SirSnookalot

"I just lost a 10 pounder"...........and I say how do you know if you didn't land it.

Your fishing licence give you the right to do as you wish with a legally caught fish of any species. I personally keep no fish I catch, but if it meant a meal for a needy person I have no problem in giving them the fish. However, I will not give a fish to people that horde them all.

When I'm no longer satisfied I replace the hook which I don't do too often, I don't sharpen. Many of my trebles get rusted as I'm using them in saltwater, but they mostly get bent, I use #4 and #2 and I always make sure to check the condition of the split ring. I use #6 in freshwater, I buy 3x or 4x saltwater hooks and have very little problem with them.

I'm absolutely fine, no pain at all and I didn't even feel my leader break. Lucky it penetrated only muscle, just a drop of blood. I just love that Poppa Dog, it's been my mainstay top lure for years, my second favorite is their 20mr twitchbait.

For the species other than stripers any med or mh sp rod with a 4000 reel is more than enough, stripers will require a larger outfit. I would use for pier no less than an 8' rod, 30 lb class 4 oz max lure wt and an 6- 8000 reel or a good conventional b/c. I am by no means an expert on pier fishing.

You may find this helpful in identifying some of the species. http://www.acfishing.com/fishid/list.html

Standard fish finder rig http://www.freewebs.com/ncsaltwater/pyramid-fishfinder_rig.jpg

Was at the beach this morning using a Mirrolure Poppa Dog, 2 trebs probably a #2. I'm taking a small fish off the hook when I see fish busting, so I toss my lure. I was so anxious I forgot to reel up the slack, I look at the rod and I see a broken 30# leader, turn around to look for the lure and it's in my calf just below the knee. Barb went all the in and I couldn't budge it backwards, I then manage to push it all the way thru and attempt cut the hook, wires cutters couldn't not make a dent. I pressed with all my might and barely squeezed the barb down, but not enough. Another fisherman came strolling by, bigger and stronger than me with better leverage and he pressed the barb down, still could not bend the hook but I was able to back it out. Operation successful and I'm fine, and the lure still looks like new.

They resemble a Kastmaster, which IMO is a casting spoon, not that you couldn't jig with them. These are casting spoons http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Hard-Baits/Jigging-Spoons%7C/pc/104793480/c/104732280/sc/104410080/Hopkins-Shorty-Undressed-Jigging-Spoons-Silver/743868.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-hard-baits-jigging-spoons%2F_%2FN-1100332&WTz_l=SEO%3Bcat104410080 http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Hard-Baits/Jigging-Spoons%7C/pc/104793480/c/104732280/sc/104410080/War-Eagle-Jigging-Spoon/1352825.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-hard-baits-jigging-spoons%2F_%2FN-1100332&WTz_l=SEO%3Bcat104410080 I actually do more casting with them than jigging.

I don't work on reels, I usually break them. I would send the reel back to the mfg and let them deal with it, they break something they will replace it.

My swivels never pass thru the guides. If I'm using a rod that has a larger top eye guide I use a larger sized swivel, like this one I use for my offshore rods. I have never had a one fail on me, I know they are cheap but they do the trick. Been using swivels since I was a little kid, I just prefer them, but nothing wrong in going line to line if that's one's choice. http://www.ebay.com/...#ht_4923wt_1263

Just trust your natural reflexes.

After reading this post I went out with a mepps 8 gram spoon (they are french so it's metric) a little less than 1/4 oz. I use the saltwater version for bass, gold plated and don't tarnish at all. Cutting to the chase, caught quite a few with just a moderate retrieve, I do not like to burn a spoon in.

I hope you mean a crane swivel and not a barrel swivel, there is a difference, The barrel swivels are not as strong and they do not rotate well, cranes are a better choice and BB swivels are even better. I never tie line to leader for freshwater, I do when target some saltwater species that will attack a swivel as readily as a lure. Just dealing with freshwater, I use about 18-24" of leader tied with an ordinary clinch knot to my swivel, I only use a duolock for bass fishing, I've been known to use the same leader and knots for a few weeks with out retying or changing, can't remember the last time I got broke off. I bought these swivels, they work great, I use them for snook too. http://www.ebay.com/...#ht_2680wt_1263

If the knot is tied correctly, it isn't the knot no matter what type of fishing knot you are using. Drag isn't the issue unless it's way too tight, even then it takes a pretty good fish to break 14# mono and that probably won't happen until you are battling the fish. If the line is in good shape and the rod guides are not cracked just could be a toothy critter. Easiest remedy is to buy pre rigged steel leaders, swivel on one end and snap swivel on the other. You can also use " piano wire ", I use 30# it's pretty cheap too, haywire twist is recommended but I just wrap it about 10 -12 times, it's what I use for my barracuda down here.

Get a pier net, how are you going to lift them out of the water?

I don't carry a scale or tape measure, I have a mark on my rods freshwater rods are at 20" and my inshore rods have the snook slot 28-32". They get released anyway it's just for my own curiosity.

I'm already packed. From my experience down here, Boca by far has had the best action, since I need to disappear until 11:30 this morning I'm heading up to Hobe Sound or Blowing Rocks, maybe a redfish. Bait has been spotty, ground swells seem to bring them in more than just higher surf. We went offshore Saturday, I had 1 strike and no fish and my partner had 2 triggers and a mutton on a guppy rig.......I really spent more time casting spoons than I did drifting with bait.

I target snook 12 months of the year, it isn't easy in the winter months and the beach activity for them is not usually good. It's predicated on the weather and water conditions, in winter the high water mark is at a low level and the wind can get fierce, it's difficult to cast far enough to get into the trough, not to mention the lack of baitfish. The opposite is true now, the high water mark is at a higher level, wind not very strong and lots of bait, a strike a cast is not unusual some days, in the winter I can go for days without 1 strike, that's when I do most of my bass fishing in the PMS. I'd put the emphasis on the ICW but if the weather cooperates do the beach too.

Spoons make up a large part of my arsenal. Johnson spoons are excellent in weedy conditions, I like Mepps cyclops for open water. In windy conditions I use a thin profile spoon to cut thru the wind better. As far as what I catch the most fish on most seem to produce pretty equal, don't favor one over another. I would recommend using a BB swivel to help reduce line twist, I've never had any kind of spoon that doesn't twist up the line, especially with spinning gear.

Both good and bad days come and go, take them all in stride and just move on. If something happens out of my control, nothing I can do about it anyway, like the weather, we get a lot of lighting here that just kills the day.

Never had a problem with USPS, UPS or Fed Ex, I prefer USPS.

Delray Beach is a suburb of NYC

North Palm Beach has some really good areas, better than we have in South Palm. The beaches on Singer Island can be good and I have friends that wade and fly fish in the ICW near McCarther park, they get trout, redfish, tarpon, snook and certain times of the year some really big jacks. I fish the ICW in Palm Peach or West Palm sometimes. I don't use bait very often but when I do I take a sabiki and use only 3 hooks on it (that's in the wintertime) and tip the tiny hooks with shrimp or squid. You can get croakers, grunts, little 2 or 3" jacks and spots, that's a silver fish with a dark spot on it's tail, all great baits for just about anything. I don't think there are too many mullet around in the winter. This morning I'm going to jig the ICW with a terror eyes, haven't used that lure in a long time.

Most inshore fishermen use tackle appropriate for the average species, as stated you just never know what's going to be out there. The line test is not the issue, it's coming off the reel so fast, it can't break unless your drag is totally locked down, even then you can't stop a bigger jack, the only thing that's going to break is your arbor knot. There is no relationship winching a 5 or 10# bass as compared to a jack crevelle of the same size. We see pics of big fish after they have been caught, not being caught. Few fish over 50# are landed on real light tackle if they aren't chased down with the boat, there just isn't enough line on the reel, especially in the ocean, I don't care who the angler is. When you see the "pros" on tv, you aren't seeing the captain at the helm, the captain is as important as the angler.