.

For the most part I spool with the label up, although many of my reels get trolled out before I use them to fish. Once that's done the line is tight with no twist. I've been meaning to buy a spooling station or plano box for the last 10 years, just haven't gotten around to it.

Off the top of my head I can think of only a couple of spinning reels I own without an anti reverse switch. There are certain species I could back reel if I chose to, there are species where I would not even considerate it, not all fish "fight" the same way.

I use spinning exclusively, both in fresh and saltwater. My freshwater reels are mid priced $100 is as much as I'm willing to spend, saltwater reels I spend up to around $220, I think that's mid priced too. I have never made any improvements to a spinning reel as far as upgrading any bearings or using anything but the stock drag. If I were to replace the drag washers I would upgrade, we're not talking a major expense, as of yet I've not needed to. The drags on every reel I own work quite well and have been tested with fish of all sizes, additionally they are all smooth on retrieval. From my own point of view, I'm not going to fix something that isn't broken.

I'm out to enjoy myself for a few hours, I take what mother nature is giving me.

Don't know about the bass but it's too hot for me. I'm sticking with ocean breezes until November.

For a rod in that price range I would want it to be exactly the way it was produced, I would totally rule out any repair.

Do you really think a stella cost 10 times more to manufacture than a sahara, or a saltiga 10 x more than a lexa, most likely not. The materials used in these reels are not overly expensive in the first place, weight wise how expensive is aluminum or stainless steel, a few bucks really, especially bought wholesale and in volume, and money is recouped when the scrap is sold, believe me they don't throw it out. The actual assembly cost wise is probably on a par and shipping to the US would be exactly the same. If there is a difference it's in R & D, I would venture a guess more $$ is spent marketing a less expensive reel as there is a bigger market and more competition, the expensive reels are sold to a specific market. As far as something being overpriced, that's up to who's buying it.

You need a photographer with minimal skills, I had one yesterday with no skills. I was amazed how a picture could be snapped out of foucs with an autofocus smartphone and good portion of the fish not in the frame. As long as I had a body there, wanted a picture of this 30 incher on a new outfit I just bought.

One nice thing about some of the Florida canals and ponds is the available walkable shore access. I take what I think is a lot of time, I have about a 1/4 mile stretch of canal of I fish quite often. I fan cast a few sets, then walk about 20 paces then do a few more sets, overlaping areas I've already casted to, 1 way may takes me an hour or more, then I have to come back. I do pretty much the same kind of routine in a pond. Casting to the opposite bank and dragging the bait back into the water has always been productive in these canals. IMO when fishing some of these canals, especially the ones with a lot slop and weeds there are only a small handful baits and techniques than can be used, making decisions for me much easier. It's just a matter of time until a bigger fish is scored, they are there, this is bass fishing in it's easiest form, so much different than locating them on a large body of water.

If for no other reason I always use a leader with my braid , because I cast and retrieve lures with treble hooks as much as possible, the leader is so much easier to untangle than braid around hooks. A fish of any species is not an animal of intelligence, they do 2 things only that's eat and reproduce. Fish strike baits that are artificial, birds swoop down take a look at unlive bait and almost always fly away. Fish do not solve problems, do not reason, some get big because mother nature has given a particular one a set of genes tailored for survival, with luck bestowed on it as not to have been a meal for another fish, bird, gator, otter or man. If there is any conditioning, it's the fisherman that's been conditioned to recognize what stimulus will turn a fish of any species on.

I'd pass on an ul set up unless I had a number of other combos to use. I'm not fan of inline spinners on ul for bass, I seem to catch more blue gill and dinks, not that the occasional bigger doesn't come along.

Maybe in Kansas, lol. Certain times of the year saltwater fish are easier to come by than by bass, other times of the year bass are a lot easier. As they say in Florida, when the bass turn on the snook turn off and when the snook turn on the bass are off, it's true, but there is more going on than just snook. There are times I can go for weeks without a saltwater strike and times when it's a fish a cast. I've been bass fishing for 60 years of my life, boating Lake Erie, Lake St Clair, and my own inland lake, many other species too. Being in Florida bass fishing consumes a smaller portion of my fishing life, I have other species that I do prefer to catch. I still bass fish but I do it on the terms that make it the most fun for me, I don't need numbers or size to make me happy, I get plenty of size and hard fighting fish elsewhere. I like to walk canals and ponds throwing a top water lure or fluke, a bass blow up is a great visual. Compared to my saltwater gear bass gear is very light and comfortable, fatigue never seems to be an issue for me, it's great relaxing time, gets me out of the house for a few hours, I'll probably always bass fish.

Yesterday was the red letter day, fished only this rod and reel and nothing else. Even by my standards a 14 oz reel on an 8' mh rod is heavier (talking weight not power) than I normally fish, didn't have a bit of discomfort or fatigue thru about 4 hours of constant casting. I wound catching a nice jack crevelle on the outgoing tide off the jettie, the current was not as fast as it other times but I would guess about 7-8 knots. Both rod and reeled performed to my expectations and I wasn't disappointed, that said no review can ever be given for a few days of fishing and a handful of fish.

The sign of a good tasting fish is how it tastes baked or broiled. Much of the flavor of fried fish comes from the breading or batter and oil, no wonder it tastes so good, I like it myself. Being in Florida I don't eat much freshwater fish anymore, prior to being here I was from Michigan and my family was in the fish business, besides being avid anglers, ate most of the common species. Lake Superior whitefish is something I really miss.

I agree with Paul, when the fish are on they hit about anything. I tied a hook on to my mother in law's old garter belt and landed a 6 pounder, 1 st cast....lol, j/k. When the fish are off that's the time to try new techniques and lures, it can be more frustrating but much more rewarding.

Welcome, I'm originally from the Detroit area.

I'd have a second rod, preferably spinning for lighter baits.