SirSnookalot

IMO, if you are not perfectly acquainted with a rod, don't buy it on line.

As a kid I probably caught more trout on red worms than any thing else.

The bluefish and mackerel are in, I'll be fishing for them at first light, hope they show up today, ya just never know. Driving up to Jupiter at noon to be with family and I'm going to miss my beloved Lions who have been playing on Thanksgiving since 1934. Can't say as that I'm that upset, they're playing like crap anyway.

There are many factors that contribute to any company's success or failure, Hostess is just the latest to experience their business collapsing, they won't be the last. Sad, well maybe for the employees, but they gambled and lost, even a win at the bargaining table probably would only been a postponement of the inevitable. Hostess brand gone, I don't think so, it's salable and their are suitors.

If you read nothing but this sentence you are ahead of the game. Books, videos and tv shows have but 1 purpose, that is to make money for the producers. Not that the information isn't good but so often it may not be pertinent to the kind of water you fish or your geographic area and I think most of it is catered towards the boat fisherman. To be honest I never read a book or viewed a DVD, and tv shows are edited to show you how easy it is, not how it actually is. What little I know comes from fishing a lot and just getting a feel for it, I always keep it simple.

Don't hold your breath in anticipation.

We get them in our ponds every now and then, and they do come in from the canals. On the positive they come for food, if ya see a gator there is real good chance of some nice fishing being there. The HOA doesn't play around, they get a professional there quick to catch it.

I never had an artificial lure that I didn't catch fish on, given enough time. Good bet I may never have purchased some of the lures others considered to be losers.

Storm wildeye are killers. They probably are not swimming true because you may be reeling them in too fast. I reel them in pretty slowwwww and they work quite well. I catch not only bass with them but many snook and tarpon too. I always have a few packs around in 1/4 and 1/2 oz, the Berkley ones work good too, I see no real difference between the 2 brands.

Some great info, LMG is the most accurate. In South Florida canals and ponds we don't deal with much of a water column, many of my canals are but a few feet deep and they hold some nice fish. I fish these ponds and canals nearly everyday. I keep things real simple, if I can fish an area using exposed hooks, which is always my first choice, I'm using a shallow running jerkbait, if it's one of the main canals that are deeper, I'll use something that dives a bit deeper. I'll have 1 on my rod and a backup in my pocket, have a topwater with me too. Most likely I will encounter water that I must fish weedless, I have a pack of flukes in my pocket with a couple of extra hooks..........that's it, I have nothing else with me. Not to say there are days when I choose to fish only senkos, jigs and bottom baits, but those are pretty rare for me, great producers but I enjoy fishing moving baits more. Once you get a bit more adept at catching fish, that's a good time to expand your arsenal and try other things. Don't get ahead of yourself, your in Florida, we have great fish here, just let it happen, and it will.

I think the coiling issue stems from using too heavy a line for a particular spinning reel size. Less line on the spool and using a bit heavier lure that creates more tension only really masks the problem, the coiling is still there you just don't notice it. I do not use mono or copoly lines on smaller reels but I do use some of those lines on slightly larger sizes, 5000 and 8000, I get very little coiling with 12-14#, much more so with 17 or 20# (it's really line diameter not test). My procedure is to get the line on the spool, I then I soak in warm water to limp it up, then before my outing I will troll the line all the way out behind the boat, or in a stream, river or any place where there is a good current. Tighten the drag all the way and reel it in slow, coil is gone at least for that outing, line is tight on the spool, and no line twist. I repeat this procedure as needed.

Yes they are going into mediation, probably a short term fix for the company and the employees. I think the handwriting is on the wall, my bet is Hostess will get sold within the next year or 2.

Goose gave a tip about bending the blade on the roostertails, I tried it and the performance was greatly improved.

Nice outing for the kinder. For 2 times the price a Mepps spinner will last 10 times longer and spin much better.

As CNBC and others have been reporting high sugar prices is one of the components that has lead to Hostess's financial problems. Some of the suitors are Con Agra, Flowers Food, McKee Foods (Little Debbie), along with South American company Tastycakes and having the inside track Grupo Bimbo. Bimbo had offered 580 million several years ago reported by Forbes the company may only be worth 135M now.

Fishing section at Walmart.

Whether it's casting or spinning gear I would not be looking for 1 rod to cover it all. I use a med for lighter swimbaits and plastic worms, for heavier baits and the chance you may catch more than 1 fish on umbrella rig a stronger rod is a good choice. Rod ratings are not universal and may vary from 1 manufacturer to another.

Very possible. Your problem is what's known as "coiling", the immediate things I would try is to first soak your spool in hot water for about 10 minutes. I would then troll my line out, if no access to water, tie your line to a fence or tree (use a swivel) walk all the line out, then reel it back it in tight thru your fingers. Some people have walked the line thru grass but I have never tried it. If you still have problems drop down to 4# or try another brand, I 'm not a fan of Stren original. My own personal choice would be a braided line.

Good move. I have that same 6'6 light I use in ponds, lots of fun. Try a snook out on that mh rod.

@ Basswhippa.............any tips on road kill? lol.

HAHAHA.......Old man ?

Long before the internet arrived discount chains like Walmart and Kmart were making it difficult for smaller stores to compete. Many other chain discounters couldn't compete with the 2 marts and closed their doors too. I do remember the days of the local hardware store and buying by the piece instead of pre packaging, no more. I remember buying minnows, a dozen was 1 dip of the net which usually yielded 2 dozen or more, today they are counted out. I'm all in favor of supporting local bait shops, that said they have to be able to supply what I need, if not I need to go elsewhere. I've read about Green top, sounds like what we have down here, Tuppens and Lott Bros, these stores are an in between big box and small shops, they carry nearly everything, considerable local knowledge, and repairs. Lott Bros is but 2 miles from Gander Mnt, you can even test your gear from their parking lot, they'e on the water. Stores like them will probably be around forever. I don't blame the internet for anything, hundreds upon hundreds of posts telling me where to buy something on line and if it weren't for net I wouldn't be on BR right now.

Living in a coastal area of Florida, it's saltwater fishing. Many of the small tackle shops basically sell bait ,have a small selection of other equipment, and little if any for bass fishing exclusively and IMO are not knowledgeable at all on anything except to magpie what some of their steady customers are reporting. We do have a few shops that are excellent in stocked equipment, repairs and knowledge. Lott Bros (40 miles away), Tuppens (20 miles away) and Boynton Fisherman (on my way home), always have want I need and their staff are experienced saltwater fisherman. When I buy bass equipment it's usually Dicks, with no knowledge. I don't overlook BPS, they are a good drive away and I don't get there often, but they have about everything for both bass and saltwater fishing, I have found the staff in Dania to be very knowledgeable, especially for saltwater, with bend over backwards customer service.

I catch the same number of fish with any brand, I buy the one's for a buck, I've got more of them and a variety of colors. They won't last as long, but I can buy as many as I want.

A hard question but an easy answer. I agree that we all like gear that suits our fishing style and is comfortable. I think the best reviews are the ones we make ourselves. Web site reviews, forum reviews can produce so much information that can be quite conflicting, all with good intentions. So much is based on personal favorites and may not be tailored to one's fishing style or waters. Experimenting on my own is what produces the best answers for me, not that I won't try something different, it's only a rod or reel or some kind of line, there is no magic bullet.